Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles How thick of a plate of steel to stop hunting rifle bullets?

Check here:

Muchly good stuff.

http://www.metaltargets.com/Home.htm

Shane posted this link awhile back.

http://lvsteeltargets.com/main.htm

Thanks, I sent them a message and asked how much for just a sheet of AR500 shipped to GA!

My brother is going to dental school down at UNLV.
Thinking about asking him to stuff one of those gongs in his luggage on his next flight back.....(grin)

I have shot at a free standing 8" plate made from T1 steel that was 3/8" thick. The plate was raked to the rear about 15*. The round I used was a 165 gr BTSP Hornady shot from a 30-06 at 2900 ft/sec. Hot knife through butter is an apt description. Range was 100 yards. I saw a piece of 120 pound railway steel with a 375 H&H sized hole through the flange. Eeek!

Be careful, my friend.

My gong is made out of 3/4" mild steel. I am shooting a .338wm. At 300 yards it is making dents about 1/2 way through with a 250grn bullet.

The boys are going to make me one out of a hardened 3/4" steel so it doesn't dent so badly.

I would not use mild steel again.

FWIW I would exercise extreme caution shooting a steel plate at less than 200 yards.

I use 5/8" plain old A36 steel for a gong. When it finally gets too many chunks out of it I cut another one. I don't really shoot them up clsoe but at about 300 yards works great up to 300 win mag. It's cheap enough you can make several for the price of some of the other steels mentioned. I just pick up the drops out of the shop.

A hanging gong will not have to be as thick as a standing target that can't swing.

Check out youtube, there is a guy shooting a 50 cal @ 1000 yards, at a piece of steel, it ricochet back at him and hit him in the head. I will never shoot at steel with my 30-06

Nothing ricochets 1000 yds. The one I saw was MUCH closer than that. Use AR500 plate and set it out there a ways and you are fine. The higher the velocity, the easier they are to penetrate. I have a 1/2" 1018 CR steel gong with rebar hooks welded on it to hang on barb wire fences. I don't shoot closer than about 250 but so far, NOTHING has gone all the way through it. Most damage was by 40 grain BTs from a .224 AI at about 150. I had to put it close enough for the scouts to see it. Here is a photo.





The three new shots are 108 Lapua Scenars at 500 yds from a .260 Rem. They would have done some damage at 150- probably went through.

For what it's worth, in New York City, if you wish to open a commercial range, the plate steel must be angled at exactly 45 degrees. Miss that angle by one degree and your range did not get approved. Once the bullet is directed toward a sand trap after hitting a sloped steel sheet set at 45 degrees, the chance of ricochet is nill but of concern is bullet splatter. Bullet fragments are dangerous to the eyes (always wear eye protection while shooting) but do not cause serious wounds. I should know, I've been hit by many as a police firearms instructor.

For an intact bullet to be re-directed toward the shooting line, something down range was not installed properly.

Again- talking about close range shooting. We had to eliminate all steel from our range about 15 years ago. Steel is NOT popular with LE ranges. We had an indoor house with plywood covered steel walls but only frangible ammo was allowed inside.

When shooting rifles at steel- just keep some distance and you are fine.

I made a steel spinning target out of 1/2" steel 3" diameter, for 22's. Was shooting at it with the Wife working in the yard 100 yards away and behind. She heard a bullet buzz by that was close enough to sound like a mad bee. That was the last time I shot the spinner! No more steel for me!
Virgil B.