Thread: What's the go with AR500 targets and distance?

Hey guys I want to set a gong or drop target up at about 200 meters max and maybe shoot it as close as 50 meters.

Can I do this safely? I mainly want to use FMJ and SP hunting ammo from a 308,223, 3030,303

Was looking at a drop down like this one

https://www.reloaders.co.nz/shop/Acc...p+Up+20x6.html

Or a gong like this

https://www.reloaders.co.nz/shop/Acc...g+8+44910.html

223 will be the hardest on the plates at that distance. Personally I wouldn't shoot any of them at 50. 200 should be fine as long as your hangers allows some movement of the plate to absorb some of the intital energy.
Talk to cowboy06 on here. He makes plates and stands and have been thoroughly tested.
Certainly don't buy the 3/8th thick one - its only for pistol calibers.

I use steel targets nz for my 12mm AR500 plates but an engineering shop will also be able to do any AR500 plates of your choosing and a rebar stand.
223 especially FMJs will be the hardest on your target at any distance up to 100m due to the projectile's speed. Also wouldnt recommend using 3/8th plates to sling rifle rounds at.

I’ve had my plates torture tested with 300 rounds of 223 and 308 at 50 meters with very minimal face damage or putting. Was also compared to the gun city ones that they now sell instead of mine and their AR 500 plate had severe surface damage.
White target is the guncity one at 50m
The red one is mine at 50m. It did take 6 hits on the edge which eventually cracked the bolt hole as it’s the weakest point. The next lot will have the hole a bit further in.

This was .270 and .308 at 170m, no damage.

If you hang them so they are10 to 15 degree off vertical the impact energy is dissipated as the slant turns it into a glancing blow, the fragments are deflected down and richocet prevented. So you can safely use them at 50 m with those calibre. Make sure it is ar 500 and get 10 mm. Some people use bis 80 and that craters terribly. Craters vastly increase the possibility of bits coming back at you.

Originally Posted by Cowboy06

I’ve had my plates torture tested with 300 rounds of 223 and 308 at 50 meters with very minimal face damage or putting. Was also compared to the gun city ones that they now sell instead of mine and their AR 500 plate had severe surface damage. Attachment 122728Attachment 122729
White target is the guncity one at 50m
The red one is mine at 50m. It did take 6 hits on the edge which eventually cracked the bolt hole as it’s the weakest point. The next lot will have the hole a bit further in.
Attachment 122730
This was .270 and .308 at 170m, no damage.

How thick is the steel on your one designed for .223, 308 centrefires etc? Man that GC one doesn't look to healthy.

Also hang them with some strips of conveyor rubber or lay flat hose, lasts way longer than chain

Originally Posted by RBANGA300wm

Also hang them with some strips of conveyor rubber or lay flat hose, lasts way longer than chain

Where do I get that?

You can use old firehouse most stations have it laying about. I got a 10 meter coil for free from Palmy a few years ago lasts for bloody ages.

You’d struggle to destroy the chain I use. All the targets in the picture are 10mm. My ones I get made are Hardox 500. The chinese gun city ones say they are German Ar500 but from other steel I’ve seen used I would say it’s poor grade AR 400 or 450.
Yes the angle works good for deflection. Once you get further out in range though flat hanging targets give better movement from impacts as hit energy transfers increases. Especially with smaller calibres on bigger targets or further distance.

If you have a close look at the photos above you will see chips on the edges where a bullet has struck the gong on the edge. Don’t be concerned by this as the edge will always be the weakest area due to the laser cutting process.

Originally Posted by Cowboy06

You’d struggle to destroy the chain I use. All the targets in the picture are 10mm. My ones I get made are Hardox 500. The chinese gun city ones say they are German Ar500 but from other steel I’ve seen used I would say it’s poor grade AR 400 or 450.
Yes the angle works good for deflection. Once you get further out in range though flat hanging targets give better movement from impacts as hit energy transfers increases. Especially with smaller calibres on bigger targets or further distance.

Just reading that Hardox 500 is a bit less durable than AR500 from what I've read, does it sit equivalent between good AR450 and AR500 ?

It’s pretty much the same. Hardness rating from 475 to 525. The company that supplies it told me that it is a premium product. The pits on the red plate is the only ones I’ve ever seen and that was pretty close 50m. This pic is of 225 eldm 300win mag at 160m

On the flip side you can go too hard and crack plates. Early on I used some guilotine blade etc and it just shattered. I’ve used old deck steel plate and experienced areas of hard and soft steel. Some was really good and some was soft as. So that’s when I looked for and tested something that worked and a company that had a high quality cut finish on the shapes I wanted.

I run mine like this, good deflection down. I was getting AR500 from Fletchers but for some reason I can’t get it from them anymore.
10mm was fine when hung like this, I never scratched them at 100 metres.