Steel targets

[jonahk]

I bought various 3/8" gongs and poppers from Shootsteel, The Target Man and MGM this year. I hadn't planned on going with three different vendors but each had something I wanted that the others didn't. What I gathered from talking to each vendor is that while they all use AR-500 steel they each use steel with different minimum hardness levels. How that'll play out over time for recreational use will be interesting. So far I've put about 100 rounds of 5.56/.223 on each piece from 100-220 yards and they all seem to be performing equally. Softer shooting .223 doesn't leave a mark for the most part but hotter XM193 style 5.56 does on all 3. Edge hits on each will remove a small piece of steel. I figured I'd post a mini review with pictures at the end of the year when they've had more abuse. You should do the same Steve.

Tell Andy to stop shooting at your nuts and the bases will last longer, too

[Ghost]

Here's what you don't want to happen. The big holes were 30-06 from 100 yards the others were .223 from 200 yards, the edge hit was .223, the big crater towards the bottom of the target was 30-06 but it knocked the plate completely off the popper stand. If I remember correctly the 30-06 was Hornady 180gr SST's and the .223 was a mix of Tula brass from walmart (edge shots and 2 head shots, had to dial the turrets a bit to start), Barnes 62 gr TSX (center shots) and hornady 55gr reloads for the head shots.

You can't tell it but the head section is cratering in so it's becoming concave. This was a do-all target that I got off of woot for $35 rated for .223@200 and 30-06@100 it's supposed to be AR-400. The other targets I run are caldwell gongs and spinners which are AR550 through hardened I've not shot them closer than 100 yards but they show no permanent markings at all, I had the gong set up next to this popper and shot it with the same rounds.

[yuppiejr]

I've shot one of the 10" Caldwell AR550 gong setups (includes their metal stand & hanging chains) from 100-400 yards with hundreds of 308, 30-06, 7.62x39 (mild steel jacket), 7mm Rem Mag, 300 WSM, 12 ga slugs and .223/5.56 NATO ammo with only a couple of chipped edges and some minor unevenness in the surface (I believe from the steel penetrators in some M855 surplus ammo we shot last summer) . The tubular steel frame is in far worse shape than the gong itself and I did replace the crappy Grade 3 chain and hanger hooks that were included with Grade 8.

That popper looks identical to the .22 LR rated targets that Woot had on sale last year (I purchased 3)... mine have held up fairly well @ 100 yards with LRN and jacketed .22 LR but would expect similar results if I popped it with a centerfire rifle of any sort... 1/4" AR400 steel just isn't up to that sort of abuse, I bet the manufacturer dumped them on Woot and repackaged later versions as .22 LR only after getting a bunch back with similar damage.

[Ghost]

I've shot one of the 10" Caldwell AR550 gong setups (includes their metal stand & hanging chains) from 100-400 yards with hundreds of 308, 30-06, 7.62x39 (mild steel jacket), 7mm Rem Mag, 300 WSM, 12 ga slugs and .223/5.56 NATO ammo with only a couple of chipped edges and some minor unevenness in the surface (I believe from the steel penetrators in some M855 surplus ammo we shot last summer) . The tubular steel frame is in far worse shape than the gong itself and I did replace the crappy Grade 3 chain and hanger hooks that were included with Grade 8.

That popper looks identical to the .22 LR rated targets that Woot had on sale last year (I purchased 3)... mine have held up fairly well @ 100 yards with LRN and jacketed .22 LR but would expect similar results if I popped it with a centerfire rifle of any sort... 1/4" AR400 steel just isn't up to that sort of abuse, I bet the manufacturer dumped them on Woot and repackaged later versions as .22 LR only after getting a bunch back with similar damage.

The frames are the weak link on the caldwell, I've considered sliding pipe sections onto the frame to protect it but I've been buying those setups for $65 to $85 on either Woot or DVOR so replacement isn't unreasonable. I like that the caldwell disassembles and fits into a duffle bag I have.

The body shot rated for 9mm-30-06 has a different base than the .22, I'll probably buy more when they go on woot again but they'll be used for 300+ yards. It really didn't bother me that I put holes in it, for the price I didn't expect much I just need to be further out. The Amazon reviews for the centerfire body shot are very favorable but my 30-06 went through it like a hot knife through warm butter.

9mm-30-06


22LR

[Jackpine Savage]

As I understand it the biggest factor for cratering and penetration is speed. Higher speed generates more heat on impact.

Action target has some good info in their PDF: http://www.actiontarget.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/pt_Steel_Target_Resource_Guide.pdf

MGM is even more conservative and warns about XM-193: http://mgmtargets.com/faqs

I've been using round baler belting (rubber belt about 6" wide) to hang gongs. I got tired of replacing chains and the used belting is free.

Once you get out past 700 yards or so soft steel is holding up OK. The local scrap yard had a stack of 3/8" plate they were selling for 40 cents a pound, wish I would have bought more.

[Scratch]

Did some steel target, rifle testing yesterday and today.

I picked one 8" square target, hung it at an angle from a stand using a 1/2" bolt, and shot it with my .308 and .223 at 100 yards. I wanted to do kind of a torture test on it, so even though I should probably be shooting at 150 yards, I shot it at 100. After shooting, I ground off the face with a wire wheel grinder and re-painted it again so I could see the damage more clearly.

