Making your own steel targets

Tech · Apr 23, 2014

I would love to have my own pepper poppers and one of those Star spinning targets that you knock the plates off of. Wowsa are they pricey!
I have the tools and ability to make them myself. My question is, do they have to be made out of AR500 steel, or will mild steel work for handgun and shotgun shooting. They don't give that ar500 away!
Or there is there an in between hardness steel between mild steel and AR 500 that maybe isn't quite as expensive?

jtischauser · Apr 23, 2014

I'm no metallurgist but their is an AR400 too. Reason people use ar500 cause it lasts forever. Shooting poppers excessively in mild steel will bend them backwards.

drmitchgibson · Apr 23, 2014

You can buy pre-cut AR500 plates from places like Wideners for a very good price, but then you have to make mounts yourself. Don't use cheap bolts. Use >= Grade 8, or you will be wasting a lot of time on maintenance.

dennishoddy · Apr 23, 2014

Jesse Tischauser said:
. Shooting poppers excessively in mild steel will bend them backwards.

Amazing how that happens. The Ponca Range is going to retire some of our old ones for that very reason, and replace with forward falling poppers to keep the splatter controllable.

For the OP, you can use mild steel to build your own. Shoot them with low power pistol loads, and there shouldn't be a problem for a long time.
Use them in matches, their lifetime will be severely shortened.

Feegee · Apr 24, 2014

I will take that old steel Dennis

jtischauser · Apr 24, 2014

dennishoddy said:
Amazing how that happens. The Ponca Range is going to retire some of our old ones for that very reason, and replace with forward falling poppers to keep the splatter controllable.

For the OP, you can use mild steel to build your own. Shoot them with low power pistol loads, and there shouldn't be a problem for a long time.
Use them in matches, their lifetime will be severely shortened.

If you need a trash range to dispose of them I know a place that can use them, hint hint.

drmitchgibson · Apr 24, 2014

I asked Scott about the old range steel last winter. It's been claimed already.

Edit: by someone other than me

Tech · Apr 24, 2014

dennishoddy said:
Amazing how that happens. The Ponca Range is going to retire some of our old ones for that very reason, and replace with forward falling poppers to keep the splatter controllable.

For the OP, you can use mild steel to build your own. Shoot them with low power pistol loads, and there shouldn't be a problem for a long time.
Use them in matches, their lifetime will be severely shortened.

This is the answer I was looking for!
Thanks for all of the advice!

Our range has some of the bent backwards poppers. I always wondered, couldn't you just bend them back straight?

Wall · Apr 24, 2014

Turn them around & shoot the other side

jtischauser · Apr 24, 2014

Wall said:
Turn them around & shoot the other side

I smell a semi pro tip in there somewhere.

Matt1911 · Apr 24, 2014

Wall said:
Turn them around & shoot the other side

Captain Common Sense came to play.

Wildcat · Apr 24, 2014

If you do make your own with AR500 make sure they are laser or water jet cut. A plasma cutter or a torch will anneal the steel.

dennishoddy · Apr 24, 2014

Matt Washburn said:
If you do make your own with AR500 make sure they are laser or water jet cut. A plasma cutter or a torch will anneal the steel.

Exactly.
Mitch nailed it. Our steel has been spoken for.

As far as re-bending the steel, its really tough. I shot one of our poppers with a max load .44 mag and it wasn't pretty. Took it home where I have a 55 ton hydraulic press, and it took hours to get it back into a serviceable condition. When you move one quadrant of the steel another moves where you don't want it to. The constant pounding of the steel by bullets must change something in its structure?
I don't know.
Turning one around might be an option, or maybe not? MGM targets has a pretty good tutorial about how targets should dissipate bullet splatter.

technetium-99m · Apr 24, 2014

AR500 is the secret to long lasting steel targets.

I have abused the heck out of a few 1/2 scale USPSA targets (223 and 308 at 100 yards), with fresh paint they look new.

Corey · Apr 24, 2014

2nd that 3/8 AR500 will handle a ton of abuse.

Ksmirk · Apr 25, 2014

I used to shoot a mess of the AR500 steel and the only time I ever saw it hurt was from some 750gr Amax bullets from a 50 and all it did was put a dimple about an 8th of an inch deep and 1 1/2" dia. I see where they have an AR600 steel out now and the BRN is stupid high! doubt I'd want to shoot it closer than 400 yards. I'm hoping thing slow up a bit so I can get out and shoot with ol' Corey! I promise I'll miss something every now and again

Later,

Kirk

Wildcat · Apr 25, 2014

AR 500 is supposed to handle anything under 3000fps.

striped1 · Apr 26, 2014

Jesse Tischauser said:
I smell a semi pro tip in there somewhere.

time to wash it then...

poopgiggle · Apr 26, 2014

Matt Washburn said:
If you do make your own with AR500 make sure they are laser or water jet cut. A plasma cutter or a torch will anneal the steel.

I'm told you can get away with a submerged plasma cutter, or whatever they're called.

jtischauser · Apr 26, 2014

poopgiggle said:
I'm told you can get away with a submerged plasma cutter, or whatever they're called.

Who told you that? A guy selling AR500 without a laser or water jet? Any hear on the edge will soften the edge and it will get damaged more easily when shot.