.22 steel shooting
- Thread starter Reidtyler
- Start date
- Status
firesky101
Member
avoid any steel with divots, as they will increase likelyhood of them coming back to you. Other than that any 1/4" steel or greater should not have an issue with .22LR. I shoot some centerfire as well, so I get AR500 targets. There is a couple of vendors here on THR that have some targets for good prices. I got mine from targetsfromus a member here.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Sheesh, sorry to say .22s are easily the WORST for shooting steel. Don't know exactly what it is about them (I've got theories *) but I've seen probably 10x the 180 deg. ricochets and returns from .22s hitting steel than any other cartridge.
We had to temporarily close our indoor range because of it, and that was on a fixed 45 deg. down-angle backstop.
Now, I've never seen anyone seriously injured.
(I did once get a whack on the head from one while standing about 5 yards behind the firing line, but fortunately I was facing the other way. Would have been a bit unpleasant if I'd been facing downrange watching the action.)
If you do, at the VERY least wear some most excellent safety gear. They might not be mighty, but they sure would destroy an eye.
...
(* -- My pet theory is that most range steel is FAR too heavy for .22 rimfire. Those little steel spinner targets you can buy at WalMart or Cabelas are fine because the steel is easily moved and a lot of the energy of the round is lost in flinging the steel around in a circle, and maybe even that the steel is angling sharply back before the bullet develops its momentum to return, so it kicks back at a more downward angle. There are problems with this theory, but I think the worst thing you could do is get a big piece of 3/8" or 1/2" plate to shoot at. It will sit there like a brick wall and you'll get lots coming back at you.)
We had to temporarily close our indoor range because of it, and that was on a fixed 45 deg. down-angle backstop.
Now, I've never seen anyone seriously injured.
(I did once get a whack on the head from one while standing about 5 yards behind the firing line, but fortunately I was facing the other way. Would have been a bit unpleasant if I'd been facing downrange watching the action.)
If you do, at the VERY least wear some most excellent safety gear. They might not be mighty, but they sure would destroy an eye.
...
(* -- My pet theory is that most range steel is FAR too heavy for .22 rimfire. Those little steel spinner targets you can buy at WalMart or Cabelas are fine because the steel is easily moved and a lot of the energy of the round is lost in flinging the steel around in a circle, and maybe even that the steel is angling sharply back before the bullet develops its momentum to return, so it kicks back at a more downward angle. There are problems with this theory, but I think the worst thing you could do is get a big piece of 3/8" or 1/2" plate to shoot at. It will sit there like a brick wall and you'll get lots coming back at you.)
marv
Member
I use a 4'x4' piece of 1/2" steel plate for my backstop. It sits on the ground and the top is angled back toward the firing point by about a foot. It safely stops all my handguns, lead and jacketed and my .22 rf rifles.
Gato Montés
Member
Well that's just FANTASTIC to hear cause that's just what I bought and rimfire is/was primarily what I was going to use them for.
bikemobile
Member
I have a homemade 2x4 wood target frame with 8"x8" 1/4" steel plates hanging from door hinges and "S" hooks. This allows the steel to swing and pivot to deflect richochrts to the ground or to the side.
ColtPythonElite
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2011
- Messages
- 10,473
You can buy really nice silhouettes/swingers of ebay reasonably. I shoot some of them a couple of days a week.
wally
Member
Yup I get hit with splatter about 100X more often shooting .22lr at steel that all others combined.
The aren't powerful enough to "dust" the bullet when it hits, and the plates are much slower to fall giving more time for the pieces to head straight back instead of elsewhere.
As long as you and everyone else are wearing good eyepro, there is little to worry about other than a minor cut or bruise from the splatter.
Plates with divots or creators should not be shot at, as the creators can focus the splatter back at you keeping pieces intact enough to do damage.
The aren't powerful enough to "dust" the bullet when it hits, and the plates are much slower to fall giving more time for the pieces to head straight back instead of elsewhere.
As long as you and everyone else are wearing good eyepro, there is little to worry about other than a minor cut or bruise from the splatter.
Plates with divots or creators should not be shot at, as the creators can focus the splatter back at you keeping pieces intact enough to do damage.
BADUNAME30
Member
Just go to walmart, or dick's or any box store with sporting goods and they have all kinds of steel targets for .22.
Silhouettes, swingers, spinners.They're pretty inexspensive too.
LOTS o' fun and durable.
As long as the steel is light enough fo the round to 'move' it you're fine.
We, my family, shoot at steel targets with .22's all the time.
NOTE: these targets will not handle any bigger calibers.
As other posters have said..do not shoot at any steel bigger than these store bot ones.Like i said,if the round can't move the steel,the steel is too heavey and you will get ricochets.
