Shooting on a hot day...

[Cogs]

Fire prevention in recreational target shooting is a serious and essential part of our Fire Season shooting plan. Being 'fire safe' is easy if you are prepared.

VERY IMPORTANT... Check with the public land agency, where you wish to shoot, for any closures or restrictions. If you can't find the information on their website, CALL THEM. Don't be shy, they are there to help and welcome these kind of calls from good stewards.

Shoot in the cooler hours of the morning. Choose a place away from grass, brush, stumps, logs and trees. Pick a high earthen berm backstop (not solid rock). Select fire safe targets and ammo.

AND... TAKE YOUR FIRE SUPPRESSION EQUIPMENT!!!

Have a great time and remember, "Stewardship keeps it open"!
http://trashnoland.org/fire.html

​

Read More

 

[Koda]

AND... TAKE YOUR FIRE SUPPRESSION EQUIPMENT!!!

its actually a requirement: State of Oregon: Recreation - Target Shooting

 

[Cogs]

its actually a requirement: State of Oregon: Recreation - Target Shooting

Perfect link, Koda! Glad to see they've updated that page. Thanks!

 

[Velzey]

And don't shoot steel core ammo!

 

[bsa1917hunter]

Great reminder. I've been taking my water and shovel with me. I know it's one extra thing to remember to take, but if they require it, we need to do it...

 

[Stomper]

And don't shoot steel core ammo!

But I LIKE steel core ammo!

 

[Koda]

save the steel core for winter?

 

[Velzey]

Seems to be great for starting fires they say! I've never been able to do it myself APIT on the other hand works great.

 

[bsa1917hunter]

I've never started a fire with a bullet either, but I tend to shoot into a good dirt backstop these days. However, when I was younger and hunting/shooting in Nevada, I never worried about that when shooting at the thousands of jackrabbits I pulled the trigger on. There's a whole heck of a lot more dry grass there than here, but nevertheless it doesn't hurt to be fire safety conscious.

 

[Cogs]

I've never started a fire with a bullet either, but I tend to shoot into a good dirt backstop these days. However, when I was younger and hunting/shooting in Nevada, I never worried about that when shooting at the thousands of jackrabbits I pulled the trigger on. There's a whole heck of a lot more dry grass there than here, but nevertheless it doesn't hurt to be fire safety conscious.

Yeah, I've never seen a Jackass catch fire either... (Opps, I mean Jack Rabbit!). I guess they don't have any steel or rock in them to create sparks!

 

[Koda]

I dont think its about the 1 or 2 bullets at game or random plinking targets, but its about the 100+ that hit the same spot into a backstop made up of dry tinder like a target placed in a clearcut. The many bullets impacting each other plus the heat each one generates going down the barrel adds up and starts smoldering.

 

[Cogs]

I dont think its about the 1 or 2 bullets at game or random plinking targets, but its about the 100+ that hit the same spot into a backstop made up of dry tinder like a target placed in a clearcut. The many bullets impacting each other plus the heat each one generates going down the barrel adds up and starts smoldering.

Exactly. When steel and copper core bullets strike a hard surface a tremendous amount of friction is generated. Friction is heat. Super heated fragments, very tiny in size, fly off in various directions. They can land in dry tinder and smolder for quite some time. You may be long gone when a fire actually ignites. We suggest lead core bullets, for summer use, because they are less likely to ignite surrounding vegetation.

Same kind of sparks and fragments happen in a stump or a downed log when bullets hit each other because so many bullets are inside the stumps & logs. Sparks happen and we can't see the smoldering. Sooner or later it can flare up and we just caused a fire!

Best to avoid those stumps, trees and logs!