frenchie85
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Im showing a bushmaster ar15 at a 1/4" of steal and the bullets go through it. I'm shooting 5.56 fmj. I was woundering what kind of bullets or what I need to do so they dont go through it.
Steel target
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PedalBiker
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You need a .22 conversion kit or some really low power handloads.
FMJ vs soft point doesn't matter much. I used to put 55g Rem Accelerator rounds through steel at 100 yards and the holes were way bigger than the .22 cal hp bullets.
1/4" mild steel won't stop much of anything going over 2500 fps (+- don't quote me) Even 17MHR leaves a pretty good divot in mild steel.
1/4" mild steel will stop a 12ga slug, but the dents are huge.
At our range they put up 1/2" thick targets at 180 yards and they get chewed to pieces.
FMJ vs soft point doesn't matter much. I used to put 55g Rem Accelerator rounds through steel at 100 yards and the holes were way bigger than the .22 cal hp bullets.
1/4" mild steel won't stop much of anything going over 2500 fps (+- don't quote me) Even 17MHR leaves a pretty good divot in mild steel.
1/4" mild steel will stop a 12ga slug, but the dents are huge.
At our range they put up 1/2" thick targets at 180 yards and they get chewed to pieces.
I had the local welding shop create a monster gong. It was a square 24" to the side, 1" thick.
I put that up at 200 yards and shot at it with 30-06 ball. I even cut the bullet tips to expose the lead.
Gong looks like the moon. Lots of craters. That experiment went on hold.
Talked to a guy who ran the El Paso Shooting Club. He was able to get hatch covers from armored personnel carriers from Fort Bliss. The rifle shooters shot those into swiss cheese. His final, cheapest, solution was to buy junk engine blocks and let the rifle shooters turn those into crumbly bits of metal.
His comment was that out to 300 yards, every metal thing gets shot to heck by rifle shooters.
My current solution is to load cast lead bullets in my 30 caliber rifles and shoot at my ½” thick pistol gongs at 100 yards. These lead bullets will still crater the gongs more than pistol, and they hit so hard they will bust welds.
I put that up at 200 yards and shot at it with 30-06 ball. I even cut the bullet tips to expose the lead.
Gong looks like the moon. Lots of craters. That experiment went on hold.
Talked to a guy who ran the El Paso Shooting Club. He was able to get hatch covers from armored personnel carriers from Fort Bliss. The rifle shooters shot those into swiss cheese. His final, cheapest, solution was to buy junk engine blocks and let the rifle shooters turn those into crumbly bits of metal.
His comment was that out to 300 yards, every metal thing gets shot to heck by rifle shooters.
My current solution is to load cast lead bullets in my 30 caliber rifles and shoot at my ½” thick pistol gongs at 100 yards. These lead bullets will still crater the gongs more than pistol, and they hit so hard they will bust welds.
Z-Michigan
Member
Why are you trying to steal a target?
Anyway, for shooting with a rifle, the steel needs to be hardened armor steel. Ordinary mild steel (low or medium carbon) is not going to cut it with high velocity rifle bullets. If you want to use such steel, you need either a .22 LR kit, or the pricey frangible rounds.
Anyway, for shooting with a rifle, the steel needs to be hardened armor steel. Ordinary mild steel (low or medium carbon) is not going to cut it with high velocity rifle bullets. If you want to use such steel, you need either a .22 LR kit, or the pricey frangible rounds.
dubbleA
Member
You need AR500 steel and dont shoot it at distance closer than 100 yards. It handles everything pretty well. Speed kills steel.
I'm no expert by any means but I spent some time looking into this once and I read that the steels greatest enemy is the heat generated during the transfer of energy when the bullet strikes the target, therefore the lower your velocity, the lower your heat generated, the better of the steel will be.
It sounds logical, so I have no reason to doubt it, but obviously it would only apply to steel capable of withstanding the actual piercing effect of the round.
It sounds logical, so I have no reason to doubt it, but obviously it would only apply to steel capable of withstanding the actual piercing effect of the round.
frenchie85
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Ok well I guess I'll Just shoot it to swiss cheese. I just made another target thats 1/2" so we'll see how it does.
ColtPythonElite
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The private range I belong two has gongs hanging on chain at 125 and 150 yards. They are about the size of a torso in target. I'd guess they are no less than 1" thick. Nothing's punched thru them so far.
