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Thread: How thick should AR steel plate be for targets?

  1. #11
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    well hell! i guess allll xm193 will be for punching paper.

    whats a good bulk ammo to buy for steel?

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Failure2Stop View Post
    I default to 3/8 for all use.
    1/4" is nice at 600 yards and beyond. 3/8 just hardly moves or rings.

    Quote Originally Posted by ryr8828 View Post
    I'm scared to shoot rifle at any plates inside of 100 yards. I angle all of my plates so as to direct the fragments to the ground.
    We shoot them much closer than that. And the slanted steel we'll shot as clost as 10 yards.


    Quote Originally Posted by mikeith View Post
    well hell! i guess allll xm193 will be for punching paper.

    whats a good bulk ammo to buy for steel?
    The heavier the bullet, the better. But stuff like PMC bronze which is mild isn't too bad. XM193 is fine beyond 100 because a 55 grain bullet sheds velocity very quickly.

    The idea is low velocity. That's why even M855 is easier on AR500 plate than XM193 inside of 100.
    Last edited by markm; 10-31-12 at 10:47.
    "You people have too much time on your hands." - scottryan

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    1/4" will last a long time at 200 yards and beyond.

    At 100 yards it'll last pretty long if you stay off of XM193. XM193 wears out armor quick.

    3/8 for any kind of consistent shooting inside of 100. XM193 will break 3/8 armor like a hole puncher at 50 yards and in if the plates aren't angled off of perpendicular.
    Mostly this. I have been able to shoot XM193 at 50 (AR500) and it will pit worse than any other ammo. I try to use low power ammo on steel for plinking.

    3/8 AR500 will last pretty long. Shootsteel.com has good prices and you can turn the target around when it pits too bad on one side opposed to some targets that you have the mount on the back so you can only use one side.
    Last edited by chadil1ac; 10-31-12 at 10:50.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    1/4" is nice at 600 yards and beyond. 3/8 just hardly moves or rings.



    We shoot them much closer than that. And the slanted steel we'll shot as clost as 10 yards.




    The heavier the bullet, the better. But stuff like PMC bronze which is mild isn't too bad. XM193 is fine beyond 100 because a 55 grain bullet sheds velocity very quickly.

    The idea is low velocity. That's why even M855 is easier on AR500 plate than XM193 inside of 100.
    Also my experience ^^^

  5. #15
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    I'll try and get a few pics of the targets we use. We got a deal at our club, (as in free) on some old Level III steel and coated steel armor plates. At 50-yards, the thicker plates, (I'm guessing 1/4" until I measure) have been hit thousands of times with everything 5.56 and .308 - even some odd 7.62x54r and hunting rounds and have not been penetrated. A thinner body armor plate took 7 hits of XM193 to penetrate, but a newer 'coated' thin performs like the older heavy plate and had no rounds through. We do have some 1/4" AR500 plate that we have yet to cut. We hang the plates on a bracket which angles the plate slightly, (about 8º) and while I'm no engineer, I think it helps with the longevity of the steel...ETA: Like Markm - we shoot them at close range - out to 200-yards
    Last edited by MassMark; 10-31-12 at 12:41.

  6. #16
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    3/8" will be longest lasting as stated.
    rcsperformanceonline.com

  7. #17
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    If its AR steel it's good to go. I bought "AR500" steel off ebay and it blows.... It's 1/2" and at 100 yds tula's blow holes straight through it...

  8. #18
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    FNG here. YouTube of AR500 standing up to .50 cal. Seems relevant.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJdz8...e_gdata_player

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hoody View Post
    FNG here. YouTube of AR500 standing up to .50 cal. Seems relevant.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJdz8...e_gdata_player
    That thumped the gong a little. We were out shooting next to some guys that had an AR50, and the guy's Swarovski Barret scopes reticle didn't even start until 500 yards.
    "You people have too much time on your hands." - scottryan

  10. #20
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    Wanted to give some clarification on my "default to 3/8" comment:

    If you are going to be shooting within 100 meters, the issue is not bullet penetration, but front face cratering/chipping. Dents of greater than 1/16 can affect spall pattern, resulting in erratic spall, which leads to more chunks of metal being bounced back uprange.

    Having a forward cant of 30 degrees helps greatly in this regard.

    Most of my steel use is from 25 to 200 meters, with a bit at longer range, and I have to bring my own for that envelope as most places get cheap steel that gets torn up at close range or does not sit at an acceptable angle for closer work with rifle calibers.
    Jack Leuba
    Director, Military and Government Sales
    Knight's Armament Company
    jleuba@knightarmco.com

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