Posted on 06/02/2013 6:16:57 PM PDT by Sawdring
Today while I was planting the garden, a neighbor started shooting his guns. He is known to do this during the summer and for his bachelor party he and his crew shot constantly for four hours. I do not mind the noise and before today my only concern was how he could afford all the rounds he fires.
Today was different because he would shoot and then I would hear a bullet "whiz" through the air above the swamp and then thwack into the woods on the other side. This was right behind my property and I knew the bullets were ricocheting so I didn't know which way they would go next.
I live on the edge of a subdivision and his property is rural farm land. Another neighbor lady asked if it was dangerous to be in the back yard because she heard bullets in the air as well. I assumed it would be so she went in and I crossed a swamp and started whistling to get his attention. I introduced myself and told him what was happening and he wouldn't believe me. I explained to him that I didn't mind his shooting and actually appreciated that he was a gun owner but he needed to know where his bullets were landing.
I looked at his setup and all he was shooting was a Glock .40 caliber pistol, he had a berm in back that goes up to the railroad tracks and then our houses are at about a 30 degree angle from where he was standing and the barrel he was shooting at.
When I saw what he was doing I didn't think he was doing anything wrong but he would not accept that he bullets could even come close to our houses. When I got home I looked up our properties on Google Earth and found he was shooting at barrels about twenty yards from him and the barrels were about 480 yards from where the bullets hit woods.
Unless he takes some sort of corrective action, I'm going to play indoors when he starts shooting and if he hits my house I will have to call the authorities, have them extract the bullet and then we can match it up. I don't really know what else I should do.
I don’t know, I just thought it was interesting that the bullet could travel in such a weird way. Anyone know how to do a screen shot for Google Earth?
What device are you using? Can help w a PC or an iPhone.
Give me the coordinates and I’ll snag and post it for you.
I’d advise against posting a screenshot, unless you are satisfied that your home (our anyone else’s) cannot be identified.
I’m not too concerned about that. I’m up at Freerepublic’s Facebook page so if anyone wanted to identify, me pretty much knows enough to do it anyway.
I’m telling you not to, Signed, The Hatfields.
True, good point, but, I would think that if it is fairly rural, it would be security by obscurity.
Hahahahaha...
Rudeboy, you are correct, and everyone should have a spare upright piano to load said trebouchet with.
/johnny
I figured out how to make the JPG, I just don’t have photo bucket or something like that to post it to.
The Utah Highway Dept mistakenly lobbed at least one avalanche shell over a ridge that landed in someone’s backyard in Provo(?). Good thing it only moved some mud around.
A .40 cal can easily travel 500 yards. That is only 1,500 feet and at 1,200 feet per second to start with, it will travel for several seconds easily. I have never measured the distance that round can go but I always assume a handgun round will travel up to 1.5 miles. I have personally shot the .40 to distances of 1,000 yards, just for giggles at a 1,000 yard rifle range, and the bullets travel 1,000 yards no problem.
I’m not quite sure that the effective range of an upright piano is 500 yards. I’d suggest waiting until you actually lay siege to your neighbor’s house.
To save the image in Google Earth just click on the second image from the right in the toolbar right above the image. You can also go to Edit, and ‘copy image’.
There is a ruler function which will show the exact distance as well.
“...everyone should have a spare upright piano to load said trebouchet with.”
ROFL! And a cow, people should have spare cows, too.
Get a video camera with a tripod, and record the whizzing bullets. The shooters are probably bored with shooting targets, and aiming at targets in the trees like squirrels.
Aren’t disease ridden livestock carcasses the preferred projectile?
I already have the screen shot saved as a jpg but where do I upload it to? I don’t have a photo bucket account.
violated the 3rd rule of shooting.....Know what’s BEHIND your target.
Also, for some reason, Glock owners seem to be the stupidist bunch in terms of safety. As to that point, it has no real safety....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.