Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Safe range for shooting hanging steel plates

I picked up some AR500 steel targets and would like to hear your input on what range(s) will be safe for shooting 9mm 115gr FMJs, 380ACP 95gr FMJs, 45LC cowboy load or hunting flat-points (at 800-1000fps) and 22lr 40gr standard or hi-velocity SPs?

FWIW, the way I set the targets up, they naturally angle slightly downward which should help with ricochets. Here's a pic of a target as an example....

Not to be a smart azz, but safe, maybe 50-yards. You're going to get hit by something sooner or later.

Wear good shooting glasses and keep your mouth closed.

I get whacked with more crap richocet'n
from indoor bowling pins.
( 50 feet or less)
.45's tend to bounce back a lot.

If your shootin steel, sooner or later you'll be hit with something, unless it's at silloette ranges

We shoot steel cowboy targets at a whole lot closer than that.

I've shot a lot of steel over the last 30 years and will simply warn you that there are a lot of variables and it's still not totally predictable. Many hard target makers engineer a level of deflection into their "systems" and some work really well. One particular target system I bought for my agency's range could be shot with an M60 MG at close range - but it was specifically developed with that capability.

I generally don't shoot steel inside of 7 yards as there is no real practical reason to do so. In ALL cases wear good eye protection and expect to get a bit of blood drawn from time to time.

A basic rule is you don't shoot steel with anything except lead bullets, unless you are shooting gongs at 100yrds or so.
The whole idea is that the lead flattens or splaters with considerably less chance of riccochet. Shooting steel with FMJ is considably the worst case. Why would you even want to shoot regular hunting bullets at it. People need to sit back and use some common sense about these type of things. I know if caught at our range shooting steel with FMJ or jacketed bullets at any location except the 100-600 yard target berms gets you a non memerbership right now.

I shoot one of those steel spinner targets you get at WalMart with .22lr. No closer than 25 yards. Haven't had anything come back at me, so far. (My club doesn't hang steel.)

I suspect that because the spinners are so small and light, they swing way back before little pieces of lead break off the bullet. Most of the lead splatter goes down, judging by the fragments lightly embedded in my 2x4 frame.

Bigger steel, like yours, would not deflect much with rimfire, but I don't see it being a problem at 25 yards. I've shot similar as a guest at other clubs with centerfire pistol at 25 yards, with no problem. (Safety glasses, a given, with side protection advisable.)

- Tom

Makes a lot of sense.

I know that .22 bullets hitting silhouette targets square on seem to turn into a flat disk that just drops. Same with big lead BPCR bullets against steel. I would be leery of jacketed bullets, and as others have said, I'd want plenty of distance between the firing line and targets.

Paul

Our pistol club used to require lead bullets on our steel plates and poppers, for both safety reasons and it is easier on the targets. Over the last 10 or 15 years, I've never been hit by lead spatters, but I have been hit a couple times by pieces of copper jacket and even the copper plating on bullets like the Rainier plated stuff.

We shoot the steel from 10 yards out.

We shoot steel all the time, but we arent supposed to shoot it inside of 15 yds. Being an instructor (so I'm at the range a lot) I have been hit with pieces of jacket and lead many times. Good glasses are a must. The fact that yours are hanging on chains will help dissipate some of the energy, where we have some rigid stands that are angled for deflection. Inside 15 yds can get scary, though we have done at times during combat courses. Try to give them a slight angle away from you and the back and downward that they already have should help too. Ryan

Also angling them slightly away is a good idea.....thanks for that!



Good glasses have come up a couple times. I wear shooting glasses 100% of the time when at the range but mine are just the $10-$15 promo Ruger-Remington-Winchester type (I buy several and leave them in my range bag/truck. Are these not sufficient? If these aren't a good idea, what would you recommend (that wouldn't break the bank)??

I started shooting handguns as a kid in a slow fire bulls eye club... when I turned 21 I got a target hunting permit in NY State in part because deer hunting was shotgun only till they added handgun hunting...

I probably have spent as much time tweaking handgun ammo for use is scoped handguns as I have for rifle loads...

With this background I tend to look at even a J frame as a bull's eye target gun <Laser grips makes it possible to shoot some impressive groups with these little guns.... great fun>.

I only picked up a concealed carry permit a few years ago. We have a range in the back yard and mostly use paper plates for targets.... My wife is mostly a new shooter... she has read about self defense training and has the good sense to practice point and weak hand shooting...

Due to the old habits die hard thing, I have a hard time not being overly focused on wanting to shoot impressive small groups... I can see how this old habit could become a bad thing if God forbid the need to draw in self defense ever happened.

I just ordered two steel target from the classified section here... I'm thinking the "It's either a hit or a miss" reactive targets will help me to learn to get faster shots off that are "accurate enough".

I didn't know about the only use lead at pistol range issue... good to know. I'm also thinking I'll line up chunks of fire wood on a raised board for anything closer than 25 yards.

Are the Remington brand safety glasses Walmart sells for 6 or 7 dollars okay and if not what is suggested?

Are the Remington brand safety glasses Walmart sells for 6 or 7 dollars okay and if not what is suggested?

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Generally speaking, yes. If you want real optical clarity, then you'll have to spend a bit more than that.

Cheap safety glasses worn work much better than a better pair that are not worn.

I've been shopping around myself lately and the ESS ICE 2.4 is probably the way I'll go. These glasses pass the Mil-Spec test and with three interchangeable lenses it seems like a nice deal for $63.

ESS ICE 2.4

Those are pretty nice and the ability to change lenses for varying lighting conditions is certainly a plus.

Thanks for the heads-up on those JOG.....

25 yards is plenty good enough. Take a look at the ground in front of them after shooting and you'll see the splatter zone for lead and the bounce back for jacketed.

The only time you'll get significant bounce back is when you are shooting at fixed mild steel, as it will crater and toss the jacket straight back at you.

Those craters are what can really mess you up. Shooting at cratered steel or soft steel that can crater can get you hit by large chunks. Shooting lead bullets at flat hard steel hung at an angle should not present a great danger. Glasses are still manditory.

The trouble with angling swinging plates is most guys, me included, don't wait for the plate to stop swinging between shots and the angle will change. Keeping the plate floppin' is most of the fun, so the chain and fence posts will take some hits for sure.

Nebraska is a smart fella, but "safe" is pretty subjective and he's got young kids that will probably be making empties as well. 10-yards or so would be my limit with cast bullets, and probably twice that for kids. The shooters will still take some fragments, but the risk of anything breaking the skin will be minimal by my standards.

I remember reading a while back on another forum, a guy was talkin about shootin steel plates w/ 1911s when he was in the marines. One marine on the firing line went down and yelled out "im hit". Turns out it was a bounce back, probably a 230gr fmj hit him right in the pecker. I guess there was no blood, and he was ok, but good grief that would ruin a day.