I have on occaision. I really enjoy the torso shaped steel plates at an area rifle range. It's pretty gratifying to see something fall down at 250+ yards. When it stands back up, it's your duty to shoot it again!
I also like the falling plates on their pistol range. I used to shoot bowling pins in league competition years ago. Steel plates offer the same reactive experience, but with a reset cord.
The static plates on the tactical course at this same range offer audible confirmation of hits when you are on the move. I like those, too.
Are you talking torso or small round plates? I've shot the round plates. They work well and make a fun ping sound. You can put tape on them to distinguish your shot pattern from one outing to the other. They last a long time. Hope this helps.
It's a very good quality round plate. Already did some shooting on the plate. The bullet marks on the plate immediately identify the location of hits. A quick paint spray refreshes the plate for more shooting. I have the plate set up ~40yds from my deck and it's a hoot just going out on the deck and begin shooting. No targets need to be set up before shooting. The steel ping being hit is also a nice change from paper targets. It has been good fun and has me thinking about buying some dynamic steel targets.
My club has a steel plate shoot every Sat, We have two set ups of 6 silhouettes ( 3large and 3 small on each side) and 2 dueling trees and a center dual level plate rack. Gotta remember to bring enough ammo.
Hi, I got the MGM IPSC target and ordered and received additional 6" and 12", 3/8" thick, round plates from Shootsteel.com. I also bought a 5x1/2" plate from Shootsteel to be used with rifle at 100yds. The plates from Shootsteel are shipped Priority Mail and received anywhere in the country in 3 days or less. The laser cut edge of the Shootsteel plates look like the plates were machined, it looks so good.
Shooting steel has been so much fun. My divorced sister-in-law loves shooting the IPSC target (she calls it the no-good man). Shooting steel brings a new dimension to recreational shooting. However, as lipofsky suggests, you go through a lot of ammo, really fast.
Hi, after putting many many rounds on AR500 steel I am seeing some marking on the steel surface of my steel targets. The marks are very small dents. I know that .22 LR, .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and 9mm leave no dents, even as close as 10yds. However, I did begin seeing dents when shooting an M1 Carbine and .22 Magnum from 100yds. The ballistics has the .30 Carbine at ~1600fps @ 100yds and I'm guessing that the .22 Magnum is somewhat the same.
I must admit some disappointment in that I was under the impression that .223 Remington and .308 Winchester could be used from 200yds on AR500 steel with no damage.
Looking at videos on YouTube there is different results on steel damage reported, some of the reports of absolutely no damage are obviously BS.
What is your experience on damage to AR500 targets?
Hi, I just received a new 16" AR500 gong target from ShootSteel.com. I see a trademark on the steel plate, Hardox Wear Plate. An internet search found the mechanical properties of this AR500 plate steel: Hardox 450 | Hardox 500 brinell | Wear Plate | Abrasion Resistant Steel Plate
Hardness = 470-530
Yield Strength = 190,000
Tensile Strength = 225,000
There is also a .pdf for the technical data sheets for this steel.
If I remember correctly mild steel has a yield strength of ~53,000.
Hi, just a note to report on shooting .44 magnum from a rifle at 100yds.
I shot AR500 steel targets at 100yds using a .44 magnum Winchester 94ae rifle with 240gr lead and 24gr IMR4227 (~1700fps muzzle). The bullet strikes produce a very slight dimple somewhat less deep than my .30 Carbine.
There is a lot of BS reporting where the seller of steel targets suggests that .223 and .308 from 100yds is OK and won't produce any damage. IMO don't believe it. It seems that any bullet moving at ~1600fps or more hitting an AR500 steel plate will leave a dimple. While it may be fine for continued rifle shooting at 100yds, the dimples can cause close range handgun bullet splatter to come back at the shooter. I suggest keeping rifle and handgun target separated. I have never seen a handgun bullet leave a mark in AR500 steel. The paint is removed where hit with a handgun, but the steel target remains as the original new AR500 steel plate.
While this post may seem negative, when used properly, steel targets are a lot of fun.
Hi, after a while the paint on steel targets builds up were it needs cleaning. I found the best and quickest method to remove he paint is to use a 12-gauge with field loads.
Been shooting steel for about the last 2 years when I go into the desert to shoot. Had 2 torsos made up and they have been great training aids for shooting my pistols. They are not AR500 so they don't get used with any rifles over .22LR.
They are reduced size targets so I get used to shooting at small targets so if I ever have to shoot a big one it's that much easier to hit it.
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I put a flip camera on a tripod about 15' away was actually louder than I expected.
As some other folks have said in this thread AR500 is pretty much safe from any handgun round at any reasonably safe distance. Anyone who tells you their targets can handle 308 or 223 without pitting (even just a little) is flat out lying to you.
Damage can be reduced significantly by backing up 100-200 yds with the hotter rifle rounds 2500+ fps and angling the target towards the ground slightly.
It's the heat from the round that actually pits the steel. A downward deflection gives the bullet a chance to divert to the ground more easily.
Also, Some of the guys selling targets on Ebay are calling their steel AR500 but it's not and I suspect this is where some of the horror stories are coming from about massive target damage.
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