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How thick does a metal plate or target need to be to hold up to centerfire rifle hits? After seeing some of the plates and cutouts here on the fire I’m thinking a cutout of a whitetail would be a lot of fun to bang away at during winter months. Any design suggestions or specs? I suppose I could just use a plate or circle but thought a life size deer would be more realistic.

Craig

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1/2" Ar500 seems to hold up pretty well. I have seen scaled down deer in steel, but a full size whitetail silhouette in 1/2" will be pretty weighty both in weight and on the wallet.

Last edited by noKnees; 11/30/18.

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I agree on the weight/price. Might have to rethink things. Still a fun idea

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My 3/8ths thick 12'X24" weighs 35 lbs. I will hang it lengthwise to mimic a deer's torso, or hang 2 of them side by side for a 24" target, for over 1000 yard plinking.

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3/8 is plenty thick if you’re shooting at 200+ yards.

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Ar 500 plate in 3/8 and 1/2 thickness. We use trench plate beyond 300 yards but its heavy and the bullet impacts create pockets with sharp edges.


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I have several gongs in 3/8" and 1/2" the 3/8"seems to hold up just as well as the 1/2". my supplier sells me Hardox 500, must be close to the AR500 guessing just a different manufacturer.

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I priced a full size Whitetail buck cutout of 1/2" AR500 last spring at the Sportsman's show in McAllen, TX. between the cost of the target and shipping, it was going to be over $1,000.00. They would sell the 3/8" AR500 show model for $895.00 just so they wouldn't have to lug it back to their shop.

I have just used smaller targets to simulate the vital zone and concentrate my shots on a particular place on that target. I'm not going to shoot the whole deer, anyway, just one small place.

Get several (get them in AR500 and you can shoot them at any distance) of varying sizes. You might think about a "bullseye" type that has a swinging center that is your intended POI.

Also, look for a company that cuts their targets underwater. That greatly minimizes the amount of target that has been softened by the cutting process. An edge hit on one that has been cut with a torch and then the cut edges ground smooth, will have a significantly larger amount of soft steel around the edges which can (and will) deform and will act much like non-hardened steel.

"Aim small, miss small" ! grin

Check Amazon, there are a number of high quality AR500 target shops that are quite reasonable.

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I have mine made out of 1” but it was free. It has held up well!

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Originally Posted by APDDSN0864
I priced a full size Whitetail buck cutout of 1/2" AR500 last spring at the Sportsman's show in McAllen, TX. between the cost of the target and shipping, it was going to be over $1,000.00. They would sell the 3/8" AR500 show model for $895.00 just so they wouldn't have to lug it back to their shop.




Cheaper to just have your own made.

I bought a full 4'x8' sheet of 3/8" AR500 this spring for $500. We cut it into various sized rectangle targets, but you could spend a couple hundred to have it water jet or plasma cut into a deer target. FWIW a full sheet makes a LOT of targets, and 3/8" is plenty if you're not using the big magnums at close range. It's the hardness of the steel that is important, more than the thickness.

Last edited by Yondering; 11/30/18.
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Originally Posted by boatanchor
I have several gongs in 3/8" and 1/2" the 3/8"seems to hold up just as well as the 1/2". my supplier sells me Hardox 500, must be close to the AR500 guessing just a different manufacturer.

Hardox is a Swedish manufacturer, and is extremely highly regarded. Some steel suppliers consider it to be the best. Hardox 500 is the same grade of hardness as AR500-spec.

I’ve done some torture testing of 3/8” Hardox 500, and as long as you keep impact velocities below about 2800 fps, and avoid hard bullets like steel core, you’ll typically not even divot the steel.

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Life size?

1/4"


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Originally Posted by Craig2506
How thick does a metal plate or target need to be to hold up to centerfire rifle hits? After seeing some of the plates and cutouts here on the fire I’m thinking a cutout of a whitetail would be a lot of fun to bang away at during winter months. Any design suggestions or specs? I suppose I could just use a plate or circle but thought a life size deer would be more realistic.

Craig



3/8" will hold up well unless you shoot fmj's or all copper bullets at sub 200 yards. High velocity and hard bullets are what damages.

I'd make a make or buy several square targets from 4" X 4" up through 12" X 12" Circles are a waste of plate if you have a choice. Having an entire whitetail buck target cut out is going to be expensive and hard to move. I use my 12X12" the most.

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Originally Posted by Lonny
I use my 12X12" the most.

When I first bought my targets, I bought 4",6", 8", 10", and 12" sizes, some round, some square, some 3/8ths, some half.

I sold all but the 3/8ths 12" squares, and bought a couple more. If I shoot any at 2-300 yards, I just spray paint dots in several places on them,

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Originally Posted by Craig2506
How thick does a metal plate or target need to be to hold up to centerfire rifle hits? After seeing some of the plates and cutouts here on the fire I’m thinking a cutout of a whitetail would be a lot of fun to bang away at during winter months. Any design suggestions or specs? I suppose I could just use a plate or circle but thought a life size deer would be more realistic.

Craig


3/8" AR plate works just fine for most rifle cartridges past 100 yards. You don't say how far you will be shooting, or what cartridge you'll be using. For offhand shooting at 100 yards, I like using a 4" plate. For shooting from a bench or prone at 400- 440 yards, I like using a 4" diameter plate. Likewise, at 600 yards, a 6" plate works just fine..


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I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
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I picked up one of these - Cabela's 10” Rifle Gong Target with Stand - at the beginning of the year on a good sale at local Cabelas. It has stood up well so far.

Last edited by Driftboater; 11/30/18.

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