Hanging & Shooting Steel Targets
Shooting Steel targets is all the rage for those who have an outdoor range; the AR500 Steel Gong target (which comes in various thicknesses and diameters) is a high quality, durable steel target that is reasonably affordable.
The AR500 Steel Gong target shown above and in the video below is 8″ in diameter and 3/8″ thick. These targets come from ShootingTargets7 and you can get their mounting kit here. The mounting kit is some heavy chain, bolts, hardware similar to what I show above.
The reason I chose 3/8 instead of 1/2″ is simply because I don’t intend to shoot rifle rounds at it – always reference MANUFACTURER suggestions when spec’ing out steel target thickness. If you get too thin of a steel target you can get pitting that will increase potential for unfavorable ricochet and degrade the target’s life.
While 3/8″ is rated for rifle rounds, I would suggest if you are going to shoot a lot of rifle rounds (and NEVER STEEL CORE AMMO) and/or more powerful rounds like .308 that you go ahead and upgrade to 1/2″ steel. The manufacturer recommends staying under 3000fps regardless to extend the life of the steel target.
Steel Target Stand
If you do not have a dead hedge tree to hang the steel gong target from, there is a decent, inexpensive stand on Amazon that you provide your own 2×4 that’s pretty slick. Check it out here
Safety Considerations Shooting Steel Targets
On this particular AR500 steel gong target, the manufacturer says be no closer than 10 yards and – just like whenever you are shooting at the range – wear safety glasses!
My personal minimum for steel is 15 yards and with an 8″ target that’s no problem seeing it well.
Always make sure the steel is HARD, don’t just grab a slab of scrap steel you know nothing about and roll your own…
Also, notice that these targets don’t have ridges – it’s totally flat (with the exception of the bolt heads it’s mounted with). Ridges give opportunities for bounce back or “strange ricochets”. Soft steel or targets that get pitted have the same risk – so keep an eye on how you’re target holds up after shooting at it over time.
One point that Hickok45 has made in one of his videos is that if you are on the range with someone shooting steel be sure to WATCH the TARGET when they are shooting. If you happen to be looking another direction it’s possible and has happened on rare instances that a bystander had a bullet fragment go in the SIDE of his safety glasses when looking at something else.
If you are not going to watch the target, get FAR AWAY from it – especially with high velocity rounds!
Will I Hear The Ping?
The nice thing about shooting steel targets is hearing that reassuring “ping”. With this target at about 20 yards I had some difficulty hearing the ping shooting .45 ACP target loads at it and wearing full coverage ear muff style hearing protection.
With 9mm and my favorite ear plugs, I could hear hear the ping quite well.
Doesn’t the target move? Normally, yes, though if it’s already swinging it’s hard to tell for sure if you hit – plus it’s just nice to hear the ping also 🙂
Conclusion
Bottom line is I am very happy with this AR500 steel gong target. The price was reasonable, it’s easy to hang with the “ears” provided and comes unfinished. Putting a coat of oil based primer on it to make it more visible and prevent some rust was easy to do.
When used within manufacturer’s guidelines the steel target has a lifetime warranty.
Learn more about the AR500 Steel Gong Target here
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