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wtfooptimax200
07-09-2011, 09:02 AM
I love shooting reactive steel. The most fun that I've ever had with a handgun has been at a man-on-man falling plate match. I am not sure of a better way to simulate stress!

I would like to make a couple plate racks and a dueling tree. Does anyone have experience with this? In a perfect world, I would make all plates out of AR500 or AR50, but that is rather cost prohibitive. I can easily obtain mild steel plate for next to nothing. Has anyone made targets out of mild steel for calibers up to 357? How does it perform?

Also, does anyone have any experience with Bobcat steel? Their AR500 seems to be extremely cheap (which always make me skeptical).

Thanks for any help.

dragonrider
07-09-2011, 10:06 AM
If you can find a material called T-1 get it, it may not be as good as AR500 but is less expensive, or was, but will outlast mild steel by a long shot, further more it does not work harden and fracture. I used this material to make a couple of bowling pin racks years ago, one of which is still behind my barn. The other I gave to my range and we would leave it out for practice untill some fool decided to shoot the pins full of holes with high velocity jacketed rifle rounds. Yes we had signs posted on the rack that said "Lead bullets, Handguns only"

P.S. I got the material precut in pin shape from a company called Arntzen, they offered many shapes, I just googled and they are still in business here

http://www.arntzentargets.com/

fecmech
07-09-2011, 12:29 PM
I've done business with this fellow. He is reliable and ships in flat rate boxes.
http://www.qualitytargets.com/servlet/the-Gong-Targets/s/1/Categories

Artful
07-09-2011, 10:26 PM
http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=1020|1023
3/8 AR-500

http://www.wideners.com/itemview.cfm?dir=1020|1022
1/2 AR-500

If you need picture of construction, I can send some to ya.

canyon-ghost
07-09-2011, 11:42 PM
The silhouette range is metal silhouettes in animal shapes. Mild steel works if you use 3/8" plate. The 1/4" has a tendency to crack and break too easy. We don't use any AR metal so, I have no exposure to it.
I'm the welder that patches the targets. And, I'm a mig welder by day. As long as the steel is thick enough, .357 won't hurt it all that much. I've even melted lead out with a torch to patch holes. Grinding them flat again does the most damage to the temper. Otherwise, it works pretty good. I use some scrap from the factory to make round plates.

Ron

kenjuudo
07-10-2011, 12:05 AM
Good old rail road plates take a good beating.

jim

Artful
07-10-2011, 01:35 AM
Good old rail road plates take a good beating.

jim

There are tough but were do you find them? the new rail track put in my Metro rail line is in concrete - no plates used. or Ties. end of that era I guess :violin:

Cultivator disc from farm equipment work as well.

Artful
07-14-2011, 01:04 AM
Falling plate rack with reducer
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050256.jpg
The pipe legs unscrew - the reset bar does not show string to activate with in these pic's
Reducer plate removed showing more target area for farther distance or easier practice
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050257.jpg
showing construction of reducer plate
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050258.jpg
showing hinge, reset bar and slot where reducer plate goes
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050260.jpg
showing hinges better and reset bar
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050262.jpg
Other end of reset bar
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050265.jpg
some up some down
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050259.jpg
all fall down - notice reducer plate NOT seated correctly
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050263.jpg
This is a flaw in the design IMHO - the plate has to go in just right or it binds - would have been better being hinged or
just have some studs to hang it off of - gets aggravating in the desert heat.
Last pic
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/Misc/P1050264.jpg
this is made for 22LR or Non-magnum handgun depending upon distance for Rifle Target
something a little less fancy as they tend to get chewed up
http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/8746/reloderstuff005.jpg

pls1911
07-14-2011, 11:47 PM
If you have access to. 1/4" base plate cheap, it makes great Dolby targets for kids using 30/30's at50to 75 yards. Painted white then fished in dayglow orange, they make great targets,
Heat treTed cast bullets make splats and holes easily.

LUCKYDAWG13
07-18-2011, 11:46 AM
I've done business with this fellow. He is reliable and ships in flat rate boxes.
http://www.qualitytargets.com/servlet/the-Gong-Targets/s/1/Categories

thank you for the link i just got off the phone with calvin
to place a order real nice guy

DukeInFlorida
07-19-2011, 06:59 AM
I've used mild steel (hot rolled) in 3/8" thickness for pistol rounds up to 357 magnum. They work fine for that purpose. But, even at 100 yards, .224 AR-15 bullets slide right through, as if they were a hot knife through butter.

lunicy
07-19-2011, 07:53 AM
1/2 mild steel works for me. Pistol loads, lead boolits only.

inkedbylee
09-19-2011, 11:53 PM
I have used a plasma cuttrer to make some small cal targets. I cut out some p-dags out of 1/2 stock and welded stakes on the bottoms. Thay give you the same feeling as big gun targets and you cant ever shot them out. I like the pic's of the felling target and maybe someday ill make one of them if anyone as a pic of more like it i would love to see them.

thehouseproduct
09-20-2011, 01:58 PM
I've used mild steel (hot rolled) in 3/8" thickness for pistol rounds up to 357 magnum. They work fine for that purpose. But, even at 100 yards, .224 AR-15 bullets slide right through, as if they were a hot knife through butter.
Lead or jacketed AR rounds?

hiram1
09-22-2011, 06:32 PM
rail plate with a ss dot in the center will last for ever