Choosing the right steel for pistol targets, pics up while bandwidth lasts

[Specop 007]

Its been my experience, and opinion, that most commercially available pistol targets are gross overkill for the task at hand. Vendors love to sell you steel plates that can withstand rifle fire as a "do all" target. If all you want to do is shoot pistols I believe rifle rated plate is nothing but an unnecessary cost.

So I did what any bored guy with too much time on his hands would do who enjoyed OP's posts....I decided to get off my duff and do some shooting!

My objective is to see what is the baseline minimum that can be used for pistol targets. I decided to start with the bottom rung steel, 3/8" A36. I swung by the local welding shop Friday and grabbed 2 6"x6" pieces of A36 3/8 plate. And thats where the story begins.....

Heres the 2 plates, ready to be tested against all the lead I could put in the air.

First thing to do was drill a small hole in it to hang it from. I wouldnt do this sort of mount on a finished target, this is just a quick way to get it hanging and get going.

When they cut the steel for me they use what amounts to some big arsed scissors. This leaves a bit of an edge on the plate so I hit it real quick with the grinder.

Here it is hung up ready to go and the target stand set out to 30 feet, 10 yards. As a side, the blue tarp on the right is what I hang up when shooting rifles to keep brass from going all over my garage.

 

[Specop 007]

First up, 9mm from a Sig P228.

Heres the steel plate before any testing.

This is after 5 shots of Winchester White Box 9mm. No damages to the plate although there is lead splatter clearly visible from the bullet impact.

After the WBB I went with Remington UMC, again 5 shots.

After that I went with some Winchester SXZ9 JHP.

I was starting to realize these plates would take 9mm all day long without any problems. Good news for me, but I decided to step it up a notch. I went and grabbed a Ruger Security Six in 357 and a Virginian Dragoon in .44 Mag along with a few boxes of hunting ammo.

Here we are after 5, well 6, shots of 357 using Hornady 140gr FTX ammo. No damage to the plate.

 

[Specop 007]

Up next was the 44 using Hornady 240gr XTP. If anything was going to not "buff right out" it would be this one. Well, the 44 was hitting so hard it actually knocked the target off the wire on the 2nd shot!

And again on the 3rd...

And again on the 5th....

The 44 Mag left a few visible pock marks but nothing that would render the plate dangerous or unusable as long as one didnt use a 44 regularly.

Heres the backside of the plate, showing the energy being carried through the steel and leaving a mark on the back.

Those were the results of allowing the plate to freely swing which means the least amount of energy is absorbed by the plate. I wanted to use the other plate braced against the target stand which would mean the steel plate would have to absorb most of the energy of the bullet. No free swinging target here. I repeated the test in the same order with the same ammunition.

Sig using 9mm WBB

Sig with Remington UMC

Sig with Win SXZ9

 

[Specop 007]

The Ruger in 357, I was mildly surprised at the lack of any pock marks on the steel.

Finishing up with the 44 Mag. After the marks on the free swinging plate I really expected more.

Out of curiosity I went and grabbed my MP5 clone just to see what the 9mm would do out of a long barrel. Interesting there were just the smallest of indentions from I believe the SXZ9 which I didnt expect. I guess the extra length of the barrel on the rifle kicks it up high enough to ever so slightly score the steel. Something to note for those wanting to use a 9mm AR. Still very doable and I'm sure the plate would take thousands of rounds without problems but still something to consider none the less.

Something to note about shooting steel. Theres ALWAYS splatter that comes off the plate, even if it isnt back at you. Usually it comes out at a 90 degree angle to the plate but not always. The damage to the 2x4 should give an idea that the splatter is still moving right along and hopefully illustrates the importance of eye protection. You simply do not want to shoot steel without eye protection PERIOD.

Heres pictures of the 2 plates side by side. Left one was the hanger, right one fixed.

Backside of the plates....

 

[Specop 007]

The fixed plate at a better angle to see all the little dimples. Most of them came from the 9mm rifle or the large caliber handguns.

