Metal Targets

[-Snyper-]

This for all you Heavy Equipment/Off Road equipment owners out there in Sniper Hide land. Not sure if this has been covered or discovered, but I stumbled onto, what I think, is a great find. My father owns a Grading buisness, and is always changing out metal on the buckets/blades of many types of earth moving equipment. With that said, I decided to try out one of the bolt in place used cutting segments from a Cat 953C bucket as a ballistic plate. Well, it worked with my .308 150 grain full metal jacket at 100 yards. Didn't even leave a dimple, just a splatter mark. I've always wondered this and final tried it. Now I'm not saying to all non-equipment owners to go out and buy the cutting segments, because they are more costly than AR500, but what I am saying is all equipment owners can take there used segments and make targets. My next project is to try the bobcat bucket cutting edge. It's thinner, but i think it's made of the same material.

 

[Captain Moroni]

Re: Metal Targets

convex/concave targets are bad for richet's

 

[-Snyper-]

Re: Metal Targets

I totally agree. That's why these are the side segments which are completely flat.

 

[mgd45]

Re: Metal Targets

I have been told that the scape blades on those buckets are the highest rated Abrasion Resistant metal there is......perfect for rifles...

 

[Big Dog Steel]

Re: Metal Targets

Some of the bucket material and blades may be AR400 some of the more industrial equipment may be AR500. AR500 by definition is impact and abrasive resistant. There's no really great simple way of determining the material prior to shooting it, unless you've worked with the material long enough to know what it looks like when you hit it with a grinder or file.

I guess what I'm saying is if you are going this route don't shoot it close.

 

[-Snyper-]

Re: Metal Targets

What will the metal do under gringing or filing to make it diffrent from other metals? I asked because like titanium you can always tell from the bright white sparks. Do the AR metals spark diffrent or is it in the metal texture it self that defines Ar metals?

 

[Platypus]

Re: Metal Targets

Sparks, you will get a little different color of orange /yellow spark and the volume of sparks will be different, plus the material will obviously be harder to hog metal from. Unfortunately it will take you a few years of grinding different metals to get a feel for what you are working with. Another test that is certainly not based on any real science but smack the shit out of the steel with the ball side of a large ball peen hammer and check the amount of dent you put into it. Almost all of our steel targets were once some sort of digging equipment blade. Sometimes if you ask around equipment yards they will hook you up. Unfortunatley the price of scrap is on the rise and they are not as willing to let it go. Just a reminder but with any of your steel you are shooting try to always set it up with a slight down angle so the rounds impact off the steel into the ground below the target.

 

[-Snyper-]

Re: Metal Targets

Excellent description platypus. Thanks for the great info!

 

[Big Dog Steel]

Re: Metal Targets

Yep couldn't have said it better platypus...Basically volume of sparks and color. My file method is much like the ball peen hammer method. Since AR500 is abrasion resistant you can feel and see a difference between mild steel and AR500. A grinder is a better test though.

 

[-Snyper-]

Re: Metal Targets

I shot the targets I made out the bucket segments Yesterday, and all was good. The targets were 8" X 10" X 1/2", on a swing stand I built out of 2"X 2" X 1/4" angle iron. I had them out at 200 yards, and had then angled down a bit, so the bullet would splatter into the dirt, and they did just that. I also had my buddy there with his 300 win, and other then it swinging a bit longer it still held up. Not even a dimple, just some splatter marks, repainted it white after each shot, and rolled on. I have quit a few of these used bucket segments, so i'm going to build a couple of different targets/sizes/configurations. So bottom line is, if you have, or know of anyone with heavy equipment, hit them up for some of the used bucket segments, and make you some cheap targets, that'll last.