I have some 1/2" and 3/8� thick AR 500 targets that I�m ready to take to the range and I was wondering if I need to take any precautions with 62 gr Green-tip Penetrator ammo or possibly even Wolf 55gr steel-core FMJ.

At what range should this stuff be safe to shoot?

Is AR500 hard enough to stand up to this ammo at any range?

So far, I have fired 150 rounds or so of green tip on my 1/2" and 5/8" AR-500 steel at 150 yards to 350 yards. The targets have not shown any dents or gouges at all. However, just on general principle, I am switching to M193 when making future ammo or bullet purchases. The same targets have absorbed many hundreds of lead-core jacketed bullets from other rifles from .222 to .458 with no damage at all.

I have some 3/8" AR-500 and haven't been willing to try green tip on it yet. However I think it would be OK at 200 yards or more.

Personally I wouldn't shoot any "hard" bullets at steel at less than 150 yards, just to be safe from splashback and to preserve the targets.

200 yards with any high velocity smaller round.

I shoot thousands of 9mm FMJ's and various lead and jacketed .22's, .38's, .44's and .45's at 1/4" AR-500 falling steel plates at a range of 10 yards. The plates have a bit less of an angle than yours do (it's an Action Target commercial 6-plate falling target rack), but they do face slightly down and are free to move when hit.

There has never been a problem, so I think 10 yards is a good minimum range for handguns on AR-500 steel.

I think it's more the velocity than the bullet. The 22-250 penetrates steel better than a 30-06.

M193 penetates more than M855 under 200 yards because of its higher velocity so its just as bad or worse.

I am not Mr. Science however from my experience...

I shot some half inch thick mild steel plate at an angle from 15 feet away and found that there was zero difference in the cavity depth or size that the two rounds produced green tip or XM193...zero difference.

Bullschitt, greentip will bugger up any AR500 target I've ever seen inside 50yd, of course it's a moot point, 'cause it ain't safe to shoot steel with an AR inside 50yd. Ask a SOF medic who's dug a few of those penetrators out of guy's legs. When you remind them in could have hit their gonads, they get kinda wild eyed.

I shot mild plate steel at 15 feet at an angle, what your really saying is that if you don't have any concept of mechanical engineering or physics then don't do it.

If you had a sound knowledge of physics and ballistics, you wouldn't shoot mild steel with an AR, at all. I've done it to test targets, wearing a MICH helmet and body armor, M855 pockmarked AR500 at 25m. Don't do it.

You can shoot cold-roll mild steel with cast bullet 38's and 45acp all day long. When the plate bends you just flip it over. If you shoot it ONCE with an AR, it's got a divot forever, it is then forever unsafe at any distance as a pistol target.

You do what you do, I will do what I do. I have been shooting stuff for 46 years so far without a problem. Go watch a game of billiards it will give you a clue regards momentum.

We've shot our AR500 Armor Trauma Plates as close as 15 yards with Federal 5.56 Green-Tip XM855/SS109 Penetrators. Our experience from 15 yards is that the plates will suffer divots, this is with a quality cut of AR500 close to 500 Brinell. Lower Brinell ratings may not be able to handle this.

At 100+ yards our plates had dimples instead of divots.

Test video of the AR500 Armor vs Federal Green-Tips if your interested in watching.

http://www.ar500armor.com/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=5

The place where I work has stepped up to AR 530 on most targets and we've arrived at 75yd as a safe distance to use M855 green-tip out of an M4. The targets are still getting dimples and shooting the same targets with FMJ 9mm gets "interesting" on occasion but that is what the client brings to shoot. Cast lead bullets for handguns and 55gr FMJ out of AR's are what should be used to shoot steel in training.

Jeff, just try it at 100 yards, if it damages it too much I will send you a new piece to beat up on. The .223 AP rounds are pretty devastating on Steel targets. But I think ours are up to the task!!

hmmmm...I'm getting product design ideas....

I've shot mine (JC Steel AR 500) with green tip inside of 100 yards. It leaves a dimple. Once I move them out past 100 yards, I can't really tell if its a dimple or just knocking the paint off.

If you're worried about it, get some Soft or Hollow point to shoot at the steel.

When shooting SP/HP at the steel targets, I've noticed no real indent from anything I've shot at it. (.308, .270, 6.5 grendel or .223.) Each of those shots was 100yds or greater. With the HP .223, I was more like 75 yards.

55gr South African ball ammo takes little chunks out of my 1/2" AR500 at 100 yards.

With the 62gr green tip, I'd check the target after a round or two to see what's going on.

Need to take precautions (like a lot more distance) even if the round is not a penetrator. Here is a 1/4 inch AR500 plate shot at 30 yards with Nosler 50 grain Varmageddons at about 3200 fps, note holes: