I've got some 3/8" AR500 steel. It's supposed to be rated for up to .308WIN. I was wanting to shoot it with my M1 chambered in 30-06, which I know is a bit bigger than .308. Is it ok to shoot it with Garand safe loads? I load 150gr pills for my Garand at around 2500FPS, and will load some 168s around 2400-2500 as well. The Hornady manual has .308 loads of the same weight that chrono around the same velocity, maybe a little higher than 30-06.
Shooting Steel With Rifle
- Thread starter lpsharp88
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At 100 yards or more you wont have a problem. I'd suspend the plate on chains or canvas straps in such a way as to have the plate tilted at about 25 or 30 degrees and let it swing freely to deflect bullet energy. That angled aspect will push your ricochets in to the ground and not back at you like a perfectly vertical plate could. I use the same steel with my M1A and I've had friends use their Garands on it with no problem.
Sunray
Member
.308 velocities are approximately 100 FPS lower than .30-06 with like bullet weights. Ballistics are identical.
These guys say 3/8" of AR500 is good for .308 at 100 yards and no closer.
http://www.shootsteel.com/3-8-ar500-steel-target-4-gong/
These guys say 3/8" of AR500 is good for .308 at 100 yards and no closer.
http://www.shootsteel.com/3-8-ar500-steel-target-4-gong/
I have a PVC stand that lets my 8" gong hang freely. I may try it with my Garand once I get it dialed in.
That's actually where I got my steel from, but the 8" gong instead. My Hornady manual lists 150gr .308 velocities at max of 2800, and 2700 for their 165-168gr loads. For the M1, 2750 max velocity for 150gr and 2700 for 168gr. So their 150gr is a hair hotter, and 168 is the same. Normal 30-06 is quite a bit hotter than .308, but I'm not loading that.
Go ahead and shoot it and have fun. I shoot mine at 75 and 100 yards and dont worry if i get pock marks at that distance. To me the cost of the plates is not worth worrying about. I inspect and if I feel they are unsafe they would be discarded.
alientrainwreck
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I have a friend that works for a oil tank company, he's the formen of a crew that builds these gigantic tanks and he always saves me the 6" 8" 10" pipeline cutout of the tanks and I build targets with them by welding about 12 inches of chain at 10 o-clock and 2 o-clock on the top and then hanging them usually the steel is 1" thick and very hard steel anyhow I have always thought 100yrds to be safe distance to shoot these. The other day I was shooting some 7.62×54R and I heard one come back at me the bullet hit my house and shot through the wall leaving a big clean hole I haven't found the bullet yet but I am definitely going to be building these with a lot more angle now and moving the one's I've already built out to 200,300,400,500 so on. I learned something that day I'm just glad it didn't hit me or my family.
WestKentucky
Member
I have always heard folks say that the bullet leaves a plate nearly twice as square as it hits, so when I built my targets (pistol) out of thin junk steel samples from work, I would put chains on top corners bolted (welds break if hit) and I would put a piece of rope at the bottom. I hang them from trees and tie the rope to where it's holding about a 45 degree angle. Bullets typically hit straight down or slightly behind the target. Since it jumps and settles quickly it makes for fun strings fired quickly. I would do the same for rifle. I would not use fmj or steel cored ammo though, lead kinda splats on steel and deforms eating up a lot of the energy that hard bullets would retain on their way back towards the shooter.
Jackal
Member
Free swinging at 50 yards, a quality plate will be fine for a long time.
Is this steel curved? If the steel is curved, I wouldn't shoot it at any distance.
DMK
Member
Does your steel plate have any craters? That can definitely cause splash back.
I won't shoot anything but AR500 or AR550. I get nothing but chipped paint on mine with 223 through 308 at 100y. If it craters, it's not safe to shoot at.
alientrainwreck
Member
No this steel is straight but does have some craters and yes they were steel core ammo. I've got a new way in mind to build these so that the bullet is thrown into the ground and built so that I can turn them around to smooth side when they get craters. If anyone is wanting to now the 7.62×54R steel core ammo will not pass through at 100yrds but leaves deep craters.
The only hole I put in 3/8" was from a 7.65 x 53 round from a 91 Mauser. This was ammo that reloaded by someone else. I have too many hits to count with 30-06, 7.62 Russian and .308. I actually hit it once with a .338 Lapua. I actually wore one out. It started to get fatigue cracks around the drilled bolt holes.
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