"Armor plate" for target stands....

[Remington1911]

In true red neck fashion you never toss anything away. My target stands are made up of a old trampoline frame, you know the metal circle whit the metal legs...well you can assemble these things in a form of a lazy "S" shape and they are perfect to hold steel plates hanging. Issue is some (naturally it is not me but the other guy) just don't quite hit the plate and are hitting the mild steel of the legs.....so swiss cheese describes the legs. I am thinking of welding some "L" channel steel to the legs and making them a little stronger, and hopefully a little more..."bullet proof".

Now being the cheap and lazy bastage that I am, I don't want to even mess with AR 400 steel, my hope is that the angle of the L channel will give me enough of an angle that it will shrug off hits. AR steel is a pain to work with, and expensive. I have cut this stuff before with both a plasma and band saw and it is just horrid.

So question is, mild steel, the angle do you think it is enough to take on most hand gun flavors, I know anything sent from a rifle, or I should say "real rifle caliber" will just buzz straight through, but it seems most the holes are from hand guns.

Thinking .25 might be heavy enough to hold up to impacts.....thoughts. Any thicker and it starts to get expensive, and harder to work with, I can cut normal thickness no issue.

If it ever stops raining and I can get the tractor down there I plan on hauling all this up to the shop and I will snap a quick pic so you can see what I am trying to explain.

 

[Danaidh]

In my experience, you are on the right track for general handgun damage. The good news is that it will give you longer life on the target stands. However, the angle iron, even situated in a "V" in front of the stand legs or as the legs themselves, will eventually be bent out of shape from repeated bullet impacts.

Rifle bullets will go right through the angle iron. They may make a clean hole or bend them up. Again, you should at least get longer life from your stands.

For hanging metal targets, I use a cross member on a cheap stand (rebar or other scrap metal). Then hang old pieces of chain from the cross bar from which the metal targets are hung. The chain and target are the sacrificial parts that will be damaged or cut up by bullet impacts. I have also used old industrial belting material to hang the metal targets from the cross bar by bolting the belt material to the cross bar and the target which hangs 12-18" below the cross bar. The belt material lasts longer than the chains because it absorbs the bullet damage and keeps doing it's job.

I also use an old shipping pallet (free in most places) and old electrical conduit (2 pieces about 6' long). Drive the conduit vertically in the ground about the width of the outer spaces in the pallet where the fork lift normally inserts the forks. Tack or staple paper targets on the pallet or bolt/screw metal gongs on the pallet (at an angle to deflect bullets to the ground).

The pallets and conduit are sacrificial to the bullet damage and replaced as needed relatively inexpensively.

Good luck with your project,
Danaidh

 

[trackskippy]

Our club has stands on the pistol range that are made out some sort of angle iron that's about 1/4" thick, maybe a little heavier, and they are shot all to hell. A lot of that is through and through too.

Maybe hanging the plates farther from the rack would be better/cheaper/easier.

 

[Jim Watson]

I think the problem at the range here was that the SOBs were AIMING at the stands and frames.
Plus shooting rifles at pistol targets and rifles at 100 yard rifle targets from 10 yards.

A welder in the club built us a nice rope resetting pistol plate rack. It got chewed up by rifles so bad that the next time we had the berm graded, we just buried the plate rack because it had become a ricochet hazard.

I painted a sign on a Bianchi barricade "Do Not Shoot... Again."

 

[Remington1911]

In my experience, you are on the right track for general handgun damage. The good news is that it will give you longer life on the target stands. However, the angle iron, even situated in a "V" in front of the stand legs or as the legs themselves, will eventually be bent out of shape from repeated bullet impacts.

Rifle bullets will go right through the angle iron. They may make a clean hole or bend them up. Again, you should at least get longer life from your stands.

For hanging metal targets, I use a cross member on a cheap stand (rebar or other scrap metal). Then hang old pieces of chain from the cross bar from which the metal targets are hung. The chain and target are the sacrificial parts that will be damaged or cut up by bullet impacts. I have also used old industrial belting material to hang the metal targets from the cross bar by bolting the belt material to the cross bar and the target which hangs 12-18" below the cross bar. The belt material lasts longer than the chains because it absorbs the bullet damage and keeps doing it's job.

I also use an old shipping pallet (free in most places) and old electrical conduit (2 pieces about 6' long). Drive the conduit vertically in the ground about the width of the outer spaces in the pallet where the fork lift normally inserts the forks. Tack or staple paper targets on the pallet or bolt/screw metal gongs on the pallet (at an angle to deflect bullets to the ground).

The pallets and conduit are sacrificial to the bullet damage and replaced as needed relatively inexpensively.

Good luck with your project,
Danaidh

I have played with old conveyor belt for some stuff, I do like it over chain, you get a bit wide enough for your target and it holds up better over chains....unless you hit the bolt square....that is real good advice.

I have targets hanging from about anything that was around, chain, cable, belt, even old lawn mower belts are good to loop through the target and just tie in a big nasty knot. Does not look pretty but I think the belt moves enough to shrug off some chain killing hits.

