I watch many shooting related videos and I often see shooters who don’t wear eye protection. I understand the reluctance if it’s just for protection and not vision correction as well, but it prompted this question.

Even though I always wear glasses, and don’t plan to change, I often find them a nuisance when shooting rifles and I was finally curious enough to try to research the question of how important that is.

There are countless online reports of eye injuries resulting from being struck by projectiles such as paintballs, but not too many about injuries resulting from ruptured or other defective cartridges when fired.

Some reports do, however, exist, and once in my experience of shooting tens of thousands of rounds I was hit in the face by ejected gas and/or particles from a fired pistol cartridge. I don’t know what would have resulted if I hadn’t been wearing glasses, but I’m glad I didn’t have to find out.

So, what are your stories? Have you seen (or experienced) injuries? Have you seen or experienced incidents in which eyes might have been injured if protection wasn’t worn?

I’m mostly interested in incidents involving mechanisms resulting from defective cartridges or even ejected cartridge cases, but also anything else you’d care to discuss.

Thanks for all replies.

And, oh: If you’re someone who is offended when someone asks a question on the forum rather than … well, whatever else you think it should be limited to, I apologize profusely for ruining your day—if not your entire life. But I did more or less make it clear in the thread title that it would be a question and you therefore didn’t have to open it.

A fella at our local range had a kaboom several years back. He came in with several facial lacerations. Not to the eye, mind you, but only by the grace of God.

I liken it to using a weed whacker without eye protection. I can't tell you how many times I've taken small pebbles or other detritus to the face (and glasses) while weed whacking and you never know when it might happen. One could go years and be just fine until you're not.

A few years back I had a squib that thankfully didn't make it far enough down the barrel to allow the next round to be chambered and fired. That, too, scared me straight.

I shoot a lot of steel. Last year I had a piece of jacket come back and embed itself in my scalp. There was a lot of blood, but like a typical male I patched it up and kept shooting. A month later when it still handy healed completely I had my wife look at it and she ended up pulling a chunk of copper out of my scalp with needle-nose.

If that piece had been a couple of inches lower (it wasn't) and I hadn't been wearing glasses (I was), I'd have almost certainly severely damaged or lost an eye.

Shooting at an indoor range years ago, the "V" catcher backstop was ill-maintained (as in full), and I had part of a round come back and cut my cheek just below my eye. (yes, I had glasses on) I immediately reported it and was offered a free 5-year membership. Guess they thought I was going to sue. I thanked them and left. Never went back. Gotta be 15 years.

I sometimes do and sometimes don't wear some sort of glasses... It depends on what kind of shooting I'm doing and where I am doing it.

Many many years ago I was shooting at an indoor range with a friend. At that time that particular range had big blocks of rubber behind each target holder that would catch most of the rounds. I was shooting my P220 when I heard my buddy next to me let out a loud "Ugh!" noise. One of my rounds had bounced back off the rubber (12 yards down range) and came back and hit him in the gut. Didn't penetrate but left a good welt.

Fast forward many years and I'm now a pistol and shotgun instructor for my employer, a LE agency. We often use steel targets for shooting some drills, handgun and shotgun. We went through SEVERAL types/designs of targets entirely because we kept having problems with splatter and bounce back. Our policy is 15 yards min for steel when shooting shotgun or pistols and shrapnel coming back to the line was frequent enough that I would position myself behind shooters while I was working with them as to let them take the bulk of their own splatter. Small lacerations to the face, neck, hands, and forearms were common. Occasionally we would pluck out hunks of copper jackets from people's skin. In once case one of our instructors had to go the ER to have a hunk of something removed from his upper cheek as it was too deep for us to get. This was within 2" of his eye.

So on ranges where steel targets are being used, especially solidly mounted ones (we don't use those anymore!) or the target stands are steel armored, always always always wear glasses.

If I am setting up a paper target at a buddies property and shooting into an open field or a dirt berm? I likely won't wear glasses.

And for any that are curious, the metal targets we have settled on are 2 piece designs.... there is a steel stand with an arm on top and a notch cut out. The target portion has a chain affixed to a back of the target (via another welded plate) and the chain is placed in the slot of the arm. This way the target isn't rigid decreasing the chance of a bounce back. Additionally, the targets hang at an angle so nearly all rounds are deflected down. It works pretty well.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
the metal targets we have settled on are 2 piece designs

Do you know what company makes them? I am always looking at steel target options.

Cowboy action shooting match. Shotgun pellet landed directly over my right pupil. Fortunately I was wearing safety glasses.

I was participating in a steel match in the early ‘90’s in NW FL and I received a splatter fragment to the cheek. I always wear eye pro anyway but that was certainly a convincing reinforcement. Now that I wear Rx glasses, sometimes that’s all I use, but even still I usually put fit-over safety glasses on as well. My eyes aren’t worth risking to me.

I’ve had brass bounce off my glasses more than once. I imagine hot brass to the eyeball wouldn’t help my vision any and would be somewhat uncomfortable. Even back when I mainly wore contacts I always wore glasses shooting. I’ve also had bits of jacket material bounce back from the bullet trap shooting at the three yard line during quals hit me in the cheek hard enough to draw blood.

Eye protection is a pretty good idea.

