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RalphS · February 23, 2012, 10:34 PM

As long as the plate can swing, it will absorb the energy from the bullet and you won't get much in the way of ricochets. The more it swings, the better it absorbs the hits. If it's swinging when you shoot it and it's facing down when the bullet hits, the bullet splatter will go down. If it's swinging and facing up when the bullet hits, the bullet splatter will go airborne and may come back at you. In steel plate matches where they rapid fire, they don't hang plates on chains. They mount them loosely to a solid frame with the plate angled downwards.

If the plate twists, it will send splatter sideways. Your setup looks pretty good so it might be okay but I used steel rods when I hung plates to keep the plate rocking back and forth but not twist sideways.

If the plate is too heavy, it won't swing much and you can expect alot of splatter coming back at you.

Soft lead bullets are best. They don't ricochet, they just splatter. If you shoot jacketed bullets, you will find the flattened jackets all over the place, usually without any lead.

Wear good eye protection, a ball cap or a wide brimmed boonie hat to keep the splatter from coming down on your head and getting around your glasses, long sleeves, long pants, etc.

Most of the cases of splatter I've seen were people shooting at solid metal that didn't absorb any energy from the bullet. The jackets bounce right back.

For rifles, I always set the steel at 100 yards. For pistols, I set it at 25-50 yards. Under 25 yards, you will get a lot of splatter.

Good luck. Shooting steel is fun.

February 23, 2012, 10:34 PM	#9
RalphS Senior Member Join Date: December 24, 2010 Posts: 111	As long as the plate can swing, it will absorb the energy from the bullet and you won't get much in the way of ricochets. The more it swings, the better it absorbs the hits. If it's swinging when you shoot it and it's facing down when the bullet hits, the bullet splatter will go down. If it's swinging and facing up when the bullet hits, the bullet splatter will go airborne and may come back at you. In steel plate matches where they rapid fire, they don't hang plates on chains. They mount them loosely to a solid frame with the plate angled downwards. If the plate twists, it will send splatter sideways. Your setup looks pretty good so it might be okay but I used steel rods when I hung plates to keep the plate rocking back and forth but not twist sideways. If the plate is too heavy, it won't swing much and you can expect alot of splatter coming back at you. Soft lead bullets are best. They don't ricochet, they just splatter. If you shoot jacketed bullets, you will find the flattened jackets all over the place, usually without any lead. Wear good eye protection, a ball cap or a wide brimmed boonie hat to keep the splatter from coming down on your head and getting around your glasses, long sleeves, long pants, etc. Most of the cases of splatter I've seen were people shooting at solid metal that didn't absorb any energy from the bullet. The jackets bounce right back. For rifles, I always set the steel at 100 yards. For pistols, I set it at 25-50 yards. Under 25 yards, you will get a lot of splatter. Good luck. Shooting steel is fun. Last edited by RalphS; February 23, 2012 at 10:42 PM.