Finally a place to shoot.

[DangerousDrummer]

I have joined a hunting club here in South Alabama that will allow me to set up a long distance range. I have been envious of those out west in the wide open spaces that can just place a target on yonder hill without having to deal with trees and underbrush. The hunting club has an old railroad bed that does not have trees or undergrowth growing up through the gravel. It is also long and straight so I should have no trouble settings targets and gongs at 200, 400, 600 and maybe even 1000 yds. This is very rare as our local ranges only have max 200 yards. There was no point in building a rifle to practice at max 200 yds on our commercial ranges so this is going to be sweet. In addition I get to hunt hogs, turkey and deer. Now to fix up my Porsche hunting buggy!

I have several 12 x 12 x 1/4 " stainless plates. I wonder how well they will hold up to 308, 30-06 and 7mm mag? I want to build a 6br or something along that line, but the other club members shoot some heavier stuff and I am sure they will not be able to resist trying some long shots. Should I only put the gongs at longer distances to maybe help preserve them?

 

[Nomad47]

That 1/4" steel will dent like crazy - even at 800 yards. Bullets will likely punch thru it at 400 yards and under. I have a 10x12x.5 piece of carbon steel that dents like crazy at 800 yards even with 105 grain bullets out of a 6mmXC.
Do yourself a favor and buy AR500 steel. 3/8" thickness will be fine if your velocities stay under 3500 fps.
Google 'steel gongs' or 'AR500 targets'. Lots of choices.

 

[Immike]

You might as well shoot up what you have and replace them as needed. I agree it is very difficult to find a good place to shoot. Build your hangers ready for replacement plates and go for it!

 

[bricktop]

It will probably not last very long. AR500 isn't too expensive, you can find people that will ship 12x12 plates in priority mail flat rate boxes. Go at least 3/8" thickness, or 1/2" for heavy stuff at the closer ranges.

High speed is the worst thing for steel, so you may want to keep an eye on that at 200 yds (mainly the small caliber light bullet cartridges).

 

[5spd]

I didnt know AL had any open space for a 1000yd range.
Hopefully you didnt have to take a 2nd out on your home to join.
Its nice that I can drive a few miles and have more range to shoot at than a bullet can fly in WY.
1/4" plate will end up bending sooner or later at close ranges to 400 yds as stated above, holes are going to be in it w/your guns.
Now you can just beat it back flat when you need to or get some ar500 plate.
I use old raliroad plates since they are plentifull here & have yet to dent one at 100-700yds w/a 300 mag, 7-08/7mm mag. or any other caliber.

 

[gmitchell]

I copied this off the daily bulletin. If the steel dents you will get unwanted ricochets.
April 6th, 2013
The Truth About Steel and Steel Targets

Action Target Steel Targets This is an interesting technical article prepared by Action Target, a leading steel target manufacturer based in Provo, Utah. With technical data provided by the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington D.C., this report is designed to cut through the recent hype and establish a basis of fact for accurate evaluation and comparison.
What Is Steel?

Steel MillSteel is an alloy metal composed of iron and varying amounts of carbon and/or other elements such as chromium, nickel, tungsten, manganese, and so on. Steel with specific properties and characteristics is created by adjusting the overall chemical composition or by altering the various production processes such as rolling, finishing, and heat treatment. Because each of these factors can be modified, there is potentially no limit to the number of different steel recipes that can be created. Currently, there are over 3,000 cataloged grades or chemical compositions of steel available. Steel can utilize a wide variety of alloying elements and heat treatments to develop the most desirable combination of properties.
Steel Hardness and Quality

For steel targets to be functional and safe, they should be made of high quality through hardened steel that has a Brinell hardness number (BHN) of at least 500. The steel must also provide sufficient strength, toughness, and impact resistance. The Brinell hardness test depends upon the resistance offered to the penetration of a carbide steel ball (1.6 mm diameter) when subjected to a weight of 12.6 kg. The resulting hardness value is computed as the ratio of the applied load to the area of the indentation produced. This test is accepted as a worldwide standard for measuring the hardness of steel.
Truth — There are 2 Factors that Affect the Hardness of Steel

The first is the amount of carbon and other alloying elements in its chemical composition, and the second is the manner in which the heating and cooling of the steel is manipulated. These factors are determined at the most fundamental level, and affect the finished steel as a whole.
Truth — Steel Hardness is a Critical Issue

The hardness of the steel is critical because only a smooth surface will generate predictable splatter patterns. Steel that is not sufficiently hard can develop pits, craters, dimples, and other hazardous deformations. When a bullet hits one of these deformations, it is impossible to predict where the splatter will go, thereby creating an unacceptable training environment.

Steel Deflection

Hard steel with a flat surface will create a predictable splatter pattern.

Soft steel with an uneven surface will cause unpredictable and unsafe ricochet and splatter.

There are many steel mills located around the world, but only a select few are able to produce steel that is hard enough and of sufficient quality to be safely used for steel targets. HARDOX / SSAB, Bethlehem-Lucas, Oregon Steel Mills, and NKK are major producers of such steel. Each of these companies may have minor proprietary differences in their production methods, but they all must make sheets of hard steel in essentially the same way. Nevertheless, some suppliers of targets and shooting range equipment attempt to muddy the water and create perceived differences in steel quality where none exist. One particularly misleading claim refers to a certain company’s use of through hardened steel as opposed to merely surface hardened AR500 steel allegedly used by everyone else. We state the following with all possible force:

1. Action Target uses only high quality, through hardened steel with a Brinell hardness rating of at least 500, and we use it in every one of our ballistic steel products.

2. Action Target can also provide through hardened steel targets and other steel products with certified Brinell hardness ratings of 550 and even 600.

3. Despite the inaccurate claims, AR500 steel is NOT surface hardened. It is through hardened. Witness the quotes listed below from steel suppliers around the country.

Chapel Steel — AR500 is a quenched & tempered, through hardened, wear-resistant grade of abrasion resistant steel plate used for severe impact. (SOURCE: http://www.chapelsteel.com/ar500-ar500f.html)

Heflin Steel — Heflin REM 500 abrasion resistant plate is a premium grade wear plate, ideal for extreme abrasion coupled with resistance to impact. REM 500 plate is through hardened up to a 3″ thickness for maximum hardness and abrasion resistance.

Benco Steel — AR500 is a through hardened steel with high hardness for use where there is severe impact and abrasion.

(These companies are steel suppliers, not manufacturers or producers. They buy steel from the actual manufacturers like HARDOX / SSAB, and then re-sell it to their own customers.)Stacked Steel

4. Any statements contrary to those above are simply untrue.

Be careful not to get caught up in the “more is better” mindset. Just because a Brinell hardness number (BHN) of 500 is good, it doesn’t mean a rating of 700 is better. While you must use steel that is hard enough for the task, going overboard only impacts your checkbook and not the product durability. For example, ballistic tests have shown that the performance difference between steel with a 500 BHN and steel with a 535 BHN is so small that you can’t tell the difference with a bullet but only with a gauge. Also be aware that you can actually use steel that is too hard and too brittle for ballistic training purposes
Story find by EdLongrange. We welcome readersubmissions​

 

[Nomad47]

Something like this (3/8" AR500, 8" diameter, holes not within the 8") will work and is very portable so it can easily be moved from one yardage to another.

Then after hitting the steel a few times, white spray paint and a broad magic marker restore it to like new. This is a 5 shot group shot at 560 yards. The POIs are hard to see in the photo but for F Class proportions, the five shots would have been five 10s with three Xs.