Range gongs for 50bmg

[rockrat]

We are getting requests for dedicated 50bmg gongs. I just know someone is going to try and put a hole in them with AP. Plan on one at 333 yds and another at 540yds.

Any recommendations as to what material. Was thinking about 2" thick AR500, but not really up on steels. Gongs will be 2 ft x 2 ft.


Recommendations appreciated.

[ETG]

How about big ole catapillar track links. I've heard they hold up well and would be tons cheaper than 2" armour plate.

[Bullshop]

I bought some remnants from a steel yard here. Small pieces like 12"x12" at 1" thick.
At 100 yards the milsurp steel core 50's do not shoot through. They do lots of damage but the steel cores stay in the plate. They should work very well at longer ranges.
Another target I like for long range gongs are the cast steel fly wheels from older or industrial engines. These can run about 20 to 24" diameter very heavy cast steel. You do have to weld a plate over the center hole were the crank goes otherwise all misses are claimed dead center hits.
BIC/BS

[BruceB]

A local fabricator makes "grizzlies" for the mines...these are essentially king-size screens with one-foot-square openings. They are cut from FOUR-INCH-THICK hard steel, and the 12"x12" "doughnut holes" were ours for the asking. Such a square weighs about 160 pounds.

I'd bet that even .50 AP will have a hard time with these fellers; I have to get over to their shop to see if they're still available. A one-foot target at 400 yards is also a worthwhile challenge.

Thick plate like this presents severe difficulties to welders, and I have to consult with our Shaft and Hoist lads to see if there's an EASY way to hang the squares.

[Blake Stephenson]

I have some limited experience with this and you are on the right track with AR 500. Make it as clear as possible they are not to be shot with any form of AP or someone will have bought a very expensive conversation piece.

Blake

[BruceB]

On the subject of AR500 plate, I had a full-size old-style IPSC silhouette (the type with the "head") cut from 3/8" AR500 plate just a couple weeks ago. It's roughly 18" x 30", and has a square-section 1" tube welded across the back for threading a chain through to hang it up.

I tested it at 100 yards, first with a 2700-fps 55-grain softpoint from a Mini-14, and then with a 2600-fps 150 softpoint from my FAL .308. Neither bullet made any impression on the steel at all, and only removed the paint from the impact sites.

This target will likely be the subject of our attentions for the Long Range Match at the Nevada Cast Bullet Shoot in late May. I have no qualms about subjecting it to cast rifle bullets at that distance (400 yards), and it should be a lifetime target....as long as I don't shoot it with my new .50 BMG rifle. Even with cast loads, I think the target might suffer some harm from that beast.

[82nd airborne]

charge fees for any api holes and i bet it wont happen much...people tend to take care of things that thin their own wallet.

[Blake Stephenson]

Bruce,

I shot one just like yours with my 505 Gibbs at 25 yards. The load is good for 2700 fps. with a 525 gr. Barnes X bullet. It made a good dent in it and I just welded it back up with some hard facing rod and sanded it smooth. Looks brand new except for the dimple on the back. If anyone is interested I am making a run of these out of 1/2" AR500 next week and can add more to my order if someone would like some.

Blake

[jmorris]

Another target I like for long range gongs are the cast steel fly wheels from older or industrial engines.

Better be pretty darn far. I learned at age 13 that cast iron sends (many) things back at you. Many years later I was there when a buddy broke one into (about 1.25" thick) with a 300 H&H. Cast steel is a bit different but if it's not a smooth surface it WILL send things back. Even a small hunk of a 700+ grain bullet is a bad thing if it comes back.

[jhrosier]

Agree 100% with jmorris.

Shooting metal plates with a 50 BMG just might qualify you for a Darwin award.
Bullets, even ball ammo, can and do come back at the shooter from 200 yards.
One of our local shooters lost the windshield from his truck with a 200 yard shot at a metal plate.
If it had hit him or someone else, we would have had to attend both a funeral and the closing of the local range.

Jack

[garandsrus]

Here's a video that's been around for a while showing a 50 BMG ricochet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ABGIJwiGBc). It's pretty amazing to watch.

