Any ideas for mounting steel plates?

[JerseyDrez]

Ok so I have been wanting to buy some steel setups lately but realized they are well out of my price range. So I thought I could possibly buy some plates and make a mount myself.

I searched ebay for 'steel plates' and received quite a bit of results.

I saw these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Human-Silhouette...item1c0cd6db90

and these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/NRA-Steel-Fallin...item1c0fe17c52

How would I go about mounting these to something? Has anyone done something like this? Got any pics or ideas?

Another thing is the set up would need to be transportable. I would be bringing this to the outdoor range I am a member of. I can put my rear seats down and I have a good amount of space back there. I can fit my clay thrower w/ seat back there no problem.

[JerseyDrez]

Or should I just say screw it and put the money that Id spend on the steel plates and hardware towards an already made assembly such as this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/308-CALIBER-RIFL...item1c07b97aa8

Right now Im leaning towards that, or something like that. Its exactly what I want - it would be easy to set up, comes with everything needed, and $120 isnt bad for a nice assembly like that.

Any suggestions?

[booker_t]

Google Image search. You'll find dozens of ways to support steel targets.

[sserdlihc]

By the looks of that stand on ebay, I could build one of those myself and save some money.

[oneounceload]

A gent I once knew had a silhouette made from steel - thick enough to withstand whatever he shot at it (handguns) - it was welded to a piece of steel I-beam (small) and that slide into a weighted tire rim for stability. He could fit everything in his Camry trunk when broken down for transport

[espnazi]

I know a buddy who has done several contraptions for cheap. he uses galvanized pipe that has fittings.

And I would recommend something like the following so that you can do an A frame that has a swing set style target.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gong-Target-8-Di...item1c0fe4719b

[oneounceload]

Thanks for the pic espnazi - another guy I knew used to shoot a 45-70 BPCR and he used a stand like the one in your pic with a homemade "gong" he had made - it was 3/4" plate 12 x 12 inches with a 2" spacer on the top and sides, making it sound like a gong when hit by those 405's.......

[SVO]

I have a set of IHMSA small bore targets that I made swingers out of. I used 3 pieces of 1/2" pipe and two elbows for the target frame to make a "U" shape.. I welded a piece of 1/2" rebar to one side of the target and on the other end of the rebar, I welded a 1" coupling. The 1/2" pipe will slide into the 1" coupling and allow the target to swing when hit. Stick the two legs of the "U" shape in the ground and open fire.

[ISC]

You have to put some thought into it. If you use steel that is too heavy the bullets will ricochet and might be dangerous.

If you use steel that is too light you end up putting holes in it.

Welding is the only way to go on something like that if you want it to last any length of time.

[Rifleman1776]

Whatever you do, the plates must be able to move when hit. An absolutely rigid mount is asking for ricochet to come straight back at you. I used to manufacture metallic silhouette targets and did extensive testing. A rigid plate is asking for injury (a scar on my elbow can attest to that). Even long range targets have the potential to injure. Swinging or falling targets allow deflection up or down for safe shooting. Transportable? How much can you lift and how big is your truck?

[Edward429451]

We used rebar and a welder. Grind points on the legs, weld the steel target to a big nut that will fit over the rebar and a couple tack welds to keep it from walking. Take a hammer to tap it into the ground with.

Got a buddy with some fancy store bought targets? Trace them onto your steel and cut them out. Rabbits and Turkeys for the price of gas anyone?

[Dfariswheel]

Best source of steel is any local steel supply house.
They carry steel in various thicknesses or will order it for you cheap.
They also will cut it to whatever size you want for a small fee.

You can also check scrap yards for things like manhole covers, and thick plate used in industry like boiler plate and bridge work.

A good mount is to weld a steel automotive coil suspension spring to the bottom of a plate and stake it into the ground.
The "swing set" type mount works very well. You can hang the plate from steel straps, or heavy chain.

[JerseyDrez]

Hmm some good ideas so far. They all sound interesting, but its hard to imagine what they look like/how theyre made when I cant look at a picture (visual learner obviously). I understand the desccriptions, but a picture would help a lot more. Could anyone take a few pics of their contraptions?

My friends dad owns a steel mill, so I have asked him on a few occassions if I could go with him to scrap some steel. Ive never measured it, but Im going to guess the thickest Ive ever gotten was 1/3in...my 7.62x39rds have gone through it like butter. It withstood 9mm pretty well though. He gave me a quick tack-welding 101 and I had at it...basically taking a 12in long flat piece of steel and welding it behind the square plate, securing it. But they are more or less a one time use target, its weak steel that after a couple hundred rounds (of 9mm or 40) will start deforming and become dangerous.

In any case, I just want to make a few targets for pistol to put out at 20-25yds. Unless I can get really thick plates that can withstand 7.62x39.

