knock down steel targets - a hard shot?

[FishingFool]

Artzen has AR400 6"x6" 3/8" steel plates. The plan was to weld some bases for knock down steel and make matching stands out of rebar and 2" flat bar. These knock down targets are going to be mine but I intend to bring them to every local match I attend. Kinda my way of giving back (the 3 gun bug bite really hard). The question is, are these plates too small for regular match use? What distance is a 6" plate a real challenge for new or inexperienced shooters pistol shooters? The local matches have a good mix of experience levels and it appears that it is attendance is growing.

[abn-rgr]

We use 5X5's. I say run with it. Try to make the base smaller than than the base on the plate. It will make sure they fall and not spin. Use a cyl bore 18" barrel using 7.5 shot to calibrate for shotgun. For pistol, use common sense on distance.

Edited May 19, 2010 by abn-rgr

[FishingFool]

We use 5X5's. I say run with it. Try to make the base smaller than than the base on the plate. It will make sure they fall and not spin. Use a cyl bore 18" barrel using 7.5 shot to calibrate for shotgun. For pistol, use common sense on distance.

What are the dimensions on ya'lls plate bases and stand bases?

[spanky]

6x6 should be plenty.

[FishingFool]

Thanks Jeremy.

[LPatterson]

Rule 2.1.3 lists minimum distances in a course of fire so I would use that. Involve some movement getting to the shooting position and 26' is a loooong way out.

[Ron Ankeny]

Be careful on your base design. The majority of splatter coming back is from fragments hitting the base and stand. Also, AR400 might dent a little from the some of the open guns. As far as distance, a 6x6 plate at 10 yards is a challenge to all skill levels because of the time element, but no more so than an A/B zone presentation on a metric target (notice how I didn't say head).

[GrumpyOne]

We shoot most of our steel at 15 yards and most, if not all of it is 6" x 6" or smaller.

[abn-rgr]

We use 5X5's. I say run with it. Try to make the base smaller than than the base on the plate. It will make sure they fall and not spin. Use a cyl bore 18" barrel using 7.5 shot to calibrate for shotgun. For pistol, use common sense on distance.

What are the dimensions on ya'lls plate bases and stand bases?

We made the base like a capital "I". The top and bottom of the "I" are the same width as the plate. The center part of the "I" is very thin. That way if the plate spins it has less to balance on. At the FN3G they weld a little lip in the front of the base. This seemed to work well, but seems like a lot more work.

[calishootr]

to new or inexperienced shooters EVERYTHING out there on a USPSA style match is a challenge, first off, they have probably never drawn a gun from a holster, let alone run all over the range with it in their hands??? difficult shots??? with the heart pumping intheir chests since sign-ups EVERYTHING is a tough shot, ive seen newbies come off a stage where they shot 'at' 12 inch colt speed steels at the minimum distances and thought we had messed with em and somehow welded em upright...we have a course designer out here, that has a penchant for sticking a MGM plate rack out at 20 yrds...us that have shot it a while, we are used to it, the newbies??? they never leavethat position, mags and brass at their feet

[Saito]

Be careful on your base design. The majority of splatter coming back is from fragments hitting the base and stand. Also, AR400 might dent a little from the some of the open guns. As far as distance, a 6x6 plate at 10 yards is a challenge to all skill levels because of the time element, but no more so than an A/B zone presentation on a metric target (notice how I didn't say head).

Listen to this guy, this is where I get my targets and he can set up a pretty challenging course of fire