3/8" and 1/2" steel gongs

[Brent]

Made it out to 500yds on the 10"x12" gongs today. I hung three of them off a swing set at the range, one is 1/2" and two are 3/8". The 3/8" gongs worked good at 500yds with the 308win just leaving slight dimples. At 500yds the 416wby and 400gr XLC's were still doing some damage to the 1/2" so 600yds will be a minimum I'm guessing for them. The white paint works great too Ian, thanks for the tip there too. The guy at the steel yard said the 1/2" remnant was pretty soft stuff, I think it's softer than the 3/8" stuff just buy the surface scarrs they leave. I'll see if he has some harder stuff next week.

I welded nuts on the back in the upper corners to fasten wire to hang them from so they tilt a little tward the ground too. Hanging from 18" or so of wire they move for a few after being hit and are easy to see hits on the white also.

 

[Ian M]

Brent,
We shot steel this past weekend also. I tried some pieces 2'x4' by 1/4" hanging at a 20-30 degree angle out at 7 and 800 yards. The smaller calibers didn't do any damage (.22-250 & .220 Swift, .25-06) but the .308 did a fairly good gouge. No crater, just a ding that showed on the backside. No big deal, if the entire plate starts to bow I will just reverse it. Sure is easier to lift a piece of 1/4" plate.
I would be willing to bet that your background scenery is MUCH prettier than our flat-*** prairie. We had the targets down in a coullee to contain the bullets.
I heard of a guy who hung an old car hood out at 1000 and beat on it with his rifles - would probably work OK, not sure.

 

[littletoes]

Made a "u" shaped hanger out of 1/2" sch 40 pipe. For feet i used 1/2" t's with 15" pieces out both ends. You can make it as long and as tall as you want. The best part is that 3/4" t's will slide right over the half inch pipe. So if you use a 3/4 X 1/2 t you can thread a piece of 1/2" pipe into the t and weld the other end to your gong. Just make the welds as strong as you can! Big rifles break welds! Use mallable fittings not cast, cast fittings are more brittle, in case of an accidental hit.

 

[littletoes]

Forgot to mention-if you weld the pipe to the back, they hang back a little. Weld 'em on top-they hang straight down. littletoes.

 

[Brent]

I'm loading up 100 rds of 308win with gamekings to kill steel tomarrow with a couple friends. I can see now that they'll be hooked on clicking to a long shot instead of the common hold over routine from then on. We'll start at 500yds and move out to 1000 maybe. The wind has been really blowin for a few days now so it'll be interesting. It generally blows up or down the river bar the range is on so it's a 6 or 12 o'clock wind so that isn't so bad. Got to go do some loading now.

 

[littletoes]

Post the results when your done! Always like to read about someone else's shootin, if I cant go!

 

[Brent]

It rained me out yesterday, nothin but blue sky today and no wind, should be great today.

 

[MikeW]

10"x12" 2'x4' steel? Come on guys we shoot 90mm & 60mm clays a 500 yards here in Texas.
You know if you are having a hard time hitting those gongs you go always just hang it in front of your barrel with a wire.

Just razzing you.

 

[littletoes]

Ever paint 'em white? Should be able to see gongs better at longer ranges.

 

[Ian M]

The nicest "gong" that I have shot is a huge piece of steel cut out like a full sized bison and it is suspended on three large coil springs. That sucker makes a sound that has to be heard to be appreciated.
Essentially the guys put a steel frame into the ground, welded on the coil springs and then put on the steel bison. If the wind is right it sounds like it gonnnngs for a couple of seconds.
We have been getting rained on for a few days, I am going into steel shooting withdrawal!! Need to smell some burnt Varget.

 

[littletoes]

For big guns, its gotta be long range, hit a buddies gong at 100 yards, darn neer punched through 3/4" of soft steel with 180 grains of lead out of a 300 Weatherby.

 

[Brent]

It's been raining here too all week. Tomarrow will be sunny they say. I hope to go out this weekend. I had to get back to 500yds with the 416wby on the 1/2" plate, it was leaving slugs burried in the plate to 400yds. The 308 was just leaving too big of pock marks on the plate too. That was 3/8" the 308 was hitting though. 700yds aught to leave a good mark without destroying the plate. The 300wby may need to go 800 or 900yds though. I still need to look into some harder plate steel, the stuff I have is just mild steel.

 

[Hunter]

Brent, get your hands on a piece of T-1 steel. What goes comletely through 1/2" mild steel will barely leave a dimple on T-1.
It's expensive, a 12" square piece of it cost me $25, but it's worth the extra cost.

[ 06-14-2002: Message edited by: Hunter ]

 

[littletoes]

T-1 will not shater? Even at closer ranges? might try some! Thanks.