Beware - Shooting steel plates
- Thread starter Phauxtoe
- Start date
kev74
20×102mm Vulcan
Safety glasses are your friend when shooting steel.
For rifle, 100 yards is considered the minimum safe distance. Hardened steel plate like AR 500 is also typically safer as the rounds either completely flatten or shatter rather than bounce back. Angling the plates downward or on a flexible mounting such as chains also reduces the chance of catching a ricochet in the teeth.
Jaywmustang
.308 Win
I have been hit in my young and stupid days. My buddy was shooting steel at around 20 yards or so and something hit me in the neck area and he was hit in the forehead. We didn't do it again
dwa12479
.338 Win Mag
I shoot steel with FMJ handgun rounds all the time, it's one of my favorite sounds to hear the ring. I hang them from a shepards hook and shoot at about a 10 or 20 degree angle from 10 yards or so, never straight on. Haven't had any trouble at all.
I shot a steel match 2 weeks ago at an indoor range with targets from 10 to 15 yards. Had a piece of jacket come back at me and hit me in the chin. It didn't hurt much but it had enough force to cut me. I didn't even realize it until someone told me I was bleeding. There is always a chance of getting hit with splatter whenever you shoot steel.
Eddie Gunks
.338 Win Mag
Most of what i shoot is steel.
Steel matches are my favorite.
I use handguns. Rifles and shotguns (with slugs and shot)
Always wear safety glasses.
Steel matches are my favorite.
I use handguns. Rifles and shotguns (with slugs and shot)
Always wear safety glasses.
Learned the hard way maybe?
meketrefe
.450/400 Nitro Ex
The russian ammo is specially bad. You should not be anywhere close to those targets try to put them so they either float
or at least they lean at an angle down.
But the most important stay far away. you want to go back home with the same nr. of holes you had when you left.
or at least they lean at an angle down.
But the most important stay far away. you want to go back home with the same nr. of holes you had when you left.
spat
.700 Nitro Express
Shoot lots of FMJ at steel, 10yds and sometimes even closer.
You can see a little trench in the ground right in front of the steel from all the spall when I am done. It is a very fine line, the spall comes off at a fairly precise angle.
I do sometimes find some jacket bits in with my brass when I clean up, but I think that comes back on my boots after I spray the steel....
Just don't shoot steel that isn't smooth and you'll be fine. If the target is poc marked, it needs you to clean it up with a grinder, or toss it.
You can see a little trench in the ground right in front of the steel from all the spall when I am done. It is a very fine line, the spall comes off at a fairly precise angle.
I do sometimes find some jacket bits in with my brass when I clean up, but I think that comes back on my boots after I spray the steel....
Just don't shoot steel that isn't smooth and you'll be fine. If the target is poc marked, it needs you to clean it up with a grinder, or toss it.
ArmedCorgi
.475 A&M Magnum
I always figured it was about steel hardness and the angle of the plate as its set up for plinking. I've always rigged mine for a 45 degree down facing angle hanging by either rope or chain, so as not to provide too stiff a resistance to the bullet hitting it.
Duke
.357 mag
He won the lottery that day....
I guess I'll just start wearing safety glasses
spat
.700 Nitro Express
The plate's inertia means that it doesn't move appreciably before the entire impact is done. The bullet has already "splatted" and the Spall is headed in whatever direction it's going in milliseconds. Where the plate goes after that doesn't matter much.
Mine are angled down slightly (maybe 15 degrees), but 45 degrees mean the Spall is probably hitting the ground well behind the plate, also means you need a plate 30% longer to present the same size target
Next time I go to the range I'll take a picture of the trench.
Last edited:
I shoot FMJ, Plated, and Lead bullets at my AR500, hung from 2 chains, angled down. Chews the target 2x4s to hell, but I have yet to be hit. Tens of thousands of shots on this plate. Still perfectly flat. Always wear safety glasses, steel or not.
Was whacked numerous times with lead bullets when I did cowboy action shooting. One guy (his handle was "Pigface") took a flattened 250 gr .45 slug in the nose, thin edge on, into the fleshy part of his nose.
He finished the stage, bullet in place, with blood running down his face onto the buttstock of his shottie and long gun.
He finished the stage, bullet in place, with blood running down his face onto the buttstock of his shottie and long gun.
ArmedCorgi
.475 A&M Magnum
So "Pigface" wasn't just a clever name then?
meketrefe
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Good advice.
The worse kind of ricochet are generated by FMJ rifles bullets specially the ones shot from slow type of rifle rounds like the AK47, blackout, and such
because unlike the soft points and others that simply collapse these actually rebound with a lot of mass.
I see people shooting up close to metal objects of all kinds and that is crazy. The worse are the Russian fmjs with the thick jackets and bi-metal
construction.These very hard bullets ricochet all over. A good way to get hurt and killed.
Also regarding the glasses one should wear quality ones that can take a hit even if they are inexpensive working protection glasses.