i'll use it for handguns as well but i want something for the ak and maybe a .308 one day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OK076YZu3w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OK076YZu3w
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would you buy this steel target for rifles?
- Thread starter cajun47
- Start date
Look for one that swings; the energy of whatever cartridge you shoot is eased most buy the target not being ridged. I note that it is angled to direct ricochets downward that's nice but swinging is best. He notes in the video that the bolts loosen up after a few shots. The energy has to go somewhere.
Something like this
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=853647
only upgraded for rifle cartridges. You could make one out of Re-bar a bit of pipe and some half inch plate. You will need a drill and a welder and some HSS drill bits. Or a friend with those things.
Something like this
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=853647
only upgraded for rifle cartridges. You could make one out of Re-bar a bit of pipe and some half inch plate. You will need a drill and a welder and some HSS drill bits. Or a friend with those things.
Rifleman1776
New member
Yes, a steel target should be able to move freely.
The fixed condition of the target in the video bothers me.
I used to manufacture steel targets and tested many. What I see in that video is scary.
The fixed condition of the target in the video bothers me.
I used to manufacture steel targets and tested many. What I see in that video is scary.
I seriously differ on the pounding the 308 gives steel targets. I shoot 3/8" steel swingers @ 300 meters on a regular basis(my personal range). The 223/556 with either fmj or sp will make a little dimple on the surface while the 308 or 30/06 will nearly penetrate the plate leaving the back surface bubbled. The 223 will easily punch through 1/4" plate with hp or sp @ 100 yards. 9mm and 38 sp will deform the 1/4" eventually making the plate cupshaped at close range but doesn't seem to deform 3/8" unless you shoot it hundreds upon hundreds of times. My targets are all unhardened scraps/cutoffs from manufacturing plants but the price is right.
Almost all of my shooting is at steel plates. The one in the vid is a toy by comparison to what I use. You need to know, shooting steel of any kind has a major draw back- shoot at steel long enough and you'll have a bullet come back to you. My plates weigh in at about 200lbs each, are 12"x 12", hung from 3/8" chain on a 6x6 wrapped in steel. They are 2 1/2" thick and are boiler plate as in they came from an electrical generating plant. Any 223 steel cored bullet really tears one up even at 100 yds. A 45-70 405 gr Remington bullet at max speeds at 50 yds will pock one pretty good. Pistol ammo regardless of size will only knock the paint off even at 25 yds. Normal rifle cartridges at 100 yds will knock the paint off and some of the magnum cartridges will ding it. But the biggest draw back is the bullets bouncing back to you. I hang mine at about a 30 degree angle to the ground and still occasionally have one come back. Lead bullets seem to be the most common coming back. Otherwise, any of the Dollar stores will have cheap spray paint to erase yer errors. I've also drilled the plates and installed bolts in the center that have a 1" bolt head. That gives me a 1" bullseye to shoot at. Marks a lot works great for the bolt heads. Over the years I've used orange, red, black, and white paint. I use white now as the bullet marks are easiest to see on white. I've only shot out one bolt and that was with a 458 Win Mag and 500 gr slugs at 100 yds
I still use paper for load development but the steel is far easier to plink at and it doesn't blow around in the wind. My plates are not movable either so that's something else for you to consider.
I still use paper for load development but the steel is far easier to plink at and it doesn't blow around in the wind. My plates are not movable either so that's something else for you to consider.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO NEED for a target to swing freely. If you've ever seen a high speed video of a bullet impacting a swinging target, you'll notice that the bullet is pulverized and long gone before the gong even begins to swing.
The ONLY benefit to a swinging target is that it often RINGS louder and thus you get a better audible signal when you score a hit.
The ONLY benefit to a swinging target is that it often RINGS louder and thus you get a better audible signal when you score a hit.
A couple of odd things I have had happen with steel gongs----
A 7x57 PSP penetrated a 3/8" chicken at 100 yards. The hole had drops of steel frozen in place on the backside, so I suppose the bullet went liquid and melted through. (I did not repeat this, as it was against Austin Rifle Club rules to fire rifles at these things.)
PMP MkVII .303 Ball has an aluminum filler in the nose of the 174 grain flat based bullet. When these hit the 200 yard gong, there was a puff of gray as the lead core was spray painted all over the place. There was never a divot with this stuff, like there was with the regular fiber tipped MkVII, just a little round patch of accretion.
-----krinko
A 7x57 PSP penetrated a 3/8" chicken at 100 yards. The hole had drops of steel frozen in place on the backside, so I suppose the bullet went liquid and melted through. (I did not repeat this, as it was against Austin Rifle Club rules to fire rifles at these things.)