And of course what fun would it be if we didnt "test to fail"? So I hauled the target down to my 100 yard mark and went and grabbed my benchrest rig. In the interest of giving the poor mild steel a chance I only used Wolf 223.

Just as with the 44 Mag the rifle hit the plate so hard it spun off the wire.

Heres the backside of the plate, I gave it a nipple!

The front side of the plate, this clearly shows that A36 mild steel is in no way capable of handing any centerfire calibers.

 

[Specop 007]

And lastly, the souvenirs from shooting steel. You'll always find a few mushrooms on the ground.....

Oh, and what did this little test set me back? Well....

There you go. For simple target shooting using pistols you dont need to get high end AR500 steel. In fact you dont even need to go with something such as T1. You can pick up the bottom of the barrel A36 mild steel in 3/8" and be good to go. My local welding shop has 5" and 6" flat plate they sell by the foot, $6.50 per foot. For under 7 bucks I had 2 6"x6" plates I can shoot all day long.

Now obviously the plates will take some damage from large caliber handguns so if you shoot these often it may be worthwhile to step up to a higher grade steel. But for "combat handgun" plinking (9mm, 45) you certainly dont need expensive or exotic materials to have ringers.

Lastly, shooting stuff is fun.

 

[Skitzer]

I've been meaning to make a couple plates for my backyard but haven't gotten around to it. You have revitalized my resolve.
I wonder how a 45 acp will do against the 3/8" plate.
I have a 9mm and a 45 pistol.
Thanks for the post!!

 

[Specop 007]

I've been meaning to make a couple plates for my backyard but haven't gotten around to it. You have revitalized my resolve.
I wonder how a 45 acp will do against the 3/8" plate.
I have a 9mm and a 45 pistol.
Thanks for the post!!

45 shouldnt do anything really. If they can (almost) stand up to 44 Mag I cant imagine 45 is going to be a problem.

 

[ShawnD1]

10 year old logic:
you should attach the steel plate to the side of a dog then shoot the plate and see how the dog responds to the loud noise + weird push from the plate that accompanied the loud noise

 

[Possessed Freak]

The local range I belong to does not allow for any non-paper targets. Otherwise I would love to make these. Going to another range is out of the question, 1/4 mile drive vs 10 mile drive.

 

[skyking]

I'm thinking a slight angle to the target would drop most of the splatter and lead down into a trap, much like the shot traps at indoor ranges. The easy way to do that is a short bolt with a nut in that hole, and tie the wire out at the end of the bolt behind the plate. You would not notice it from shooting distance but it would make any cleanup easier, and I suspect it would be safer as well.

 

[Texashiker]

I I decided to start with the bottom rung steel, 3/8" A36. I swung by the local welding shop Friday and grabbed 2 6"x6" pieces of A36 3/8 plate.

A36 is as far as I needed to read - its about the lowest grade of carbon steel that you can get.

516-70 in either 3/8 or 1/2 thick is going to be superior to A36 - in just about everything.

If you want something that is going to resist rusting, get some 1 1/4 chrome plate steel - also known as 387-11 in the welding world. But stay away from 387-22, the welds are more likely to crack then 387-11.

Look in the local phone book and see if you can find an ASME certified pressure vessel or heat exchanger shops.They should be able to provide you with 516-70 plate steel out of their scrap bin.

 

[Specop 007]

A36 is as far as I needed to read - its about the lowest grade of carbon steel that you can get.

516-70 in either 3/8 or 1/2 thick is going to be superior to A36 - in just about everything.

If you want something that is going to resist rusting, get some 1 1/4 chrome plate steel - also known as 387-11 in the welding world. But stay away from 387-22, the welds are more likely to crack then 387-11.

Look in the local phone book and see if you can find an ASME certified pressure vessel or heat exchanger shops.They should be able to provide you with 516-70 plate steel out of their scrap bin.

Right, thats exactly the point. I wanted to demonstrate that the absolute lowest grade of steel is going to be just fine for most pistol shooting. Theres some outfits trying to pass off AR500 steel as the ideal steel for pistol targets. Thats obscene overkill to be honest.

 

[Kirby]

I'm curious what it'd look like after some 30-06, .300 WinMag, or .375H&H.

