Shooting Steel Safely
- Thread starter livingston
- Start date
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
not clicking on video start button yet ..
checking the surrounding and visuals in the still image ..
yep its the grandmaster poppa poo bear Hickok45
checking the surrounding and visuals in the still image ..
yep its the grandmaster poppa poo bear Hickok45
spat
.700 Nitro Express
Wear your safety glasses.
Don't use steel core ammo.
Stand back at least a 10 feet.
Follow the traditional rules for firearm safety.
There, now you're safe shooting steel.
Have a nice day.
Don't use steel core ammo.
Stand back at least a 10 feet.
Follow the traditional rules for firearm safety.
There, now you're safe shooting steel.
Have a nice day.
wizrd
6.5 Creedmoor
NEVER shoot b-b's at steel !
10 feet? The recommended minimum distances are 25 yards pistol, 100 yards rifle.
Angling the plates downwards will direct most of the fragments into the ground, using a free swinging mount such as chains will accomplish the same thing.
What about frangible bullets? Ever use those? I have no experience with them myself.
BDinPutnam
.475 A&M Magnum
Wait so the railroad plate I have hanging from a piece of bent rebar is no bueno?
Ive been shooting steel for 30+ years.
Never had any problems.......just a bit of occational splatter.
However, I did get shot in the leg when a friend shot a 22lr into a pond. The bullet either ricocheted off a rock....or the water.
Never had any problems.......just a bit of occational splatter.
However, I did get shot in the leg when a friend shot a 22lr into a pond. The bullet either ricocheted off a rock....or the water.
One winter a few years back I took a couple classes at Sig Academy. As it was indoors they required frangible. In two days we sent a lot of rounds down range including at short distances. I felt no noticeable difference from factory fmj rounds (9mm). Had a few left over and used them on steel in a class at Blue Mountain and they were great at short distances. Got hit with a couple jackets from other shooters FMJs.
If you can find them at near to factory ammo prices they’re worth stocking up on.
Never use them because of the price. I'm sure they would work well but I reload and plated bullets work fine.
spat
.700 Nitro Express
Recommend by who ? Based on what research or engineering ?
Angling the plates a few degrees isn't a bad idea, but whether they are free swinging or rigid is irrelevant. If you look at the physics they are all effectively rigid. The plate weighs hundreds or thousands of times as much as the bullet, rigidly attaching it to a stand that together weighs a bit more doesn't matter.
If you run into a parked tractor trailer with your motorcycle, does it matter if it's in neutral or if the brake is set ?
Uninformed and Compliant
.450/400 Nitro Ex
Those distances are more about not hurting the steel, not you.
That said, if you consider the steel to be a consumable...
Lead / plated pistol - 10 to 20 yards, but wear your eyepro 'cuz it'll be raining splattered lead
Copper jacket pistol - 25yd
Lead / plated rifle - 35 for small stuff, 50 for big stuff
Jacketed rifle - 50 for most, 75 for 300wm etc
Steel jacket pistol = 50
Steel jacket rifle = 75
Cheap steel jackets (Tula etc) are a spring. You'll find them in pristine helicopter shape with no lead on them, if you look.
On a chain the plate moves back and angles downward as it swings and accomplishes the same thing as if it were rigidly mounted at a downward angle downward.
The range figures are manufacturer ones.
A lot of people shoot rifle on steel at 50 yards safely but 10' is way to close for rifle.
Sounds about right to me.
spat
.700 Nitro Express
The impact between the bullet and the plate is over in milliseconds. The plate doesn't move anywhere in that time, no matter how loosely it is held.
By the time the plate has swung 1 degree the remains of the bullet are already moving in whatever direction they are going to go.
spat
.700 Nitro Express
Bullet construction is the big one for safety with steel.
You do not want any "springy" materials in them at all.
If they are soft lead with a copper jacket, and your steel is flat and smooth, 10' is plenty.
As for target lifetime, there are a lot of variables. A target you shoot with a .380 from 10' is going to last a lot longer than the same target you shoot with a 10mm from 25 yards.
I disagree with your assertion.
spat
.700 Nitro Express
In what way can the position of the plate at any time other than the couple milliseconds it is in contact with the bullet have any effect on the trajectory of the ricochet ?
Can I shoot all day, then when I'm done walk downrange and lay the plate flat and have that make a difference ? If the angle of the plate doesn't matter an hour after the event is over, why does it matter 1 ms later ?
I am repeating an industry claim that a flexibly mounted plate will direct bullet spatter to the ground via the deflection of the plate.
Logically the plate moves at the exact same time as the bullet deformation. The deformation of the bullet is not instantaneous and it is not illogical to suppose that the rate of plate deflection and rate of projectile deformation/fragmentation occur in a complementary relationship that results in bullet fragments being deflected downwards.
I mean there are range guidelines specifically touting this style of plate mounting for this specific reason so there must be something to it.
The problem with mounting plates on chains is that the chains can be damaged by errant shots.
Was it @dsdmmat that was saying his ranged used old conveyer belt strips to hang plates?
Who ever said it I think it's a good idea.
gun_slinger_boy
.338 Win Mag
I've shot 308 at about 15-20 yards. It's all about the slant. Distance recommendations are for the plates' sake. This is the video that convinced me to by the target many many years ago.
Well, plates are expensive, why beat them up either?
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
the best way to shoot steel plates 100% correctly ..
miss them .. LMAO ..
miss them .. LMAO ..
I have shot steel for years and years. Short distances, far and intermediate distances. I have been bit a few times. Nothing serious. I have some stationary targets, some hanging targets and so on.
Acer-m14
.950 JDJ
last week i shot steel texas 5 star my bud just got .. with a BB gun ,, told him its defective .. i hit it and the BB hit me and the plate didn't fall ..
i'm old school .. if shit happens it happens ...
i'm old school
.. if shit happens it happens ...
spat
.700 Nitro Express
BBs are hard steel projectiles. Might as well be shooting super bounce balls as it.last week i shot steel texas 5 star my bud just got .. with a BB gun ,, told him its defective .. i hit it and the BB hit me and the plate didn't fall ..
i'm old school
You want stuff that will splash when it hits, not bounce back with no deformation.
That's why steel core ammo is dangerous to shoot steel with too.
Probably don't use that stuff then.
wizrd
6.5 Creedmoor
At close range - say 50 feet - BB's can come back at almost the same velocity they were fired.
gun_slinger_boy
.338 Win Mag
A long time ago we went out on a group shoot and some douche that was with us shot m855 at my target. When I went up to paint the target I saw serious dimples and damage. I had to tell him he couldn't shoot the target anymore. I was pissed. Those are the only things that ever damaged my target. I've oviously never shot 7N6 at any of my steel.