Homemade Steel Target Help

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  • txgunner00
    Chieftain
    • Mar 2011
    • 2070

    #31
    Originally posted by Von Gruff View Post
    I made this one for my heavier rifles and it has taken full power 404 Jeffery shots with ease. Used wearalloy that is used for digger buckets - dozer blades repair.



    Put the angle iron on after a couple of low hits.



    Easy to set up and transport to the range.

    Von Gruff.
    Are those shallow craters in the plate or just lead deposits? I probably can get my hands on some of that plate from an equipment mechanic friend of mine.
    NRA life, GOA life, SAF, and TSRA

    "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

    George Mason, co-author, 2nd Amendment.

    Comment

    • Von Gruff
      Chieftain
      • Apr 2012
      • 1078

      #32
      Originally posted by txgunner00 View Post
      Are those shallow craters in the plate or just lead deposits? I probably can get my hands on some of that plate from an equipment mechanic friend of mine.
      It is the heat treated 370gn cast 404 Jeffery bullet at 2365fps at 55 yds that leaves the shallow craters. My practice 160gn lino cast bullets at 2415fps leave only lead smear. Jacketed 303 bullets left a barely discernable crater. Have been using it for nearly 10 years and dont expect to damage it beyond use in any future shooting.
      Of course the angle iron is mild steel and will take a deep crater but is still the origonal. Accurate shooting keeps it from too much damage.


      Von Gruff.
      Last edited by Von Gruff; 05-02-2012, 08:22 PM.
      http://www.vongruffknives.com/

      sigpic Von Gruff



      Grendel-Max

      Exodus 20:1-17
      Acts 4:10-12

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      • txgunner00
        Chieftain
        • Mar 2011
        • 2070

        #33
        Thanks. I think the next time I'm in the area where my buddy's shop is I'll make time to dig through his scrap pile. I know he has a bunch of take-off cutter edges and wear plates. All the steel targets I've made to date have been out of mild steel but I get it free from work. I'm in commercial construction and we always have left over concrete embed plates. They don't last long when shooting them with high powered rifles but the price is good.
        NRA life, GOA life, SAF, and TSRA

        "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

        George Mason, co-author, 2nd Amendment.

        Comment

        • txgunner00
          Chieftain
          • Mar 2011
          • 2070

          #34
          Here's one I made a while back. It was an extra baseplate for a pre-cast concrete column. I cut the gong from the base plate and used what was left for the stand.

          NRA life, GOA life, SAF, and TSRA

          "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

          George Mason, co-author, 2nd Amendment.

          Comment

          • Von Gruff
            Chieftain
            • Apr 2012
            • 1078

            #35
            http://www.vongruffknives.com/

            sigpic Von Gruff



            Grendel-Max

            Exodus 20:1-17
            Acts 4:10-12

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            • txgunner00
              Chieftain
              • Mar 2011
              • 2070

              #36
              Good idea. I've used similar methods but not that one exactly. Recently I've simply been welding rebar legs to them.
              NRA life, GOA life, SAF, and TSRA

              "I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."

              George Mason, co-author, 2nd Amendment.

              Comment


              • #37
                I'm fascinated to see the ideas that folks come up with for targets and methods of fabrication. Great thread.

                Comment


                • #38
                  Originally posted by Von Gruff View Post
                  Could use the points as a scope leveling guide as is done with the printed targets that feature the square diamond concept. Round looks good but for a rapid destruction of the mild steel I would be looking to minimise labour input.

                  Von Gruff.
                  I did that with an 8" square plate, drilled a hole in one corner and hung it up in my 50 yard target berm. It not only makes an excellent target, but is very useful for scope leveling (as suggested) and also bore sighting my rifles before confirming on paper at 50 and then 100 or 200 yards.





                  The two pepper poppers have a board keeping them up so as not to have to reset them. The falling plate rack is for rimfire only and I have 50 yards of parachute cord that stretches up to my driveway. Knock them down and yank them back up. The railroad tie backstop is only to protect my trees from taking a lot of lead. A buddy came out and back-filled a dirt mound/berm about 4 feet tall behind the ties.

