Anybody shoot steel long range with their 22s?

[.22LRGUY]

is 100m long range?

Long piece of rebar with two 90 degree bends to make a U, installed upside down, and some rubber mat cut into strips to make a hanging strap, and grade 10 bolts with big fender washers to grab the rubber straps.

I have an 8x8 and a 12x12 plate. 8x8 out to three hundred isn't too bad in steady wind. 12x12 out to 400 is for funzies, more luck than anything else, as my scope can't even dial up far enough for a proper hold, and if the wind is changeable at all, forget about it. You really got to perk your ears up to hear the ping past 300, and the delay is hilarious. In the right conditions With a switched on spotter and good scope, at 100+ its not hard to see the swirl come right down on the target.

^not really, but I was only suggesting even bothering with steel if targets were 100+ yards away. Not big targets if they're only @ 100...I like a challenge as much as the next guy. In all honesty, for punching paper with a 22, I rarely go beyond 50-75 yards..but I'd never use steel of any size at those ranges. I'm thinking a small gong @ 100 to start, then looking at alternative sizes for greater distances. If I had a way to reset gopher-sized steel targets @ 175-225 yards, I'd be all over that. Good practice.

 

[buji88]

Interesting~I'd like to see what you make. I have underestimated the power of 22LR before though. I had a fabricator make some 12 or 14ga squares for me one time, I drilled them and hung them from chains 90 yards away on my father-in-law's property. I don't remember which gauge it was of the two...but remember CCI SV ammo knocking the s**t out of them. Nearly destroyed, sheared-off the corner of one where the chain was attached and down it went. lol Not comparing thin-ish CRS to AR400, but I may look at AR500 so I can unleash the fury of my 17 Hornet (or .223) if the mood strikes.

I usually run 1/4" plate, but yea with 12 and 14 guage, I could see 14 guage not standing up great to anything, depending on what grade its pretty soft metal. But yea, for a good crossover for rimfire/centerfire AR500 or a similar grade hardox (My personal preference for steel) will be the best. Once you start transitioning to centerfire you really do need the higher grade steels and 223 Remington can tear up plate depending on the bullets you shoot. 17 Hornet has enough velocity that I wouldn't want to shoot steel until atleast 150 yards or run something super thick. Once I have sometime to spend in the shop and do some planning and get a design in my head I will post it up! I used to work for a company where we built redeployable shelters. I was sitting there welding all these parts all day I didn't realize how much some of these concepts could be used to make easier packing targets. Hell, I might even post my sort of design for a self resetting target that I was planning to bring to market. Never got anywhere, time and money just seems to slip away.

 

[brybenn]

^not really, but I was only suggesting even bothering with steel if targets were 100+ yards away. Not big targets if they're only @ 100...I like a challenge as much as the next guy. In all honesty, for punching paper with a 22, I rarely go beyond 50-75 yards..but I'd never use steel of any size at those ranges. I'm thinking a small gong @ 100 to start, then looking at alternative sizes for greater distances. If I had a way to reset gopher-sized steel targets @ 175-225 yards, I'd be all over that. Good practice.

I dont think a 22lr can trip a steel popper at 200+

 

[6mm Shooter]

I have some 3/16” thick AR 500 that my 6.5x47 won’t go through at 100 that would work well for you and I can cut whatever you want for a gong on my plasma table. Being thin it really rings and is light to carry.

 

[mikeystew]

I made a bunch out of regular 3/16" flatbar, cant figure out how to upload pics though. I've got them in 1x1", 2x2", 4x4" and 6x6" set up on homemade swingers. the 4x4" and 6x6" are just 2 pieces of 2" and 3" welded together.

theyre perfect for .22, the rounds dont even make a splash on them. .17HMR go right through them though.

 

[BCRider]

I've shot at some 6 inch round discs out at 200 yards with the scoped .22 off rests. In this case the scope on the rifle serve as the spotting device and the plate is allowed to swing when hit. On fresh paint I can also just make out the hits with the 7x power of the scope. But mostly I just look for it to jiggle when hit.

I don't do it enough to get really good at it and I keep meaning to make three or four little wind telltales of thin wire and yarn that I can see in the scope picture. But it's sure fun to scare it and with the right ammo for the rifle it's not unreasonable to hit it 4 out of 5 times and even occasionally a full pull of 5.

 

[jjohnwm]

For rimfire use...and only rimfire use...I have a set of different-sized "valve blanks" picked up from an old oil-refining jobsite. They're round, with a small tab with a hole on the side, perfect for hanging. Stick a carriage bolt through the hole, attach a chain or rubber strap to the threaded portion sticking out the back, and the target hangs at a slight forward angle to deflect ricochets into the ground. These are set up at 100 yards from my back porch and need only the occasional shot of paint to make them look like new. No idea what kind of steel they are; if I recall correctly (sorry, I'm not walking out there right now to check...) they are about 1/4- or 3/8-inch thick and are completely destroyed by one hit from a centerfire. For .22lr they are perfect; they range in size from about 1.5 inches up to about 8 inches, and so can provide a challenge for just about any gun/sight combination depending upon the shooting position being used.

 

[84wankel]

i watch hickok45 on youtube quite a bit, he went to a hardware store and bought some steel plant hangers that you just stick into the ground. they come in different heights. il be grabbing a few soon to setup my own little gong spread soon.

edit: if you want to shoot more than 22lr, use ar500. any metal supply place can normally cut them for you. hanging them also helps stop ricochets. this will give you a target that you can use for any rifle you own, without having to worry about piercing it or having it come back at you.

 

[Texstar]

Gong Joe out of Quebec City is a sponsor of the Canadian Rimfire Precision Series and the Outlaw Rimfire Precision Series. In working with both series he developed a highly reactive steel target made for 22LR. Check them out

 

[Tikka223]

I use AR500 out to 300m with my .22. If you aren’t wearing ear pro and there isn’t anyone around with big boomers, you can easily hear the impact and when painted, .22s will leave a nice mark on the target.