shooting steel plates

[NP1724]

Originally Posted by autotech6506

well i'm back. I did not get any ricochets back. I just found a new favorite range on the grounds. its much more satisfying hearing a ding than seeing a hole in paper.

I love shooting steel, and more times than not I would rather shoot steel than traditional paper targets, but I need instant gratification like that.

[brian]

shooting steel is great.
you would have to work pretty hard to get a complete projectile to come back at you, with any force.
bits and pieces are not uncommon.
the faster the round, the smaller the bits.
we shoot static plates all the time....nobody has been killed yet. we even quit wearing the body armour.

[KMcL]

My fiancee and I were there this afternoon clanging the plates. It is a lot of fun to hear em smack that steel. Did you go to the next range over and shoot the falling plates?

BTW - The min. safe distance signs there are at 11 yrds (33ft for the math challenged...).

[phill]

If you enjoyed shooting steel move over to the falling plates. We went to a falling plate match and fell in love. All of the modified speed guns that we have were designed in the quest for the ultimate plate gun.
If you ever have the chance to see any of the Masters tapes of Doug K. shooting the plate set ups at PASA it will amaze you.

[autotech6506]

Originally Posted by KMcL

My fiancee and I were there this afternoon clanging the plates. It is a lot of fun to hear em smack that steel. Did you go to the next range over and shoot the falling plates?

BTW - The min. safe distance signs there are at 11 yrds (33ft for the math challenged...).

yea we were at the falling plates. couldn't get the reset rope to work so we just walked all the way down and reset them. all my brass kept going into the birm on the side with all the weeds! it made finding my brass a pain.

[ReconLdr]

Originally Posted by phill

If you enjoyed shooting steel move over to the falling plates. We went to a falling plate match and fell in love. All of the modified speed guns that we have were designed in the quest for the ultimate plate gun.
If you ever have the chance to see any of the Masters tapes of Doug K. shooting the plate set ups at PASA it will amaze you.

I love shooting the steel plates and bowling pins. Nothing like seeing a reation when you hit.

I am hoping to get up to Ridgeway this summer. They have steel targets of deer, bear etc... out to 1000yds.

[KMcL]

Originally Posted by autotech6506

yea we were at the falling plates. couldn't get the reset rope to work so we just walked all the way down and reset them. all my brass kept going into the birm on the side with all the weeds! it made finding my brass a pain.

Yeah, the rope is a PITA. If you get the momentum up just right, you can reset them. Most of the time I end up with one or two not standing up and then knock a few more down trying to reset them. Then I end up walking down to the end anyway...

I hear ya about the weeds. Took me forever to find most of my brass. If you got any extra 9mm, you're welcome.

[imashooter2]

I've attended my share of steel matches and I have been hit by a fair number of ricocheting "chunks." The worst was a quarter sized disk that came back 15 yards and hit me just below and 2 inches left of the belt centerline. It left a fine bruise through jeans and underwear and made me unhappy. If it had hit me in the throat, I might have been VERY unhappy.

If the steel is cratered, do not shoot it. cratered steel is very dangerous.

[CHEMICAL]

Originally Posted by imashooter2

If the steel is cratered, do not shoot it. cratered steel is very dangerous.

VERY GOOD POINT!.......the bullet can follow the curve of the crater and come back atcha!......glad you brought that up!

[GHogHarvester]

I little off topic but steel related story.

I got some Federal 39 grain rounds for my 204 Ruger which I normally have sighted in for 32 grain Hornady. These are copper jacket, ballistic tip hollow points (~4200 fps). I should have done this at a range but thought the thick steel push plate on my hay wagon in front of my barn would be enough to a stop a dinky 20 cal. Stuck a target to it and shot six rounds at 150 yards with elevation tweaks along the way (lateral was spot on.).

It wasn't. Every round but one made a clean hole, the round that didn't was stopped (barely) only because it hit a spot that was two layers thick. The front of my barn has a similar number of holes.

I will never assume again that a steel backstop will contain or absorb a bullet.