Spinning targets for gun range

[dontcatchmany]

I have a shooting range in my back yard where I can shoot about 50 feet. I mostly use it for hand guns. Many hundreds of yards of heavily wooded swamp behind the range.

Been thinking of getting one or a couple of those spinning/self resetting targets.

Do they ricochet in various and sundry directions? I would expect so but not sure.

So far (several thousand rounds) that has not been a problem shooting at paper targets with cardboard backing and a wooden frame.

Trying to determine if I need to build sides to my back stop. I have a couple of sheds and sometimes a boat in the near proximity.

[rodfac]

I've got a home (farm really) range as well. Here's our take on shooting steel.

We use railroad tie plates (roughly 8x15") for targets, setting them on bent rebar supports, through the spike holes. By angling them slightly up or down, you can eliminate all problems.

As to ricochets, we do get lead splash out to about 5 yards or so, but by angling them up/down it's not directed back at the shooter. We shoot lead alloy and jacketed bullets in about equal numbers, BTW, and don't shoot at the steel plates inside 7 yards.

We don't shoot horizontal spinning (dueling trees?), however, but do shoot some knock down discs with no problem. Close in, the lead and jacket splatter will imbed itself in wood supports...those within about 4 feet, but we've never had problems beyond 5 yards. As always, on my range, we all wear both ear and eye protection.

HTH's, Best regards, Rod

[Pahoo]

Do they ricochet in various and sundry directions? I would expect so but not sure

Any steel target can produce ricochets. Direction is seldom predictable. We allow swingers at our private range and they must be placed no more than 24" in front of our berms. Most of our berms are about 8' high. If you are too close to them, the ricochets can come back at you or the guy next to you. They really don't hurt that much and so far, all below the waste. They are not allowed at some ranges. .....

Be Safe !!!

[dontcatchmany]

Thanks!

The more research I do, I am tending to convince myself to not use the metal targets.
Your input has helped a lot.

Safety is my prime concern.

[Eazyeach]

Steel targets are safe. Get ar500 steel and hang them correctly and abide the minimum safe distance parameters and you'll be good to go. As always eye and ear protection are an absolute necessity. Steel adds a lot to shooting enjoyment.

[jmhyer]

In terms of side ricochet, for handguns or .22LR, I see no need for side berms/backstops. Shooting steel is tons of fun. Be sure to use hardened steel, angle it downward or hang it so that it swings, and syay at or beyond 7 yards back. Of course no people or animals should be in front of the 180/ firing line. For objects in front of the 180 (but not behind the target), I can't give a definitive number for safe distance; however, 10-15 yards should be fairly safe.

[bassJAM1]

I have a similar home range as you, dontcatchmany. I'm limited to about 40 yards, with a mile of woods behind me. I also use my firewood stacks as a backdrop, so there's 6 rows of stacked firewood, as well as a bunch of 20" logs I sawed in half that I use to staple paper targets to.

I have a Cadwell swinging target and several 5" AR500 hanging plates. The Cadwell is not AR steel and is dented and pitted, but there aren't any dents on the AR500 plates. But both will, and have, ricocheted back at me. Which is why everyone with me had to wear eye protection and I try not to shoot larger calibers like .45 when my 8 year old daughter is with me (a .45acp ricochet left a nice mark on my thigh for a day or so earlier this spring). My house is about 30 yards off to the left of where I'm typically standing when I'm shooting, and to my knowledge nothing has ever ricocheted that direction. Likewise my neighbor's shed is about 30 yards behind me when I'm shooting, and I'm not aware of anything hitting it. But I only shoot handguns and .22 rifles.

[T. O'Heir]

"...about 50 feet..." Isn't very far. I've been hit by bouncing bullets and shotgun pellets from farther. Mind you, it was a jacketed bullet. Cast bullets flatten and don't go far.
"...Direction is seldom predictable..." Never predictable.

[lunger]

If concerned about ricochet you may want to look at the self healing foam type. They make all shapes and sizes.

Although you don't get the clang of steel, you do get the spin or reaction. They hold up pretty well and are fairly cheap. More fun than paper.

[dontcatchmany]

You folks have given me some new ideas to explore.

Got more research to do, but I am liking the Rubber Dummies. Still researching the reactive self healing targets, but they look promising.

Thanks to all of you!

[mrdaputer]

You can buy some really cheap 2liters of pop just shake and shoot. I like to put some food coloring mixed with water in a milk jug. Freeze it up and hang it from a shepherd hook. As it starts to melt you get slushy flying. Easy clean up too. Another thing I have done is go to the dollar store and get a cheap punching balloon. Fill it up with expand a foam then let dry. It is like a self healing target. I haven't figured out a good way to tell if you hit it or not. Work in progress

[buck460XVR]

Originally Posted by T. O'Heir

"...about 50 feet..." Isn't very far.

This was my first thought, especially with steel. I have three pairs of steel Gongs set up on my personal range and the closest is 40 yards and that is only for handguns and .17/.22. Centerfire Rifle are 100 and 200 yards. I have a line of bluffs that rise directly behind my range in the valley, that are some of the highest in the county with 8 miles of very sparsely populated woods behind them. I still worry about ricochets.

[dyl]

I usually shoot at a 1/2 inch thick steel target at 10 - 12 yards, torso silhouette, no fragments back at me. The way it hangs it tilts downward. It's the type with a single hole in it a little higher than halfway height. I use a "hang fast" target bracket to hang it from a T post that I leave on site. Once a friend parked his truck a ways off to the side almost perpendicular to it though and when he shot a JHP at it I think it sprinkled some lead down on it. No biggie. I went overkill with the 1/2 inch thick because I didn't want it to deform or have any craters with pistol Rounds. Ever.

