School me on steel plates

[Jim Watson]

Pay for the hard stuff.
A friend has some mild steel targets suitable only for lead bullets. He bought the pistol targets for CAS and the rifle targets for BPCR and they have held up fine for that, but he cannot shoot them with high velocity stuff.

He DOES have a plate of extrusion die steel that few things will scratch and nothing will crater. Set at 600 yards, it is good for .30 AP and .50 BMG.

 

[Walkalong]

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

Here's the back side. It comes assembled, just add the chain etc to hang it.

 

[lobo9er]

Skimmed through so might have missed it is ricochet an issue?

 

[SlowFuse]

Ricochet is usually only an issue if you're too close for the caliber you're shooting or if you have damaged (cratered) plates.

 

[Walkalong]

And/or don't have them angled down.

 

[lobo9er]

some of these look like they are just hanging? whats the basic "safe" ricochet range?

 

[Chuck R.]

some of these look like they are just hanging? whats the basic "safe" ricochet range?

I look at 2 potential issues:

1. Splash or bounce-back: bullets and fragments.

and

2. What I call ricochet, which is a bullet skipping off the edge of a target and impacting elsewhere

#1 is a danger to shooter and spectators, and can be mitigated by angling down, providing the targets an ability to swing and of coarse safe distance. The manufactures specify a minimum distance, a lot of folks see to go with 25 yards, but I shoot my steel, much, much closer than that. I have control over my projectiles, condition of my steel and how its mounted, and wear shooting glasses, so I'm willing to assume some risk....

#2 is a danger to anybody and anything in your range fan. I mitigate it by using a built up berm or terrain as a backstop behind my targets.

Chuck