Want to build a shooting gong, have questions

[Fist_gonzo]

Not sure where to post this, so I wanna build a gong, what thickness of steel should I use? I mainly shoot 7.62x39, 5.56, 7.62x54, 30.06 and 8mm almost all of it being fmj surplus stuff, what would you guys recommend as the minimum safe shooting distance?

[Mazin]

Eh real men would do it at just a little more than 15'....[Coffee]

Just joking man had one of those day's. 25-30 yards (????)

[Great-Kazoo]

100 yds easy.

[mcantar18c]

I've had 5.56 ricochet from 50 yards... had enough force behind it to break skin, could have definitely done damage had it hit an eye.
100 yards sounds good to me.

[Byte Stryke]

7.62x39, 5.56, 7.62x54, 30.06 and 8mm

100 yards Minimum if you feel lucky and you have NO ONE around...

I would suggest 200 for with at least AR500 steel

5.56 has punched AR500 at 100

[TAR31]

100 yards minimum for rifle on steel.

I have a couple 3/8" thick AR500 plates. Non steel core 5.56 through 30.06 just leave a very small ding at 100 yards. 58gn .243 Hornady superformance at a claimed 4000fps punched right through it though.[Bang] Large dent even at 200 yards.

[SA Friday]

Yep, velocity is your steels enemy, not diameter. You want AR500 plate a minimum of 3/8", 1/2" is better. I don't like to shoot my steel closer than 300 yds, but you are probably safe at 200. I do this more for the life of the steel than shrapnel. Angle the steel downward on either a frame or post and all the shrapnel will go into the ground. A big piece of steel will make a gong sound, the smaller pieces sound more like a high end golf driver hitting a golf ball. Either way, you hear the hit. With 223' seeing the hit can be tough on 1/2" AR plate past 400 yds. The 3/8" is perfect for this.

[Stingray]

100 yards minimum rifle safety.

It all depends how long you want the gong to last.

Even AR500/550 will get chewed up and cratered at 500 yards eventually with some of your chosen ammo. Spots will become work hardened and lead to holes in the plates.

So more distance will lead to longer gong life. Just sayin.

[jerrymrc]

Most surplus X54r is steel core. I know it is a "soft" steel but it will go through 1/2" at 100 yards. so will surplus 5.54.

[Tim K]

I've put hundreds if not thousands of rounds of .223 FMJ on AR500 at 25-50 yards. The target faces get chewed up, but we've never had a single one come back at us. I've been hit many times by pistol caliber rounds at those ranges and even closer. I speculate that the rifle bullets fragment so completely at those close ranges the biggest danger is lead inhalation.

I have no experience at all with steel core, but I wouldn't even consider trying it.

[cofi]

I've put hundreds if not thousands of rounds of .223 FMJ on AR500 at 25-50 yards. The target faces get chewed up, but we've never had a single one come back at us. I've been hit many times by pistol caliber rounds at those ranges and even closer. I speculate that the rifle bullets fragment so completely at those close ranges the biggest danger is lead inhalation.

I have no experience at all with steel core, but I wouldn't even consider trying it.


you got lucky so far we have had spall fly back at us over 50 yards away fast enough that it would shred your eye or would be nasty if it caught your throat

[Mobat555]

You got me thinking, would this work?

Manhole Cast Iron Cover (http://www.jmesales.com/item/130643/EBW-12-Manhole-Cast-Iron-Cover-Skirt.aspx)

http://www.jmesales.com/showimage.axd?imgw=190&imgh=190&imgID=9289

[Tim K]

It'll work once. Cast iron is neither hard nor strong nor tough. It would shatter on the first shot.

[cofi]

It'll work once. Cast iron is neither hard nor strong nor tough. It would shatter on the first shot.


my friend has been shooting manhole covers for years not sure if there cast or not

[ray1970]

When I was younger I thought a cast iron skillet would make a cool gong to shoot at with a rimfire. I don't think it lasted more than a couple of shots before it broke in half.

[Fist_gonzo]

Well from the responses im getting im probably gonna abort the gong project, I mostly shoot at sqauw pass with maybe 150 yards up there, dont wanna end up hurting anyone because im to lazy to change a paper target, thanks for all the info guys

[jerrymrc]

Well from the responses im getting im probably gonna abort the gong project, I mostly shoot at sqauw pass with maybe 150 yards up there, dont wanna end up hurting anyone because im to lazy to change a paper target, thanks for all the info guys

Steel is always nice to have. Ya just have to match the ammo/caliber/distance. I have some with bases and some that hang. The hanging ones are nice for 200-300 yards because they are 8"X8" and you do not have to go down and change it.

BTW are you shooting X54r in a Mosin or PSL? If a nagant then there was some brass cased FMJ without a steel core that came in a few years ago. Not safe in a PSL but great for the bolt guns.

Keep a watch since we have some sales of steel here on the board.

[rondog]

This is a tie plate that RR track is spiked onto the wooden ties with. The RR's are phasing these out in favor of concrete ties, and I scored a couple of them. I shoot 'em at 100 yds. with milsurp rifles, open sights, and 55y.o. eyes, and flat beat the piss out of 'em. 3/4" thick, and .30-06 AP smokes right through it.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b150/rinselman/guns/targets%20and%20stands/DSCN3301.jpg

[jerrymrc]

This is a tie plate that RR track is spiked onto the wooden ties with. The RR's are phasing these out in favor of concrete ties, and I scored a couple of them. I shoot 'em at 100 yds. with milsurp rifles, open sights, and 55y.o. eyes, and flat beat the piss out of 'em. 3/4" thick, and .30-06 AP smokes right through it.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b150/rinselman/guns/targets%20and%20stands/DSCN3301.jpg

.30-06 AP will smoke right through the track. Seen it. [Coffee]