Signs that caught the bullet

[khardy]

Hiya Folks,

I am sure everyone has seen signs that were used for target practice.  Have you seen one that caught the bullet slug?

Early last summer, my wife and I picked up a bunch of button copy US highway signs.  While restoring one of them, I discovered a slug that was caught between the riveted number and the back panel.  Here are photos....

These are the signs.


This is the US 59 sign.  Didn't take any photos at the time of removing the molding. Cleaned the sign board with Dawn soap and water then applied phosphoric acid to remove rust and other stains from the original white paint. Dowsed with soap and water. Popped all the round reflectors from numbers and molding, cleaned and painted all numbers and molding.

While removing the molding and numbers on the US 59 sign, I noticed a hole along the upper edge of the number "5". After removing the number, I found the remnants of a bullet slug wedged between the number and sign board.



Hole or dent on upper left, slug on right and hole through number on lower left.




This is after the Number "5" was repainted and re-riveted with slug back in hole.


This is the sign after it was cleaned with the molding and numbers repainted.


Photo using camera flash.


Do any of you have similar stories of signs catching a bullet?

Cheers!

[Thing 342]

Nice signs! I'd imagined that there'd be some in Alaska, where a good majority rural of signs have been made into swiss cheese.

[oscar]

Nice signs! I'd imagined that there'd be some in Alaska, where a good majority rural of signs have been made into swiss cheese.

Alaska used to have lots of route markers with bullet holes.  Lately, it seems to use fewer route markers in rural areas (i.e., most of the state), mainly at junctions where the markers are navigationally necessary and also the higher traffic volume offers some protection against vandalism.  The route markers that remain seem better maintained as well, so the ones that take a bullet don't stay up for long.

[corco]

They're too frequent to count in Montana. One that sticks out pretty well is that they paved Montana Secondary 271 from Drummond to Helmville for the first time ever and it has a stimulus sign on it. The ARRA logo is shot entirely through, at this point.

Oddly, there aren't too many in neighboring Wyoming- there's a bunch, but not nearly to the extent of Montana, where I'd wager at least a quarter of the road signs on unpaved roads have at least one bullet hole in them.

[US81]

Lots in rural Texas....

[Brian556]

Strangely, I found one with several bullet holes on SR A1A in Flagler Beach, Florida, of all places. Right along the beach in the main part of town.

[SD Mapman]

Lots in South Dakota, too.

[Alex]

A number of I-55 shields at Ruddock and Manchac were used for target practice several times. These were all later replaced.