These incidents are not recorded so deniers can claim accidents don't happen.
I will recount a couple of high power incidents.
I think it was in the 90's, during the National Matches on the old Vaile Range, a rifle bullet hit the stairwell and went into the jaw of a match official in the pits. He may have been the Pit Officer or an assistant. I was on the other range but I remember the ambulances and they took him off. I was told the gentleman was an retired Marine (there is no such thing as an EX Marine) and once he was patched up, he came back, minus some teeth!
The pitts in Vaile have been changed.
Now a range I shoot Highpower is a National Guard Range.
Recently they put up these plastic frame holders, we used to use wood.
In 2010 or 2011 a Marine was under these frames and forward of them. That is, he was downrange of the firing line and not directly underneath the berm.
A bullet deflected and went into the Marine. It may have been into the collar bone, what we heard is multiple hearsay, we do know it was serious but he lived.
I took pictures of the frames and if you notice, bullets keyhole in the things. I believe given an unfortunate set of circumstances, a possibility could be a berm shot that skipped into the stand and then was deflected even more, or maybe just a unstable round, anyway you have to be aware that bullets do not always go through things in a straight line.
Safety rules were changed and no one is allowed to go forward of the targets when the range is hot, no one is allowed to park downrange of the targets.
Path of bullet that keyholed
Clear view of keyhole
More keyholes.
