Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Steel targets and ricochets.

Alukban, were you wearing shooting glasses??

L.W.

One of the advantages of cast is it splats pretty good when shot against steel so long as it's not overly hard.

Didn't draw blood, but did make the stoopid move of shooting 8X57 steel core mg ammo at a steel plate @ 50yds and heard the distinctive whizzing sound of a ricochet over my head and found a crack in my windshield at the conclusion of my shooting session.

Bounce back does happen...

You had to have one of those special cards for the metal detectors at the airport, didn't you?

...another thoughtful gift from Travis?

With all the metal in my body, I have a special set of TSA advisors at every airport...

First, let the plates hang freely. Second, don't use mild steel. Third, stay back at least 15 yds.

Mild steel will crater and send the jacket back 25 yds. AR500 steel won't crater from handgun rounds and the spatter will angle downward from a free hanging plate. I once shot a propane tank with the 45acp and had the jacket come right back to me from 30 yds.

I used to use rail cleats, which wouldn't crater from handgun rounds (tiny bit from the 44 mag). But rifle rounds would crater them. Now I have some 8" AR500 rounds.

The handgun spatter zone from hanging quality steel is about 5 feet to the sides and front (9mm, 45acp, 44 mag).

I got hit in the back, left side of my ribcage with a sizable hunk of lead from a 9mm when shooting a pitted steel target. The shard went through my shirt and embedded in my skin, but we pulled it out. My bro inlaw pock marked the steel pretty badly with an AR and then we moved up to shoot with pistols before checking the steel again.

He's a cop, so I was shot by a cop in my backyard, with witnesses. I didn't press charges. LOL It was an eye opener though.

I ditched that piece of steel and hung the next one with more downward angle.

reminds me I owe sandcritter a new target, after denting his with a .300 Weatherby

I (foolishly) decided to try "steel" targets by painting some pics of an old cast iron wood stove white with red 3" bullseyes. No worry about bounce-backs - my 300 gr Hard Cast .44's at 1000 fps blew through VERY easily. Even a .380 blasted a big hole through the metal, but they make decent .22 LR targets.

Ordered some 8" round AR500, 3/8" targets, and the .44's just dent them. Seem to mostly disintegrate, leave streaks along the target face. Shooting them at 25 and 60 yards.

Those must be some thin plates for the 44 mag to dent them. My 44 mag won't dent a 3/8" thick AR500 plate.

As I said, 3/8" plate, shooting hard cast bullets. Doesn't "crater" them, but does make at least a discernible dent. Haven't tried my .480 on them yet, but plan to.

OK, finally got back out to look at the targets, and maybe this isn't really a "dent", maybe just the paint knocked off and a bit of lead left on the steel? DID NOT shorten the life of the target.

25 yards, 310gr Cast Performance hard cast, ~900 fps, Ruger SBH Bisley Hunter, .44 magnum, 7.5" barrel.