The following is a link for some of the steel I use:
http://metaltargets.com/SpecialtyTargets.htm
Even for the HV targets, the projectile's velocity has to be at 3200 FPS or less at impact, and shots have to be taken at 100 yards or more.
For "gong" purposes, the thicker the steel, the less report you receive back upon impact.
Geno
http://metaltargets.com/SpecialtyTargets.htm
Even for the HV targets, the projectile's velocity has to be at 3200 FPS or less at impact, and shots have to be taken at 100 yards or more.
For "gong" purposes, the thicker the steel, the less report you receive back upon impact.
Geno
frenchie85
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I shoot from about 80 to 100 yards away
frenchie85
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thanks for that link. I've been there before they got some sweet targets. Do you think that 5.56 rounds will go through them
guys... no sense just turning junk into a big mess unless that's just what you want to do.
AR500 plate will stand up to years of use at 200 yrds+
you can get relatively inexpensive targets from many sources. local metal shops are RARELY one of them. (never in my experience)
my fav source is actiontarget
but the cheapest decent targets are http://www.bigdogsteel.com/square-set1.html
AR500 plate will stand up to years of use at 200 yrds+
you can get relatively inexpensive targets from many sources. local metal shops are RARELY one of them. (never in my experience)
my fav source is actiontarget
but the cheapest decent targets are http://www.bigdogsteel.com/square-set1.html
wally
Member
You need AR500 armor plate minimum to shoot rifle bullets at it. Anything less will penetrate or worse crater which can focus fragments right back at you!
I shoot pretty much nothing but steel.
I shoot pretty much nothing but steel.
writerinmo
Member
I made these 1/4" x 5" up to make some swinging targets for plinking with a .22, but my curiousity got the best of me...
Here's a couple of them after powdercoating
Took one of them out when I was sighting in my Mosin 91/30 at 50 yards...
Here's a couple of them after powdercoating
Took one of them out when I was sighting in my Mosin 91/30 at 50 yards...
R.W.Dale
Member
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=514431&highlight=steel
This little free standing 5/8" a572 plate was shot at 100yds
This little free standing 5/8" a572 plate was shot at 100yds
Rollis R. Karvellis
Member
There is a good YouTube, video called 1million fps that will give tou a good ideal what happen's to steel, and bullits. The AR500 plate I, have stands up well to everything that I, have shot it with. It will not stand up to 50 BMG, or, AP. Anything less then AR500, and it will not last at all.
jerkface11
Member
I don't always shoot at steel but when I do it's from http://themetalman.com/targetindex.html
PedalBiker
Member
Beware of shooting cratered targets. I once got a bit of jacket that hit the rim of a crater, followed the round contour and came back and hit me in the stomach.
In this case I was using a handgun, but the metal had been shot previously with a rifle. The handgun would not have produced that much splash-back on a smooth surface.
In this case I was using a handgun, but the metal had been shot previously with a rifle. The handgun would not have produced that much splash-back on a smooth surface.
wally
Member
Probably, the craters certainly don't help, but if you shoot steel plates you will get hit with splatter eventually so be prepared. Safety glasses for everyone nearby is a must! Jeans and long sleeved shirts help too.
I've got hit with splatter on the middle finger of my shooting hand and in the forehead just above the nose-piece of my shooting glasses when shooting .22LR at undamaged AR500 plates form 10 yards away.
Craters are not required, but I'm talking maybe three or four welt raising fragments in tens of thousands of rounds shot at steel plates so the frequency is low on undamaged plates.
I'd probably not really noticed the hit on my middle finger if I'd been wearing gloves but the one between the hat brim and safety glasses there is just not much you can do about, its just a minor risk of the sport -- much less to worry about than the risk you take driving to the range. Hot brass down your shirt or one that hangs up on the side of your shooting glasses is worse!
jerkface11
Member
I wouldn't shoot steel at 10 yards if you paid me.
greyling22
Member
223 and steel do not mix. think about that next time you get in a fire fight and hide behind a car. I've shot straight through a 14" diameter oak tree with ball 30-06.
some sort of 40 grn frangible round might not punch through. maybe.
some sort of 40 grn frangible round might not punch through. maybe.
wally
Member
Certainly not with a rifle!
But 10 yards is a pretty standard (and considered the minimum) distance for handguns -- the point is speed on multiple targets at self-defense distances. I get hit with splatter the most when shooting .22LR as they don't disintegrate as completely as the more powerful rounds do.
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