Steel target questions

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Howdy all!

I'm wanting to get some steel silhouette targets, and have found these on line http://www.qualitytargets.com/servlet/the-Silhouette-Targets/Categories I have asked them if they could make the 1/5th scale set of 20 out of 3/8" AR500 instead of the 1/4" A36, as I not only plan on buy one set, but would like to shoot 38 spl and 44 spl loads at them out of both revolver and rifles . . . Beside they will mostly be used for 22 LR!

So my questions:

1. Do you think the the 22 LR (Not hyper/super vel) will be able to knock the rams down at 100 yards?

2. Will the AR500 hold up to 44 spl loads out of a rifle at say 50 yards?

3. Will the AR500 hold up to either my 270 or AK47 (both loaded with cast) at 100 yards?

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/TC%20Seneca/Targets/20pc_sil_fifth.jpg

[Dan Cash]

Depends upon your definition to hold up. I think, based upon my experience shooting steel targets of my own fabrication, that the 1/4 inch plate will bend and welds will probably break under the impact of the rifle loads. Yes, I think the .22 rim fire will knock the rams down at 100 yards if they are properly set.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Normally I understand that the 1/5th scale are made out of 1/4" A36 which is a mild steel, and the .22 will knock the rams over at 100 yards, but with going with a 3/8" thick steel, it will be heavier, and was not sure if the 22 still had enough "uumph" to knock the ram off his block.

The Ar500 is MUCH harder than the A36, that is why I'm hoping that it will hold up to the centerfire.

I also plan on starting out at setting them up for the 22 at 30 yards for the chickens, the Javelina at 40, the Turkeys at 50, and Rams at 60 yards . . . until I get better at it, then I'll move them back further, until they are at the regulation distance.

Set includes 5 Chickens (2 ½” x 2 ¼”), 5 Pigs (4 ½”x3”), 5 Turkeys (4” x 4 ½”) and 5 Rams (6 ½” x 5¼”)

My 44 Spl load is about 9.0gr of Unique with 240 - 270 boolit up front . . .

[crabo]

I think if you shoot the 1/5 with some of the bigger guns, even if they are out of A500, you better get ready to hike for them when you hit them.

I use the 1/2 size on individual stands. It is the size that is used for hunters pistol and lever action smallbore and pistol cartridge matches. You don't have to go downrange and reset. The stands also break down and store flat for hauling.

Mine are 3/8 mild steel, and 44 mag is fine on them. 45/70s put a little divot in them and tend to bend them if you hit a horn instead of a body shot. (ask me how I know)

[crabo]

At some of the ranges I shoot at, you can't shoot steel. I know you go into the desert so it is not a problem for you. I made these for ISPC targets back in the day.

I put 1x2s in the pockets and staple dark poster board on the uprights. I then cut out the animals from white poster board and tape them on. You can see what kind of groups you are shooting and how much you are missing by. You also get good feed back on how tight you are holding.

Sometimes your misses can tell you as much as your hits. Something shooting at steel doesn't do.

[fecmech]

I would second Crabo's idea with the swingers, that way you only need 1 target of each. I went to Home depot and had them cut a 10' length of 1/2" iron pipe in half for me. I drilled a 1/4" hole in each near the top and put an eye bolt in each one. I then take my 2 pieces of pipe pound them into the ground(about 3' apart) with a hammer, put a 4' length of rebar (also Home Depot) through both eye bolts and suspend my swinger from that. I have one regulation "Turkey" and "Ram" that I set up at 75 and 100 yds and then I don't have to walk down and reset targets. At 50 yds I just use a round swinger that's smaller than pigs.

He is also right about the paper targets, they show your grouping tendencies and are necessary to get basic sight settings for the longer ranges

[ktw]

$80 is a decent price for a half set.

Ray Shafer (http://www.raystargets.netfirms.com/) currently wants $122 for a half set (cast iron).

I've had a 1/5th scale, 1-of-each set forever. A couple of years ago I had a local welding shop plasma cut a full set of 40. He charged me around $140. A 22 mag will put dents in them with hits around the edges.

