Once everything is dialed in and the loads work it gets boring shooting paper so we improvise . Golf balls , pop cans , clay pigeons and so on .
Steel is nice it has instant feed back . It's also really expensive as a rule .
Several years ago I bought a cool little set up with 2ea 4" , 6" and one 8" gong with 2 0< shaped deals and 5 shepard's hooks all cut from AR 500 . The 0< deal is for legs and the cross bar of 1" steel electric conduit . It's a neat set up takes about 2 min to set up . I'm hosting a thing in a few weeks , 17-23 May , for a few net friends and went looking for the guy I got the original set from . Ummm no not to be found ........
I looked at some others but just the plates/gongs were $30-40 ea and kits like mine are like $250 now ........ No .
FB has had several target steel guys pop up . Cheaper than the stores but still more than I wanted to spend for a few pieces and shipping too . With the mill up and running and a wood lathe handy I could turn out a bunch of bowling pins pretty quickly .
I clicked on a X Steel ad and theirs is about half of shelf price $15 flat rate for 1 piece or 50+ and if you buy $150 it's free . Sign up for the text , email or both get 10% off the first order . I bought 3/8 gongs in 3,4 & 6" , 5 total . $44 shipped . 3" is smaller than I remember it being as a target . No matter I'll swing on some chain for 25 yd pistol work .
Last week I got a deal for 12" , actually 3/8×4-1/2×11 Gnomes so I bought a pair of them and a pair of 1/2×6" gongs . $9 ea for the gnomes and 15 ea for the gongs .
I don't have any interest in them , if I did I'd have all the parts for or have had a dualing tree in the yard too . It's just good prices , everything is straight up , Vet owned , order/pay on Monday night , it ships Wednesday morning and if the USPS doesn't goof it up you have fresh steel Saturday morning in the mail .
Link to the Gnomes .
https://www.xsteeltargets.com/collectio ... postscript
Targets .
- GasGuzzler
- Moderator & Supporter
- Posts: 2065
- Joined: 26 Jan 2016 22:39
- My Press Choice: Turret
- Location: Cooke County, TX
- Has thanked: 332 times
- Been thanked: 506 times
Re: Targets .
I bought some saw drop off eBay a few years ago. This way you can get steel so thick it doesn't have to be special alloy and the thickness made it super easy to drill and tap for eye bolts.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from goin' insane.
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from goin' insane.
- RBHarter
- Founding Member
- Posts: 2061
- Joined: 13 Mar 2014 19:45
- My Press Choice: Single Stage
- Location: The green hell 90 miles north of Texarka
- Has thanked: 76 times
- Been thanked: 674 times
Re: Targets .
I had some 18" pieces of 1/2 and 1/4 , round gongs I never shot jacketed on them but once . In the 1/2" at 100 yards an M2 FMJ 06' left a huge crater and discolored back side bulge . A cast 6.8 SPC 130 gr at 2100 fps MV passed through an 18" tire side wall , 1/2" of 5 ply CDX and the 1/4" plate . It was supposed to act like a bullet trap even if it only caught fragments .......
These , at least for now , are half the price of store brands and hardly have a belly button from 3300 fps FMJ 223 and only show a deformity with roughing from a 2000 fps MV 255 gr cast both at 50 yd .
The CRS gongs were cheap and suited with more deceleration mat'l for that intent . I may build a splash tray for these later in the meantime I was just intrigued by the alternate shapes . They offer bobcat , coyote , bigfoot , gnome , and several others besides the standard round , square , block torso and half scales .
My former employment ran 50 miles off station and about 210 miles on station of railroad and would give me about all the slip plates I wanted , 10" squares of hardened steel . I shot those a lot . Unfortunately my last move forced choices . We had a little of the double tax regift money left so I bought a few targets . The gnomes at $9 ea seemed like fun for a roughly 5×11 target where 4" gongs are 20-25 and more .
These , at least for now , are half the price of store brands and hardly have a belly button from 3300 fps FMJ 223 and only show a deformity with roughing from a 2000 fps MV 255 gr cast both at 50 yd .
The CRS gongs were cheap and suited with more deceleration mat'l for that intent . I may build a splash tray for these later in the meantime I was just intrigued by the alternate shapes . They offer bobcat , coyote , bigfoot , gnome , and several others besides the standard round , square , block torso and half scales .
My former employment ran 50 miles off station and about 210 miles on station of railroad and would give me about all the slip plates I wanted , 10" squares of hardened steel . I shot those a lot . Unfortunately my last move forced choices . We had a little of the double tax regift money left so I bought a few targets . The gnomes at $9 ea seemed like fun for a roughly 5×11 target where 4" gongs are 20-25 and more .
Just a Red neck,White boy, Blue blood American.....
- GasGuzzler
- Moderator & Supporter
- Posts: 2065
- Joined: 26 Jan 2016 22:39
- My Press Choice: Turret
- Location: Cooke County, TX
- Has thanked: 332 times
- Been thanked: 506 times
Re: Targets .
Yeah mine are 6" and 8" round bar stock at 1" thick.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from goin' insane.
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from goin' insane.
-
- Posts: 5
- Joined: 08 Mar 2024 09:28
- My Press Choice: Turret
- Location: Out West
- Has thanked: 1 time
- Been thanked: 1 time
Re: Targets .
I saw steel target plates at Walmart a few days ago. Several sizes were available they were even cut with “loops” to hook chains to them for swinging targets.
-
- Posts: 63
- Joined: 18 Nov 2023 15:11
- My Press Choice: Progressive
- Location: SW New Mexico
- Has thanked: 24 times
- Been thanked: 5 times
Re: Targets .
Our local mine lines their haul truck beds with T-1, and when worn is replaced, and scrapped. We have plates made from it that are 1/2" on one side, and close to 5/16" on the other that will only mildly dimple with 30-06!