I Need to make a metal target

[Dlowe167]

I wanna make a reuseable target,the wont produce ricochets. I see gun shows shooting metal silhouettes. Im thinking a 3/4" steel silhouette,but a slight angle with a small 6" circle to represent hostage situation just above shoulders.Like silhouette is leaning forward at maybe a 15 degree angle.Thinkin it will forces bullets downward. My signature is the guns i own & will be shooting. Will this work,is it safe??? Or any other suggestions?

 

[Sam1911]

Especially when considering shooting rifle calibers, your steel target should be made of hard steel designed to take that kind of impact like AR500.

If all you shoot at it is pistols you can get away with softer steel, but once a steel target is cratered it really isn't safe to shoot at anymore, at least not at pistol distances.

Either way, you sure don't need 3/4" steel!

I'd do a Google search on steel targets and read about what the various makers are selling. That will give you a good idea about what you need to use to stand up to various types of guns, and why.

 

[BullfrogKen]

Our club has a couple we bought that would fit your needs nicely. It's a replaceable plate, mounted on a stand, angled slightly downward. They're only rated for pistol.


I don't remember the manufacturer. Sam or I could check next time we go. It sure would be a lot easier and cheaper than building one yourself.

 

[GoWolfpack]

Tarheel Targets, whose website isn't great and has clearly been mislead about the best local sports team, is nevertheless an excellent source for steel.

Widener's is also good, and offers a wider variety of targets.

 

[Markm87]

I'm betting you don't want 3/4".

If you have to lug it around the thinnest you can get away with is nice.

Big hunks don't ring and/or move/react worth a damn. Anything from 600 yards and beyond, and I run 1/4" so I can see/hear hits better.

 

[wally]

Hard to do these yourself at these prices unless you've got free steel of appropriate hardness:

www.shootsteel.com
www.wideners.com

 

[allaroundhunter]

Don't make them yourself unless you already have a water jet or plasma cutter to cut them with. Just purchase an AR500 target from a reputable company and call it good.

Trying to make your own will result in excess money being spent and more time wasted.

 

[K1500]

I have made them and I have bought them. It is cheaper and far safer to bou the target pre made out of the appropriate steel. You can buy just the pre-cut plates and make a stand or sheppards hook to hang them from if you wish to save some money.

 

[jerkface11]

I got mine from http://themetalman.com/targetindex.html

 

[Grizzdude]

I got mine from the local scrap yard, found a big slab of 5/8" steel and gave the torch guy cutting things up there a few bucks to cut my target out. Cost less than $20 including the $5 tip to the torch guy. I only shoot it 500 yards and beyond, or 1000 plus with the 338 lapua. Any closer would just be boring anyways. It is standard IPSC size 18"x 24" not including 6" head, and weighs about 80lbs but gives a real loud ding noise due to the large size, I've heard dings out to just over 2000 yards wearing ear protection.

 

[Chuck R.]

On my range I use a combination of Arntzen targets and their portable stands and targets made by Quality Targets, both is AR500:





AR500 is expensive, but we shoot them at pretty close distance (pistol) and they've held up very well. The owner of Quality Targets is pretty flexible, he'll make you what you want, and his shipping is very reasonable. All of mine are in 3/8ths, if you angle them down, or have them swing, they'll last. For my fixed stands I've got them mounted using springs, so they ring well.

Chuck

 

[Dlowe167]

All good info.Was thinking 3/4" to prevent shooting through.I do use plasma cutter,this is why i wanted to DIY.But will check sites out.This would be strictly pistol.

 

[Simon_Edmondson]

A friend and I have been playing around with centrefire rifle targets. In Oz we can't get AR500 but can get something a smidgen harder that is used for mining. I have hit 10mm with a .375 H&H and it did not defeat it at 50m

Hot stuff like .223 WSSM can often do more damage. Leave them at 100m minimum and cant them slightly down and they should last an age.

 

[jmorris]

3/8" mild steel will work for non magnum pistol rounds. 3/8" AR500 is plenty for magnum pistol and rifle up to 300 win mag levels.

 

[J-Bar]

Save yourself a lotta work. Check out the Action Target line.

I bought some of these for cowboy action practice. They have a lot of others.

I am a very pleased customer, nothing else.

http://store.actiontarget.com/evil-roy-practice-target.html

 

[cfullgraf]

A couple more sources for steel targets

https://www.saluteproducts.com/index.php

http://www.gttargets.com/index.html

http://www.metaltargets.com/Home.htm

An internet search can turn up more.

 

[billybob44]

Try these guys..

http://bobcatsteel.com/
^^^Being your Neighbor the shipping should not be too bad.

His products are REAL popular around here..Bill

 

[27hand]

targets

All good answers.

I try to steer people to 3/8" AR500 for all targets which should take anything up to rifle rounds except magnums where I would suggest 1/2" thick.

For pistol only, AR400 will handle everything including magnum rounds.

Mild steel will dimple even with handgun rounds but not enough to be a major problem if you face the edges off the dimples. Rifle rounds will CRATER mild steel and is asking for splashback, ricochet, pieces of all sizes coming back. Just not a good idea. If you have a few hundred yards, mild could be used as sacrificial one time use but just not a good idea.
This is the kind of dimpling you can expect on regular mild steel with pistol calibers. There may have been a few .357 mags on there.

This is a spring plate I fabbed from a 3/8" mild steel face and 2" pipe inside a dumbwaiter spring. Notice the angle and splash residue.


This piece of mild steel was hit by so many thousands of pistol rounds that the plate started to bend.


This shows a combination of 3 handgun rounds and the rest rifle hits on 1/2" mild steel.
A 9mm, a .40 and a .44mag are in there.
This was a test plate I made just for display.
If a rifle bullet hits a crater or if a bullet hits half a crater, a portion or major portion can come right back at you and cause severe injury. Just don't do it.



AR500 (abrasion resistant) is the way to go. I bought a few self resetting colt speed plates from MGM target. they reset faster than you can hit them and will last a really long time.

I got 5 of these 3/8" by 8" rounds from a guy on this site (mcosman) for about $25 ea (probly more now) but they are AR500. Wideners also has some AR500 faceplates that you can fab stands for.



Good luck.

 

[BruceB]

One more vote for the AR500.

A friend cut me an old-style IPSC silhouette from 3/8" AR500. It cost me about $130, as I remember now, a few years later.

In live testing, I fired factory-level .223 55-grain softpoints from a 20" AR-15 and factory-speed 150-grain softpoints from a .308 FAL at this target, from 100 yards.

The ONLY effect those rounds had was the removal of the black paint at the points of impact. The target has now stopped hundreds of rifle rounds and a large number of handgun and shotgun loads as well. No damage. It's a lifetime target, and cheap at the price.

It's rigged to hang at a slight angle from vertical so that fragments are deflected down into the ground. Safety first, right?