-ktw

[stubshaft]

The thing that "kills" steel targets is velocity. Slow moving boolits will topple them easily enough but your 270 at 100 may crater them.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I'm hoping to run my 270 somewhere around 2100 - 2300 fps . . . 150gr boolit.

I know that factory 130 gr jacketed softpoints will penetrate regular 1/2" steel at 50 yards . . .

[Blammer]

targets may tell you about your misses but steel is way more fun to hear the "clank" and see it topple.

if paper targets are candy

steel is CRACK!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I got a response back from the seller/fabricator and he said that a .223 fmj at 50 yards will take the paint off, but not leave a divot in the AR500. :mrgreen:

I prefer these steel ones as it is FUN to watch and hear them fall/fly!:Fire:

I also like the idea of them being at different ranges, compared to the pictured one above, and if I had four separate swingers . . . I'm gonna need stands for them all, as trying to drive stakes in the ground out here is not fun, and I do just go out in the desert and shoot, so I haul in and out everything.

[jsizemore]

Before you commit to a full set of silhouettes why not have Quality make you a 4-5 inch disc with a foot on it to test. Could save some money and heartache.

[jsizemore]

In see the last 3 posts were written at about the same time.

I have a set of 1/2 size swingers made of 1/2" ar-500 that I have shot many thousands of practice rounds in the 2100-2300 fps velocity range. They've done fine. The hooks to attach them to the stands have needed repair.

I shot some 1/2 size chickens at 40 meters with a 150gr jacketed spire point 30 cal out of my T/C 32-20. I blew all but 1 chicken over the berm and 2 made it to the 50 yard berm. That was at 1800fps. It drew quite a crowd. One of which was the match director worried about target damage. No damage, just lots of noise and a long search for the victimized fowl.

[crabo]

I can see one of Shawn's coming post will be about a shooting trailor, with bench rest seating, and a place to store all his targets and such. That way he can keep it loaded and be out in the desert in a heartbeat.

Shawn, how long does it take you to get to your shooting place?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Yesterday morning I played around with making stuff . . . I made a new .22 trap that I can hang 2 8.5" X 11" targets on with space to spare, so , my wife and I can "Play" at the same time, 2" of sand EASILY stops the .22 from 25 yards . . . until . . . it settles, and you shoot near the top!

I also built a screen for sifting my lead out, with the next size smaller than 1/4" hardware cloth.

I made the dangling 4" circles out of 1/4" lexan, with different size hangers, hoping to have a reactive target that I could also salvage lead for my blackpowder needs . . . the orange painted one broke where I bent it on the first shot! The blue one held up, but once the CCI Blazer 40gr RP went through it, it tore up my cardboard trap front!

I also cut some silhouette "Red coats" (Appleseed) out of the 1/4" lexan the big one is 6 1/4" wide, (representing a person in the prone position at 100 meters) and the little one is 2 1/16" wide, (300 meters) which I bent "legs" onto. then there are some 1/4" thick 3" squares of steel, (the orange one got bent by the 44 spl rifle) and a bar to hold them up out of the grass.

The lexan does not sound off like steel though!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/22Silouettes1.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/22Silhouette2.jpg

The little "Orange coat" would fly 10 - 15 feet, it was destroyed with only two shots! The bigger "Blue Coat" held up well, and just flipped over backwards, but was laying there. the steel squares if I did not have the leading edge hanging over the front of my board, would splatter lead, cutting up the pine board!

I plan on shooting the 357 mag & 44 Mag lever actions with "special" type loads in them at 50 - 75 yards (they have open sights) along with a .36 cal muzzleloader at the steel, and will shoot the 270 & 7.62 X39 from 100 - 200 yards at them . . .

I have two place I shoot, one I call "The Dump" as it is an old gravel pit, or someone's attempt to dig a mine . . . most people go down into the "hole" where you can just barely get 100 yards, unfortunately, lots of people have brought old appliances and glass bottles, and after shooting them up, have just left them! I shoot off to the side of this, as there are some 4' tall berms, and I don't need to deal with so much garbage! That is about 4 miles away.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/IMG_0436.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/IMG_0461.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/TC%20Seneca/ShootingRange.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Shootingsmall.jpg

The second place is up in the National forest (the mountains in the background of the first scenic pic) and about 13 miles one-way, but it is a little goat trail, and I scrape bottom with my Benz . . . in the process of getting a TRUCK again!

