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Setting up steel targets. A safety warning.

4K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  2A-Jay 
#1 ·
Friday the girlfriend and myself were up a local state logging road picking up brass. We stopped at one spot and talked to a nice guy who was doing moving drills with his ar15 and a 9mm handgun. After we talked about reloading for a bit, as he was interested in getting into it and we,went on our way. We came back through about an hour later, saw that he was gone, and pulled in to see if he had left his brass. He had, and while picking it up we spotted a lot of quarter sized blood drops, fairly fresh, concentrated where his table was, and where the back of his suv had been. We also found several live rounds scattered in with the spent brass, and his 2 steel silhouette targets with brand new home made stands.
A closer look at the blood drops, brass, and targets told the story. The steel was held to the 4x4 wood post stands with a carriage bolt and hung perfectly vertical. There was fresh lead, the little flat discs, everywhere on the ground between the blood and targets. The guy had been hit by lead spall that had bounced back from one of the targets.
There wasn't enough blood to suggest serious injury, but definitely enough for a lesson learned the hard way.
 
#3 ·
20+ years ago I shot at a local indoor range with steel angled backing plates. The rule was bullets with no exposed lead (??). More than once I was hit by small fragments of guilding metal from bullets hitting that backstop 50 feet away. Seems if the bullet hits an crater on the plate surface then the angling of the backstop is not enough. Soft lead bullets wold have been a better rule.

LDBennett
 
#4 ·
Angled free swing plates is the best way to go.
 
#5 ·
I am afraid, with so many "newbies" buying firearms, who have no knowledge whatsoever, or, rudely put, aren't the brightest light bulb in the box, we are going to see more instances like this one. Not everyone has the advantage some of us have had, being taught by by someone with some knowledge and sense... This is primarily going to happen with those taught by "Bubba" and those raised by single Moms and have had no teacher at all. And no insult is meant by my last statement to those raised by single Moms, as I know we have some of you guys/gals on board.
 
#7 ·
Having never shot at steel targets (except at the shooting gallery Knotts Berry Farm when I was in Junior High) I always just assumed that they need to be hung from a flexible mount. I know I have had BB's come back at me before. I have checked the Steel Plates out a Sporting Goods Stores. They seem to be some pretty stout metal.
 
#10 ·
Glad you still have both eyes. God was watching out for you.

Friend of mine told me how the police used to practice at our range. They were firing rubber bullets on the 100 yard range. The commander fired one downrange, it hit the railroad ties at the bottom of the target area and almost hit him in the head on the rebound. They packed up and left.
 
#11 ·
How far would you say the minimum distance is for rifle? Pistol?
 
#12 ·
Metal pistol targets no closer than 25 yards and rifle targets no closer than 50 yards but 100 yards is safer. Target on chain or swinger are safer but still I would follow the above distances. Bullets without guilding metal jackets are still safe yet.

But you must alway wear eye and ear protection even when others are shooting.

Never shoot BB's at a hard surface. If you have to have a air gun, make it a pellet gun using soft lead pellets rather than a BB gun with steel ball projectiles.

Anyway those are my metal target and air gun rules. Your's may vary.

LDBennett
 
#13 · (Edited)
I’m glad your eye is OK.Heres another thing to never shoot close or ever”bowling pins”.Twice I had a 45 and 9mm wiz between me an another shooter.Very scary!Also there was a memorial with a fresh cross placed out in the desert against a shooting hill here locally were a local guy died from a ricochet.Guess what the targets were against the hill.You guessed it bowling pins.
 
#20 ·
Weld the chain to the back side of the target. A couple of inches below the top. This should cause the target to "lean" towards you a little, at the top. This give the bullet the chance to move the target back at the bottom, causing any ricochets to go back, and down, not back at you.
 
#16 ·
I'm hoping to run into the guy again and find out how bad it was. It wasn't bad enough for him to seek help from people he passed on the way out, there were several that we passed going in and out.

