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Shooting steel plates safely

djh860
I purchased 1/4 inch steel knock over plates. They are made from A36 hot roll steel drop. I plan on shooting them from 25 to 30 feet with a 9mm pistol.

Will this be safe?
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Comments

9 comments

Date Votes
  • perry shooter
    NO unless you put them at an angle.45 degrees is recommended. Most steel plate target makers state they should be no less then 25 yards unless shot with Lead loads like the cowboy action guys use . Two things happen The jacket will separate from lead and give very dangerous jagged pieces of metal and if you DIMPLE the target then back splat can come straight back at the shooter or anyone else close by. YMMV
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  • Mobuck
    I hang mine from the top corners giving them a slight tilt at the bottom away from the shooter. When hit, they swing away causing the bullets to splatter downward. I've had very few bounce backs none of which made it 15 yards. My experience indicates that plated bullets are the safest common bullets to use on steel. They flatten completely w/o any noticeable backsplatter.
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  • Oakie
    I learned this the hard way last friday when a riccoet hit me at 50 yards[;)] All steel is now angled down
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  • wpage
    Use caution. One of our guys got hit with a pistol ricochette. Be certain to angle the plates and wear protective garments when shooting.
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  • beantownshootah
    quote:Originally posted by djh860
    I purchased 1/4 inch steel knock over plates. They are made from A36 hot roll steel drop. I plan on shooting them from 25 to 30 feet with a 9mm pistol.

    Will this be safe?


    No.

    I watched a guy shooting steel plates at 10 yards during a contest.
    One of his .45ACP reloads smacked a plate, then a piece of shrapnel bounced back, hit him in the face, and opened a little cut on his chin! (He kept shooting anyway! . . .that's what you're supposed to do!).

    At *least* angle the targets down, but moving them further away is a good idea too.
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  • Bman74
    As long as your shots are straight into the target and not at an angle, the bullet should be destroyed with no worries. Be sure to be at least 30 yards away.
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  • 243winxb
    The type of steel and angle is important. Read this > http://steelchallenge.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/steel-target-resource-guide.pdf
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  • andrewsw16
    Here in northern NV, pretty much all of our steel plate competitions are held at approximately 15 yards. Yes, there is some spray, but pretty much just small fragments. If you have never been hit by bullet fragments you don't go to enough shooting events. :-) Angling the plates is the smart thing to do. Eye protection is mandatory for BOTH the shooters and the spectators at all shooting events.
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  • Justjump
    OK I'm gonna show up with a different opinion and still respect the others. I have shot literally tens of thousands of rounds at steel. My house is built and designed so I can shoot steel plates from most anywhere.
    Angle smangle, I have 9 plates 8x8x1/4 hanging from chains on stands at distances from 25' to 200' Then my personal favorites are same plate welded to an automotive suspension spring and mounted to auto rims with tires still on them (12 of those) and 2 dueling trees. I only shoot cast or plated and I try to stay under 1200fps
    Yes spalling is possible but its rare, protection is a must. I'd rather get hit by spalling than hit by a paintball!!!
    The rounds disentegrate at the plate. Your welcome to come look around my house and see that though the lead piles up around the plates, we have no broken windows or damaged anything.
    I guess angling the plate is safe, I just dont have time to reset plates. If the plate can move at all, then the energy is absorbed on impact and lead falls right to the ground.
    Just my .02
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