[DaleA]

I think some folk get all tactical and serious and forget shooting can be fun.

Also I've often thought reactive targets that give you instant feedback are a great way to get folk interested in shoot...like the old time 'shooting galleries'.

Here's a couple of good threads about reactive targets you might not have considered:

https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...targets&page=2

https://thefiringline.com/forums/sho...active+targets

[MarkCO]

Spinners that rotate on an axis perpendicular to the direction you are shooting from do have a lot of ricochets. Any time a target is flat to facing up, those ricochets are going to rise above the elevation of the target. While it might be hard to predict when you will hit the target, prediction of ricochets is simple, and highly predictable. Higher velocity rounds fragment easier and frangibles are preferred if you want to minimize ricochets. .45s ricochet more than .38 Supers.

As long as the tilt is to deflect down into the ground, you have flat and unpitted steel, it is very safe to shoot steel. It is when the targets get pocked and pitted or are tilted up that the margin of safety decreases. Pistol between 900 and 1300 fps is generally safe at 5 yards on out. When you get slower, or faster, the distances need to be increased. Slower so you don't get a whole slug coming back at you, faster do you won't chew up steel. Impact velocities on steel under 3000 fps with .223 55 grain FMJs are usually fine at 100 yards plus.

[RedHoundTargets]

Shooting steel is pretty darn safe if all the right guidelines are followed. Stay at manufacturer recommended safe distances for the type of round you’re using. Angle the target downwards at least 20 degrees - the army, amongst others, has found that when stryking a flat steel target, the spall (fragments) will deflect back at 20 degrees in a ring around the impact. So by angling the target that amount you’re significantly reducing the chance of bits flying backwards. And make sure the target surface is free from defects that can mess with that deflection angle.
Note that velocity is the main thing that will make a round disintegrate rather than ricochet. Small, slow rounds like various .22 rim fire are more likely to bounce.

[Viper225]

We shoot a lot of steel at our range. We have Pepper Poppers, Swinging Plates, Dueling Trees, Texas Star, and lots of 8" Lolly Pops, and lots of Silhouettes and others. On targets like the Pepper Poppers we will have a trench in the ground in line with the target face from the splatter after a match. Most bullets come apart when they hit a solid steel target.
We set most targets up with the upper part angled towards the shooter. That angles the splatter down.
I would recommend going with swingers, and not spinners. Hang with chain on the back side. You might also want to add some washers between the target and chain to help angle the target down a little more. Last but not least use lock nuts, and leave the bolts loose in the holes. If you tighten the bolts down tight they will break from vibration over time.

Bob R

[Old Stony]

Back in the early days of pistol silhouette shooting, we used to see a lot of splashback. I have pulled small pieces of jacket material out of my body many times.
We eventually figured out we needed harder steel to keep from getting damage to the targets which would cause this problem. Cratering damage on the steel is a big problem. Our targets were no closer than 50 meters, so that was still a significant distance involved.
I once saw a windshield cracked from a bullet, and this was in the parking lot behind the shooting line !
I still shoot steel, but make sure the angles are right to help, and take all the necessary precautions. At 100 yds, I have some pipes and large plates that are sacrificial and take a lot of damage, but have not had any problems from that distance.

[dontcatchmany]

I purchased some Newbold self healing targets. Aside from part of the order being not what I wanted (I messed up and clicked the incorrect targets), they are pretty good. I need to set them up a little better though.

Going to get some knock down targets from them and then figure how to reset them without getting off my butt...lol.

Also am experimenting with plastic soda bottles with small pebbles/sand/the stuff used to soak up oil in a garage in the bottom and filled with expanding foam. A liter bottle prototype has proved ok, but I am learning better methods to make them more viable for the time and expense involved. Gonna hang some of those bottles from a string and see how that works.

Steel, in my situation, is out of the question because I do not want to take any chances on any type of metal flying around....got stuff too close. So far not fear of that.

[Road_Clam]

I belong to a gun club and we have very strict rules regarding shooting homemade steel targets. I have a few black pipe steel target frames with 1/2" AR500 gongs and here's my tips I can share:

1) 15 yds minimum shooting distance (anything closer you risk shrapnel ricochets)
2) steel placed directly in front of berms.
3) steel should have a 15 degree canted angle downward. (this forces ricochets downward into the dirt)

I strongly suggest wearing eye protection if shooting 15-25 yds. I actually got a small cut on my arm from flying handgun shrapnel shooting at 50 ft

[Aguila Blanca]

Originally Posted by dyl

I went overkill with the 1/2 inch thick because I didn't want it to deform or have any craters with pistol Rounds. Ever.

1/2-inch isn't overkill at all. It may be underkill. Unless you used AR500 steel, you will get cratering.

The indoor range where I shoot has a very old plate rack. The original plates were either 3/4" or 1" thick. There are used only for handguns -- no centerfire rifle at this range. After many years of competitions and practices, the plates were heavily cratered. During a match, with the plate rack set probably forty to fifty feet from the shooters, one of the guys was hit in the leg by a ricochet. It wasn't a bruise -- it was a wound, and he went to the emergency room to get sewed up.

The rack was retired temporarily, until the current manager was able to obtain a set of new, 1/2" thick plates made of AR500 steel.

[zincwarrior]

A note on splash, IDPA safety rules require a minimum 10 yards. This is prudent. When I used to shoot competitions indoors, we would get splash along the walls back to 15 yards. Be sure to wear good safety glasses. I got a bit of a piece buried in my leg like a shrapnel wound that got infected. No bueno.

[arquebus357]

Regardless of how many miles of woods you have behind your little range, You need a backstop !!