John

[bohica2xo]

We keep some steel on the 400m range. It gets a hole in it occasionally. Not really an issue.

At one time there was a 12" square of 3" mild steel @ the 400m mark. It had pock marks from various 30 cal stuff. M33 ball 50 cal did not kill it either. Eventually all the misses cut off the 2x2 tube post it was welded to.

If you want to put up "gongs", be prepared for someone to try to put a hole in it. The best way to reduce the chances of that (and to let it "ring" a bit) Is to hang it from chains. This also reduces the low shots that kill the post.

The gong needs an adjacent berm. It should be angled away from the line about 30 degrees, and the berm placed accordingly. Even better (safer) is to span two berms with a beam & hang the angled plate in between them. Make the berms about 4 feet high, and 6 to 8 feet deep. Spaced about 4 feet apart A tunnel if you want to think of it that way. Hang the gong from a couple of chains & a beam across the top of the berm at an angle near the mouth. Bullets deflected to the side hit the berm someplace behind the target.

A 1/2" piece of AR500 @ 30 degrees will just push out of the way if it is hung on chains. Even 50BMG AP will not ruin it.

The only thing you need to jump on people about is shooting up the supporting structure. I recommend using a railroad tie as a cross beam, to keep people from shooting at a thinner steel target for "research".

The chains? Yeah, occasionally a wiseacre shoots one in two. Not a big deal.

There is no reason we can't keep the sport fun, and people like to shoot at steel. It can be done safely, and if you do the target right it will just frustrate the guy that sneaks in the AP...

I do NOT recommend shooting at irregular surfaces like track plates. There is no way to determine where the bullet is headed next. Cast iron is a bad choice too, because it shatters. Engine parts, tractor parts etc. are not safe targets.

B.

[rockrat]

Thanks for all the replies, had planned on RR ties to hang them. Maybe look for some 3/4" AR500.

[RP]

well someone going to shoot what is not ment to be shot. Range got a 22 steel target set put a sign beside of it DO NOT SHOOT WITH ANYTHING BUT A 22 the new targets had two holes in it and sign had holes in it not even a week old.

[jmorris]

here are some sections of 1" plate steel I shot with my 50 bmg at around 150yds. I even shot at the same 1" thick plate through an 8" Oak tree and after passing both went over 3 feet deep into red clay. AP and API will destroy anything you put there.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/gn/steel1in.jpg


http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/gn/1insteel.jpg

[NSP64]

When I was in the Army we were shooting our .50 BMG's at some tank chassis(M48's?) with ball /tracer mix . @ 200 yrds one of the tracers's smashed into it just right and took off hopping down the range. Everyone stopped shooting and watched that still lit tracer bound 800yrds.

[dk17hmr]

Have you guys seen this:
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=156201&Number=1764391#Post1764391

I thought about have a set made but the plates they use on the rail road work great and stop my 300 WSM at 300 yards easy.

[jonblack]

Gongs are a tons of fun. My range has 1/2" AR500 at various distances out to 445 yards. There is also a piece of what looks like 1.5" mild steel at 445. It rings nicely and you can easily hear a solid hit from 223 and 308. Im not sure how well any of this will hold up to API ammo in 50 BMG.

On a side note, isn't 333 yards a little close for the big 50? We are shooting 22LR at man size steels located at the 250 and 300 yard mark. Of course the hold-over is extreme, but we are hitting once the hold is identified. EOTech topped ARs and even an iron-sighted AK ring the steels at 445 with a pleasing regularity. 12" round steel located at 445 is quite easy with my LR-308 with fixed 10x and surplus Port ammo. Doesn't seem like a 50 with complimentary glass would be much of a challenge at 333.

Back on topic, seems that any impending holes could be welded. I would think it would be hard to keep track of who put it there. I think putting holes in stuff is just one of the things you have to accept as a range owner. Recently someone at our range shot a piece of seismic surveying equipment used in the natural gas exploration industry. It was discretely mounted in a tree. Someone shot it 6 times. Our course they didn't sign their name by the bullet holes. The company man told my Dad and I that the unit cost $4800!

jonblack