Is my target safe to shoot?

[wsenefeld]

I have a nearly unlimited supply of scrap steel (just need approval from higher up whenever I take some). It's 3/8" 80 grade steel discs/squares about 6" across. Got 5400 lb chain from tractor supply and had it welded to the plates. Planning on hanging them about 2'-3' of the ground and shooting it with 9mm and 45acp only with a proper backstop. A friend declined to shoot them with me, arguing that it would ricochet. Thought some of you might have tried similar things. Thanks!

 

[ZbornacSVT]

High chance of ricochet with anything less than about 400BHN steel with pistol calibers.

That steel you have will be about 130-200BHN. Realistically probably in the 150BHN range.

 

[giovani]

I suppose there is a possibility of a ricochet with any hard target, I saw a man hit in the cheek from a 45 acp fired at a bowling pin.

 

[RyanGSams]

I too have a nearly unlimited supply of steel plates. What does Bhn transfer to in tensile strength(if it does)?

we roll steel around 50000 tensile i believe. I can see if i can get the BHN from someone. What is a good thickness for steel targets?

 

[giovani]

I have a nearly unlimited supply of scrap steel (just need approval from higher up whenever I take some). It's 3/8" 80 grade steel discs/squares about 6" across. Got 5400 lb chain from tractor supply and had it welded to the plates. Planning on hanging them about 2'-3' of the ground and shooting it with 9mm and 45acp only with a proper backstop. A friend declined to shoot them with me, arguing that it would ricochet. Thought some of you might have tried similar things. Thanks!

I was going to recommend heating and quenchingbut, 80 grade structural steel only contains .2 % carbon which is not enough to harden it.

 

[wsenefeld]

High chance of ricochet with anything less than about 400BHN steel with pistol calibers.

That steel you have will be about 130-200BHN. Realistically probably in the 150BHN range.

Being that it will be hung from a chain and able to swing freely it should lessen any risk?

 

[ZbornacSVT]

I too have a nearly unlimited supply of steel plates. What does Bhn transfer to in tensile strength(if it does)?

we roll steel around 50000 tensile i believe. I can see if i can get the BHN from someone. What is a good thickness for steel targets?

Tensile has NOTHING to do with hardness.
Hardness is what you need.

Hardness combats velocity, thickness combats energy.

Being that it will be hung from a chain and able to swing freely it should lessen any risk?

Not really. The round is going to do most of the damage before the plate begins to move.

Here is a picture of our targets compared to that of structural steel like you have. The target on the left is 3/8" AR500, while the target on the right is 3/4" floor plate. These were from a single range outing. Which do you feel safer shooting at?



We offer a full line of pistol and rifle rated targets if you are interested in something that is safe and will last. Just let me know if there is anything we can help you out with!

 

[dak109]

Tensile has NOTHING to do with hardness.
Hardness is what you need.

Hardness combats velocity, thickness combats energy.



Not really. The round is going to do most of the damage before the plate begins to move.

Here is a picture of our targets compared to that of structural steel like you have. The target on the left is 3/8" AR500, while the target on the right is 3/4" floor plate. These were from a single range outing. Which do you feel safer shooting at?



We offer a full line of pistol and rifle rated targets if you are interested in something that is safe and will last. Just let me know if there is anything we can help you out with!

This bobcatSteel is good stuff.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Tensile has NOTHING to do with hardness.
Hardness is what you need.

Hardness combats velocity, thickness combats energy.



Not really. The round is going to do most of the damage before the plate begins to move.

Here is a picture of our targets compared to that of structural steel like you have. The target on the left is 3/8" AR500, while the target on the right is 3/4" floor plate. These were from a single range outing. Which do you feel safer shooting at?



We offer a full line of pistol and rifle rated targets if you are interested in something that is safe and will last. Just let me know if there is anything we can help you out with!

What was said. Tensile strength relates to how much tension can be placed on the steel before it goes past it's yield strength. Meaning, if you stretched the steel, at what point would it not retain it's original properties and become weakened.

 

[Mgderf]

High chance of ricochet with anything less than about 400BHN steel with pistol calibers.

That steel you have will be about 130-200BHN. Realistically probably in the 150BHN range.

Would you mind re-stating that in English?

Some of us are not well versed in technoese.

 

[dleak]

excellent technical information !!! i frequently cant add ANYTHING to the conversation , but i'm really learning a LOT just from reading we seem to have an expert or professional available to comment on just about every subject discussed ... awesome ... all i can add here is richocets stink ...

 

[SmileDocHill]

Being that it will be hung from a chain and able to swing freely it should lessen any risk?

I hear this mentioned a LOT and, as Zbornac pointed out, the timing of the physics just doesn't support it. It is good initial logic, it just doesn't happen that way.

 

[hooky]

Would you mind re-stating that in English?

Some of us are not well versed in technoese.

What he has isn't hard enough to mitigate the risk of ricochets. To mitigate that risk, he needs something harder like AR 400 for pistol calibers or AR 500 for centerfire rifle calibers..

 

[ZbornacSVT]

Hooky got it.

BHN is Brinnell hardness. It is the hardness scale the the AR plate is rated on. Basically showing that AR400 is three times harder than mild steel and AR500 is about four times harder.

 

[wsenefeld]

Ended up taking it out today to see what would happen. Used the XD45 and XDm9c. Shot at 15 yards, 10, 7, then 5. Never felt anything come back at me but wore pants, kevlar sleeves, and eye pro, just in case. Looked like the majority of the lead landed immediately below or within the first 3' of the target.

 

[ljk]

another thing you can do to minimize the ricochet is to angle the plate down. set up a second pole behind the target plate with a chain welded to the bottom should work.

or something like this:

 

[strokin7.3]

We offer a full line of pistol and rifle rated targets if you are interested in something that is safe and will last. Just let me know if there is anything we can help you out with!

Go this route! You won't regret it and ZbornacSVT is awesome to deal with! Love my new targets

 

[Fargo]

Ended up taking it out today to see what would happen. Used the XD45 and XDm9c. Shot at 15 yards, 10, 7, then 5. Never felt anything come back at me but wore pants, kevlar sleeves, and eye pro, just in case. Looked like the majority of the lead landed immediately below or within the first 3' of the target.

Dang, I wouldn't shoot a 22 at ar500 at 5 yards, much less anything centerfire, especially at mild steel. If you really want to see where the frags are going, set up some cardboard sheets down and around the target, don't use your body with its innumerable chinks in the armor. Getting copper/lead/steel out of your tissue is a helluva lot more painful than setting up some sheets.

Plus, your target appears to already be pocking. Where the fragments go becomes immensely more unpredictable the more the surface is pocked/irregular so the more you shoot it, the less it will behave like it currently does..

Best,

Joe

 

[wolfman]

Ended up taking it out today to see what would happen. Used the XD45 and XDm9c. Shot at 15 yards, 10, 7, then 5. Never felt anything come back at me but wore pants, kevlar sleeves, and eye pro, just in case. Looked like the majority of the lead landed immediately below or within the first 3' of the target.

Just curious, what are those dark spots in the middle of the hit marks? Is the steel still flat, or are there small dimples where each round hit? If there are any dimples or bends at all from that few rounds, you are at risk for a bounce back any time now.

 

[flashpuppy]

Hooky got it.

BHN is Brinnell hardness. It is the hardness scale the the AR plate is rated on. Basically showing that AR400 is three times harder than mild steel and AR500 is about four times harder.

How does hardsurface rod hold up? Are you guys using a plasma or oxy/fuel table?