Has anybody actually got any reliable information on how dangerous a stray .22 bullet actually is?
I am horrified when people shoot into trees to get possums etc... I am always extremely reluctant to do this with a .22 because I can never be sure where the projectile might land. On occasions when I've had to shoot a possum up a tree, I have cut off most of the lead projectile with a knife or sidecutting pliers in the hope that less lead, and a flatter front, will mean less likelihood of damage.
I've heard a story about a farmers wife who had a .22 projectile land on her clothing without causing damage when folks were shooting elsewhere on her farm. But I didn't see it for myself.
I also recall reading about a boy who fell dead after being hit in the head by a .22 projectile that allegedly travelled about a mile.
I find that high-speed .22 hollow bullets seem less likely to ricochet than solid projectiles. And if hollows do ricochet, they are more likely to be deformed than solids... thus having a less efficient shape aerodynamically...thus hopefully won't go as far.
It is hard to imagine that a pea-sized bit of lead is going to do much as it falls to earth at the end of it's flight. But I can't be sure of that.
So does anybody know how dangerous a stray .22 bullet actually is?
I am horrified when people shoot into trees to get possums etc... I am always extremely reluctant to do this with a .22 because I can never be sure where the projectile might land. On occasions when I've had to shoot a possum up a tree, I have cut off most of the lead projectile with a knife or sidecutting pliers in the hope that less lead, and a flatter front, will mean less likelihood of damage.
I've heard a story about a farmers wife who had a .22 projectile land on her clothing without causing damage when folks were shooting elsewhere on her farm. But I didn't see it for myself.
I also recall reading about a boy who fell dead after being hit in the head by a .22 projectile that allegedly travelled about a mile.
I find that high-speed .22 hollow bullets seem less likely to ricochet than solid projectiles. And if hollows do ricochet, they are more likely to be deformed than solids... thus having a less efficient shape aerodynamically...thus hopefully won't go as far.
It is hard to imagine that a pea-sized bit of lead is going to do much as it falls to earth at the end of it's flight. But I can't be sure of that.
So does anybody know how dangerous a stray .22 bullet actually is?
