“You've got to ask yourself one question -- 'Do I feel lucky?'"

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

Yes, I feel lucky.  We know why we all wear quality eye protection WITH SIDE SHIELDS but I got a painful reminder last weekend.  I was just watching another pard on the line, standing well behind the unloading table area, when a complete ricocheted .45cal bullet, not just a part of it, hit me in the thigh.  Lucky for me, I was wearing heavy jeans.  The impact still broke skin, raised a welt, and left a bruise that is still raised and sore nearly a week later.  No harm, no foul.  But had that hot lead hit me in the protective eyewear, it probably would have both knocked my eye pro off my noggin and knocked me to the ground.  And had it hit me in the cheek or any other soft place, surely I'd have won a trip to the ER to have it dug out of me.  Lucky indeed.

[Sedalia Dave]

At a minimum safety glasses should meet the U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-31013. This is over 4 times the old ANSI Z87.1-2015 standard.

 

For the best protection the glasses should meet the current U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-32432. 

 

 

[El Sobrante Kid]

1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said:

At a minimum safety glasses should meet the U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-31013. This is over 4 times the old ANSI Z87.1-2015 standard.

 

For the best protection the glasses should meet the current U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-32432. 

 

 

 

Thank you for that very useful info. I need to buy some new safety glasses and have been looking for some that have very, very thin temples (earpieces) to be as comfortable as possible under earmuffs. Has anyone done business with safetyglassesusa dot com? Or have suggestions on somewhere that has a large selection, but reasonable prices?   Thank You Muchly,    the Kid

[Sedalia Dave]

1 hour ago, El Sobrante Kid said:

 

Thank you for that very useful info. I need to buy some new safety glasses and have been looking for some that have very, very thin temples (earpieces) to be as comfortable as possible under earmuffs. Has anyone done business with safetyglassesusa dot com? Or have suggestions on somewhere that has a large selection, but reasonable prices?   Thank You Muchly,    the Kid

 

In the past, I did a lot of business with SafetyGlassesUSA.com.

 

Wiley-X safety glasses are pricey but you get what you pay for.

[Too Tall Bob]

Hunters HD Gold makes great shooting glasses, both prescription and non prescription lenses in various styles. They are also a great supporter of SASS.  I love the pair I have. 

[watab kid]

seems like every shoot i attend i get hit - sometimes its near nothing a few times it drew blood , and then there were those couple times when i actually had something i had to remove , never anything that serious tho picked out with a fingernail and nothing a band aid wouldn't cover , but yes , i guess we feel lucky on those occasions 

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

The Hunters HD Gold glasses look nice but are not actually ballistic glasses.  Read their technical description: "Hunters HD Gold is rated and tested at ANSI Z87+1-2020 which gives you protection of .25" steel ball traveling at 150 fps."  That is plainly inadequate for what we do -- I got hit by an intact 45 cal bullet definitely traveling much faster than 150 fps.  So, not really being sure what my shop safety glasses will handle, I just bought some OVR-Spec III glasses from safetyglassesusa.com, which says "Tested to US Military standard MIL PRF-31013, VO impact resistance requirement of 640 feet per second, four times the industrial ANSI Z87 standard."

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

17 hours ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

Yes, I feel lucky.  We know why we all wear quality eye protection WITH SIDE SHIELDS but I got a painful reminder last weekend.  I was just watching another pard on the line, standing well behind the unloading table area, when a complete ricocheted .45cal bullet, not just a part of it, hit me in the thigh.  Lucky for me, I was wearing heavy jeans.  The impact still broke skin, raised a welt, and left a bruise that is still raised and sore nearly a week later.  No harm, no foul.  But had that hot lead hit me in the protective eyewear, it probably would have both knocked my eye pro off my noggin and knocked me to the ground.  And had it hit me in the cheek or any other soft place, surely I'd have won a trip to the ER to have it dug out of me.  Lucky indeed.

The exact same thing happened to me at a shoot in May of 2023. In addition to the bullet that hit me in the thigh that also drew blood, a second shot from the same shooter also hit my boot ankle high. My pants legs were over the boot and got torn, my boot had a divit in it, and my ankle became black and blue at the point of impact. I don't know what 45 Colt ammo the shooter was using, but considering the pistol jump each time he shot, and the power of the ricochet that hit me, I think it was a littler over the max power factor in MHO.

