School me on steel plates

[Reefinmike]

I'm going on a camping trip here soon with the main focus being shooting a boatload of ammo. I've never shot steel but it sure looks like a whole lot of fun and its about time I buy some. Im looking to keep it under $100 as I wont be able to shoot steel at most places I shoot at back home. I have a general idea as to what size(s) I want but that's about it. I would only be shooting soft(11bhn) cast lead bullets. I powder coat them so I load them at high end jacketed speeds especially the 357 and 500 mags. The majority of my shooting is casual off hand plinking at shorter ranges. If I sit at a bench with sandbags I can shoot 38 spl's 1"@25yd all day long with my revolver but most of my casually shot groups end up being 3-4" on paper which I am happy with.

4" plate 15-20yd offhand pistol shooting
380, 38, 9mm, 357 6" revolver, 500 magnum 8" revolver(440gr cast W296 loads)

8" plate 50-75 yd offhand
357 magnum from revolver and levergun(164gr cast @2,000fps) 300blk 230gr subs(May shoot 147gr fmj supers if they wont damage it), light 12ga 1oz slugs

How do you all feel about the sizes I'm thinking of buying? What thickness and hardness is recommended? Any cool spring loaded or other active targets that are within my budget? Should I just get a nice 6" target and call it a day? It would be nice to be able to shoot 147gr 300blk supers(1,950fps) but I have no problem not using that load if it means I can save some dough on the steel by going softer or thinner.

 

[plodder]

I can tell you this, if you use AR500 steel plate in 3/8" or thicker, you will not dent it with any of the loads you describe.

I use some regular hot rolled 1/2" plate for handguns & my M11/9 buzz gun as well as my .300BLK with subs. I'd tell you they don't leave a mark but those plates have been attacked with so many 5.56, .308, 30-06 & 7mm Weatherby magnum that they look like the surface of the moon. But I don't think they got that way from anything under 1750 fps.

 

[SlowFuse]

I wouldn't go less than AR500 unless it's a 22 only target. AR400 will work fine for 22's, I have one that is 1/4" and it has held up well to thousands of 22lr.

I use a 10" AR500 target that is 1/2" thick for general plinking with all of my centerfire pistol rounds.

A 12" AR500 target that is 3/4" works for all of my rifle rounds. From 223 to 45-70. Most of the faster rounds are shot from 100+ yards but I've shot the 45-70 from 60 yds with no issues.

I ordered all of my targets from xsteel targets.

http://www.xsteeltargets.com/

 

[Reefinmike]

Thanks guys for the insight so far. If you were to buy only one plate, what size would you buy? I usually shoot pistol 15-20yd and rifle 50-75yd. Casual offhand shooting at both ranges end up being 3-4" groups. Would you get a 6" or get a bigger one like 8" and shoot pistol from a little further-25-30yd? to make it a little more challenging?

 

[plodder]

Well, I'm not that good of a pistol shot so if it were me, I'd get at least an 8".

 

[MadMurdock85]

These are AR500 targets at a buddy's range. We shoot these with anything that's not armor piercing at 25, 100, 150, 200, and 440 yds. The 25 is pistols only. There have been literally thousands of rounds at each target over the last 2 years as my buddy hosts a few ar15.com shoots. We just paint over and keep going. BTW the current groups on these are from 440 out of 308.





This one is a bracket for holding railroad track together. Shoot with the same stuff at the same distances. You can see the difference. The silver spots on this are from 75gn 223 at 440.

 

[Walkalong]

Steel size selection: https://shootingtargets7.com/store/selection

If you want a do all plate that will hold up well and will shoot rifle calibers at it, go 1/2". (Rifle at no closer than 100 yards.)(Even then really fast calibers can do some damage.)

It won't ring as nicely as thinner plates though.

My "do all" plate is an 18" 1/2" AR 500 plate (Bought it on sale cheaper than they show now) that I have hanging at 100 yards. I shoot everything at it, both pistol and rifle. Even at 100 yards my nephews 7MM Mag left tiny marks. It's the velocity that does it. My .458 Win Mag doesn't hurt it.

I also have this 1/2" Bullseye" target I use at 100 yards. It's fun for folks. It can be used for pistols up close too.

I just bought a 1/4" 18" plate that I am going to hang at about 60 yards for pistols.

