Steel Gong Targets - Safe Angle

[jmorris]

I have lots of steel I shoot at that’s square with the shooter.

Auto reset targets

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I’m not sure I agree with the arrow sending stuff back towards where it came from better though…



My dueling tree is an exception though but it requires the angle so the targets wind up on one side of the other, if it were square they tend to bounce back and stay to the rear.

The further you get away from them the less it matters but even the stuff I shoot the furthest from me, I keep square with no I’ll effects.

 

[Captains1911]

As I implied in my OP, there seems to be varying onions on this matter. However, I think it is safe to say that the downward angle can only make it safer anything, even if it may not be necessary.

 

[epags]

What causes the cross bar to bend?

In my case it was electrical conduit which is a thin wall pipe. When holes are drilled through it it is structurally weakened and between the weight of the targets and repetitive hits it will start it bending.
And if course if someone (not me of course) should flinch and 'push' the gun (causing the shot to go high), conduit cannot withstand the impact.
If you are using steel pipe, there might not be a problem.

 

[Captains1911]

Mine is made of steel electrical conduit. I cut the crossbars to 5’ in length. How long was yours that bent?

 

[epags]

Mine is made of steel electrical conduit. I cut the crossbars to 5’ in length. How long was yours that bent?

About the same length.
I bought Highwild AR500 Steel Targets 3/8" to allow me to shoot rifle (at 100 to 200 yards) yet shoot pistol @ 25 yards.
I bought the hangers for the 2x4 so I could assemble and mount easily. If your crossbar does bend due to the mounting holes, you might want to buy the pipe hangers - Highwild AR500 2x4 & Pipe Target Stand Brackets. They sell both styles.

What distance will you be shooting?

 

[Walkalong]

I don't want to be debbie downer but when you or your friends shoot the crossbeam / your mounts, you might consider these hangers:

I use chains for some targets, I just keep extra chain and repair links handy, because yes, they will get shot, sooner or later.

Old fire hose works well, conveyor belt material works very well, I use both. Vendors sell precut strips of conveyor belt material.

 

[Captains1911]

About the same length.
I bought Highwild AR500 Steel Targets 3/8" to allow me to shoot rifle (at 100 to 200 yards) yet shoot pistol @ 25 yards.
I bought the hangers for the 2x4 so I could assemble and mount easily. If your crossbar does bend due to the mounting holes, you might want to buy the pipe hangers - Highwild AR500 2x4 & Pipe Target Stand Brackets. They sell both styles.

What distance will you be shooting?

I shoot anywhere from 15 - 50 yards, with 99% being 22 LR (sub-sonic). In the occasion that I shoot center fire, it’s 9mm from 15 yds or 300 BLK (sub sonic) from 35-50 yds. The holes I drilled for my mounting hardware are only 1/4”, and spaced far enough apart that the section reduction should be negligible. I can certainly see how the bar getting shot could compromise its structural integrity, but not the small holes or hanging target weight. I guess time will tell.

Regarding the target hangers, that defeats the purpose of this project which was to provide a downward angle on the targets.

 

[drobs]

I use chains for some targets, I just keep extra chain and repair links handy, because yes, they will get shot, sooner or later.

Old fire hose works well, conveyor belt material works very well, I use both. Vendors sell precut strips of conveyor belt material.
View attachment 1183332

My comment, which I admit - wasn't very clear, was in relation to bolting the chains to the cross bar of the target stand. Seems like a lot of work for something that will get shot up. The J-hooks are easier to replace. I could see using both the J-Hooks, I linked, and the chains to get downward angled gongs.

On theJ-hooks - get the AR500 ones. The lighter steel ones dont last long.

Side note, I just had metal hangers (rebar) welded on to my 3 Birchwood Casey AR500 gongs. I may go back and get hangers welded to the upper back of the gongs causing them to be angled downwards when hung.



I've been using the thin electrical conduit for a couple years now. It's usually a friend that puts a round into it. I just pound it out with a hammer and somewhat straighten it, every so often.

 

[Walkalong]

My comment, which I admit - wasn't very clear, was in relation to bolting the chains to the cross bar of the target stand. Seems like a lot of work for something that will get shot up. The J-hooks are easier to replace.