[Sedalia Dave]

5 hours ago, High Spade Mikey Wilson said:

The exact same thing happened to me at a shoot in May of 2023. In addition to the bullet that hit me in the thigh that also drew blood, a second shot from the same shooter also hit my boot ankle high. My pants legs were over the boot and got torn, my boot had a divit in it, and my ankle became black and blue at the point of impact. I don't know what 45 Colt ammo the shooter was using, but considering the pistol jump each time he shot, and the power of the ricochet that hit me, I think it was a littler over the max power factor in MHO.

 

There is no max power factor for SASS. There is a maximum velocity. 

 

Poor stage design, poorly designed target stands, and improperly placed targets are the problem.

 

 

[Rip Snorter]

I saw a guy get dropped by one below the belt.  Steel and close is problematic sometimes.

[Eyesa Horg]

Match last weekend had a rack stand that had an angle iron in front of the targets! I've never been shot so much spotting! Some hurt. At least they were hitting below the neck! Got one in my arm that caused a small leak.

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

3 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

There is no max power factor for SASS. There is a maximum velocity. 

 

Poor stage design, poorly designed target stands, and improperly placed targets are the problem.

 

 

Agree 100%.  All plates must be tilted leaning forward so that all deflections go down into the ground.  But not all plates are so tilted, and that's a problem.

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

37 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

Agree 100%.  All plates must be tilted leaning forward so that all deflections go down into the ground.  But not all plates are so tilted, and that's a problem.

Wish it was as simple as that.

 

Angle

Target surface condition

Secondary Impact point (ie: poor target stands)

Ground conditions

 

Cheers!

Phantom

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

True, but even we can't get it all right, we can still get it mostly right, or do a better job at any of it.  Go to any indoor range and look at the slope of the backstop / bullet trap.  No one gets hit by ricochets at indoor ranges.  Obviously we can't do that, but we can get closer to it than vertical.

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

26 minutes ago, Nostrum Damus SASS #110702 said:

True, but even we can't get it all right, we can still get it mostly right, or do a better job at any of it.  Go to any indoor range and look at the slope of the backstop / bullet trap.  No one gets hit by ricochets at indoor ranges.  Obviously we can't do that, but we can get closer to it than vertical.

Uhhh...I just said that "angle" is only part of the equation. To just imply that dealing with target angles is getting it "mostly right", is giving way too much value to that variable...IMO.

 

Indoor ranges have bullet traps...as you said. Can't compare the two completely different environments. Also, yes, there is potential for ricochets at indoor ranges.

 

Phantom

[Rip Snorter]

Simple enough for those working the match, a lightweight, free standing, portable shield to stand behind.  Best quality glasses, or better, face shield, of course.  Targets further away and testing before the match? Unlikely.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I did get hit square on my glasses once.   No damage, but it was disconcerting! 

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

I checked on the certifications of my current eye pro and see that it is really just rated as industrial safety glasses, not ballistic eye pro by any stretch of the imagination.  Will not be wearing them at any future shooting event.  MIL PRF-31013 rating at minimum from now on, as Sedalia Dave suggested.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Yesterday I got stung by a small piece from the next posse, drew blood on the side of my nose about an inch below the tear duct.  It was just a hair below the bottom of the safety glasses, but close enough to remind me how important they are!

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

I took several hits yesterday from small fragments and #7.5 or #8 pellets.  Those don't worry me.  It was getting hit by the high-velocity complete 45 cal bullet last week that really got me thinking.  The bruise will be completely healed in a few more days.

[No Horse Hair, SASS #77464]

Maybe our targets are too close.........

[Rip Snorter]

1 minute ago, No Horse Hair, SASS #77464 said:

Maybe our targets are too close.........

Ya think?

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

11 minutes ago, No Horse Hair, SASS #77464 said:

Maybe our targets are too close.........

Right...this is a statement...that's ignorant. 

 

Close has nothing to do with splatter...unless you wish to put the pistol targets out at about...oh...50 yards and the rifle targets out about 75 yards.