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/IMG_0005.jpg

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/IMG_0004.jpg

25 Meter's to targets . . . 38 spls from the lever can and will sometimes come back from a pocked up 1/2" thick full size steel chicken at 25 meters! (This is why I want AR500) Besides we won't be shooting them this close! My wife had found a birds egg . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Egg.jpg

It is 150 yards to the bare ground behind the trees up on the hill on the left, can easily go to 200 yards . . . but it is shooting up hill!


[smilie=s:

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Here is a picture up in the National Forest looking from the 150 yard point to my car in the center of the picture, it is the beginning of Aug, and we have had a little rain . . . [smilie=p:

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/150yards1-1.jpg

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I went ahead and ordered the 20 of them in 3/8" thick AR500, he said they will ship out tomorrow!

$157.00 shipped, should have them by the weekend!

[crabo]

Here's some pictures of my paper silhouettes

[DragoonDrake]

I have to ask. In post 15 the last picture, what is on your thumb?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Birds egg half . . .

[smilie=s:

I just turned into a farmer yesterday . . . Got some chickens . . . and turkeys . . . little piggies . . . and a few rams . . . I don't have any pictures . . . I left my camera at school/work yesterday . . . hope to shoot these to today and see how they work.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Here they are! I painted them this morning . . .
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Targets/FarmAnimals.jpg
The yellow on the tiny chickens are kinda hard to see . . . the scope makes it easier . . .

The range . . . chickens at 30 yards, Piggies at 40 yards, Turkeys at 50 yards, and Rams at 60 yards:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Targets/SilShooting1.jpg

Close up:
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Targets/Sil3.jpg

The chickens shot with the 22's will fly if hit "right" 5'-6' . . . the pigs just fall over, the turkeys will fly 2', and the rams just fall over . . . but I tried my Marlin 1894 in 44 mag, on the rams, I ended up hitting the board they were sitting on TWICE! So I tried the Pigs . . . first one I hit on the end of the nose with a 272 434640 Solid pushed by 9.0gr of unique, took the paint off, but not even a ding in the steel! I'm happy!

A couple of videos are now down loading to you tube . . . will take awhile, but I noticed lite 44 mag rounds would hit the pigs, and the torque of the hit would cause the base to dig into the pine wood bases . . .

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

My wife is a much better shot than a videographer . . . we should have brought the tripod along . . . but you can see a three fer one!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IiXKsAnx9Y

[44magLeo]

I was in Herb Phillipsons, They have targets made from some sort of man made stuff. They had several different animal shapes. They were mounted on a bracket that allowed them to spin when hit. They could be shot with about anything. The bullets passed through and the targets were self healing. I guess they are made like dart boards.
Should have paid closer attention to them.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I've seen those soft targets, they work good with ball or round nose, HP tear them up.

I went out again yesterday . . . my wife felt like staying home . . . so I brought my tripod!

My version of a "Three Gun Shoot" (.22, .44, 7.62X39!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzPE6uhCO14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbsx2t70Wkk

Just the .22, but it has plenty of power . . . if I hit them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7XtAdg8OzE

The 7.62X39's were Yugo Surplus Brass cased surplus fmj ammo, at 60 yards on the rams the would leave a tiny dot of copper, and a even smaller dimple.

The turkey was shot in #2, they one that went flying! Ended up past the rams that went flying . . . The ram that was hit with the 44 flew further than those hit with the faster lighter 7.62X39! Notice the "splat" on the turkey from the .44 272gr solid 434640!
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Targets/762X3944mag.jpg

I picked off the copper from the top shot.
http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Targets/762X39dimples.jpg

[jsizemore]

A piece of 3" channel with 1 1/2" legs will absorb those 22lr hits.

[canyon-ghost]

Because most ranges do things cheaply, they usually paint them all black or white. If you have trouble seeing the silhouettes, white oil-based paint fixes that. Love the silhouettes, welcome to steel farming, lol. http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/TCtakedown012.jpg