Shooting Steel Targets...Safety

[swan hunter]

We are having a Women On Target event Sat. and will be shooting .38 Spl., 9mm, and 45ACP. We bought some of the cheapest ammo we could find. (Mostly Wolf some fmj)
Now, we are looking for targets. I haven't shot centerfire steel reactive targets and don't know how these bullets will work with our Dueling tree and spinner targets.
We have to use factory ammo for this event or we would have used lead reloads...
Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks

P.S. Man! Ammo prices have eaten us up on this event!!!

 

[MErl]

We shoot pieces of spring steel (leaf springs) as reactive targets and have had no issues with them using FMJ pistol rounds. IMO as long as the target can move easily and is relatively light there is little to no danger of a ricochet or splash. I would worry more about splash from pure lead projectiles.

As always wear glasses and have fun.

 

[SDC]

Glasses are a must for everyone, and have a safety line at least 10 yards back from the steel, past which you can't shoot at it; as long as the steel is in decent shape (no pits, dings, cracks, gouges, etc) it's rare for anything to bounce that far back off of it.

 

[otasan]

Eye Protection

I would wear full eye protection, including side shields. If the glasses have no side shields, then I would face the steel whenever anyone is shooting.

 

[GerryM]

Shooting Steel

Agree with glasses and side shields .. shooting SASS for years, all steel and got hit a number of times...

 

[MutinousDoug]

I used to shoot IHMSA pistol and cowboy rifle silouette (at the same ranges). Jacketed ammuntion in .41 mag and 30-30 would splash back to the firing line on the 50 yard chicken targets. Eye protection is a MUST. The difference between low velocity ammunition and hi vel was the low vel ammo splashed bigger pieces.
Flat, hard, smooth, light targets reduce danger to the shooter. The few cuts I received came from jacket material.

 

[Jim Watson]

Shoot paper.
I would take no chance on drawing blood from a new shooter and spatter off a steel target can certainly do that.
And they would have a souvenir to take home.


How do you get down off an elephant?
You don't. Get down off a duck, it is much safer.

 

[Hoser]

Good non pitted steel goes a long way to eliminating frag coming back at you.

Contact MGM Targets for stuff.

If you think ammo is expensive, wait till you price steel targets...

 

[jmorris]

Don’t use Winchester® SuperClean NT™ non-lead-core ammunition on steel. Make sure your steel is flat and smooth, if it's not something is bound to come back. If they are new/inexperienced shooters, I would agree with Jim, shoot paper or balloons (they can be shot closer than steel). Nothing like the “ding” of steel, but silence can be deafening.

 

[another okie]

Considering you have newbies and jacketed ammo, I agree with "shoot paper."

If you want some reactive targets and the range will allow it, clay pigeons or soft drink cans are fun.

 

[wally]

If the range allows it, IMHO its hard to beat the reaction of 2-liter plastic pop bottles and they are big enough to be easy to hit, even if you miss low they'll often jump up it the air which is good for a newbies ego -- my wife thought she was the "Sundance Kid" first time I set her up shooting these. I could tell she was hitting low and she was dumbfounded when I retrieved the bottle without a single hole in it despite her having danced it all around

Believe it or not, most splatter that hits me when shooting our plate rack comes form .22lr pistols.

--wally.

 

[scrat]

when shooting steel best thing to use is lead bullets. especially if you are a reloader. you can reduce the charge and shoot lead. it will take you a while to find a good combination but once you have you will not go back to fmj at least for shooting steel

 

[distra]

We had our Lady's Day today and they shot steel just fine with FMJ, .45ACP, 38spl., and 9mm. The key to safety is flat steel set to fall with light force and distance, no closer than 30ft. You will get splash back and richocets, but at that distance the impact is low energy. It will sting, but generally will not break the skin. Eye protection is a given.

 

[brucets11]

Lead ammo with low velocity on steel. Set the targets with a slight angle so that the bullet fragments downward to the ground.

 

[tasco 74]

i have a steel bowling pin swinger that hangs at a slight angle so the bullets deflect down into the ground.... i have shot this swinger with full .357 magnum lead loads and never been hit myself..... with the target out about 30 yards or so you can't tell it is angled..........