FAIL: The idea, creation, and failure of a target for .223 rifle

[larry0071]

Well,

I had been seeing the inexpensive reflex targets in catalogs for small caliber rifle (.22) and pistols and thought I could do better and make one for use with the AR platform.

In my ignorance of the round, I really thought that by using 5/8" plate I could make a decent steel target that would take a hit and spin, therefor absorbing the blow with no major damage.

So I went out Sunday morning and got 3 feet of 1" and 1.25" diam pipe to use as my "hinge" and I have plenty of scrap tubing and plate. I own a 250 amp welder, a large plasma, a band saw and a torch. Metel is something I can manipulate easily.

So I started cutting and welding and I was very happy with my results. I went out the back of the garage and paced out about 20 yards (First part of the FAIL) and decided to test the target for function. I had welded on only 2 of the 8" drops and one of the 5"x8" plates for the test.

I started with 9mm FMJ:
This worked well, the round strikes the target and spins the target as expected. No adverse reactions and no damage at all to the surface of the plate.


So next comes the M4 with some Wolf .223 55gr FMJ:
This worked well, the rounds striking the plate and spinning the target as expected. It was upon the last round fired that the true FAIL mentioned earlier came up to "bite" me. A fragment of the FMJ came straight back and stuck in my right bicept. I am a lefty rifle shooter, so my right bicept is facing the target. Also, walking up to the target after the last round, the plate is nearly perforated! No good.


This is a look at the back side of the plate, it appears close to punching completely through the plate! This is honestly not what I expected to see happen!


So, after cleaning the wound and discussing the resulting failure of the palte to absorb the .223 rounds, I finished the target and will use it for pistols and .22L (Ruger 10/22) shooting only.


Is there no way to make a target system similar to this that can withstand the strike of the .223, or is the round just flat out too fast to work with something such as this? If I used 1" plate, would it still punch massive creaters into the surface?

Anyone that may have tried this and found success, please share your experiance.

My wound is a very small punture with a short slice coming off, not a big deal... but the wound could have been my face or who knows what. I admit stupidity in pacing out 20 yards for this test. For the rifle I should have went out 50 yards minimum.

Live and learn.

[taliv]

do not shoot steel with a centerfire rifle less than 100 yrds.

your problem most likely is not thickness but hardness. look for some AR500 plate. 3/8" is thick enough. 223 will still 'crater' it a little at 100 and even 200 yrds but it will still last a long time.

do not shoot the plate up close with handgun after cratering the surface with a rifle.

[Sam]

One of the rules in shooting steel (even with rifle rated steel) with a centerfire carbine caliber (.223 or 7.62AK) is to stay at least 25 yds back.

Another rule in shooting steel is NEVER shoot any steel that's been cratered. The craters will cause ricochet and even bounce back.

Get you a rifle rated steel target. MGM's "stab and shoot" popper shaped steel target is one of the simplest target for rifle. Just "stab" it into the dirt and shoot it all day long. Again, stay back a minimum of 25 yds.

http://www.mgmtargets.com/products/p...age.php?cat=15

Pepper Popper with "Stab and Shoot" base
Part Number: PPSTAB

This target was developed for some of our special forces units that required a target that would be durable, easy to place on a range, and easy to retrieve. Perfect for all terrain, this target is extremely easy to set up. Just Stab it into the ground and Shoot! Designed with a flat top so it can be easily hammered into the ground if necessary.

Price: $291.00 ea



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[Jay Cunningham]

I have a cute scar under my chin from an improperly hardened plate. You need to make sure to the best of your ability that your targets are hardened to Brinnel 500...

[goodoleboy]

You can shoot steel plate targets at that distance with .223, but you can't shoot anything with anything. It's much safer to shoot steel targets that are angled to deflect fragments toward the ground (the top of the target should be closer to you than the bottom, and be ABSOLUTELY SURE you are using FRANGIBLE ammo. You don't want to shoot anything else at close range (which I know you are well aware of due to the bicep injury).

Here are some pictures of some that I hear work pretty well (never used them myself), but it should give you some ideas on how to design yours for use with frangible ammo.

http://www.vikingtactics.com/targets.html

[markm]

I shoot rifle gongs at 40-50 yards all the time. Inside of that range, I'll switch to a low ricochet projectile.

I have a bunch of AR450 plate that was given to me and it pocks a little with each round... maybe 1/8". They get chewed up pretty bad after months of use. But since the gongs were free, and I don't shoot them around a bunch of people, I use them for rifle. I've never had even a small frag come back on me in thousands of rounds of use.

I use the same gongs for pistol, but I simply turn them around for the smooth side.

[rob_s]

Angle of the targets matters too. If they are at 90* vertically to the ground and/or line of the shot you're more likely to get ricochet back at you. If I was using those "stab and shoot" targets above I would not stab them in at 90* but instead so that they leaned a little forward towards the shooter.

I shot some targets on a USBP range years ago that were simple steel circles with two rebar hooks on the back, hung from what appeared to be an old soccer goal. Worked great because the size of the hooks meant the steel plates hung with the face angled down. I'm going to have some 1/2 size IDPA targets made up like this and am working on a suspension system that will work with our standard IDPA target stands.

[larry0071]

I may revisit this with another set of plates mounted on the "hinge" bar sticking straight up. Not to shoot at per-say, but to neutralize the weight of the lower plate and make it more willing to spin out of the way. That may make a large change in how effective the round will be at transmitting energy into the steel plate, it may make it so that the energy rotates the plate long before enough energy is transfered to do the damage.

This is my arm, like I said.... it is not a bad injury, but it could have been bad depending on where I got hit and how large of a chunk bounced back.

[markm]

Angle of the targets matters too. If they are at 90* vertically to the ground and/or line of the shot you're more likely to get ricochet back at you.

Angled towards the ground is definitely ideal for keeping splatter into the ground, but I've never had any issue with my gongs that hang vertically. And I'm talking thousands and thousands of rounds on chewed up gongs.

[glockeyed]

although steel is more fun, maybe these might be a better option? at least for .223