glknineteen Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I'm thinking about starting to make my own steel targets, since the cost to buy them is so high. Does anybody know what type(s) of steel would be best for pistol and smallbore rifle (22lr and 223)? I'm ok with minor denting, but I need something that won't get punctured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latech15 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Most will tell you AR 500 plate is best, but I use plain old a36 for pistol shooting never makes more than a chip in the paint. 223 is another story. I haven't made any plates for rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I have before. For just personal use with 9mm, .40 and .45, you can use plain cold rolled A36 steel. You might be able to get by with 1/4 inch thick stuff, but 3/8" would be better. For rifle like .223, you are going to have to use something more exotic and expensive like AR500 steel, or better. I haven't worked with that stuff before, but I am suspecting your tools are going to have be more advanced as well...like a plasma cutter. or if you could farm it out to some place that has a plasma cam that would be better. I have talked to the president of a major target manufacturer and he said he farms out cutting shapes like poppers to places that have industrial lasers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 AR grade plate is a royal PITA to cut with a blade. Basically too hard. Plasma, laser or water is your best bet for cutting.... water is best for not screwing up the heat treat. You can get away with 3/8 mild for pistol calibers for a while, but the edges will fold and the steel will crater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle O Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Just get some from AR15 targets, or MGM, both who support our sport, and have great products. That is if you don't have the proper tools to do it yourself, not trying to push you against doing this, but I bought some from both, and am happy thus far. Money well spent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gohuskers Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 What Chills said. Lots of good info in the Match Management section of the site under "target & prop design" - just scroll down to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colt22man Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I had a local machine shop cut 8 inch round steel bar stock in 3/4 " thick slices & welded to a 3" X 5" base. I use them for pistol & .22 rf only. I don't dare try .223. I would stick with the uspsa sponser's for rifle targets. My locally made steel targets were $15 each and they have taken thousands of hits and look like new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 AR 500 is the way to go for rifle, but if you dont have the equipment and are only buying small quantities of steel plate you'll be way ahead just buying them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmiller1 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 If you are going to shoot it with a 223, you will need to buy AR500 at least. The 223 will burn through regular steel like butter. When we first started shooting 3 gun, one of the guys made a plate or two of 3/8" & brought it out to try. He fired a shot from 100 at it & it didn't move at all. He thought he missed so he shot again. Same thing. We went up there & found two holes clean through like nothing. It didn't make the thing swing or anything. This was not steel core ammo or anything. I just bought a 4' x 8' pc of 1/2" AR500 & had my brother cut it all up for me with his waterjet cutter. Even with the family discount, this was pretty high. Time on a waterjet is something like $100/hr & we used 9.5hrs to make 60 various shape targets. Any cut with heat will change the resistance of the edge of the target, which is already the obvious place for damage so the waterjet is probably the best thing for cutting since there is no heat. Wait, let me say it is the best thing I know about. I have heard of an underwater plasma cutter but don't even know if that exists, much less where to find one. There may be other tools for that also. I am not a steel guy, hahaha. Working on stands, now. Everything takes time, for sure. MLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latech15 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I sell fab equipment and have access to water jets, plasmas, lasers, oxy fuel cutters, etc. All of the targets from the major manufacturers are plasma cut. The ones I have seen at least. The high speed, high definition plasmas cut so fast that there is only about a .100 wide heat affected zone at the edge of the plate. That isn't going to make much of a difference for what we do with them. The harder the material is, the easier it is to cut with a thermal process like plasma. That 9.5 hours on the water jet would take less than a half an hour on a plasma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 so how much did a four foot by eight foot by haLf inch thick sheet of AR500 cost you? and why half inch? won't three eighths work? if it was really a hundred bucks an hour for 9.5 hours...well...call me cheap, but I think I would have bought a plasma cutter (especially if it was 3/8ths) and done it myself by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seth Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 The last time I priced a 4x8 sheet of ar500 it ran about $650 for .375". It was also backordered for about 3 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chills1994 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I would think with you being in Virginia that you would be close to coal mining operations. And I would think they would have abrasion resistant steel on hand. (shrugs shoulders) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmiller1 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 so how much did a four foot by eight foot by haLf inch thick sheet of AR500 cost you? and why half inch? won't three eighths work? if it was really a hundred bucks an hour for 9.5 hours...well...call me cheap, but I think I would have bought a plasma cutter (especially if it was 3/8ths) and done it myself by hand. The sheet was $700 somethin' bucks. 1/2" steel is twice as strong as 3/8" so for shotgun slugs & rifle rounds, these should last longer. I've seen so many steel targets bent, pitted, & so forth I wanted to make these last a while & the material price wasn't that much different over 3/8". I have no need for a plasma cutter, nor place to put one. Besides, I don't know how to use one, either. I didn't want the last 1/10" on the edge to be less Abrasive Resistant than the rest of the target since the edges tend to get chipped off anyway. MLM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmorris Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I have made my own for years, you can get away with 3/8 mild steel for .22 lr and non magnum pistol loads. You have to have 3/8 ar 500 or more for .223. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=118660 is a link to a few of the reactive steel targets I have built, note the hinges, where most targets fail. If you don't need a full sheet worth of targets handgunsports.com has the best prices on ar500 I have seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeg1005 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 (edited) The range I go to has a few old railroad ties holding up a target backstop... someone pulled the iron base plates for the track.. they are probably 1/2" - 5/8" thick... and at 100yds hold up very well to ball ammo... they didn't even show any signs of damage from SS109s (M855). Worked great for pistol but if the shape bothers you then its probably not for you. I was told by people that you can get those a dime a dozen if you find a railroad place. MIke. Edited February 9, 2011 by mikeg1005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foilhat Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 The range I go to has a few old railroad ties holding up a target backstop... someone pulled the iron base plates for the track.. they are probably 1/2" - 5/8" thick... and at 100yds hold up very well to ball ammo... they didn't even show any signs of damage from SS109s (M855). Worked great for pistol but if the shape bothers you then its probably not for you. I was told by people that you can get those a dime a dozen if you find a railroad place. MIke. I have several of these plates and they hold up very well. I just stopped and asked a worker for a few when they were working on a section of track. The shape is a little odd but the price is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Waring Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 I work in a fab shop and build quite a bit of steel for range use. 3/8 is fine, but 1/2 is better and lasts longer. I build alot of the 6x6 IPSC plates and as long as they are set up to fall freely, they don't get much damage. For pistol use, mild steel works well, but for slugs and rifle, obviously I would up the grade of material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrumpyOne Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) I have made my own for years, you can get away with 3/8 mild steel for .22 lr and non magnum pistol loads. You have to have 3/8 ar 500 or more for .223. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=118660 is a link to a few of the reactive steel targets I have built, note the hinges, where most targets fail. If you don't need a full sheet worth of targets handgunsports.com has the best prices on ar500 I have seen. You need to look at www.LETARGETS.com , they blow handgunsports away on pricing. Handgunsports is showing a 12" AR500 plate at $63.04, while LETARGETS is showing it at $48.52 http://www.letargets.com/eStylez_ps.aspx?searchmode=category&searchcatcontext=~030000 Edited February 12, 2011 by GrumpyOne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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