Finished my steel target project

A

ARsR4ME

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 23, 2009
338
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Coldspring,TX
#1
I bought a 3/8"x 4'x8' sheet of AR500 and cut out a 1/4 sheet to use for my own targets.
ar500plate.jpg


After I cut a 12"x12" piece I wanted to test it against a regular piece of 3/8" mild steel. I shot 3 Q3131a rounds from a 16" AR and a 175 gr 308 handload at 100 yards at both targets.
armortargets011.jpg


As you see the 308 went right threw but not the 556 round but it did leave nice size tits on the back side on the mild steel.

armortargets012.jpg


One round of each on the AR500 and only the 556 left a very slight nick in the steel.

So I went ahead and cut out the rest of my targets that I wanted.
alltargets.jpg


And I have a small bone pile left over. Thinking of making some 4" circles from the biggest pieces.
scrap.jpg


All in all it was fun but now the stress of selling the rest so I'm not stuck with a $800 dollar piece of steel.
 
#4
Re: Finished my steel target project

I used a plasma cutter. This is some of the wierd stuff to work with. A tourch would heat it up to much and effect the hardening of the steel. Some say a plasma will weaken the edges but I shot the edge today and had no ill effect. All the slag was wierd cause I practiced on the mild steel and had the heat just right but when I cut the AR500 it slaged alot. And I have more splinters in my hands then ever. It seems like when you grind on it...it kind of shatters a bit like glass but no so much you can see it until you look down at the table. Drilling was a no go to, even with the best drill bits we had. Wierd stuff.
 
#7
Re: Finished my steel target project

I learned something the other day. I have a few AR500 targets that i made myself. I had them up at the hunting expo to try and sell a few extra ones that I had. Some guy started talking to me about AR500. Said he works at Actiontarget that is a huge company just south of me. Told me that AR500 is not heat treated to get its strength, but it is an alloy. So cutting with plasma wont affect the strength of the steel. Take that for what its worth.
 
#9
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: hugo121175</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Now much is a full 4X8 sheet of AR500 3/8"? </div></div>

I paid $800 useing a Co. Account at a local steel suplier
 
#10
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I learned something the other day. I have a few AR500 targets that i made myself. I had them up at the hunting expo to try and sell a few extra ones that I had. Some guy started talking to me about AR500. Said he works at Actiontarget that is a huge company just south of me. Told me that AR500 is not heat treated to get its strength, but it is an alloy. So cutting with plasma wont affect the strength of the steel. Take that for what its worth. </div></div>

Ya never heard that. Here is something I never knew the A R in AR500 stands for abrasion resistant. And the msds sheet shows it comes from China. Thay test the hardness of the sheet three times and if you get the paper you can see it. 500 is really anything from 401-500 hardness. This one averaged 480. Made in China ...jessss
 
#12
Re: Finished my steel target project

Nice work. A local guy here builds and sells targets made of AR500 and they are practically indestructible as long as you don't shoot them up close all day long. I wondered how much over head he had on the material... sheesh! Expensive metal.
 
#13
Re: Finished my steel target project

Made a swinging plate for the large silhoutte. I don't like the way I have to hang it but couldn't firgure out a good way with the time I had.
039.jpg


I used a big flange bolt and cut a piece of pipe to make the hindge.
037.jpg


I brought it home and shot at it with the 308 and the only problem I see so far is the 1/4" piece of flat bar I used to attach the swinging plate to the hinge. It's bending after 5 hits. I tried some 9mm rounds and it did nothing to it. I like the idea of it but it needs some tweeking.
 
#15
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: groovebus</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Did you use a swing set to hand the targets? That's a good Idea. </div></div>

Nope it's a stand my son made for me. A
eek.gif
welding project.
grin.gif
 
#17
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I learned something the other day. I have a few AR500 targets that i made myself. I had them up at the hunting expo to try and sell a few extra ones that I had. Some guy started talking to me about AR500. Said he works at Actiontarget that is a huge company just south of me. Told me that AR500 is not heat treated to get its strength, but it is an alloy. So cutting with plasma wont affect the strength of the steel. Take that for what its worth. </div></div>

This is my first post, but it is one I know a bit about since I work at Action Target. For the velocities that most posters are shooting on this site AR550 would be much better. It is harder than AR500. AR 500 really only holds up to impacts of about 2000 ft/s. AR550 will do more like 3000 ft/s. Those velocities at least are for the angle that a steel target would be. A ceiling baffle or trap plate at a different angle works fine with AR500, but a direct hit on a target will take a beating. If any of you are interested here is a link on some of our studies for steel http://www.agarms.com/pdf/steeltargets.pdf.