My other plates that I shoot pistols at are 3/8" and are ones I shoot up closer. They have no damage from .357 or .44 Mag. (I have shot 300 BLK using 147 FMJ at them at 50 yards with little to no damage.) They ring pretty good at close range with pistols, even light .38s sound good.

Sounds like 3/8" would serve your purposes. That is what I picked when I wondered the same thing for my first steel.

If you were to buy only one plate, what size would you buy? I usually shoot pistol 15-20yd and rifle 50-75yd.

Sounds like an 8" plate would be plenty for you, but 10" or 12" if others less skilled will be shooting. Hits are fun, misses are not, and you want them to enjoy shooting.

You'll end up with more than one plate eventually. The company I bought the latest plate from on Amazon has 3/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", and 3/4" plates of various sizes.

 

[ericuda]

I started out shooting 12 and 10" plates at 10 to 25 yards. Seems different shooting plates and way more fun than paper. I found them easier to hit for some reason and ended up mounting a 6" and 8" plate. I havent tried the 4" plate and it seems very small with the 2 mounting holes it seems out of proportion to me. For a small plate 1 mounting hole with a shepherds hook stand may be better. From what I read 3/8" is good for pistol and rifle up to 06. I was kinda disappointed on how my 3/8" plates ring with 22, 9 and 45 that i ordered a 1/4" plate to try. I can pick up a 10" ar500 1/4" thick gong from ebay for 23+-.

For your use a 6" 3/8" plate mounted in a shepherds hook may be the best for portability.

 

[Sebastian the Ibis]

I bought one of these a few months ago on eBay:

https://www.amazon.com/AR500-Shooting-Target-Bullseye-Metals/dp/B00M7N3J2Y/ref=sr_1_12?s=hunting-fishing&ie=UTF8&qid=1476065520&sr=1-12&keywords=ar500+target

It works just fine for my purposes - .223 & 7.62AK at about 50 yards. It is cratered, but I don't care at 50 yds. I have other targets for in close.

The only problem is finding a way to hang it from a bit of re-bar. I need to find a carpet remnant or firehose like Murdoch did above. The spawl will pretty quickly shred any type of rope. I used a bolt and chain earlier today, and two links were shot away.

 

[1KPerDay]

8-9" or larger 3/8" AR500 for pistols out to 30ish yards, longer if you're better than I am. I also like the 2/3 size IDPA steel torso. If I had to choose one steel target for pistol I'd get a torso.

For rifle I'd go 1/2" just because it'll take longer to chew through. M855, M193, any rooskie stuff, M80, etc. WILL eventually chew through AR500 if you shoot within 100 yds and probably will further. I've gone through a couple 3/8 AR500 plates with rifles. It doesn't leave a big dent but they add up. For dedicated rifle steel I'd try to find some AR600.

Jcsteel targets has been a great source for me. Great prices and quality.

 

[Walkalong]

and two links were shot away

It happens, I keep repair links handy.

 

[Reefinmike]

Thanks for all the insight everybody, great information from all.

madmurdock85- wow what a difference! those ar500 plates look practically brand new.

By everybody's response, It sounds like a 3/8" 8" ar500 plate is my best bet.

Sebastian- Holy schnikes that is cheap, I just bought that 8" and a 6" gong. Makes me wonder why I hadn't looked on amazon before.

Now I just need to find a nice portable way to mount it. I've seen when people will bolt them onto something with a heavy duty spring behind them for a bit of a popper effect. I suppose that would deaden the "ding" a bit more though.

 

[rondog]

I use an 8" x 3/8" AR500 plate, got it on eBay quite reasonable. It's taken a lot of abuse and has held up well, I'd like a few more. But the way I hang it needs to be revised, I have it bolted to chains and that seems to absorb the vibrations and deadens the "ring". I get satisfying WHACKS! from it, but no DINGS! I want that puppy to ring like a bell for me. I think I need a shepherd's hook type hanger.

 

[Reefinmike]

Well, I didn't hit pay button yet so I just ordered the 3 piece set of 8", 7" and 6" 3/8" ar500 plates from the same seller for $42 shipped. Gotta love amazon!

Rondog- thanks for the idea, a shepherd's hook sounds like the perfect option for a solid portable plate holder. The plates I bought have two holes for hanging but I suppose I could hang it from only one of the holes.

