Steel target safety

[dave43]

Does a steel target have to be aimed downwards if I am shooting 5.56 and 5.45 (surplus steel core) at 100 yards?

How about 9mm at 10-15 yards?

[dave43]

The thing I am most concerned about is using Russian 7N6 surplus 5.45. This was made to be armor piercing so i'm concerned about the ricochet compared to a copper coated lead bullet. Anyone have experience?

[Heavy Metal]

7N6 is not AP ammo. It is mild steel-core. There is a big difference.

[dave43]

So is mild steel GTG at 100 yards

[P2000]

I was at a handgun steel shooting league where the targets are probably at least 20 feet away from the line of fire. I was standing about 10 yards behind the line of fire when I was hit by a pancaked bullet in the chest. It felt like a weaker paintball gun and left a small welt. I'm glad it didn't hit me in the face or teeth. Lesson learned? Watch other shooters from a bigger distance and continue using quality eye protection. From a design standpoint, I'm not sure how this happened or how it can be prevented.

[JSantoro]

So is mild steel GTG at 100 yards

Get targets rated AR500/500 brinell, and utilize the distances you've mentioned. Angling them downward is a very good practice.

[Wildcat]

Does a steel target have to be aimed downwards if I am shooting 5.56 and 5.45 (surplus steel core) at 100 yards?

So is mild steel GTG at 100 yards

5.56 will put pock marks on AR500 steel at 100yds even if the plate is angled to deflect the bullet; BTDT. Move it out a bit further if you invest in a good target and intend to shoot it with cartridges that have a muzzle velocity greater than 2800 ft/s.
Mild steel will get eaten up quickly. Bullet velocity at impact is what hurts steel and once the face of the plate is deformed, it can throw spatter in unpredictable ways.
At 100+ yd the same AR500 plate can take 308's without developing scars.

Its better if you don't use mild steel for target faces, or if you do keep it out well past the 100 yd marker. Expect it to take damage if its exposed to rifle fire.
So if the target is hard steel but the stand is not, and someone has trouble hitting the target, the errant bullets that strike the stand are probably going to leave marks.

How about 9mm at 10-15 yards?

For pistols, as long as you use good steel (like AR500) and the plate face is flat, you can shoot it from 10yds and beyond. This does not mean you are perfectly safe, you need good eye protection because what scatters off a plate can be redirected when it hits other objects like adjacent stands or poorly designed target hangers.

Inside 10 yards the plates need to be sharply angled to deflect the bullet into the ground without breaking it apart very much.

[markm]

At 100+ yd the same AR500 plate can take 308's without developing scars.

Indeed. I always get a kick out of the guys shooting 7.62. I tell them to feel free to bang away at my steel targets. They're like "but I'm shooting 7.62"

.308 does no more damage to my gongs than 45 acp.