Nice work on the targets by the way, if you want some smaller pieces of steel in the future to make your own instead of buying a 4x8 sheet let me know and i can purchase small quantities and have it shipped, or anyone from the forum ever wants a deal on targets or other range equipment I can always swing at least a 15% deal.
 
#18
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Skyking</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I learned something the other day. I have a few AR500 targets that i made myself. I had them up at the hunting expo to try and sell a few extra ones that I had. Some guy started talking to me about AR500. Said he works at Actiontarget that is a huge company just south of me. Told me that AR500 is not heat treated to get its strength, but it is an alloy. So cutting with plasma wont affect the strength of the steel. Take that for what its worth. </div></div>

Hmmm for what it worth I have over five years of experience in a quench and temper mill. A piece of untreated AR plate is extremely soft compared to after it is treated. The alloys are different from regular "mild" steel but it is the quench part of the treatment that chages the molecular structure of the plate making it harder.
 
#19
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: nut job</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Made in China ...jessss</div></div>

That is what happens when the unions price themselves outta business. When you have to pay somebody $35hr to do a job a trained monkey could do.....you get your job shipped overseas. Real people only have so much money to spend and when you goto the store, you are going to buy the product that is the "best bang for the buck". Because you only have so much money to spend. Kinda like the car industry is finding out.

As far as the flat stock on the swinging plate goes, just gusset it. Should do fine and take about 10 min to do. Just take another piece of that flat stock and turn it on end and weld it across the other piece connecting it to the piece of pipe. Good luck.

Looks really good. There are always going to be problems with anything home built to iron out.....no biggie. Again, looks good.
 
#20
Re: Finished my steel target project

Yep that was my plain too, I was going to add another piece of flat bar though and then stick a piece on edge. Thanks for all the nice comments guys. If any of ya'll know of a better way to hang it instead of the extra long piece of angle iron I would really like to hear it. One good rifle round is going to tear that shit up.
 
#22
Re: Finished my steel target project

You could try to hang it by welding a piece of stock at the top vertically to a piece of pipe which is horizontally (making a T). It will pivot on the pipe. Kinda like the way you made the hostage target attach. That is the way I made mine.
 
#23
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: shooter19802003</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You could try to hang it by welding a piece of stock at the top vertically to a piece of pipe which is horizontally (making a T). It will pivot on the pipe. Kinda like the way you made the hostage target attach. That is the way I made mine. </div></div>

Got any pics?
 
#24
Re: Finished my steel target project

All right so this is where I'm at now. The swinger bracket bent on me. Yes it's shity looking welds but it'll hold.
smile.gif

gunstuff067.jpg


I welded another piece of 1/4" flat bar to it and then put a straight back on it to help stiffen it up.
gunstuff069.jpg


gunstuff073.jpg


Now I get to take it back home and try it again. I hope it will take rifle hits now at 100 yards without bending.
 
#26
Re: Finished my steel target project

Thats cool stuff. Your stiffening piece is called a gusset. I wonder what thickness of mild would equal the 3/8 AR500 when shot. Granted the 3/8 is lighter, but maybe thicker mild is cheaper.
 
#29
Re: Finished my steel target project

I have a Hypertherm Plasma that is rated to cut 5/8" thick plate. I do buff the steel first, then mark it with soapstone. The plasma does a nice job on clean steel, but rusty plate will end up with rough edges.

I am cutting some AR400 plate targets next week...to use at longer ranges where it won't take so much punishment. AR400 is quite a bit cheaper than AR500.
 
#31
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PJ3</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What is the weight on the 12x12? </div></div>

I got 14 lbs
 
#34
Re: Finished my steel target project

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: two man attack</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I thought plasma cut much smoother also
</div></div>

Not sure what ya'll are lookin at , maybe the mild steel which is all scrap, but the edges on the targets are very clean. There is alot of slag. But you just hit it with a file and it comes right off. Now the odd thing is, and could be the metal, when I set the plasma on the mild steel there was hardly any slag.

Edited 2-26
Finally sold the rest of that plate too. What a relief I didn't get stuck with it. Thanks for buying it (you know who you are)
smile.gif
 
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