Steel targets

[Gas Can]

Ive made several steel targets.Dueling trees ,poppers and swingers.I always angle plates 20 degrees towards the ground.Pocked steel is the wrost thing to shoot at.You can get away with 3/8 or 1/2 mild steel for light load pistol caliber rounds but for .223 and larger Ar 500 is the way to go but its not cheap stuff

Cratered steel act like a parabolic dish redirecting the fragments back at you. Watch some high speed video of bullets impacting steel and imagine what would happen if it hit a pre existing crater.

AR500 steel, angled down with a bit of give in the mount are your best bet.

GC

 

[one_civic]

What caliber are you shooting? I'm assuming that this thread is in the rimfire section, so you wouldn't need AR500, That's for the bigger caliber's, plus like a previous poster mentioned is not cheap, If you were shooting handguns on the 25 meter range than yeah spend the money. 1/4-3/8 is fine for 22lr, that's what I use and have never had a fragment come back at me.

 

[fletcher]

Mild stell is perfect for .22lr swinging targets.I will say that .17hmr will beat up 1/4 at closer distances like 50yrds

 

[Deerdr]

I shoot a GONG at 250 yds. And feel OK. I used to shoot a silhouette Pig at 100 yds off my deck 'til one day my wife said, what is making these holes in the siding. Investigation revealed shrapnel!!!! I have a friend who lost an eye shooting Steel Targets. For me the further away the better, it's kinda a lottery, sooner or later.... Respectfully Jim

 

[Canadian_Zuk]

I just got my new 12" gong cut. 3/4" thick A2 tool steel. It will hang at the 400 yard mark.