can target shooting start a fire?

[Hotshot]

Some of my friends were discussing a wildfire near Yosemite Park in California that has been blamed on target shooting as the cause. Has anybody heard that? How could copper and lead bullets create a fire? Our sport doesn't need blame for something not possible.

[Hawkeye Joe]

Tracer ammo can start fires that's for sure

[OldTurtle]

They can also be started by persons using the "Exploding" targets that are about 2" square... Especially when some people tape them on the back of cardboard targets to 'surprise' another shooter and then abandon the smoldering debris..

[Rick in Oregon]

I heard the same thing while watching the news on CNN (Clinton News Network...), and wondered "how".

Like has been mentioned by Mike, we all know tracers can/will start a fire, as a friend of mine in Tennessee found out two years ago. They unintentionally started what turned out to be a three acre blaze that had to be tended by local firefighters (my buddy and his crew helped extinguish it also). They were shooting their M16's on full auto (they are Class 3 guys) on public land.

Other than that and the exploding targets mentioned, I wonder if it could of been hot brass ejected from an autoloader landing in dry tinder, or a very hot bullet being shot into the same media during very hot and dry weather. I noticed that the liberal media wasted no time, and no investigation on their part to establish fact, and put blame on "target shooters". Typical.

[BabaOriley]

"Exploding" targets that are about 2" square...

Wondering what targets you speak of. Have a link? I went through (40) 1/2 pound plastic jars of Tannerite last summer, and have a hard time believing that could ever start a fire. Always looking for a cheaper alternative to Tannerite though. The stuff is fun.

[skipper]

The fire could just as easily been started by a cigarette butt tossed by the "target shooters". Some people can get very creative when blaming gun owners. Let's not confuse the issue with facts, now.

[brokeasajoke]

Well of course it was a gun. Cigarettes and matches don't start fires but a gun sure will.

[jo191145]

It is possible. I've done it twice on my home range. Both times with my 204. Sorry guys.

The first time was at 100yds. I have a sheet of 1/4 boiler plate steel about six feet long. By leaning it at a 45 degree angle it makes a nice backstop. The angle prevents bullets from penetrating and all fragments are harmlessly directed into the soil. (the only gun I've seen penetrate at this angle is my 243 pushing 87 grainers real fast, a few shots in a bughole and it will go through.)

Either the hot bullet fragments or small pieces of hot steel lit some very dry leaves underneath to a smolder.

The second time was at 200 yds. My backstop at 200 is/was a huge pine tree log. Its just a small pile of sawdust now compared to its former self.
Imbedded in that log was a 3/4'' threaded steel rod that ran all the way through it. While shooting one day I noticed smoke through the scope. My group was hitting that rod and the sawdust was smoldering in two seperate areas quite nicely.

Both of these occurences were in June when we had a dry spell. Neither actually created flames but I'm sure if I wasn't there at least the event at 200yds would have escalated.

Moral of the story, shooting at steel with dry tinder near by can create a fire even with lead and copper.

[JD11]

Moral of the story, shooting at steel with dry tinder near by can create a fire even with lead and copper.

Quite true, I read of more than one small local fire that was started by target shooting when the conditions were right. I've lost count of how many have been started by a spark from a power lawnmower blade hitting a small rock--same theory.

[Bunnybuster]

The fires are started when the shooters use unimproved or impromptu ranges, and shoot metal objects, or rocks with enough metal in them that they spark on the bullets impact, or the fragments have enough residual heat to cause ignition.

Typically the "range isn't cleared or improved, so that there are dried grasses. All it takes is dry vegetation and a light breeze, to ignite fine dry materials. In California, and most of the western US, almost ideal conditions for fire exist right now. Extended drought, has dried out the large vegetation. A wet spring, followed by a dry summer have left huge quantities of extremely dry, fine vegetation on the ground ready to burn. Once the fire starts the heavy fuels are so dried out it is nearly impossible to control.

[JD11]

Oh man that's for sure. We have one going right now halfway from town to the Yellowstone east entrance. I went fishing along the river basically in the fire-zone yesterday and as luck would have it I was right where the two Erickson Air Cranes were drafting river water up their snorkels. Those babies can suck up 2300 gallons in 45 seconds through their 1' diameter 40' snorkel. They're 88' long, twin turbines with a combined 9000HP. When they take off with a load they give all new meaning to the sound of power. They were both making a round every 5 minutes so the entertainment was non-stop. I quit fishing real quick-like to take a bunch of really great pics.

[broncsandwhiskey]

When I was in the Corps we shot at steel targets all the time but the only thing that would start a fire would be a tracer round. Now that was shooting in enviroments that were alot drier and alot more open fields and pastures. Ride Up!!!

[iKonic Status]

Yeah

Tracer ammo can start fires that's for sure

+1 for me here.

Here in the UK the Ministry of Defence prevents all us civilian shooters from using Tracer (mostly .308/7.62) during the summer/autum months on their ranges as they can start fires on the dry scrubland/mors.

I know why they enforce this rule but if any of you ever care to visit the UK, you will find that the summer months are not really much dryer than the winter months, and when shooting in the rain(mid june/july), it does kinda confuse me as to why we can't use Tracer.

Regards

Konrad