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Steel Pistol Targets

jagermeister

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Ohio
I got bored of shooting at hand-drawn bullseyes so I decided I wanted some steel for plinking. I looked at some websites and thought prices were reasonable, but knew I could do better. Since these won't see any centerfire rifle impacts, I decided go with generic mild steel instead of AR500 or 550. Will it last as long? No. But it should hold up just fine to 9mm, based on the research I did online. I went down to my local fab shop this morning. I just had them shear me a few pieces of 6" x 8", 1/2" thick steel. Then had him pop a 3/4" hole in each one. I gave him $10 more than he asked for them, and was still much cheaper than anything online I found.

I didn't know how I wanted to mount them so I spent some time wandering around and staring in the rafters of the garage, just brainstorming. Behind the garage I found an old shepherd hook thingamabob. All I had to do was heat and bend a the outside hooks a bit and attach the plates to the crossbar. Bada bing bada boom.

Gave her 25 rounds on a test run and she held up just fine. *Warning...anyone shooting at steel targets, ALWAYS wear eye protection. All it takes is one piece of shrapnel to blow back and ruin your day.*

IMG_20170627_121834.jpgIMG_20170627_120526.jpgIMG_20170627_120556.jpg
 

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
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SW Ohio
Looks good. Been shooting steel targets 30 yrs. Never be closer than 25 yds. Anyone who shoots without eye protection is a future blind fool. Sorry.
 

jagermeister

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18,060
223
Ohio
Looks good. Been shooting steel targets 30 yrs. Never be closer than 25 yds. Anyone who shoots without eye protection is a future blind fool. Sorry.
No need to apologise. Shooting steel comes with inherent risks, no doubt about it. I don't usually shoot them any closer than 10 yards.
 

jagermeister

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18,060
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Ohio
A friend of mine came over tonight to shoot. My new steel setup saw about 200 rounds and came out unscathed. Pretty happy with it so far. Much more satisfying to here that "ping" than shooting paper or cardboard.

I don't know if anyone else has ever seen this, but the sun must have been shining just right... When I stood to the left and behind the shooter, I could actually see the bullets in flight. And before anyone asks, no I wasn't drinking tonight. Lol. It was really cool. I can't say I've ever noticed that before.
 

Mike

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15,840
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Up Nort
I just ordered some 1/2" AR500 gongs and put this stand together with conduit and connectors I had on hand. I'll add hand screws and it will be very portable.IMG_20170629_201713409.jpgIMG_20170629_201716815.jpg
 

jagermeister

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
18,060
223
Ohio
So after hitting it with about 400 rounds of 9mm, I have a couple observations. First off, the plates are holding up just fine, as expected. Secondly, the ones attached to the shepherds hooks (the outer two) fit just snug enough on the hook that they're held in place just right... They still give a little upon impact, but they don't swing out of control. The bottom two, on the other hand, swing much too freely on those skimpy S-hooks. I plan on modifying that just a bit.

Now that I know what works and where I can get it, I'm planning on getting a couple steel silhouettes made that I can hang on 2x4's. Probably something like 10" x 20" plates with a head on top.