PMP MkVII .303 Ball has an aluminum filler in the nose of the 174 grain flat based bullet. When these hit the 200 yard gong, there was a puff of gray as the lead core was spray painted all over the place. There was never a divot with this stuff, like there was with the regular fiber tipped MkVII, just a little round patch of accretion.
-----krinko
From my experience with shooting steel targets, a .223 puts heavy pocket marks and will sometimes punch holes right through them.
Anything from 3/8"-1/2" thick steel targets my AR will punch through and 3/4"-1" thick will leave heavy pockets and will eventually punch through given enough rounds thrown at it. Paper is a much more suitable high velocity rifle target.
Anything from 3/8"-1/2" thick steel targets my AR will punch through and 3/4"-1" thick will leave heavy pockets and will eventually punch through given enough rounds thrown at it. Paper is a much more suitable high velocity rifle target.
I would not buy it
Personally, I would not buy it as I have better options.
What happened to the rounds that barely hit the top edge ..... ricochets
What happened to the rounds that hit the edges of the stand? ... ricochets
The swingers are better but they will still give you ..... ricochets
At one range that I shoot at, we allow steel targets but they have to be placed no more than two feet from the face of our designated backstops/berms and centered. Cannot be taller than three feet.
Be Safe !!!
Personally, I would not buy it as I have better options.
What happened to the rounds that barely hit the top edge ..... ricochets
What happened to the rounds that hit the edges of the stand? ... ricochets
The swingers are better but they will still give you ..... ricochets
At one range that I shoot at, we allow steel targets but they have to be placed no more than two feet from the face of our designated backstops/berms and centered. Cannot be taller than three feet.
Be Safe !!!
Sturmgewehre
New member
You're mistaken. The .308 will do as much, usually more, damage to steel targets than 5.56mm will.
A 55gr 5.56mm bullet has a MV of about 3200fps and a ME of 1200 ft/lbs.
.308 with a 150gr bullet has a MV of 2800fps and a ME of 2600 ft/lbs.
A .308 can easily penetrate more steel (or just about anything else) than the 5.56mm.
To the OP, the Evil Roy target is rated for .22 to .44 Mag. A high power rifle round will do significant damage to the target. It's meant to be shot with pistol calibered weapons, either handgun or rifle.
Sturmgewehre
New member
Here's a link to more info about the target:
http://www.shopactiontarget.com/pt-practice-target-hd.html
http://www.shopactiontarget.com/pt-practice-target-hd.html
Perhaps on mild steel. But anything AR450 or harder and the 308 doesn't pock at all. .308 ball military ammo looks like you shot it with a .45acp. Muzzle energy doesn't damage steel. VELOCITY does. I can shoot a gong with that Bushmaster .450 round or whatever it is, and it won't come near the penetration that the .223 will... even though there's much more muzzle energy.... same goes for .308.
I've got AR450 abrasion plates that I've shot with both .223 and .308 for years. .223 is the only round that actually chews up the metal.
Here's some AR450 that I was given. It's been shot thousands of times with .223. Since it's all pocked to hell, I keep it as a longer range rifle target. Even though it looks like hell, I've never had any fragments come back near me. And the other side is smooth so it can be used for pistol rounds.
Here's a pic of some testing we were doing with M855 ball on a steel gong.
Here's a pic of some testing we were doing with M855 ball on a steel gong.
I've been asking for the last seven years then.
And I shoot these things almost every weekend.... probably 20 thousand rounds or more on 4 targets like this.Like I said... I shoot a smooth target face for pistol. I don't want anyone to mistake the notion that I'm shooting a gong like this at pistol distances.
Poodleshooter
New member
I think I would smack anyone who used steel core (even mild steel core) on my nice AR500 plates inside of 200yds.
I have several AR500 rifle targets from www.metaltargets.com
(It helps that they live down the road from my inlaws, making replacement plates cheap to buy!).
They get about a 1mm dent from 55gr M193 at 90-100yds. Any other lead core bullet under 3000fps just leaves a metal splash.
They also sell AR400 pistol targets that are far harder than the ones you typically find in gunshops. They're nice if you're shooting a lot of magnum handgun rounds over 1300fps.
I have several AR500 rifle targets from www.metaltargets.com
(It helps that they live down the road from my inlaws, making replacement plates cheap to buy!).
They get about a 1mm dent from 55gr M193 at 90-100yds. Any other lead core bullet under 3000fps just leaves a metal splash.
They also sell AR400 pistol targets that are far harder than the ones you typically find in gunshops. They're nice if you're shooting a lot of magnum handgun rounds over 1300fps.