 

[Walkalong]

I made a bracket out of rebar for my new plate with two 1 Inch holes. There are all kinds of good ideas out there for hanging plates. A lot of them here.

Conveyor belt works well and can stand getting hit quite a few times. I am going to use some 2x4 steel and semi copy what GT Targets does. I'll weld the bracket to a piece of 2x4 steel and stick it on top of a wood 2x4.
.

 

[Chuck R.]

I've got about 35 pieces of plate, all but one are in AR500. The one single soft steel I have is AR400 and used for pistols and shotguns and is a shotgun popper. Get AR500 and cry once, IF your steel gets dimpled/cratered you'll get more splash/bounce back and ruin into safety issues. If I get a target that's dimpled (it happens) they become LR rifle targets. Try to make sure your targets can swing when hit, or have a downward angle, they'll last longer and

As for size, what are you trying to do??

If just plinking then any size will work, if you're looking at defensive shooting then I'd look at silhouettes. My stuff runs the full gamut from silhouettes to 4" round plates, and a set of AR500 bowling pins:







Remember, you can always go larger, then shrink your steel with a little spray paint for a bullseye. I prefer portable stands as I can mix up my CoFs. For instance 8" plates used for V drills, can be moved and used for modified El Presidentes, or for head shots on hostages.

Cheap, portable set-up would be round plate off of Ebay and some Shepard's hooks from Walmart or Home Depot. I do have problems keeping the 4" plates on the Shepard's hooks when hit though....

Chuck

 

[ATLDave]

Would you get a 6" or get a bigger one like 8" and shoot pistol from a little further-25-30yd? to make it a little more challenging?

If you're shooting quickly, 8" at 30 yards is plenty challenging. I've seen a LOT of very good shooters miss 8" targets at half/third that distance... in the context of shooting a USPSA stage with the timer running.

Frankly, except for long-range rifle shooting where you're getting hit feedback audibly without having to walk a few football fields, the pleasure of shooting steel is in trying to do it quickly.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Looks like I've been forgetting to tip the hard working targets

Mike

 

[MadMurdock85]

Looks like I've been forgetting to tip the hard working targets

Mike

I didn't have anything else of known size to give reference so a 20 worked!

 

[maxxhavoc]

The Bullseye arget Walkalong mentioned is pretty nice. Good for pistol or scoped rifle.

It is a 10" plate with 3" bullseye. With pistol, easy to see direct hits vs close hits. With a rifle it does just as well. It is hard to see a center hit with a non-scoped rifle. You can hear it if you listen.

 

[taliv]

the most important point is that you only shoot the steel when it is angled down. when you hang a plate from a strap or something and shoot it a second time while it is swinging, the projectile can ricochet up and over the berm and leave the range.

so if you are shooting rapidly, which is a lot of fun, get a target stand that will allow the plate to move, but only in a more downward angle. i.e. at rest, it is at a slight down angle, and when a bullet hits it, the bottom can move back slightly, absorbing some of the energy instead of bouncing, but not too far.

 

[doubleh]

For cast lead 1/2" mild steel will do just fine. I have a set from 2" to 8" that I've been shooting at from 20 to 30 yards for years with no damage at all. 22 LR through 44 mag and 45 Colt. I cut them from scrap left over from various jobs. Free is good. I also have a couple of AR500 ones for jacketed bullets.

 

[MadMurdock85]

The Bullseye arget Walkalong mentioned is pretty nice. Good for pistol or scoped rifle.

It is a 10" plate with 3" bullseye. With pistol, easy to see direct hits vs close hits. With a rifle it does just as well. It is hard to see a center hit with a non-scoped rifle. You can hear it if you listen.

Spotting scope or good binos!

 

[Walkalong]

If you paint the big front plate black and the little back plate white, you can see it disappear with a good hit even at 100 yards.

When needed, touch up the black on the big plate (Don't worry if some gets on the little plate), then hold the assembly up letting the little plate hang down and paint that one white.

 

[Chuck R.]

If you paint the big front plate black and the little back plate white, you can see it disappear with a good hit even at 100 yards.

When needed, touch up the black on the big plate (Don't worry if some gets on the little plate), then hold the assembly up letting the little plate hang down and paint that one white.

I really like that target!

I've seen and shot another version that had the smaller plate mounted on top of the larger plate with a spring. It was also easier to paint, and gave "acoustic" feedback for a hit.

Chuck