THICK paracord is good as well unless hit at the plate attachment it will usually get out of the way. You usually don't just shoot the rope, for those of you that have tried you know the movie where cline eastwood shoots the hangmans rope...yea, hollywood, but fun to try.

 

[Remington1911]

I think the problem at the range here was that the SOBs were AIMING at the stands and frames.
Plus shooting rifles at pistol targets and rifles at 100 yard rifle targets from 10 yards.

A welder in the club built us a nice rope resetting pistol plate rack. It got chewed up by rifles so bad that the next time we had the berm graded, we just buried the plate rack because it had become a ricochet hazard.

I painted a sign on a Bianchi barricade "Do Not Shoot... Again."

We have the same issue at our club, we now have cameras that watch the line because....well people are jerks.

For us we have baffles, they are about 1' thick full of concrete, they are set at different distances on the long rifle range, if you stand at the line you will see the target or the baffles, not blue sky. No matter how hard you try your bullet will not leave the range.

It has not kept people from shooting them up, they are set in concrete and held up buy BIG I beams. Yup they have been shot....and the cameras show just who is doing the destruction, you will pay for the repair, and be asked not to come back....the club has taken people to court, hard to loose when you are standing there with a bunch of loud mouth idiots and we see you walk down and examine your handy work.

 

[rdnktrkr]

I started hanging steel from old tires using the springs from an old trampoline (rifle hits equal replacing the spring handgun hits sometimes) and holding them up with rebar driven into the ground, I paint the steel either white, red or orange to stand out against the black tire, be sure to drill a hole in the bottom of the tire so it doesn't hold water. we set 2 up at each distance, 1moa and 2moa for rifle and for handgun we still use paper.
I have some conveyer belt from where I worked and IF I ever run out of springs (2 different trampolines) I will try that to compare

 

[Remington1911]

I started hanging steel from old tires using the springs from an old trampoline (rifle hits equal replacing the spring handgun hits sometimes) and holding them up with rebar driven into the ground, I paint the steel either white, red or orange to stand out against the black tire, be sure to drill a hole in the bottom of the tire so it doesn't hold water. we set 2 up at each distance, 1moa and 2moa for rifle and for handgun we still use paper.
I have some conveyer belt from where I worked and IF I ever run out of springs (2 different trampolines) I will try that to compare

For a while I had an old tractor tire that I drilled a couple holes in where I hung a plate....it was very interesting. Inside the tire was all the....shrapnel....for lack of a better word, stuck inside the tire....and I do mean stuck. This is an old rock hard tire off a farm type tractor. Really lets you see the splatter and how forceful it is.

On a related note, I had a friend out Memorial day weekend and we did some shooting, I ran out of gas early on....old broken down, and can't go like I once did, and I was sitting on the tractor and talking between his shooting. I know better but it is just where the tractor was. I am sitting there about 30deg off the side of the target and behind him a touch....I feel something on my shoulder, figure great another tick....nope a bit of bullet jacket.

Really need to wear glasses when shooting steel folks.

 

[Jim Watson]

Really need to wear glasses when shooting steel folks.

Yes, Saturday I felt a fragment land from a Pepper Popper I was not even in line of sight from.

 

[Meeks36]

Really need to wear glasses when shooting steel folks.

If you don’t then you can always be one eyed Willy from the goonies for Halloween. Just a thought.

 

[27hand]

Lost half my reponse along the way.
I'll edit it tomorrow if I find it. Sheesh

When flat steel is hit, the pistol bullets will explode off the surface at roughly a 20 degree angle.

Shooting steel, everyone around should have eye protection on and a baseball style hat with the bill facing forward. The bill will stop frags frome dropping between the glasses and your eyeball.
I shoot pistol steel as close as 7 yards but have gotten away from mild steel and replaced mine with AR500.
Mild steel will eventually bend concave after thousands of hits and will dimple with smaller caliber, faster bullets.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7g5yLF

Hanging steel.
I prefer old conveyor belt and poly rope to steel chains. Chains can deflect bullets to anywhere.
Poly and belt are pass throughs

 

[AK Hunter]

My range has gong racks made from steel railroad rail with the top of the rail facing the shooter.
The top rail has slots cut in it so the gong can swing on the pin going through the upright welded to the gong.
No one has ever shot through the rail............yet.

 

[DeepSouth]

For a while I had an old tractor tire that I drilled a couple holes in where I hung a plate....it was very interesting. Inside the tire was all the....shrapnel....for lack of a better word, stuck inside the tire....and I do mean stuck. This is an old rock hard tire off a farm type tractor. Really lets you see the splatter and how forceful it is.

I hung some steel from a homemade 2x4 frame once, it took a while but it eventually got cut in half by the splatter. Most of which came from 22lr’s.

 

[Remington1911]

Lost half my reponse along the way.
I'll edit it tomorrow if I find it. Sheesh

When flat steel is hit, the pistol bullets will explode off the surface at roughly a 20 degree angle.