                  The view of my yard just says "this guy's a shooter".

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                  • #39
                    How does the wife feel about your "lawn ornaments"? Where are the gnomes?

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                    • #40
                      Originally posted by Bwild97 View Post
                      How does the wife feel about your "lawn ornaments"? Where are the gnomes?
                      No spousal unit to interfere with my addiction to guns and shooting and hunting. I've been a confirmed bachelor my entire life. I have a deer stand up in a large cottonwood tree just beyond that target berm.

                      Comment


                      • #41
                        Originally posted by wiuprof View Post
                        No spousal unit to interfere with my addiction to guns and shooting and hunting. I've been a confirmed bachelor my entire life. I have a deer stand up in a large cottonwood tree just beyond that target berm.
                        Then there's nobody to complain if a bullet ricochets and hits the back of the house. Those plates seem awfully close to me. Every 3-gun competition I've been to involved me getting splashed with shot, even when standing 50yds away.

                        That said, I'd take your backyard over mine any day. "Thou shalt not covet thine neighbor's wife, nor his car, nor his backyard steel target range."

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                        • Von Gruff
                          Chieftain
                          • Apr 2012
                          • 1078

                          #42
                          If you wanted to set up a semi permanent steel target that would iliminate bullet splash then this is not a bad way to go. A clip for a paper target can be affixed to the top and you have the best of both worlds as there would be the satisfying sound to indicate a hit and a recordable target to store with any other relevant data. As per the plans it is a fairly substantial unit but it could be scaled for lighter calibers or closer ranges but with a mouth over 2ft x2ft it would do for "way out there".





                          Von Gruff.
                          Last edited by Von Gruff; 05-09-2012, 08:57 PM.
                          http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                          sigpic Von Gruff



                          Grendel-Max

                          Exodus 20:1-17
                          Acts 4:10-12

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                          • #43
                            Talk about bullet abuse!

                            That poor thing will get twisted every which way after getting splattered!

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                            • #44
                              Originally posted by LRRPF52 View Post
                              Then there's nobody to complain if a bullet ricochets and hits the back of the house. Those plates seem awfully close to me. Every 3-gun competition I've been to involved me getting splashed with shot, even when standing 50yds away.

                              That said, I'd take your backyard over mine any day. "Thou shalt not covet thine neighbor's wife, nor his car, nor his backyard steel target range."
                              I've never had problems with ricochets. Shooting a flat steel plate (no pock marks) without a right angle base has nothing coming back. I've put a board beneath the 7 yard square plate and shot it with 45 acp and 40 s&W splatter radiates out 360 degrees with a large flat chunk of lead falling on the board. I shoot no magnum rounds or centerfire rifle loads at any of the targets out to 50 yards. Steel is hanging at 150, 200, 300 and 400 yards. It gets hit with centerfire rifle rounds. I have shot cowboy action rifle loads at the 50 yard poppers and the 8" square, but that's with cast bullets in 38, 44 and 45.

                              The only matches I've been to where splatter was an issue was with poorly designed steel targets. A base welded on at a right angle will cause some splatter to come back at the shooter. It's physics. Pock marked targets are problematic at close range as well. The bullet goes into the cavity and some spits back at you. Like shooting a high pressure hose into an open bucket..... you're gonna get wet. My flat steel plates are on shepherd's hooks and the bullet splatters tiny bits 360* and a chunk of lead drops to the ground.

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                              • #45
                                Fire hose discarded as unusable by the local fire department, or old tire tread works really well. Put holes through the tire or hose, and secure the plate using grade 8 bolts and washers. The Fire hose, or tire tread takes many, MANY hits before it ever becomes a problem. Another way to put up targets is to use T posts, and a compression strap that squeezes the target onto the top of the T post when you tighten the bolts. Sure, the T posts don't survive too many direct hits, but you can usually get T posts for around $4 each at some where like Home depot.

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