Shotgun pellet ceiling/maximum height

[xsbobber]

G'Day Everyone,

Got a strange request. I work at an airfield that has a range close to the boundaries that used to be used for 9mm pistol shooting (which meant aircraft were restricted) but now is only used by the shotgun club for skeet and trap shooting. We are in the process of re assessing the risk management of the range (if this type of firing plays a risk to aircraft given the ranges proximity to the airfield) and I was wondering if anybody could point me in the direction of documented data/ statistics abut the balistics of shotgun pellets. What we basically need is the max height if pellets.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Are you assessing the risk of the club... or the risk of the airfield??

How far is the airfield from the club? I recall a minimum height of 500ft at a certain minimum distance from the airfield......unless I'm mistaken

As far as ballistics, at any reasonable height the pellet, assumed to be max #7 would possess negligible kinetic energy and therefore posed similar risk (0) but as far as the trajectory of the shot goes, Vicpol considers #7 to have a max range of 195m at up to a 30degree firing angle from the horizon....and #8 at 175m..... call it 200m, which would represent an estimated elevation of between 50 to max 75m.

Of course once you seek the opinion of risk assessors that height becomes 500m...you know.... to be safe..

Unless the club is located at the end of the runway.....there would be absolutely no issue whatsover.

[on_one_wheel]

A risk assessment might find that if a deer slug was accidentally used .....

[Oldbloke]

"Of course once you seek the opinion of risk assessors that height becomes 500m...you know.... to be safe.. "

, I can take it on the chin......provided I dont get hurt.

[<<Genesis93>>]

how d'you go xsbobber??

[Seconds]

A risk assessment might find that if a deer slug was accidentally used .....

Or those stupid anti-drone uranium ones the yanks are doing now

[GLS_1956]

Growing up the local trap range was about 1/2 mile from the local airport and about 1/4, maybe 1/3, mile from a residential street. To the best of my knowledge no shotgun pellets ever reached either the road or the runways. I'm unsure but I'm guessing that the shot size was 7 1/2 or smaller.

[<<Genesis93>>]

Well shooters have an idea about the range of shotties, but once others get involved. .... all bets are off and buffer zones of 5kms might be necessary , you know for safety, some must think of the kids, especially with the new technology shotguns available, the extremely very very high powered almost semi auto ones......

[Heckler303]

I'm not entirely sure about shotgun pellets and their range, but international airspace is up there at 400m from sea level from memory for landscape and 1000m for built up areas. Although a lot of commerical flight will rise way above that, maybe 2000-4000m. So the chances of hitting a commercial aircraft like a cessna or a squirrel is fairly low.


About runways though, even on the extreme off chance that some pellets land on the runway, it wouldn't really make a scrap of difference to any takeoff or landing procedure. Now if the pellets landed on the aircraft while they were taxiing or already docked, it might raise a slight concern with safety for the pilots.


So no going about using dangerous new technology k?

[tom604]

the safety gurus will use worse case scenario be that 7.5 or slugs

[Chickenhawk]

Clays with slugs, there's a challenge

[xsbobber]

Sorry meant to update but ive been busy with other work issues.

So just as I though there were a lot of personal thoughts on the matter and the gentleman that runs the club swears theres no chance he could hit an aircraft any higher than a few hundred feet. The closest range template we could find was '12g elevated height' and had a lowest safe altitude of 1500 feet above ground level, this is what we restrict the range to when it was used for 9mm. Bottom line the aviation industry needs a bit more than personal opinion so the range template of 1500 will most likely stand (that decision is above my paygrade) The goal was to make is easier for us and the gun club to operate but it doesn't look it is going to happen

Thanks for all the input guys

[Swarm]

Clays with slugs, there's a challenge

There is a waste of ammo

[<<Genesis93>>]

Sorry meant to update but ive been busy with other work issues.

So just as I though there were a lot of personal thoughts on the matter and the gentleman that runs the club swears theres no chance he could hit an aircraft any higher than a few hundred feet. The closest range template we could find was '12g elevated height' and had a lowest safe altitude of 1500 feet above ground level, this is what we restrict the range to when it was used for 9mm. Bottom line the aviation industry needs a bit more than personal opinion so the range template of 1500 will most likely stand (that decision is above my paygrade) The goal was to make is easier for us and the gun club to operate but it doesn't look it is going to happen

Thanks for all the input guys

I'm not sure I've understood what exactly you're trying to achieve...... you work for the airfield - not the range. Why is the airfield applying a controls on the range?? Does that the field call the range and says "stop all activity, we have a plane due today"????

The size of the pellets used at a SG range would travel 200m at most HORIZONTALLY thats 600odd feet - while shot vertically it would be a lot less.

[David Brown]

A range right near an airfield…… Now thats what I want to know about.

Fly in and shoot some clays and fly home after! How good is this?

PM me the airport code would ya

[<<Genesis93>>]

DB you're a lunatic you'd jump on the radio and be calling the PULL from 1500ft....

Can I come?

[bigfellascott]

I think the house which sits on the boundary of my Gun Club would be 500m away at the absolute most and more likely a fair bit closer, can't see any dead bodies or damage reported so I guess it's safe to say the range for shotguns shooting 7.5's is pretty limited in deed, as for taking a plane out of the sky can't say I ever recall in the history of shotguns one achieving it yet! and considering we can't penetrate a pattern board (made of some sort of light metal/tin) at around 25m or less I reckon planes are well and truly safe

I would recommend you get those clowns who are making these decisions to actually go to the range in question and get the manager to show them just how ineffective these types of loads are, that way they may have a chance of making an informed assessment instead of some "Hollywood" type version of what could/would happen.

[David Brown]

DB you're a lunatic you'd jump on the radio and be calling the PULL from 1500ft....

Can I come?

hehhehhehe….you seem to know me

And YES

[xsbobber]

Genesis 93, its a Defence Airfield and the range is within the airfield boundaries, obviously a throw back to days gone by when rules and regs were more relaxed. Because recently the range has changed what is actually being used for, I was trying to gather some info for the boss because he would have been directed to the current regs which have 1500' lowest safe but don't actually fit the activity (Defence doesn't operate any other ranges solely for the use of clay targets).

"stop all activity, we have a plane due today"????" is actually exactly what happens, Air Traffic Control have check fired the range when an aircraft is inbound.

Anyway the matter has been taken up higher but thanks again for the help.

David, the club runs "Shotgun Thursdays" so people can duck out and have a quick shoot while on their lunch breaks...if you could get approval to land go for it