Glad you were not more seriously injured.
I shoot very little steel now.
I once shot all types of targets and have been hit several times.
I stick with more distance and less potential for returning projectiles now.
I can remember 2 really painful impacts and a near miss that have helped form my opinion over the years.
A friend and I were shooting my new S&W 29 and he wanted to see if it would crack an engine block. Small block chevy at 25 yards,side profile 245 gr. hard cast gas checks broke thru water jacket and cracked a cylinder wall. But what if it is coming straight at you? Well one shot and apiece of cast iron or bullet
hit me in the nose . Small cut ,bloody and thankfully not in the eye.
20 yards with 1911A1 . 185 gr . hot JHP reloads. Target was an old small diameter cylinder fire extinguisher.
1st shot ricocheted straight back into my shin and dropped me
right there. Nice bruise.
Two of us standing on the range and throw a bowling ball , old generic black HARD, down range between us.
S&W big bore ,.41 mag or .44 mag, my shot blew a bit smaller than fist size chunk out that flew between both of us at a very high speed. We each coulda swore it went right along side our head. Shot many,many more bowling PINS but never another bowling ball.
Same friend involved each time. Many thousands of rounds expended many times together and luckily no more serious
incidents. We do both wish we would have had better ear protection tho.