Silhouettes, swingers, spinners.They're pretty inexspensive too.
LOTS o' fun and durable.
As long as the steel is light enough fo the round to 'move' it you're fine.
We, my family, shoot at steel targets with .22's all the time.
NOTE: these targets will not handle any bigger calibers.
As other posters have said..do not shoot at any steel bigger than these store bot ones.Like i said,if the round can't move the steel,the steel is too heavey and you will get ricochets.
Make sure that everyone in the area is wearing a full face helmet. (just kidding) Make sure you KNOW where any richochets are going to go by angling the steel slightly so that richochets go down into the ground or off to the side into a safe area. DO NOT shoot any swinging plates while they are swinging. Better yet, do not buy or use any type of swinging plates. Do not shoot steel at close range. Stay back at least 20 yards. Everyone on the range must have eye protection and be very clear on where they should stand and where they should not. Shooting steel is fun but LOTS of people have been injured (and at least one killed) because they just didn't think about what could happen. I have personlly seen people that were seriously injured even with eye protection. I stood next to a guy shooting a big heavy swinging plate (while it was swinging) and a bullet came straight back and hit him right between the eyes. Not a bullet fragment, the whole 240 gr. bullet. He went down hard. He was OK but it was a wake up call for all of us. Be extra careful and be in control of the angles. A plate that falls down is much safer than one that can swing and bat the bullet straight back where it came from.
Last edited:
clamman
Member
I shoot at several different hard targets at my private range. Stainless steel diamond cut-off blades are a hoot, so is my favorite, a CO2 extinguisher at 100 yards. Talk about a gong! Also, various swingers, and even a Dallas cowboys helmet that looks like it's been through the battle of the bulge. Also this (kinda dangerous) when you shoot one of those diamond plates with a 17HMR they pass through, making the perfect hole to stick a 22 round in lol. You know when you hit that. And BTW we all wear safety glasses all the time, and no steel is stationary or less than 50 yards. Never have had a problem.
M2 Carbine
member
Since about 1967 I have been shooting steel plate on my back yard and rifle ranges.
Mostly targets are just common 1/4 to 3/8 inch scrap steel.
Mostly 22LR ammo but also many, many thousands of .32acp, 9mm, 38 Special and 45 acp have hit the steel also.
Mostly 6 to 15 yards and further.
Mostly 5-6 days/evenings a week.
IMO 22LR is the safest bullets to shot as the bullet will mostly splatter to dust and harmless small pieces that if they do hit you won't break the skin. Over the years I can recall only a few times when splatter from some millions of rounds of 22LR scratched the skin.
Slow pistol rounds don't fragment into as small splash back so sometimes will scratch/cut the skin. I guess I might remember the skin being broken/cut 4-5 times in 50 years.
Now I would never say that a shooter will never be hit and even scratched by bullet splash back off a steel target target but in my experience it has been very rare. Still, on my range no one can shoot steel without wearing glasses (which they have to any way).
Like last week, this is a common picture of new female shooters practicing fast firing at steel plates, while on the moving at multiple targets.
Mostly targets are just common 1/4 to 3/8 inch scrap steel.
Mostly 22LR ammo but also many, many thousands of .32acp, 9mm, 38 Special and 45 acp have hit the steel also.
Mostly 6 to 15 yards and further.
Mostly 5-6 days/evenings a week.
IMO 22LR is the safest bullets to shot as the bullet will mostly splatter to dust and harmless small pieces that if they do hit you won't break the skin. Over the years I can recall only a few times when splatter from some millions of rounds of 22LR scratched the skin.
Slow pistol rounds don't fragment into as small splash back so sometimes will scratch/cut the skin. I guess I might remember the skin being broken/cut 4-5 times in 50 years.
Now I would never say that a shooter will never be hit and even scratched by bullet splash back off a steel target target but in my experience it has been very rare. Still, on my range no one can shoot steel without wearing glasses (which they have to any way).
Like last week, this is a common picture of new female shooters practicing fast firing at steel plates, while on the moving at multiple targets.
Last edited:
BADUNAME30
Member
.
Did he look like this ?
Sorry K1500, couldn't resist.
Yes, but the bird apparently had a 10-22 with a scope and some kevlar with a trauma plate.
About all I shoot at is steel, and it was the worst I have been hit. I have seen pics of a 230gr fmj from a .45 that entered a guys leg when shooting at a popper. It was ugly.
About all I shoot at is steel, and it was the worst I have been hit. I have seen pics of a 230gr fmj from a .45 that entered a guys leg when shooting at a popper. It was ugly.
- Status
