steel for close rifle and slug training

[mattkarstetter]

not sure if this is the right place for this.

I am looking for some ar 500 steel that i can mount rigid at 75-100 feet and shoot with an ar in 223, shotgun slugs and possibly 308.

i have some 3/8" ar 500 steel for longer range work and have been happy, but i have not shot it closer than 300 yards.

will 1/2 inch ar 500 take the abuse of a rifle while it is mounted fairly rigid to allow faster follow up shots? Or do you need 3/4" etc?

 

[Munson]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

Im not a steel shooter yet so I probably got it all wrong, but I understand the problem with steel in close is not the thickness, but the splatter with rifle.

 

[Broadway]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

Shooting steel with any of the calibers you mentioned at 25 feet is a no-go due to the back splatter hazards. At that range serious injury is inevitable. Rigid target plates at that distance will be damaged regardless of thickness or type especially if hit around the edges.

 

[mattkarstetter]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

well just performance wise then, ill play it safe on the distance

 

[Jackalope33B]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

You dont need to shoot at any steel with a rifle closer than 100 yards. .223, .308 will DESTROY your steel at 75'.. The faster the bullet, the more distance you will need. I believe I read on here AR500 will be "ok" at 100yards will a MV of 2800' FPS or slower. I would say 300 yards with a .223 round will be ok. My friend shot AR500 steel at about 75' with a .223 round. The steel had a nice divot in it. It was clear where the round impacted due to the steel being very shiny from the bullet impact.

 

[KM375]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

I worked at a firearms training facility and the closest that we were allowed to shoot steel with a rifle was 50 yards (150) feet. the 1/2 inch AR 500 will work fine for your application. (I don't know what the slugs would do at 50 yards)
The biggest thing that I would do If you are going to have them fixed in place would be to put a 15 to 20 degree forward lean in your posts to direct the spall downward. We only shot ball ammo at our steel, the green tip will chew it up really fast.
Anything closer than 50 years with a rifle and we used cardboard IPSC targets.

 

[DeputyDawg]

Re: steel for close rifle and slug training

You can shoot at the distances you are talking about. You just need to run frangible ammo. However, like the previous poster stated it must be angled. I would also have some sway to plate instead of no movement. A couple of degrees movement would help direct splatter and and take away energy.

There are a couple brands of ammo specifically for this purpose. I might have some info round here from a demo I watched and participated in. The ammo will be key to the steel and it being safe. If you must use fmj then try splatter targets. You will see impact better.

Have a great Thanksgiving

Charlie