My vehicle is not a truck...its a sport coupe! Haha. As I stated in my original post, if I fold down the backseats, I can fit my manual clay thrower, a few cases of clays, a couple rifle cases, and a couple cases of ammo. A coupes trunk/backseat area sounds very small, but its actually pretty spacious...for a coupe

So far Im thinking of going to a scrap yard and seeing what they have and what they can order, if needed, for me. If I could get two 4-6inch steel plates, about 1/4-1/3in thick, that would be perfect. I could drill two holes on each side of each plate, so I could attach a chain to each side. If I made a small U-shaped type frame out of steel tubing and drilled holes on the top right and left corners I could hang the chains.

I just found this set up wandering around on the net:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Hanging-Steel-Ta...item3cadd83bab

I could probably have my friends dads mill cut my plates into these shapes, so I could easily hang chains from them instead of drilling holes into the plates.

[espnazi]

If you want something that will withstand a rifle round you'll probably need to get 1/2" or 3/4" ar500 steel if you can afford ar600 then that would also be a good option.

[LarryFlew]

ditto on the AR500. We have a guy that makes them up here and they run about $43 for 3/4 silhouette with shipping.

I use bolt through holes he does on his and attach at the back with either chain or webbing so it hangs slightly back at the bottom. I use a shepards garden hood with a washer welded opposite of the hook so the chain just slips over on that side (stopping at the washer) and then slips on the hook side for the other end. You WILL occasionally shoot the chain so the next time I do I am going to try the webbing.

Nothing like shooting steel - make sure you never shoot it at short ranges.

Mine is 1/2 AR500 and takes all from 22 to 45 in pistols at 40 feet and up to 5.56 at 60-200 yards without denting. Incendiary did leave a mark.

Pic gives you idea of the size - not my stand pictured

[booker_t]

Might be tough to find, but the plates used for tie-down of railroad rails make a good target.

Ask around for High/Dual Hard (ATI-500, ATI-K12) or RHA (rolled homogeneous armor) plate. That's ideal for targets, will last you forever.

Unlike some things, Ballistic performance isn't all about hardness!

[Zak Smith]

I've been shooting armor steel targets in long-range matches since about '03.

The best method we have found - bar none - is to use one piece of conveyor-belt strap approx 4-5" wide to hang the target from an A-frame stand.

On the target end, there is one hold cut through the armor steel, with at least 1" of metal between the hole and the edge of the plate. Put a grade 8 bolt through the hole, then through a hole cut in the strap. On the back, use a large washer and then a nylock nut (does not have to be grade 8). Do not tighten the nut down all the way - the plate should barely be able to swing side to side freely.

On the other end, cut two holes in the strap and fold it over itself and bolt through to make a loop. The cross-member of the A-frame stand goes through this loop.

The A-frame stand can be made of rebar or it can be something more involved with bar or tube stock and welded "corners".

These targets are extremely durable and will only fail after multiple hits to the bolt head itself or multiple hits in the exact same spot on the legs/cross of the A-frame.

The conveyor belt material can absorb many many hits and practically unlimited splash and not fail.

[rock185]

I have used targets for years made of 10" "Armor Gard" 3/8" thick discs from Heflin Steel in the Phoenix area. The back is welded to a foldable steel stand. I have to have mine rewelded every few years, when the weld on the back begins to crack. That conveyor belt strapping sounds like a real good way of attaching the impact plates to the stand though, no welded attachment to crack at all.

[oneounceload]

One thing I have also seen is the use of some flat bar to make an "X" shaped base and about a 1' section of a garage door spring (the heavy duty ones on the roller), with a small steel plate welded to that - it lets the plate react when hit - if the base is big enough, it doesn't fall over

[jp67]

Any pics of the conveyor-belt strap set up?
Thanks

[Rifleman1776]

I have virtually no steel knowledge. But FWW, I used T1A steel for my targets. They were excellent on impact resistance.

[Zak Smith]

This is not the most robust of the A-frame designs, but not the weakest one either.

[Morgoroth]

The best source of "plates" I have seen were at the local antique mall. Cast iron frying pans were a dime a dozen.

I don't know how big of a gun you can shoot at it without denting, but it would be a cheap .22 set at least.

They also had a bunch of different sizes.

[Edward429451]

Cast iron is brittle and will crack fairly easy. If it wasnt then I'd of had to carry all those bathtubs down the stairs instead of bust it up into pieces and toss it out the window. My big bad sledge used was a standard 16 oz hammer.

[docpadds]

I was using my wood target stands for them but found the fragmentation was damaging them, so i went out back and took the swings etc off the kids old swingset, a few pieces of chain and carriage bolts and my AR500 plates are all hanging nicely