Anyone Shoot Steel?

[Ignition Override]

Yes. Our large private club only allows typical handgun rounds on its steel.

If the welds were of a stronger design, they might then have decided that rifles are ok.

 

[roval]

i like the caldwell magnum gong . easy to transport,

or this. it is 5 electrical conduit 5 foot lengths. ar 500 hooks and and mount( bought in e bay) supply your own gongs either 1 hole or 2 holes. collars to keep the hangers moving around( from amazon). the targets i hung on it are 3/8 inch so it should flex less with smaller and thinner targets
here it is in action at 14:17 into the video

 

[mcb]

i like the caldwell magnum gong . easy to transport,

or this.View attachment 966159it is 5 electrical conduit 5 foot lengths. ar 500 hooks and and mount( bought in e bay) supply your own gongs either 1 hole or 2 holes. collars to keep the hangers moving around( from amazon). the targets i hung on it are 3/8 inch so it should flex less with smaller and thinner targets
here it is in action at 14:17 into the video

I have a similar setup. What collars are you using to keep your hooks from sliding across the bar? A link would be apricated. I have not be able to find a good solution. -thanks

 

[roval]

I have a similar setup. What collars are you using to keep your hooks from sliding across the bar? A link would be apricated. I have not be able to find a good solution. -thanks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IL5GGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_CO36FbX0XW3K2

this one. i carry them on an old cheap bicycle chain lock.

 

[mcb]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IL5GGO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_CO36FbX0XW3K2

this one. i carry them on an old cheap bicycle chain lock.View attachment 966173

Awesome, I will order a handful on my next amazon order. Thanks a bunch!

 

[Obturation]

Cheap fry pans from a thrift store or Salvation Army work great.

Yep, stuff the handles into the ground and blast em.
I'm an auto mechanic and have steel scrap all the time, if I know I'm going to shoot something other than paper I'll throw some old brake rotors in my van when I'm leaving work. Disposable & free. Someday I may spend money on reusable targets but I'm not at that point.

A funny one was when I dismantled an old truck in my driveway. I took the glass out of the doors and brought them along with hood, tailgate ect out and shot them up. Took them to work and tossed them in the scrap bin. The guy who collected the scrap wouldn't touch those parts with a 10 foot pole, he thought it was crime scene stuff. I could see that, most of our local scrap goes into Chicago where the prices are higher. I eventually got someone to haul off those shot up panels and I don't do that anymore.

 

[ericuda]

Not sure if true but I have been told to hang a wind chime on an organic material such as leather for a better sound. Metal and chain sure dampen the sound of a wind chime.

For rifle I second the one rr tie pads. Doesn't take too long to find them in piles around crossings. Don't use for short range due to ridges on pads.

 

[Howland937]

I have about $40 in this one. 4", 6", 8" AR500 1/2" thick. Piece of scrap square tube, old real estate sign. S hooks to hang them on the pipe, hang the pipe across the sign frame. Takes about 30 seconds to set up. May get something more fancy soon.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

We shoot almost exclusively steel and old campaign signs.

I never worry to much about target/mount weight as we usually shoot only where we can set-up and service targets by vehicle and I also take one of these along. replaced the tires with solids.



I buy the dealer/manufacturer display targets for a price break at the Phoenix SAR show - usually.

Todd.

 

[bearcreek]

A funny one was when I dismantled an old truck in my driveway. I took the glass out of the doors and brought them along with hood, tailgate ect out and shot them up. Took them to work and tossed them in the scrap bin. The guy who collected the scrap wouldn't touch those parts with a 10 foot pole, he thought it was crime scene stuff. I could see that, most of our local scrap goes into Chicago where the prices are higher. I eventually got someone to haul off those shot up panels and I don't do that anymore.

This reminds me of another on-going thread about firearm ownership in different states and the significant differences in culture from place to place. Before I moved out of Ohio, I was cleaning up our place and I brought two complete vehicles to the scrap yard. Both had been used extensively as "training aids" in my back yard. They were full of bullet holes and the insides had hundreds of steel 5.56 and aluminum 9mm cases all over the floor, seats, dash, etc. No one at the scrap yard looked twice.

 

[Blue Brick]

Cheap fry pans from a thrift store or Salvation Army work great.

Cast iron

 

[FFGColorado]

Have 2 'tripods' with AR550 steel plates. Plus some plates we mount on Shepard's Hooks.
Similar to this but foldable..just paint the plates each time..I use yellow. As for cast iron skillets...just about anything goes right thru those.

 

[jmorris]

Cast iron

I’m thumbs down on cast iron, rotors, flywheels and such will crater as bits fly off. The best steel to shoot is steel that remains flat.

 

[Chuck R.]

I’m thumbs down on cast iron, rotors, flywheels and such will crater as bits fly off. The best steel to shoot is steel that remains flat.

Agreed.

When I first built my range I tried a cast iron man-hole cover for a 200/300 yard gong. The high-power stuff zipped through it at 200 and a .45-90-550 BP load cracked a chunk off it at 300. Honestly not worth the trouble t to to hang it. Do it right (AR500) the 1st time and avoid the risks.

