Stray bullet- were we almost hit?

Question

This is a re-post from another category:

I was gathering sticks for a bonfire over the weekend with my boyfriend in my backyard. We heard a distant neighbor firing a rifle. No big deal, I live in the country and target practice is common. However, we were terrified when we heard the whistling of a bullet go right past our heads! Immediately we talked to the police, and an officer came out and explained that the bullet was most likely over the trees and couldn't have hit us.

My question is- how close does a rifle bullet have to be to hear that distinct whistling? It sounded so close and was something I have never heard outside of war movies! But I'm convinced that the bullet was closer to us than the officer presumed. What do you think?

-We were a good 15-20 feet apart from each other and both claimed it went right past our heads and both heard the whistle, which makes me question the location of the bullet.

-The officer claimed that a ricochet off the dry ground/improper backstop size could be to blame. He said the firing was probably over the trees if we didn't hear the bullet smack leaves on the way.

I'm not convinced. Were we almost hit??

Answer 1

Whistling, zinging, etc. is usually the sound of a ricochet going over or by. The supersonic "SNAP" is gone because of the power loss. You would've known immediately if it was shot at you or ricocheted at you. It may have been close, how close, no one knows. It's similair to hearing a helicopter inside the city, you're not sure where it is in the air. The whap-whap of the blades is bouned around and sounds are re-directed.

I'm glad no one was hurt, but you should've talked to your neighbor to find out exactly what he was doing and definitely tell him your concerns!

Answer 2

I don't know what your location looks like but if there were trees between you and the neighbor (ie. you're out of sight of each other) you would've heard it hitting leaves and branches on the way through (like a rapid clicking noise) unless it was above tree level.

There are some variables in how close you have to be to hear a bullet whiz by. Firstly, if it was a ricochet (most likely unless the guy is an idiot) the bullet may have become deformed which would eccentuate the noise as it would be less aerodynamic.

There was a day I was on a range shooting a .22LR at 100 yards, and the wind was blowing in my face. Through my ear plugs, I could hear the bullet whistling all the way out to 100 yards into the backstop! (sounded like POP..peeuuuuuuuu...splat)

Wind direction, air density, and the bullet are variables in how loud/how close you have to be to hear it pass. On a good day sound can travel quite a distance.

I'm not trying to down play the incident, by the way. It would be scarey indeed, and while I wouldn't have bothered calling the police, it would've prompted me to go to the neighbor and inform him of it, provided he is an OK fellow. If he's responsible, when you talk to him he would've apologized and looked into it himself. Perhaps the backstop is insuffcient or something of that nature (or he did something dumb like trying to shoot a rock). If it happens again, make sure the officer goes over and has a talk with him and makes sure he has a proper backstop.

One of the very important rules of safe recreational firearm shooting and hunting is KNOWING for a fact where your bullet will stop. All responsible shooters are sure of it. Many towns out in the sticks thankfully don't restrict shooting on private property if you have space and a proper backstop.

Answer 3

If you heard a zing or a whiz by the bullet was way to close. Of coarse. What the old saying is when you don't hear anything You are hit. I think I would very uncomfortable with being you. Even a bullet coming my direction. Obviously it came your direction in order for you to here it. It sounds like a ricochet off a rock. It is a shooters responsibility to make sure they have a safe back ground and not hit rocks or shot at the sun. I would call the State Police if it happens again.

Answer 4

No. The grenade is set off by a smaller 'explosion' like what is used in a blasting cap. When you pull the pin and let the handle loose, the primer takes about 3 seconds to ignite the charge... A bullet has no 'explosive' capacity, so IF a bullet were to hit a grenade it would probably deflect off the metal casing. If it did penetrate the grenade it would not explode.

Answer 5

I'll have to agree with dca2003's statement above, it's usually a pop crack or hiss, the few times I have heard a whistle was from richocets. Hearing it doesn't really indicate it's proximaty, especially being that it was a single shot and that tends to make it difficult for an assumption of how close it really came

Answer 6

One of the smallest caliber shells ... a .22 Short has a range of a mile. The round that almost hit you could have come from anywhere including a ricochet.

The officer is full of crap re: the round not hitting you. Granted the statistical probability is great that you would not be hit ... but if you heard it whistling past you it had enough energy to have caused you damage or death had it struck you. If you heard it ... it was too damn close. You were lucky.

Answer 7

No, probly not. It was close, and the bulelt might have been richocheting. I was sitting in my deer stand and my nieghbor shot at one twice, and i heard both the slugs hit a tree 40 feet from me. You can hear the whistle a long way away. It is too close if you can hear it though.

Answer 8

i am in Iraq and i have had hundreds of bullets whiz over my head you get use to it. when i am next to the wall which is over 12 feet tall i hear the bullets fly over it sounds closer that what they really are

Answer 9

I'm not sure how close the bullet has to be to sound like it's really close, but I've experienced that sound. I used to go target shoot, all the time, and had ricochets come by, and it sounded like it was right by my ear. It's kind of scary, and cool, at the same time.

Answer 10

It's impossible to say, being as none of us were here. Anyone that says different is full of it.

I wouldn't worry about it much, but I'd definitely ask the neighbors to try to check their fire in my direction, just as a courtesy. If you're nice about it, they'll probably do as you ask.