I went in search of some steel targets recently. I aimed to get something that would last me a while. It didn't take me long to stumble on to Big Dog Steel. Big Dog Steel is run by Ryan Brandt, who goes by "osuarchitect" on these forums. He's done a group buy or two, and has had good feedback.
So I got in touch with him and ordered a set.
The targets showed up very fast. It was no more than 4 days. I was too dumb to order the mounting hardware from him, so I went to my local farm shop and grabbed everything I needed. Here is a 6" target all mounted up. Of course I couldn't wait to take a picture until I smacked it with the 308 a couple times and let a few friends cut loose on it with 22LR.
So, the target is hanging and ready to take a beating. I wonder what I can do to destroy all the work I just did? I know, shoot it with my 50BMG!!!! I grabbed a hand full of Igman 07 M33 690gr FMJ. I then moved up to 100yds, and started beating on the target. I started off just fine. The target was getting spanked hard. Testing had begun.
It ended like this, after 5 rounds of igman 07 M33 @ 100yds.
What have we learned? 3/8" AR500 can survive an impact from a 50BMG FMJ at 100yds. It gets skuffed up, but it survives without getting penetrated. It should also be noted that I put the plate on the concrete and gave it a few solid hits with a sledge hammer. It flattened right back out and is good to go. It has since seen several hundred rnds of 308, 223, 22LR, 17HMR, and a couple boxes of 300WM.
We have also learned that 2x4's need to be beefed up to survive a 10,000ft lb impact!
I'm extremely impressed with these plates. The mounting holes were perfectly aligned and were easy to deal with when mounting up the chain. There were no burr's or unsightly blemishes on the plates when delivered. They showed up exactly as he advertised and are, in my opinion, STRONGER than he leads on. These things will stand up to a lifetime of shooting abuse. I threw everything I had at them, and I destroyed my mounting setup, but the target would have survived who knows how many more hits from the 50BMG.
I have since talked with Ryan, and he is going to get me some 3/4" AR500 plates that shouldn't bend so much when I hit them with the big guns! Top notch customer service and an incredible product. I'm sold!
So I got in touch with him and ordered a set.
The targets showed up very fast. It was no more than 4 days. I was too dumb to order the mounting hardware from him, so I went to my local farm shop and grabbed everything I needed. Here is a 6" target all mounted up. Of course I couldn't wait to take a picture until I smacked it with the 308 a couple times and let a few friends cut loose on it with 22LR.
So, the target is hanging and ready to take a beating. I wonder what I can do to destroy all the work I just did? I know, shoot it with my 50BMG!!!! I grabbed a hand full of Igman 07 M33 690gr FMJ. I then moved up to 100yds, and started beating on the target. I started off just fine. The target was getting spanked hard. Testing had begun.
It ended like this, after 5 rounds of igman 07 M33 @ 100yds.
What have we learned? 3/8" AR500 can survive an impact from a 50BMG FMJ at 100yds. It gets skuffed up, but it survives without getting penetrated. It should also be noted that I put the plate on the concrete and gave it a few solid hits with a sledge hammer. It flattened right back out and is good to go. It has since seen several hundred rnds of 308, 223, 22LR, 17HMR, and a couple boxes of 300WM.
We have also learned that 2x4's need to be beefed up to survive a 10,000ft lb impact!
I'm extremely impressed with these plates. The mounting holes were perfectly aligned and were easy to deal with when mounting up the chain. There were no burr's or unsightly blemishes on the plates when delivered. They showed up exactly as he advertised and are, in my opinion, STRONGER than he leads on. These things will stand up to a lifetime of shooting abuse. I threw everything I had at them, and I destroyed my mounting setup, but the target would have survived who knows how many more hits from the 50BMG.
I have since talked with Ryan, and he is going to get me some 3/4" AR500 plates that shouldn't bend so much when I hit them with the big guns! Top notch customer service and an incredible product. I'm sold!
