AR500 Steel Targets - What to expect and how to make ...

AR500 Steel &#; Pitting Vs Warping

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Hunter Special Steel Co., Ltd.

Pitting

                When you think of a target taking damage you're more than likely thinking of pitting. It&#;s the damage that occurs, to some extent, every time a high velocity (rifle) round strikes the target and is immediately  visible. Many people have the misconception that the larger the caliber, the more damage it will cause to the target when in fact that is not true. During testing we shot a 3 .50 BMG rounds at our close range 1/2" AC zone target from 50 yards with no perceptable damage. Of course this is certainly not recommended and it wouldn't take long for that large of a round to warp the target but we simply had to know what it would do. Velocity is the true enemy of your AR500 target. At 100 yards I have seen .22-250 rounds go through 3/8" thick AR500 steel. The fast velocities (above 3,000 fps at impact) concentrated on a small caliber round create a lot of heat and pressure where it strikes the target. This in turn creates the pits that slowly (or quickly) chip away at our targets. In the picture below you can see the difference 50 yards makes to the target. I highlighted the diameter of the actual pitting because at 100 yards the pit is so shallow that the lead splatters outside of the actual "crater" and removes some paint making the pit look larger than it is in the photo. At 50 yards the pit is deeper with more defined edges resulting in no paint being removed. In most cases, the thickness of the target has no bearing on the amount of damage that it will sustain, the benefit to going thicker is that it won't warp from larger caliber rounds. One exception being .22-250 wherein it will poke holes in 3/8" thick AR500 and will only leave a large crater in 1/2" thick AR500 leaving the other side of the target in good shape.

tl;dr... Keeping the velocity of whatever round you're using to a minimum will increase the lifespan of your target. Anything about 3,000 fps at impact will drastically reduce the the lifespan of your target.

Warping

     Warping is caused by using a large caliber on a thin plate. Using a 250 grain .300 Win Mag cartridge won't cause much pitting but repeated use on a 3/8" thick target at 100 yards will bend the plate and can eventually result in bullet fragments bein deflected in an unsafe direction. You can get by using a 3/8" thick plate for larger calibers but you have to make sure to keep the distance to the targert further away and regularly inspect your target to make sure it's not warping. If it does slightly warp you can flip the target around and shoot at the other side but you need to make sure you keep on top of it so it doesn't warp too far in either direction. That's why you're better off paying a little more for thicker targets if you're going to be shooting larger caliber rifles.

tl;dr... Large calibers can cause your target to warp (bend). Thicker plates or longer ranges are the key to making your target last as long as possible.

With more and more companies and individuals manufacturing steel targets, the water has become increasingly muddy where accurate information is concerned. With technical data provided by the American Iron and Steel Institute in Washington D.C., this report is designed to cut through the recent hype and establish a basis of fact for accurate evaluation and comparison.

What Is Steel?

Steel is an alloy metal composed of iron and varying amounts of carbon and/or other elements such as chromium, nickel, tungsten, manganese, and so on. Steel with specific properties and characteristics is created by adjusting the overall chemical composition or by altering the various production processes such as rolling, finishing, and heat treatment. Because each of these factors can be modified, there is potentially no limit to the number of different steel recipes that can be created. Currently, there are over 3,000 catalogued grades or chemical compositions of steel available. Steel can utilize a wide variety of alloying elements and heat treatments to develop the most desirable combination of properties.

Steel Hardness and Quality

For steel targets to be functional and safe, they should be made of high quality through hardened steel that has a Brinell hardness number (BHN) of at least 500. The steel must also provide sufficient strength, toughness, and impact resistance. The Brinell hardness test depends upon the resistance offered to the penetration of a carbide steel ball (1.6 mm diameter) when subjected to a weight of 12.6 kg. The resulting hardness value is computed as the ratio of the applied load to the area of the indentation produced. This test is accepted as a worldwide standard for measuring the hardness of steel.

Truth &#; There are 2 Factors that Affect the Hardness of Steel

The first is the amount of carbon and other alloying elements in its chemical composition, and the second is the manner in which the heating and cooling of the steel is manipulated. These factors are determined at the most fundamental level, and affect the finished steel as a whole.

For more ar500steel plateinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Truth &#; Steel Hardness is a Critical Issue

The hardness of the steel is critical because only a smooth surface will generate predictable splatter patterns. Steel that is not sufficiently hard can develop pits, craters, dimples, and other hazardous deformations. When a bullet hits one of these deformations, it is impossible to predict where the splatter will go, thereby creating an unacceptable
training environment.

There are many steel mills located around the world, but only a select few are able to produce steel that is hard enough and of sufficient quality to be safely used for steel targets and equipment. Action Target has a list of major producers of Steel that meet quality specifications. Each of these companies may have minor proprietary differences in their production methods, but they all must make sheets of hard steel in essentially the same way. Nevertheless, some suppliers of targets and shooting range equipment attempt to muddy the water and create perceived differences in steel quality where none exist. One particularly misleading claim refers to a certain company&#;s use of through hardened steel as opposed to merely surface hardened AR500 steel allegedly used by everyone else. We state the following with all possible force:

1. Action Target uses only high quality, through hardened steel with a Brinell hardness rating of at least 500, and we use it in every one of our ballistic steel products.

2. Action Target can also provide through hardened steel targets and other steel products with certified Brinell hardness ratings of 550 and even 600.

3. Despite the inaccurate claims, AR500 steel is NOT surface hardened. It is through hardened. Witness the quotes listed below from steel suppliers around the country.

Chapel Steel &#; AR500 is a quenched & tempered, through hardened, wear-resistant grade of abrasion resistant steel plate used for severe impact. (SOURCE: https://www.chapelsteel.com/ar500-ar500f.html)

Heflin Steel &#; Heflin REM 500 abrasion resistant plate is a premium grade wear plate, ideal for extreme abrasion coupled with resistance to impact. REM 500 plate is through hardened up to a 3&#; thickness for maximum hardness and abrasion resistance.

Benco Steel &#; AR500 is a through hardened steel with high hardness for use where there is severe impact and abrasion.

(These companies are steel suppliers, not manufacturers or producers. They buy steel from the actual manufacturers like HARDOX / SSAB, and then re-sell it to their own customers.)

4. Any statements contrary to those above are simply untrue.

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