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All Music Guide:
Ricochet emerged in the spring of 1996 to become one of the most successful new country groups, spending the better part of the year in the Top 40 of the country charts. The band formed in 1993, when drummer Jeff Bryant invited singer/guitarist Heath Wright to join his group Lariat, which also featured Bryant's brother Junior (fiddle/mandolin). Lariat disbanded soon after Wright joined, but he and the Bryants decided to try again under the name Ricochet. They held auditions to complete the band, and several members floated through it in the ensuing months. By the beginning of 1994, the final lineup had fallen into place with the addition of Greg Cook (bass, backing vocals), Teddy Carr (steel guitar), and Eddie Kilgallon (keyboards, rhythm guitar, saxophone, backing vocals). For the next two years, Ricochet toured the South and the West Coast, building up a fan base and developing its energetic, edgy neo-traditional sound. They often spent their downtime rehearsing and writing songs.
The group's original manager was friends with record producer Ron Chancey, who was known for his work with the Oak Ridge Boys. Chancey heard the group and arranged for them to cut a demo. He directed the tape to his son Blake, A&R director for Columbia Records in Nashville. After hearing Ricochet live, Blake Chancey and a handful of other Columbia executives decided to sign the band to a development deal under the direction of producer Ed Seay (Martina McBride, Collin Raye). In early 1995, the deal turned into a full-fledged record contract, and during the spring, the group recorded their first album. For the rest year, they toured the country as a supporting act for Merle Haggard, Doug Stone, and Charlie Daniels.
Ricochet's eponymous debut album, produced by Ron Chancey and Ed Seay, was released in early 1996. Preceded by the Top Five hit single "What Do I Know," the album was a hit and stayed on the charts for more than a year as "Daddy's Money" hit number one and "Love Is Stronger Than Pride" reached the Top Ten. The follow-up album, Blink of an Eye, was released the very next year, but it was a commercial disappointment, even though it produced three minor chart singles. Ricochet charted modestly with another three songs in 1998-1999, tracks intended for an album to be called What a Ride that was not released. In the meantime, the band underwent personnel changes. Jeff Bryant, suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, left the drum chair, succeeded by Tim Chewning in August 1999, and Shannon Farmer replaced Teddy Carr on steel guitar. Meanwhile, Richochet retooled its third album, finally releasing it in September 2000 as What You Leave Behind.
Wikipedia:
A ricochet ( /ˈɪəʃeɪ/ RIK-ə-shay) is a rebound, bounce or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearms safety rule "Never shoot at a flat, hard surface." Ricochets are sometimes called car[r]oms.
Variables
The likelihood of ricochet is dependent on many factors, including bullet shape, velocity (and distance), target material and the angle of incidence.
Bullet
Bullet construction has a major factor in determining both the likelihood of ricochet as well as where the bullet will travel afterward. Hard bullets have a greater tendency to penetrate than softer ones. Bullets that break up, such as varmint hunting bullets have a low risk of ricochet. The lower chance of ricochet is one of the reasons the newer .17 HMR round with its frangible bullet has gained popularity against the older non-fragmenting .22 WMR.
Velocity
Ricochets are often more common with low-power calibers such as .22 or .177 calibre, which can have trouble penetrating some materials, although a ricochet can occur with any caliber. Higher velocity projectiles have a tendency to either penetrate the target, and/or to break-up on contact with it.
Target material
Bullets are more likely to ricochet off flat, hard surfaces such as concrete or steel, but a ricochet can occur on almost any surface, including grassy soil, given a flat enough angle of impact. Materials that are soft, give easily, or can absorb the impact, such as sand, have a lower incidence of ricochet. Though it may not be obvious, bullets easily ricochet off water; compare stone skipping.
Angle
The angle of departure, both vertically and horizontally, is difficult to calculate or predict due to the many variables involved, not the least of which is the deformation of the bullet caused by its impact with the surface it strikes. Ricochets will almost always continue on a somewhat diagonal trajectory to their original trajectory, unless the impact is against a flat surface perpendicular to the angle of incidence (or approach), in which case the angle of reflection depends on the other variables involved.
Dangers
Ricochets are a common hazard of shooting because the bullet that ricochets poses a serious danger of causing collateral damage to animals, objects, or even the person who fired the shot.
In rare cases, ricochets can return to the shooter. This can occur when the object struck possesses enough resistance to withstand the impact of the bullet, and its surface is perpendicular to the shooter. Alternatively, elastic targets such as rubber tires shot with lower power weapons can return the slug along the line of fire even when struck at an oblique angle. Some bullets are designed to deform at the nose, which is the main reason for the bullet ricocheting at such an extreme angle and returning in the shooter's direction.
