When practicing with a firearm, having a target that provides instant feedback is essential. It enables you to identify hits and misses with ease.
Using steel targets also increases the safety of shooting practice. These targets can withstand a more significant amount of force than paper targets. It is especially true when used with appropriate ammunition, such as full metal jacket bullets.
Superior Abrasion Resistance
Unlike traditional paper targets that require frequent replacement, steel shooting targets are durable and reusable. They can withstand thousands of rounds of ammunition with minor damage. They also hang from a sturdy bracket, clamp, or bolt to ensure the safety of shooters and spectators.
Abrasion-resistant AR500 targets are designed to take the beating of repeated hits from pistol and rifle calibers without bending. They can withstand high amounts of kinetic energy because they’re made of hardened steel with a Brinell hardness rating of 500 to 550.
Softer target materials deform and create divots, rough surfaces, or craters that cause unpredictable ricochet patterns that can endanger shooters and spectators.
High-Velocity Impact
Steel targets provide instant feedback that improves your accuracy. They’re also super durable, meaning they will last thousands of rounds and can be shot repeatedly. They can withstand the most powerful rifle cartridges without deforming or requiring costly repairs.
The “AR” in AR500 and 550 refers to the heat-treated material’s abrasion-resistant properties. It has a Brinell hardness number of 500, which is much more complicated than mild steel. Targets made from softer materials tend to pit when shot with high-velocity ammunition. Pitting can result in unpredictable ricochet patterns that endanger shooters and others.
The more complex material means it can withstand more powerful rifle ammunition than mild steel targets and resists pitting better. This results in longer target life and reduces the need for expensive maintenance and repair costs.
Reusable
Invest in high-quality steel targets that can withstand repeated impacts from handgun and rifle calibers to ensure safety. When shooting steel targets, it is essential to inspect them for pitting or other damage regularly. A deformed or misshaped target can present a dangerous hazard, as it may cause bullets to fragment on impact and ricochet in unexpected directions.
Easy to Assemble
The gratifying sound of hitting a metal target is reason enough to invest in one. But the safety benefits of steel targets are even more important. Targets made from soft, deformed, or misshaped materials can crater and send dangerous ricochets back toward the shooting line.
To avoid such hazards, target makers use a through-hardened alloy like AR500 to make their targets. The hardness is sufficient to resist deformation and withstand impact from firearms at appropriate distances while keeping them safe and reliable.
Targets made from this material are also easy to assemble. For instance, a swinging AR500 target frame can be put together by simply sliding the legs into sockets on the end plates and bolting them to the target bracket with heavy carriage bolts. The resulting steel target system can then be mounted on a hanger bracket with the same carriage bolts secured to the ground. The setup is portable, durable, and designed to provide years of shooting fun.