No doubt!

On theJ-hooks - get the AR500 ones. The lighter steel ones dont last long.

Good advice

 

[jmorris]

However, I think it is safe to say that the downward angle can only make it safer anything, even if it may not be necessary.

Would certainty be better than upward but you will remove the most energy with a square hit, everything else will reduce the amount imparted until it’s just a glancing ricochet. My bullet trap is 45deg downward angle but note that 4” wide 1/2” thick lip on the top?



If you get inside and look at the back you can see the lead splatter it has caught vs sent back towards the shooter.



Even those protruding bolt heads can cause stuff to come back, why some use plow bolts to keep the surface smooth. You can see the evidence just by looking at the targets after they have been shot a bit.



Where the smooth flat face keeps the frags going radially from the surface.

 

[jmorris]

If you want to see how much stuff is flying around put you’re steel targets across a small pond (on a calm day so the water is as smooth as glass) and shoot it from the other side. Let me know if nothing hits the water between you and the target.

 

[Riomouse911]

I used to use chain to hold up my steel targets, but errant shots snap the chain. So, I went to using two pieces of 4” wide, 18” long strip of conveyor belt material and hang it with a 3/8” grade 8 bolt. These can take lots of bad shots without breaking, plus they hold the targets with a forward cant so bullets are directed downwards upon impact.



These have taken lots of .30-06, .308, 7.62x39, 5.56, .45/70, etc.

I hang the heavy (35+ pound) AR 550 torso plates over 60” tall 1/2” gas line pipe racks. (The black-pipe one has a 5.56 hole right through the middle)



Round AR 500 plates get hung on brackets that attach to T posts. Those, too hang with a cant to send splatter downwards.

My two-part dueling tree is about 6 feet tall. Like the other one shown, it leans forward a good bit to send splatter downwards. (The base is the black one under the pipe racks.)



The orange base is for a swinging plate/static plate/.paper target set up. (To the left of the tree)



Stay safe.

 

[Varminterror]

Spring reactive targets in the back seat. Ol’ Blue was only in service for about 6months before we realized it was almost cut in half.

 

[film495]

we just hang them on cord for pistol, also for whatever reason we generally set them up angled to the side 5 or 10 degrees, just seemed like a good idea. also, makes it a bit more interesting when they are swinging. it is a bit more three dimensional vs. two if swinging directly at you. we usually hang them a good 2 or 3 feet down, so they jump pretty good when hit. I haven't looked up the science of it lately, but what I recall is the chance of anything on a free hung target coming back at you, is not likely, if you are not foolish enough to sway from lead and shoot steel or copper bullets without thinking what you're doing.

 

[Varminterror]

I don’t bother with angling any of my steel for centerfire rifle targets. It’s simply too far away for me to bother. I don’t shoot even my AR550 steel inside 200yrds typically, simply because of the potential cratering opportunity with higher velocity rounds. Even understanding the physics and geometry of angled impacts, I’m not 100% angling the plate actually helps enough for me to bother - I don’t hard-fix any of my targets, but between straight hanging and angled, I’ve ruined targets at distances inside 150, so I keep my steel at 200+ and life is good. Although keeping it on hangers and keeping mounting arms/devices happy at 200-300 can be challenging enough.

I hang a lot of steel on simple shepherds crooks from garden departments. Two plus chains will hold 66% IPSC’s against hundreds of rounds. I have some natural timber post hanging racks (picture a hitching post, but tall, with hooks to hang chain. Admittedly, with the price of chain these days, I’m seeking more and more conversions to utilize hardened hanger hooks or reclaimed belt straps.

I did build a few sets of these several years ago - they can be used as independent tripods for single targets, or bolted together to make a swingset style array (I also have used an old swingset I picked up at a garage sale for $8 as a target rack for many years, but it ain’t handy to move around). I’ve replaced the rear leg on all of them by now which originally was perforated steel with another piece of angle iron, drilled for the hanger positions I want - the perf steel was thinner gauge and simply didn’t hold up to repeated battering with heavy targets.