What size steel targets?

I went 24x24 3/8" AR500 steel from a local steel company. I paid 85$.

While working up loads at 1000 yards it helps to have the bigger surface area to allow for differences in loads.

https://www.longrangehunting.com/threads/building-a-target-frame.152118/

Looks like a pretty cool stand.

I googled pipe prices though, and it seems that might get a bit spendy. Home depot and lowes show it running about $2.50 a foot for 1" pipe. For a stand that size, seems like it would be well north of $50 with hardware.

I think electrical conduit is pretty cheap. Not sure if it's strong enough though, and might not have the same versatility with the nifty threaded joints and elbows.

Something like this Cheap Saw Horse Bracket - I found them locally for about $8 a set.
2x4s are about $0.50/ft = $10 per target (5 x 4' boards)
Tire sidewalls = free. Easy to cut with a ~4" knife if you have someone help by pulling them apart as you cut.
Bolts/Nuts/Washers ~$5

Avoid chain for the hangers IMO, unless you have some already. At $2 a foot, it will get expensive to keep the targets alive. You WILL shoot the chains, and almost certainly more often than you expect. Each time you do that, it's $2 up in smoke. The tire sidewalls will take literally dozens of hits before failing, not to mention they're free! Old fire hose is a good option too, but harder to source. Tire sidewalls are also stiff, so they prevent the target from swinging wildly with heavy hitting rounds.

As mentioned by several folks, larger is better for the targets. I'd start with a couple of 12", and see what you think. If you're like me and my buddies, you'll want something bigger eventually, but those are pretty good out to 500 yds or so.

check out "the last stand" it's cheap and uses 1/2" rebar. this is portable enough and holds up reasonably well.

stick with ar500 steel. the 1/4" plate mild steels just don't cut it even at longer distances. my 6.5cm made quick work at 900 yards of mild steel. i could have swore i missed two shots in a row. after a long trip back to the target i could see that someone shot a laser beam at it twice with the holes only 2 inches apart. lesson learned.

i also prefer larger targets for most shooting (18" @ 1000, 24" to a mile & 12" below 600). as i get more dope i will shrink the targets to close to moa. white with a simple dot works well. i shoot a SFP scope so sometimes i put a 4" painted bar on the target for size reference when not at max magnification.

RemHutch50 said:

You guys have helped tremendously. Thanks for your help.
Haven't looked at eBay yet, but have checked out amazon and found some decent options.
Just didn't know really what sizes to start with.

Any ideas on cheap/easy portable stands would be appreciated now. The pipe idea looks good. Not sure costs on that though without finding some scrap maybe.

Click to expand...

I see you are from Oklahoma. Sucker rod from the oil field is really cheap. I went to an implement yard that had old farm equipment and got some huge discs off old plow equipment, punched two holes in each one with a torch to Clovis chain from. I did this in Montana were there was lots of timber, out here in Wyoming were I hunt now, mostly in the junipers I may have to use some pipe.
I have a torch and welder so I can get pretty creative, I've got serval chunks of 5/8 plate I picked up. I don't know that the plow discs will work here in Wyoming. The wind is insane.

One more question guys. I plan to buy 1/2" for 300-600 yards.

Can I buy 3/8" for 700-1000? Or should I just get all 1/2 or more?

The thinner and larger diameter, the better ring! I don't know what you're shooting, but I run 3/8" AR500 from 400 on out with no issues. 7mm and 30 Nosler. I really don't shoot these bigger calibers at steel under 400 yds.

One observation I had is monolithic bullets (Barnes) can be harder on steel that the lead cores.

When I first bought steel, I bought 4-6-8-10-& 12" sizes. Missing sucks if you can't spot the shot. I sold all my little ones, and went with all 12" squares. For close range, you can paint several dots on them for different aiming points. I generally shoot into a hill side, so I can spot most misses, unless the pasture grass gets too tall.

I do have two 3/8ths 12x24" pieces that I hang horizontally for animal torso, or together for a 24" square target at distance. At about 35 lbs each, you don't want to pack them far.

I want to say my 24" 3/8" is 65 lbs. + or -. Hard to maneuver sometimes by myself when setting up depending on the terrain!

Made these frames to leave out in the pasture. Bungee cords work real well, but not for heavy use.

More homemade stands:

MK machining set me up with two 8x16" plates that stitch together to form 16" square for a very reasonable price. He does larger sizes as well. Water cut edges for maximum durability. I have them is sizes from 4" to 16" and for rifle shooting at long range. 1MOA is good to about 500 when the wind really starts making a difference. After that, I would go larger. If you can only buy one, get a 12". Shipping on sites seem to go up anything larger than 12" as usps flat rate boxes can only fit that as a maximum dimension.

I made these t post brackets from some mild steel we had laying around. They slip on, then cradle a 2x4, and the 2x4 locks the brackets in place on the post. A couple of screws and some old Baler belt and you're running. Thinking about selling some, but they're kind of rough and haven't had time to make a bunch of them yet.