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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:36:42 PM EDT
I thought I would share an idea I use for reactive targets, they are inexpensive, reusable, and you if you lose a few, so what. When all is said and done, I doubt you will have $0.30 worth of materials into each one
Start by heading to any semi truck and/or trailer repair shop and ask then for as many used brake rollers/lock pins as you can have/want. I have never been told no, if they have the, there is a 99% chance they will let you have them for free as they are just going to throw them away. About 30 or 40 from the shop down the street. 
When you get them home they will be covered in grease. 
I throw a few in the sink on paper. It helps keep the sink clean and the resident sammich maker from letting me starve. 
Soak them down with a good degreaser. 
After letting the degreaser soak for 30 minutes or so, fill a container (that you don't care to much about) with hot water and dawn dish soap. scrub them down, rinse them off and let them dry. 
Hit them with a couple of coats of Blaze orange Krylon. 
The finished product. after shooting, a quick shot of paint, and they are ready to go again. 
Hope somebody gets some use from this
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:39:46 PM EDT
[#1]
And you suspend them or what?
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:40:45 PM EDT
[#2]
Hell yea
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:41:35 PM EDT
[#3]
what happens when they are hit?
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:42:20 PM EDT
[#4]
becareful of reverse richochets and spalling.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:42:28 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
And you suspend them or what? I either set them on a small 2x4 target backer, or I carry a roll of thread to hang them. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:43:13 PM EDT
[#6]
you have way too much time on your hands. Still pretty fucking awesome idea PING
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:43:21 PM EDT
[#7]
What are you shooting them with, and any clue what steel/hardening they might have?
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:44:44 PM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
what happens when they are hit? Just flip backwards. Quoted:
becareful of reverse richochets and spalling. never had a problem, been shooting 'em for several years. I always place them above the ground, and not as a ground placed target. I have used them between 5 and 300+ yards. Quoted:
you have way too much time on your hands. Still pretty fucking awesome idea PING less then an hour invested, touch up after shooting is just a few seconds. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:44:55 PM EDT
[#9]
in my experience shooting at such things every once in a while they send a nasty surprise back at you.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:46:30 PM EDT
[#10]
What range are you using these at?
What calibers (rifle or just handgun)?
ETA: you just answered the first one. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:48:13 PM EDT
[#11]
Neat idea, but I prefer used golf balls, available fairly cheap on ebay.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:48:46 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
What range are you using these at? What calibers (rifle or just handgun)?
ETA: you just answered the first one. 5 to 300+ yards, handgun .32 to .44, rifle, .17 to .460 Weatherby. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:50:30 PM EDT
[#13]
Potatoes seem to work just fine for me.
Cheap, nothing to clean up and reusable. TRG |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:51:23 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Neat idea, but I prefer used golf balls, available fairly cheap on ebay. Golf balls FTW..Reactive...long lasting...and cheap |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:53:55 PM EDT
[#15]
how do you hang them?
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:54:27 PM EDT
[#16]
Paintballs glued to a piece of cardboard. No doubt whether you hit the target or not, even at 300 yards or more.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:54:43 PM EDT
[#17]
Nice, bag-o-charcoal is good too.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 4:55:04 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Neat idea, but I prefer used golf balls, available fairly cheap on ebay. Golf balls FTW..Reactive...long lasting...and cheap I gotta go with this. Getting a long sliver of lead or steel imbedded into your body a couple times make you not want to shoot things mad eout of steel that were not designed for being shot. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:00:02 PM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
Potatoes seem to work just fine for me. Cheap, nothing to clean up and reusable. TRG texan potatoes must be pretty hardcore. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:03:33 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
how do you hang them? Just a piece of thread with a loop at each end, and a thumb tack. 
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:04:56 PM EDT
[#21]
Hmmmm.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:05:53 PM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Neat idea, but I prefer used golf balls, available fairly cheap on ebay. Golf balls FTW..Reactive...long lasting...and cheap I gotta go with this. Getting a long sliver of lead or steel imbedded into your body a couple times make you not want to shoot things mad eout of steel that were not designed for being shot. Been using them for 5 or 6 years and thousands of rounds with no problems, not saying it could never happen, jut that it never has. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:08:28 PM EDT
[#23]
Quoted:
Paintballs glued to a piece of cardboard. No doubt whether you hit the target or not, even at 300 yards or more. Nice. I like that! 
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:14:18 PM EDT
[#24]
I still like the colored 16 oz brightly colored plastic cups filled with hydrated lime - tap them gently to pack it down. You get a big poof when you hit it with a rifle round.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:20:53 PM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Neat idea, but I prefer used golf balls, available fairly cheap on ebay. Golf balls FTW..Reactive...long lasting...and cheap I gotta go with this. Getting a long sliver of lead or steel imbedded into your body a couple times make you not want to shoot things mad eout of steel that were not designed for being shot. Been using them for 5 or 6 years and thousands of rounds with no problems, not saying it could never happen, jut that it never has. I have never shot these particular items, but Have shot sections of metal rod cut up similiarly and gotten hit. Shooting old plows and disc is the main thing that has gotten me stuck though. A long with I beams and various other metal scrap. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:29:34 PM EDT
[#26]
Capital idea.
