Steel Targets, Safe Distance?

[johnnyyukon]

Ok so the targets I'm looking to purchase are like these around the 35:00 mark:




Are those steel? I want the "Ping!" sound. A lot of retailers say 100 yards minimum. I'm fairly certain Dave Spalding is closer than 100 yards in the video.

What kind of ammo/caliber is he using? What kind of metal do you think the bullets are? I couldn't tell. I'm guessing the fact that they fall down helps the safety factor? I mean, obviously protective eyewear is a must.

I don't know anything about steel targets. They sell them here (and other places) at a reasonable price and I was looking at the 3/8"

https://www.wideners.com/itemdetail....&dir=1020|1023

My friends and I mostly use 9mm handguns with some .45s every once in a while. I also have a .357 Magnum.

Help a noob out?

Maybe steel isn't what I'm looking for if I want to be within 10-15 yards. I still like that ping sound. Helps me recognize a hit.

[ST911]

Excellent resources from Action Target (http://www.actiontarget.com/)

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt1
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting...argets-part-i/

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt2
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting...argets-part-2/

Shooting Steel Targets, Pt3
http://www.actiontarget.com/shooting...argets-part-3/

Steel Target Resource Guide
http://www.actiontarget.com/wp-conte...urce_Guide.pdf

[TheTrevor]

23-24 feet is about as close as I like to get to steel with a pistol, though the place I bought mine from (shootsteel.com) recommends 10 yards. At those ranges it's FMJ only, no HP, and even then I'll still get the occasional bit of splashback debris stinging me in the face/hands. Not hard enough to break the skin, but definitely moving fast enough to remind me why eye pro is mandatory.

For close-in pistol steel you'll either want it to be free-hanging or mounted at an angle with the top edge towards the shooter. Either one of those setups will minimize the debris hazard.

100 yards is for medium-energy rifle rounds, e.g. 5.56 or 5.45, not pistol.

[ACP230]

I don't like to shoot steel closer than 12 yards.
Fifteen or 20 yards for ones big enough to hit at that distance.

I once put a steel bowling pin silhouette out at 35 yards, or so. I then declared it a stop plate and
gave the shooters a Beretta 21A .22 LR pistol to hit it with.
Much moaning ensued, especially from those who had to go to the second magazine.

[B.K.]

For the Speed Steel matches at my range, they require the courses be set-up to keep the shooter 10 yards from the steel. As Trevor noted, it's not unusual to get hit in the face with little pieces of the jacket when shooting FMJ - it can sting a little.

[TheTrevor]

My personal favorite was the time I got bonked on the head from above by a complete, perfect 1" disc that took flight when a guy on stage to my right shot a steel popper at just the perfect angle. You could see the copper plating on it and everything.

ETA: JohnnyYukon, 9mm/40SW/45ACP are similar, but 357mag is in a different class. You're going to want to step up to 3/8" AR500 and step back to at least 25-35 yards if you're going to shoot steel with full-house 357 loads. I'd recommend using 38spl loads any time you're shooting steel unless you want to do some distance work.

[johnnyyukon]

ETA: JohnnyYukon, 9mm/40SW/45ACP are similar, but 357mag is in a different class. You're going to want to step up to 3/8" AR500 and step back to at least 25-35 yards if you're going to shoot steel with full-house 357 loads. I'd recommend using 38spl loads any time you're shooting steel unless you want to do some distance work.

Yesssir.

[Slavex]

we shoot steel as close as 7yds in Steel Challenge with a variety of pistols. At that distance it's the stuff coming of the target and hitting the bases that comes back at you. Some barrels or hay bales will minimize that stuff.

[Failure2Stop]

Putting sandbags, hay bales, rubber matting, etc in the spall line does a lot to keep nasty s**t from coming back at the shooter.
Having the face of the target canted downward by about 30 degrees does a lot to keep low velocity rounds from bouncing back at the shooter.
Upright targets are the only ones that I have ever seen spit a flattened projectile back.

Steel is no joke.

[Totem Polar]

Putting sandbags, hay bales, rubber matting, etc in the spall line does a lot to keep nasty shit from coming back at the shooter.
Having the face of the target canted downward by about 30 degrees does a lot to keep low velocity rounds from bouncing back at the shooter.
Upright targets are the only ones that I have ever seen spit a flattened projectile back.

Steel is no joke.

Ive shot drills very close to steel. As mentioned, properly designed mounting setups that keep the target face angled down are critical. Attention to where you look is also critical; anytime steel is being hit, you either want to face directly towards it, or 180 away: it's the stuff coming off the base around the stands on the sides from you (in my admittedly limited experience) that is an issue. (eg. Don't turn your head to engage in conversation while anyone is shooting steel; keep lenses to targets).

Somewhat OT, but the first time I ever shot a bowling pin at a club shoot, I stepped up and, at the signal center punched the first pin. The flattened round came directly back and nailed me right on the bridge of my nose. A little disconcerting for both me as a beginner and for the RO right next to me (Rob Leahy of 'simply rugged holster fame, incidentally), but actually not a big deal.