 

[Howland937]

Cast iron

I bought several cast iron skillets in a yard sale with the intent of cheap targets. Thicker ones did ok with .22's but they were so brittle I was afraid to shoot them with anything bigger.
If I can smack a piece of metal with a hammer and break off pieces, I'm not shooting it.

 

[armedwalleye]

Do a Google for Yankee Thunder. They sell you plates, hangers, and whatever the slingshot shaped pieces are called to assemble the target. You supply 2 10' sticks of 1" conduit. They had a sale going on, still do, I think. Their recommendation was one stick cut at 80 in, the other cut into 40" lengths. the 40's are the legs, the 80 is the crossbar and everything slides on. I think a hundo plus the conduit will get you going pretty nicely.

 

[armedwalleye]

I bought several cast iron skillets in a yard sale with the intent of cheap targets. Thicker ones did ok with .22's but they were so brittle I was afraid to shoot them with anything bigger.
If I can smack a piece of metal with a hammer and break off pieces, I'm not shooting it.

Cheap targets are great, but please, as an old cast iron cookware guy, do a little research and see what you have before you go to the range. Regardless of condition, the right old cast iron skillet can be worth in excess of a hundred bucks or more to the right individual. You can buy a lot of AR500 for that kind of money.

 

[Howland937]

Cheap targets are great, but please, as an old cast iron cookware guy, do a little research and see what you have before you go to the range. Regardless of condition, the right old cast iron skillet can be worth in excess of a hundred bucks or more to the right individual. You can buy a lot of AR500 for that kind of money.

No Griswold or anything name branded for that matter. These were a set with wooden handles, made in Japan. I always check first, destroy last.

 

[ericuda]

Sorry shade blocks some. I have 9 plates I believe varying between 2" and 12" and 1/4 to 1/2 thick. I like the shepherd hook mounting the best. The chain dampens the sound to me. I go from usually 25, 50 and 75 yard. I can easily back up another 50 yards for rifle. I would go with 1/4" for all pistol as the ring is way better. The rifle gongs and thicker pistol gongs kinda thud. The 1/4 rings well.

I don't shoot the thinner plates with high velocity such as 22-250. Most of the rifle I use are 4895 reduced as it is more fun for me.

I have no idea how hickok45 has such a ring on his. I bet they are mostly 1/4 even his big gong.

 

[Howland937]

I have no idea how hickok45 has such a ring on his. I bet they are mostly 1/4 even his big gong

I don't really hear mine anyway, but went to 1/2" from 3/8" because the 4" target would swing up and over the frame with .45 and .38 Super. Got tired of having to walk down and unwrap it.

I suppose I could have made the chain short enough that it wouldn't wrap. Oh well.

A guy near here makes all kinds of AR500 targets. Said he made a 36" gong that sounded like a church bell when a .300 Win Mag hit it from a couple hundred yards.

 

[3Crows]

I have two of these in addition to homemade stands. Sometimes they go on sale under $80. The steel seems to be AR500 equivalent.

https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/rangemaxx-rifle-gong-target-with-stand

 

[chamokaneman]

I have a couple AR500's and I absolutely LOVE them!. One is an 8" circle the other is more like a 10x15 silhouette kind of thing. It was the first of the two I bought. It's like 3/4 or 5/8 of an inch thick or something and when I bought it the price was really reasonable so I figured just get the thickest one possible and it will last longer,

Well, incredibly heavy. It will definitely last a long time and I still enjoy shooting it but a thinner one would make a more satisfying ring and be much easier to put out at the public place I use them at. I welded a piece of re-bar to a T-post BTW.

 

[Blue Brick]

I bought several cast iron skillets in a yard sale with the intent of cheap targets. Thicker ones did ok with .22's but they were so brittle I was afraid to shoot them with anything bigger.
If I can smack a piece of metal with a hammer and break off pieces, I'm not shooting it.

More for me then.

 

[illinoisburt]

The Allen brand AR500 plates at Wal-Mart (yes, I know) have actually been good so far. Got some minor surface dimples with 556 and 545x39 at 100 yards, just fine farther out. No issues with slugs and 44 mag at 50 yards. The stores had them on sale for $20 at the same time as the rifle liquidation this summer. I think regular price is about $35 for 10" plates with ears. The taller heavy duty sheppard hooks have worked fine for me so far though I like the idea of using t-posts if you have a place where you can leave them semi permanently.

 

[bsparker]

I did a DIY with 2x4s, eye hooks and saw horse brackets. Comes apart into three pieces pretty easy and cheap, needed it to be portable. Not for everyone, but cheap and versatile.

What I do like and found worth it are rubber straps instead of chains, felt like it kept the target from moving too much and can take a number or rounds if you miss the plate.

https://shootingtargets7.com/collections/rubber-target-hanging-straps?custom=Target Hanging



I connected “arms” that extend out on either side that connect with bolt and wing nuts to hold paper targets on each side of the steel. I Left room on either side Of the steel to add more as desired and I also have a way to hang clays.