Shooting steel, everyone around should have eye protection on and a baseball style hat with the bill facing forward. The bill will stop frags frome dropping between the glasses and your eyeball.
I shoot pistol steel as close as 7 yards but have gotten away from mild steel and replaced mine with AR500.
Mild steel will eventually bend concave after thousands of hits and will dimple with smaller caliber, faster bullets.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm7g5yLF

Hanging steel.
I prefer old conveyor belt and poly rope to steel chains. Chains can deflect bullets to anywhere.
Poly and belt are pass throughs

I have tried all kinds of thing, chain, not a big fan, pretty thick para cord, works ok, but in the weather goes down hill fast if you leave your steel out like I do, remember old, broken down lazy....and that stuff is flat heavy...and if it is muddy like it often is back there, yucky.

As to your hat, in general a good idea, we often talk of hot brass down the neck of shirts. But remember noting is absolute and we all manage our own risk.

Story time:

I still about 15 years later have a 1963 VW bug in my shop being "fixed up". Like most things total rust bucket. SEVERAL years ago I am welding in a new rear inner fender....well I really don't weld I basically stick metal together and it will stay, but to call me a welder is an honor I do not deserve......so like most "farm welders" the grinder is something I use quite a bit. I have on safety glasses they have little shields on the side, and I am just grinding away....I feel something hit my cheek then PAIN....yup a fragment hit the cheek went under the glasses and right into my eye....on a sunday afternoon no less. So I suffer through sunday, this really feels like you have an ice pick in your eye, lots of bourbon and monday I am in the eye dr. Numbing drops and the world is fantastic again. They dig, yes dig is the correct term the little fragment out and all is good, no damage to vision. The fragment was just to the outside of my vision, easy for him to get out.

Now I grind with goggles.

That said I am not shooting with stupid goggles on, but I could see how someone that had a close call would.

 

[Remington1911]

My range has gong racks made from steel railroad rail with the top of the rail facing the shooter.
The top rail has slots cut in it so the gong can swing on the pin going through the upright welded to the gong.
No one has ever shot through the rail............yet.

I have several RR parts, tie plates, twin hook plates, joint bars, small sections of rail, you ain't moving a large section by hand.

The actual rails are interesting, they really have two types of steel, the surface of the wheels where the train trucks ride (train wheels) is a hardened steel, not quite sure what level, but it is hardened, while the rest of the steel is what we would call a mild steel, Even sit at a RR crossing and when the cars pass you watch that rail flex, sure you have, that steel rail is pretty "soft" while the "wear surface" is quite hard. I would bet about any rifle round will go easy through the sides of a rail, I know I have had pass throughs on about anything from 223 and up. Same with the tie or hook plates. The surface however quite hard.

They are great for making anvils out of.

Story time:

I also have several buckets of spikes, a gun behind me saw the buckets and asked if he could have a couple.....sure, what for. I think it would be cool to make a knife out of one. Ok, but I bet it will make a pretty horrid knife....why is that, because it is pretty soft steel. You mean the rail road uses crappy steel....never said that, they use very good steel, just in the use of the spikes there is really not much load on them, so a softer steel is all that is needed.

He made the knife and it would not hold an edge....was pretty cool knife as well, he used a section of tie that had been VERY dried out for the handle on one, the other he used a section of teak wood off of the USS Iowa for the handle for another, he gave that one to an old timer that served on the Iowa in the 1950's when it was in the Med.

 

[jmorris]

This works and I imagine becomes more effective the further apart and away from the pocket they get. At least to the point they allow an impact because someone shoots around them.

 

[Remington1911]

This works and I imagine becomes more effective the further apart and away from the pocket they get. At least to the point they allow an impact because someone shoots around them.

View attachment 1083185

This is basically my plan, where you have wood "uprights" mine are metal and I would have your angle iron go all the way up.

I like your build, looks a tad heavy, but should hold up well.

 

[jmorris]

Adding additional angle iron is going to increase the weight pretty quickly.

Idea behind that one is that the 1x2’s are light and allow one to make any size target stand, additional ones can be passed through the feet allowing a huge base that doesn’t require to be staked into the ground. Taken apart for transport it takes up less room than a standard target stand.



I build those to nest though, so it’s easier to transport and store many.



If you get a hit in a stake pocket, a 1” hole saw makes quick work of removing the dent and makes them useable again.

This is another style I have made that has 1/8” angle directly in front of the pocket.

 

[Remington1911]

I like that one with the steel behind the paper, it can do double duty. Do you get any splatter coming back through the paper?

 

[jmorris]

With those Hex head bolts I did.

These don’t give the radial “spray” something to deflect off of.

https://www.agrisupply.com/head-gr-...G2n_p69dhV7ap85ToAog_eC6BV7inR6xoClhMQAvD_BwE


You also have to use hard plate that doesn’t crater.

Mild steel will spray back, like at the beginning of this video.



Fast forward to 7:30 or so to see the difference using hard plate.