The man was in his garage about 6pm with his children when a .222 rifle being cleaned by a 21-year-old neighbour discharged.

The bullet went through the shed wall where it was being cleaned, turned into shrapnel and entered the neighbour's garage, grazing the man's leg.

A piece of the shrapnel also lodge in a bar at about the height of the man's children's heads.

The victim's brother said his brother had gone to South West Healthcare, Warrnambool, on Sunday night for treatment and returned yesterday to have shrapnel removed from his leg.

Warrnambool police Sergeant Sean Hallie said the victim's injuries were minor and not life threatening.

He said the 21-year-old had been cleaning the .222 firearm when it discharged.

``The man's been interviewed and investigations are continuing. The weapon has been seized,'' he said.

``The neighbour was incredibly lucky or incredibly unlucky, but the situation could have been far worse.''

Sergeant Hallie said anyone who used a firearm was reminded to always treat a gun as though it was loaded.