Here's some pics:

My 20" .308 was shooting 165gr A-Max's going about 2700 FPS IIRC, last time I chrono'd them.
My 16" AR was shooting factory ammo, I think it was Winchester 55gr .223, I also shot some Wolf 55gr steel cased stuff.
Did some testing yesterday and today.

I picked one 8" square target, hung it at an angle from a stand using a 1/2" bolt, and shot it with my .308 and .223 at 100 yards. I wanted to do a harder test on it even though I should probably be shooting at 150 yards. After shooting, I ground off the face with a wire wheel grinder and painted it again so I could see the damage more clearly.

My 20" .308 was shooting 165gr A-Max's going about 2700 FPS last time I chrono'd them.
My 16" AR was shooting factory ammo, I think it was Winchester 55gr .223, and also a half box of Wolf 55gr steel case.

The .308 made hardly any mark at all, I'm much more accurate with that one and I purposely shot some about a half inch away from the edge, and if I look for them, I can find one of them pretty easily. Not much of a mark, but a little bit of a dent. The other shots near the center, once painted, are pretty much impossible to find now that it's been shot more, but I can probably find that one edge shot if I look for it, I remember its kind of all alone in that area for some reason.

The .223 caused much more visible damage which I was surprised at. No dent to speak of in the steel, but definitely a small crater. The average sized crater is about 0.11 wide when measured with the calipers, no measurable depth to them though. If I feel around on the plate, sometimes I can find the marks, sometimes I can't. I've seen some steel targets that leave a little tiny dot of steel, not making a crater, but coming "out" of the steel when shot at 100yds with .223. Those looked more like a tiny bit weld spatter, not mine though... Mine definitely leaves a small crater.

You'll see one shot on the bottom edge that took a bite out of it. It was with the Winchester 55gr using the 16". I've heard that edge shots on AR500 steel will usually take a small chunk out of it... Anybody else had this happen?

I also set the steel up so it was straight vertical with no angle, then repainted it, and shot it again with the AR. At the time, It looked like the craters were deeper and more pronounced, so I only took 5 shots with that. Now that I've wire wheeled and repainted the steel though, I can't tell which impacts those were.

You'll also see 5 rather large and deep craters on there too. Those were shot with my 24" AR using 55gr SP reloads, going over 3000 FPS. I won't be shooting them at 100 yards anymore that's for sure. Again... I wanted to do a torture test. I shot one close to edge, and 4 near the middle, before I stopped. No difference between them as far as damage to the steel. No dents, but the deepest hole was .021 deep. It definitely removed some of the AR500 steel. I will not be using this side of this target for anything but longer range rifle shots from now on.

With the .308, I shot 10 shots shots on the steel, hits on all of them. The 24" AR was shot 5 times, all hits. Those rifles were scoped.
The 16" AR had only an Aimpoint on it with zero magnification. I shot 50 shots total with that, and missed about 5 I think. Using white paint at 100 yards with my eyes, I couldn't tell exactly where the target was. If it wasn't for the ping, I'd have no idea if they were hits or not. I could easily hear the hits through my ear protection at 100 yards, which was nice.

I also cleaned off the torso target and repainted it. No visible damage after about 50 shots of 9mm 115gr reloads going around 1150 FPS, which I wouldn't think there would be.

I'm glad I made a couple larger gongs for long range rifle, but I'm pretty sure I'll be using this steel mostly for pistol and shotgun work. I'll probably make some more square targets with the leftover piece I have. I also need to make some more stands for them, but I think I've got that design figured out.

I haven't shot much at these targets so far, but I'm very happy with them and can't wait to get more range time on them. I've been doing some other work on the range too. Had a skid loader down there, leveled it out, moved a bunch of logs, made a more defined berm, am checking into designs on building a lumber awning, etc... A few more trees need to go though.

[Jackpine Savage]

Here is a stand design that has been working good for us: http://arntzentargets.com/folding_stand.htm

The only thing I've changed is to make the front legs a little longer and put a 90 degree bend a couple inches from the end so they don't sink into soft ground. These stands are stable and easy to move around and store.

[forcefed]

Here's what you don't want to happen. The big holes were 30-06 from 100 yards the others were .223 from 200 yards, the edge hit was .223, the big crater towards the bottom of the target was 30-06 but it knocked the plate completely off the popper stand. If I remember correctly the 30-06 was Hornady 180gr SST's and the .223 was a mix of Tula brass from walmart (edge shots and 2 head shots, had to dial the turrets a bit to start), Barnes 62 gr TSX (center shots) and hornady 55gr reloads for the head shots.

You can't tell it but the head section is cratering in so it's becoming concave. This was a do-all target that I got off of woot for $35 rated for .223@200 and 30-06@100 it's supposed to be AR-400. The other targets I run are caldwell gongs and spinners which are AR550 through hardened I've not shot them closer than 100 yards but they show no permanent markings at all, I had the gong set up next to this popper and shot it with the same rounds.

This is one of ours that is rated for long action rifles. Our test unit has close to 200-250 rounds of .338 Lapua on it all at 100-200 yards. They are a bit more spendy but they come with legs!

http://www.shootsteel.com/magnum-autopopper/