I personally use wood 2x4 target stands I made out of leftover lumber from work and paper targets, clays, or soda cans and bottles for my son. I have to replace a board with another free one now and then, but no ricochet issues ever.
We sift range scrap from the dirt burms in a few spots and many people would be surprised how many bullets we find right in front of the shooting barriers. Usually it's 45 caliber round nose, but some 9mm round nose as well. Most look like they could be loaded up and shot again. I keep that in mind when we shoot the pistols.
 
#21 ·
I'm hoping to run into the guy again and find out how bad it was. It wasn't bad enough for him to seek help from people he passed on the way out, there were several that we passed going in and out.

I personally use wood 2x4 target stands I made out of leftover lumber from work and paper targets, clays, or soda cans and bottles for my son. I have to replace a board with another free one now and then, but no ricochet issues ever.
We sift range scrap from the dirt burms in a few spots and many people would be surprised how many bullets we find right in front of the shooting barriers. Usually it's 45 caliber round nose, but some 9mm round nose as well. Most look like they could be loaded up and shot again. I keep that in mind when we shoot the pistols.
I use furring strips to build my target stands. They come in a bundle of six, for about $6. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Furring-St...-ft-Actual-0-75-in-x-1-5-in-x-8-ft/1000039599 They are light weight, and easily moved from place to place. The only problem with them is the weight. The wind tends to blow them over. My solution to this problem is to put a cinder block on the base of the stand. You can use a thin piece of plywood, or card board as the backing. I paint mine, it makes them last longer.

Easel Grass Tree Shooting range Recreation
 
#22 ·
I'll have to snap a couple pics of my steel swinging targets. I have 1/4" mild steel plate at 50 and 100 yards for .22 ONLY, wish I could get people to listen, I end up having to weld up holes after someone pegs one with an 8MM Mauser or Mosin every year. They're painted bright orange, the yellow AR500 steel plates are the ones they're supposed to shoot with those big boys. I don't have any "rifle" targets closer than 100 yards. All of them bolt through onto the angle iron behind it so that they lean back at the bottom a bit. Mine are hung on half of a rear suspension " bar" off a 1996 Dodge Neon, cut them in half in the middle, burned out the bushings, work great!
 
#23 ·
We shoot all steel targets for Cowboy Action shoots.

About half are swinging on chain. Other half are hinged on bottom, falling targets.

They range from 10 to 25 yards.

Rifle and handguns are handgun caliber only, lead bullet only.

We do have a couple of 100 yard gongs for rifle use, they are hanging on chains.

Safety glasses are mandatory.

We have had the occassional ricochet, most times it's from shotgun. Pellet hitting a divot, I suspect.
 
#24 ·
I hang mine on chains. The energy dumps when the target swings back. It's the best solution I have found.
IMO, There is a much better way to hang steel. The chain has rounded edges, which will cause bullets to ricochet and one bullet can & will cut the chain. Talk to a local fire Department, They have fire hose that they throw/give away. The fire hose will take many a hit before it is useless and needs to be replaced.
 
#25 ·
A note on steel targets during fire season. The kinetic energy generated when a bullet strikes steel creates an enormous amount of heat. The bullet fragments and bits of the steel target can be heated to temps in excess of 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and can ignite fires in dry grass, leaves etc. Be careful to set your targets in areas that are clear of flammable materials.
 
#26 ·
Another related "be careful". I've spent some time "experimenting" with AP ammo (M2). Wow, have I seen some crazy bounces. Be absolutely sure what you're hitting will be penetrated.
I've never read any stats on how many folks were injured in WW2 with this stuff, API or regular old ball, but it had to be a substantial number.
 
#27 · (Edited)
I have some M2 AP ammo. Not going to shoot it though. I am building a shadow box display of ammo (mostly dummy rounds) as a hobby display. It will include an 03 stripper clip of AP rounds, an 8 round Garand Clip and a linked section of machine gun M2 cartridges.
 
#31 ·
The bulk of the APM2 that I have came to me from the CMP in vintage GI ammo cans in M1919 links. I had some serious blisters from pushing just a 100 or so out! Really neat stuff. Fun to imagine where it's been.
 
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