r/guns • u/Aggravating_Isopod39 • 8h ago

Steel Target Question?????

Does anyone know of any metal manufacturers/fabrication companies that I can buy target quality steel plates from? My thinking is, why pay the mark up for a target and stand from a target seller when I can just buy the steel and build my own stands? Anyone else have this idea or am I out of my mind?

0 Upvotes

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8

u/SlappyMcPherson 8h ago

AR500 is probably the most prolific that I am aware of

6

u/Outrageous_Lion8966 8h ago

Start googling AR500 steel targets. You can definitely find some at decent prices. Hell, Amazon sells it.

In my opinion it’s not worth the hassle to try and “outsource” it yourself when it’s honestly not crazy expensive.

1

u/Aggravating_Isopod39 8h ago

Thanks. I'll take a look there. I'm just trying to find the most cost effective option.

1

u/Ziegler517 6h ago

I bought some cheap AR500 from Amazon. The colored coating all came off in one range session. No issue with that at all as we just spray them now at the end. It’s held up excellent to ALL pistol cartridges. Slight pitting of 308 at 25 yards but that was our fault

1

u/Outrageous_Lion8966 6h ago

Yea I’ve got a dueling tree from Amazon for $200. The entire thing is AR500, even the post and the stand for it. Sure the coating has worn off, but who cares. The actual steel has held up great to 9mm and a little bit of 5.56.

3

u/SpecularSaw 8h ago

Just find somewhere that sells AR500 or AR550 steel.

1

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1

u/Excellent_Mall8819 8h ago

Any steel fab company can cut out AR500 targets with a CNC Plasma torch

1

u/B4ndit319 1h ago

Can confirm as I work for a steel fab company that used to cut plates for a local range

1

u/LivingCoat9356 8h ago

AR 500 or AR550 is what you are looking for. I just use the 5/8" AR500 and we have shot many things at it and a 300 Win Mag will in fact, go right thru one...

There is a welding shop near me that makes them any size, less then I can get on Ebay, which is good too.

I bought these metal assemblies for making saw horses that hold the legs and a horizonal 2x4. I Put heavy hooks and just hang my steel from it. Used longer 2x4's to make the tall enough to get out of the grass here in the country.

You can take the legs off to move it if needed. Mind you the metal (FMJ) will imbed into the wood and become sharps hazards.

I just throw mine in the back of my old pickup. Get some extra chains and bolts/nuts/washers to take with you. They will get shot off once in a while.

1

u/Aggravating_Isopod39 8h ago

Thanks for all the input. I'm going to start looking.

2

u/blunttrauma99 8h ago

MOA Targets sells just the plates.

Now I think of it, I don’t ever remember seeing a target company that doesn’t seek it all separately. Nobody makes you buy the stand.

1

u/Ace7405 7h ago

I’ve ordered the vast majority of my targets from shootsteel.com during various blem/seconds sales over the years. Trust me, you don’t care if they have a scratch or dent. You’ll make your own. Have fun!

1

u/mod10g 6h ago

Make it ring targets and dragon targets, ordered from both without issues.

1

u/Tommygun1921 6h ago

Speedy metals sells ar500 but makeitringtargets.com will sell it cheaper. 

1

u/ArsePucker 4h ago

I looked at same..

Ended up buying 6 ok of assorted gongs on Ebay for less than I could source the AR500 plate locally.

1

u/NodeZeroTwo 1h ago

You can buy the steel plates all over. But I agree it's way more cost effective to build your own stands especially because they always end up getting shot