A long ago I was shooting plates at 20 yards at an indoor range, and took a hit to my cheek just below my eye that drew blood. After a week or so the skin had healed up, but it became obvious that there was something in it. I removed a conical shaped piece of copper jacket. Fairly painful as it was about 2mm at the base, and the skin had already healed around it. I was wearing eye protection and it must have barely missed the lens- that’s how close it was.

I’ve also had cases hit my glasses many times, but those are hardly memorable and I doubt they would have done much damage even without glasses.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
the metal targets we have settled on are 2 piece designs

Do you know what company makes them? I am always looking at steel target options.

We worked with a local fabrication shop on several iterations... I'll get some pictures when I can and maybe you can find a local source to replicate them.

Like others, I've had brass bounce off eyewear (glock brass to face issue). I always wear eye pro - doesn't bother me at all.

What does bother me is ear pro when shooting long guns. Eye pro always interferes with the stock and cheek weld.

Regular glasses are also dangerous. Make sure your glasses are safety glasses with the top & side protection. Once in a class hot brass from the person beside me hit the underside of my baseball cap then fell between my eyelid & my regular glasses lens. Burnt my eyelid.

I have not had such a thing happen. I don’t mean this to be a thread drift. This man does have eye damage, hopefully his eye will recover fully.

However, this video so is extreme, it’s sobering to see it. Guy is so lucky to be alive. The damage inflicted upon him is so staggering it’s amazing he lived.

I think it’s worthwhile to see this. Watch it through to the end.

It’s made me rethink everything about shooting.


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My contribution to Misadventures in Reloading…
Shooting my .45, I thought the whole gun was exploding. The magazine hit the floor, spring bent, floorplate lost, slide jammed back. My face felt funny. Powder peppered my face a bit and soon tiny drops of blood were observed. The brass had a blowout on the side. I attributed this to a double charge. Have decided my friends will only shoot factory ammo. I always wear glasses.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
..... I had a piece of jacket come back and embed itself in my scalp.....

If that piece had been a couple of inches lower (it wasn't) and I hadn't been wearing glasses (I was), I'd have almost certainly severely damaged or lost an eye.

Exact same thing happened to me with a copper jacket only it embedded itself in my cheek about an inch under my eye.

I was wearing glasses.

Thankfully no kabooms but I’ve had pieces of bullet jacket and lead bounce back and hit me in the face inches from the eyes. I’ve had plenty of hot brass kick back and go down my shirt or bounce off my face and glasses. Almost 5 years later I still have a scar from when my cousins 14 year old son was shooting my AR at the range his first time shooting and I was standing basically over him for safety reasons and a piece of 556 brass lodges in my elbow crack of my left arm and left a shell size imprint in the skin. It’s gotten smaller over the years and doesn’t looks that bad. Worth it because the kid is 18 now and just texted me pictures the other day of his first gun purchase. I wear Rx glasses so I’ve always got them on but I’m pretty mental about my son wearing eyes every time. Even if I’m going down the bottom Of my property for just a quick function test on a new gun to fire a few rounds.

Besides the usual splash back from full or poorly maintained traps, I was once at an older indoor range with hand cranked target carriers.

A genius showed up in the lane next to me and proceeded to "teach" his GF how to shoot after clearly doing no prep work with her before the trip to the range and then made the typical mistake and immediately gave her too much gun.

They ran the target carrier out about three feet which she proceeded to shoot immediately. The target carrier was a V-shaped piece of thick steel.

I caught I good chunk of whatever deflected off the target carrier square in the face and neck.

I got the attention of the person I was shooting with, safetied the pistol in my hand, set it down and went straight to the bathroom to find a mirror to see what would surely be stuck in my face.

Thankfully other than a bunch of black streaks and a scratch or two, I was fine and thankful I had my glasses on (as I always do).

Washed my face, returned to the range and gave the guy next to me a LARGE piece of my mind about his poor choice of guns to train his GF with, his poor training techniques and a couple of other things. IIRC, he made several excuses, took no responsibility, blamed the GF and then they both packed up and left.

Later on I caught a chunk of .38 Super in my left arm out of the traps at this same range which is why I have not shot there in 15+ years.

Safety glasses, real ANSI safety glasses have saved my eyes TWICE.

First, was a rock expelled from a chipper/shreader that cracked an ANSI safety-rated lens. Absent that lens, I'd have no left eye.

Second, I took a fragment of wood to the lens when running a tablesaw.

I've also taken spall off a backstop that hit just outside my left eye (did not hit my glasses) that sliced me open like a stuck pig.

In addition to the story above, I've had an OOB discharge on a blowback rifle. thankfully I'm right handed, so the brass particles just peppered my cheek a bit, but I'm glad I didn't get any of that in my eye.

If you shoot enough, you're going to get hit by something eventually. Your chances go up even further if you shoot in a place where other people are also shooting. Steel, rubber, even dirt (rocks, concrete, etc) can create unpredictable performance, and guns and ammo themselves also carry some inherent danger. You need to understand and accept the risks, and wear your protective gear.

A brimmed or billed hat isn't a bad idea, either. If I'd been wearing one the day I took that chunk to the head it would have probably prevented that whole mess. I usually wear a baseball cap to the range but I was on duty and in uniform that day and had just stopped out for a bit to run a guy through some drills really quick.