Steel Target Safety

[Park ranger]

Yards or Feet? I have no experience with this, but 25 yards seems like a long way for a pistol. 50 yards seems absurd, no matter if it's magnum. If this is really the safe distance I'd have to consider hard if steel is worth shooting at.

Yards. Really, thats too far? Bullseye pistols shooters shoot 50 yards 1 handed and will post a 4" group. I'll shoot my magnum pistols 100 to 200 yards. 9mm with a red dot at 125 yards on a 18" plate and hit 90%. My problem. Or biggest training need is to learn how to shoot fast.

I also shoot a snub nose revolver at 50 yards at times. 38 wad cutters will hit low on a B27 or is it B29 target when aimed at the head. Its good info to know. Although I get about 3/5 hit ratio.

 

[Crazytrain]

Yards. Really, thats too far? Bullseye pistols shooters shoot 50 yards 1 handed and will post a 4" group. I'll shoot my magnum pistols 100 to 200 yards. 9mm with a red dot at 125 yards on a 18" plate and hit 90%. My problem. Or biggest training need is to learn how to shoot fast.

I also shoot a snub nose revolver at 50 yards at times. 38 wad cutters will hit low on a B27 or is it B29 target when aimed at the head. Its good info to know. Although I get about 3/5 hit ratio.

I mean, I've never tried to shoot that far. It just seems to be a long, long way. 50 yards is half a football field! I'm guessing the bullseye people have very specialized weapons, but I really don't know.

It's entirely possible that I'm just not that great a shot.

 

[Nanook]

I mean, I've never tried to shoot that far. It just seems to be a long, long way. 50 yards is half a football field! I'm guessing the bullseye people have very specialized weapons, but I really don't know.

It's entirely possible that I'm just not that great a shot YET.

There. Fixed it.

Some folks drive $2k+ tuned match guns. I have several out of the box RIA 1911s I take to Bullseye matches in case somebody needs to use one. Fixed sights. Stock everything. Issued ammo. While challenging, it's only hard if you think too hard about it. You nor target is moving (rapid fire at 25yd 'flips' notwithstanding).

STANCE. Set your feet in your stance with natural point of aim on YOUR target for X-ring impact. 50yd on my stock guns is below the fuzzy black with equal light/height on 3 sides of the front sight that is crystal clear. 25yd normally moves the entire pistol up by bringing rear foot forward and verifying natural point of aim.

GRIP. Once the pistol is nestled in your hand, you don't have to think about it anymore.

SIGHT ALIGNMENT/TRIGGER CONTROL/BREATHING. Once you in position and ready, the pistol comes up and breaks the shot relatively quickly or the finger comes off and the pistol rests on the bench in your unchanged grip. (Like a firecracker - hold it too long and things get bad.) Figure out where and how to pause your breathing that works best for your repeatability. Then simply ease the trigger to the rear while making sure the gap around the front sight stays same until after it goes off and continue to hold hard until your pistol comes back from recoil. It should be exactly where you started or something is wrong with your position or body. Then let trigger reset and repeat as directed.

Those 5 things are all you need to know and do.


Back to shooting steel - crap flying off it can sting, hurt, or kill if you are stupid with it. Remember the video of the .50 taking off the guy's muffs when the stuff was returned to sender? Further is better.

 

[Jimgoespewpew]

 

[Mark75H]

Isn't all 50BMG steel cored?

 

[Art3]

I bet the steel target manufacturer has recommendations.
As I understand it, most action shooting sports around here use the Mid Atlantic Multigun rules for competition, which I'm pretty sure says 10 yards for non-magnum pistol.

I think it might sometimes even happen a little closer, depending on who steps it off

 

[outrider58]

Great camera work. Lol!

 

[John from MD]

Hi all,

My son-in-law gifted me a set of steel targets. Like, commercially made and sold targets not just some plate steel that he whipped up at home.
What are the minimum safe distances and maximum safe calibers for steel targets? I don't want something to come back on me or hurt someone else.

Thanks.

NRA steel shooting requires plates to be at least 21 feet away. IDPA minimum requirement is 30 feet. I suggest that you make your plate holder so it angles your plates down to deflect most of the lead downward.

 

[Ponder_MD]

NRA steel shooting requires plates to be at least 21 feet away. IDPA minimum requirement is 30 feet. I suggest that you make your plate holder so it angles your plates down to deflect most of the lead downward.

I found, in tiny print the minimum safe distances on the labels. These are AR500 plates.

I have 3, increasing in size with the largest being a 10" gong. Could be fun!

 

[Bountied]

To be fair it his his ear pro, not his head or else he wouldn't have been standing afterwards. There are better versions of this video out there.

 

[Jimgoespewpew]

To be fair it his his ear pro, not his head or else he wouldn't have been standing afterwards. There are better versions of this video out there.

To be fair to whom, or what, exactly? Yes, it's fairly obvious it didn't hit his head and he survived, but he was an inch from death. I'm sure there are better versions. I don't give two shíts. You clearly missed the point that if a plate is not properly mounted, a direct ricochet is possible. Granted, with a lead projectile it wouldn't be the whole thing, but even a fragment can irreparably damage an eye.

 

[Bountied]

To be fair to whom, or what, exactly? Yes, it's fairly obvious it didn't hit his head and he survived, but he was an inch from death. I'm sure there are better versions. I don't give two shíts. You clearly missed the point that if a plate is not properly mounted, a direct ricochet is possible. Granted, with a lead projectile it wouldn't be the whole thing, but even a fragment can irreparably damage an eye.

Yeah I get all that, I meant that the title of the video is incorrect/misleading. It should be called almost hit his head. Settle down.

 

[Jimgoespewpew]

Yeah I get all that, I meant that the title of the video is incorrect/misleading. It should be called almost hit his head. Settle down

This reminds me of those videos where people go to Yellowstone, poke a bear, are shocked when it bites and then tell it to settle down.

 

[Bountied]

This reminds me of the time someone overreacted to an innocuous comment about a video with a title that was incorrect. Nothing personal towards your post since you didn't create the video.

 

[Boats]

The SASS guys in my club shoot as close as 10feet, but are shooting full lead loads with a max velocity of 1000fps.

Every once in a while lead 9mm and .45 pop up on the market and are suitable for this. The lead disintegrates on impact, copper and steel return to sender.