 

[Specop 007]

I'm curious what it'd look like after some 30-06, .300 WinMag, or .375H&H.

About like what it looked like with the 223, except you'd see daylight through it.

 

[Texashiker]

Right, thats exactly the point. I wanted to demonstrate that the absolute lowest grade of steel is going to be just fine for most pistol shooting. Theres some outfits trying to pass off AR500 steel as the ideal steel for pistol targets. Thats obscene overkill to be honest.

To be honest, that A36 did better then what I expected. That stuff is a couple of steps up from scrap steel.

To give you an idea, heat exchanger baffles are usually made out of A36 to give the chemicals something to eat on. As compared to the exchanger shell that is usually 516-70.

If I were going to build some pistol targets, my first preference would be 516-70, and then 316-L. Both have a wide range of industrial applications, are easy to find, and are easy to weld on.

Or, take a piece of 516-70, and run some beads of inconel or monel welding rods over the carbon steel - thus making a cladded target.

Or yet again - take 2 peices of steel the same size, 1 - 316-L and 1 - 516-70, may them on top of each other and weld the outside.

Thank you for doing the test though. That SA36 looks like its going to be good enough for most pistol calibers.

~~ EDIT ~~

I would like to how something like Hastelloy does against a bullet.

 

[spidey07]

223 did that???!!!

 

[Specop 007]

223 did that???!!!

As they say, pistols are pistols and rifles and rifles. And this was using cheap Wolf ammo too. I'm pretty sure a hot Mil-Surp load would punch through.

 

[Specop 007]

To be honest, that A36 did better then what I expected. That stuff is a couple of steps up from scrap steel.

To give you an idea, heat exchanger baffles are usually made out of A36 to give the chemicals something to eat on. As compared to the exchanger shell that is usually 516-70.

If I were going to build some pistol targets, my first preference would be 516-70, and then 316-L. Both have a wide range of industrial applications, are easy to find, and are easy to weld on.

Or, take a piece of 516-70, and run some beads of inconel or monel welding rods over the carbon steel - thus making a cladded target.

Or yet again - take 2 peices of steel the same size, 1 - 316-L and 1 - 516-70, may them on top of each other and weld the outside.

Thank you for doing the test though. That SA36 looks like its going to be good enough for most pistol calibers.

~~ EDIT ~~

I would like to how something like Hastelloy does against a bullet.

Well, you send it to me and I'l go shoot it. Nothing radioactive or otherwise dangerous though.

 

[Scotteq]

223 did that???!!!

The receiving end of a .223 is not a pleasant place to be. While it has it's limitations at longer ranges, the military do use and have developed that round for good reason.

 

[spidey07]

The receiving end of a .223 is not a pleasant place to be. While it has it's limitations at longer ranges, the military do use and have developed that round for good reason.

Not to derail, but at our range the range officer always states "Those of you with high powered rifles, 223 and above, your targets must be 50 yards from the firing line"

I just never considered 223 to be a "high powered rifle". I've changed my mind. The damage to that plate shows a LOT of energy.

 

[AMDZen]

Aren't you worried about ricochets? Hope you knock your eye out son

 

[spidey07]

Aren't you worried about ricochets? Hope you knock your eye out son

ALWAYS wear properly rated eye protection. As you can see the bullet effectively disintegrates or mushrooms.

 

[Kelvrick]

Aren't you worried about ricochets? Hope you knock your eye out son

Shooters should be wearing eye/ear protection anyway.

Yea, 223 has some decent powder behind it for 50-80gr.

This just reminds me when my stupid friend shot my little 22 spinner target with an sks. Last time we invited him out to the woods with us.

 

[ShawnD1]

I just never considered 223 to be a "high powered rifle". I've changed my mind. The damage to that plate shows a LOT of energy.

new rule: shells with the screwed up shape should be called "high powered"

here is a nice cylinder shape; let's call these low power from now on:

weird shape; let's call these high power

Not in terms of raw energy but in terms of penetrating power. The bullet has so much gun powder for its size that it needs a wonky looking shell to contain all of it.