 

Ever wonder why so many people get hit by splatter from the Stage next to you...that even has a berm?

 

Yeah...splatter travels.

 

Phantom

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

22 hours ago, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Right...this is a statement...that's ignorant. 

 

Close has nothing to do with splatter...unless you wish to put the pistol targets out at about...oh...50 yards and the rifle targets out about 75 yards.

 

Ever wonder why so many people get hit by splatter from the Stage next to you...that even has a berm?

 

Yeah...splatter travels.

 

Phantom

That reminds me of a line from a John Irving novel of years gone by. “Sorrow floats.” Sorrow was the family dog who drowned. 😊

[Phantom, SASS #54973]

1 hour ago, Nasty Newt # 7365 said:

That reminds me of a line from a John Irving novel of years gone by. “Sorrow floats.” Sorrow was the family dog who drowned. 😊

Heyya Newt...how ya doin these days?

 

Actually...reminds me of a Steven King story...

 

😜

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

On 9/15/2024 at 6:55 PM, Phantom, SASS #54973 said:

Right...this is a statement...that's ignorant. 

 

Close has nothing to do with splatter...unless you wish to put the pistol targets out at about...oh...50 yards and the rifle targets out about 75 yards.

 

Ever wonder why so many people get hit by splatter from the Stage next to you...that even has a berm?

 

Yeah...splatter travels.

 

Phantom

 

[Nasty Newt # 7365]

Doing okay, and hope all is well with you. You’re right, it does sound like Stephen King—or Forensic Files. 

[Texas Maverick]

On 9/12/2024 at 5:11 PM, Sedalia Dave said:

At a minimum safety glasses should meet the U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-31013. This is over 4 times the old ANSI Z87.1-2015 standard.

 

For the best protection the glasses should meet the current U.S. Military Ballistic Standard MIL-PRF-32432. 

 

 

So from your comment I started doing some research to make sure I have the best I can get. This link has some very good info. Hunters Gold is the civilian standard while the other is military standard. My Hunters Gold is the civilian standard and have the + after the ANSI so are impact resistant but not to the degree the military standard is. From the article it appears some of the Wiley X will meet the military standard which my Wiley X Omega fits into on some websites but not others so not sure what category they actually fall into.

 

Products are either non-impact or impact protectors. Products marked as impact protectors must pass all high-impact testing requirements and are marked as "Z87+". Non-impact protectors are those which do not pass all high-impact testing requirements and are therefore marked only with "Z87" (no "+" sign).

Not sure if I should be concerned or not.

To qualify for an ANSI Z87.1 impact protection safety rating, the lenses of the eyewear being tested must protect against a ¼″ steel ball traveling at 150 feet per second (that's just over 100 miles per hour). Goggles and glasses that qualify for this rating will have a “Z87+” stamp on them. Eyewear that meets other ANSI safety standards but doesn't qualify for impact protection will have a “Z87” stamp (without the plus sign).

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballistic_eyewear

 

Found these that are supposed to be military standard and priced right.

https://www.bolle-safety.com/us/tactical/tactical-eyewear/ballistic-glasses/

https://www.amazon.com/AMANEEST-MIL-PRF-31013-Wrap-Around-Women-Clear-Protection/dp/B0D6NHJ9R7

https://www.sportrx.com/shopby/certification-mil_prf_31013.html

https://www.amazon.com/MIL-PRF-3101-Tactical-Ballistic-Resistance-Sunglasses/dp/B09239TZXS

 

Hope this doesn't confuse you more. I have sent off a message to Hunters Gold for more info on their shooting glasses. I just got a pair and intended on using them for SASS but now I have a concern that I want addressed first. 

 

Thanks

 

 

TM

 

UPDATE from Hunters Gold

 

They are talking about the military grade. You guys do not have to have military grade glasses for what you do.

[ORNERY OAF]

Ya don't scrimp on eye pro or shoes/boots....try doing what ya do with bad eyes or bad feet...game changer

[Nostrum Damus SASS #110702]

And no scrimping on quality ear pro, too.  "I want to go deaf" said no one, ever.