Do you have any pictures of them after impact? |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:32:06 PM EDT
[#27]
Quoted: in my experience shooting at such things every once in a while they send a nasty surprise back at you. And, to either side, and straight up. Bad juju, IMHO. Shoot 'em with tracers and watch what happens....I'd guarantee you'll see them flying in directions you don't want them to. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:36:12 PM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Capital idea. Do you have any pictures of them after impact? I have repainted them, Next time I go, I will get some before I repaint them. Hell, if the weather is good tomorrow I may go out. |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:36:24 PM EDT
[#29]
I like using both ends of soup cans and whatever else comes in can. My wife uses a lot of canned goods so I told her to start saving them. If I see them laying around I'll clean it out and cut the bottom out too. While not reusable, they make for an interesting 100 yard challend if you let them free hang.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:47:56 PM EDT
[#30]
Quoted:
I like using both ends of soup cans and whatever else comes in can. My wife uses a lot of canned goods so I told her to start saving them. If I see them laying around I'll clean it out and cut the bottom out too. While not reusable, they make for an interesting 100 yard challend if you let them free hang. This is a great target. My 'ol man has been doing this for years. Best thing is nothing comes back at you  .
All you greeners can recycle them so you feel good too- |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:49:40 PM EDT
[#31]
Hhhhmmm....
Don't forget your eye-pro.
LOL! |
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:53:11 PM EDT
[#32]
I would be EXTREMELY RELUCTANT to use metal targets that are not of a known good steel in a known good condition. To me those things look like an invitation to ricochet. Speaking as a guy who has had to take pliars and dig bullet bits out of my face, I'm not inclined to shoot at those things. Hard, round surfaces are generally a bad idea to shoot at.
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Posted: 2/8/2010 5:53:30 PM EDT
[#33]
I just use empty plastic laundry detergent bottles. Placed at the berm @ 100 yds. Rifle rounds make them fly pretty nice
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Posted: 2/9/2010 8:40:36 AM EDT
[#34]
I appreciate the concern for safety, and I'm not saying that there is a 100% chance nothing could go wrong, but thats the nature of our sport. The shooting at steel argument, while valid, is offset by the fact that we are not talking about I-Beams and Plow disks, but a small, unstable, 7 oz cylinder. As I said, I have been shooting at these thing for 5+/- years and a few thousand rounds, with ZERO problems. That does not mean it would be impossible under perfect conditions for something to go wrong (as with any range supplyed steel target I have seen), but it is a good enough track record for me.
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Posted: 2/9/2010 8:54:55 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
in my experience shooting at such things every once in a while they send a nasty surprise back at you. they don't have enough mass to send a round back at you. (unless they are backed up by something that does not allow them to fall/move) ETA: well, judging by the picture, they *might* be able to deflect a .22 back. |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 1:23:21 PM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
Quoted:
in my experience shooting at such things every once in a while they send a nasty surprise back at you. they don't have enough mass to send a round back at you. (unless they are backed up by something that does not allow them to fall/move) ETA: well, judging by the picture, they *might* be able to deflect a .22 back. I would be more worried who is on the other side of the wall. 
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Posted: 2/9/2010 1:35:17 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
in my experience shooting at such things every once in a while they send a nasty surprise back at you. they don't have enough mass to send a round back at you. (unless they are backed up by something that does not allow them to fall/move) ETA: well, judging by the picture, they *might* be able to deflect a .22 back. I would be more worried who is on the other side of the wall.
Just my worthless, registered lvl 2 and his non stop yappy, ankle biter dog. |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 1:48:48 PM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
I appreciate the concern for safety, and I'm not saying that there is a 100% chance nothing could go wrong, but thats the nature of our sport. The shooting at steel argument, while valid, is offset by the fact that we are not talking about I-Beams and Plow disks, but a small, unstable, 7 oz cylinder. As I said, I have been shooting at these thing for 5+/- years and a few thousand rounds, with ZERO problems. That does not mean it would be impossible under perfect conditions for something to go wrong (as with any range supplyed steel target I have seen), but it is a good enough track record for me. I am not trying to bash your thread or take a crap in it. Seriously though I have shot sections of sucker rod that were cut down to about this size. I did it for along time but one day i took a chunk of steel, not lead in the forearm. From about 25 yards away while shooting with a 40 S&W. Steel targets made out of the correct steel and set at the correct angle to deflect the bullet properly are a good thing. That being said none of the pieces I took could have been lethal wounds, unless I took one in the cartaroid. Still if you are going to shoot things like this make sure you wear eye pro. |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 1:53:23 PM EDT
[#39]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I appreciate the concern for safety, and I'm not saying that there is a 100% chance nothing could go wrong, but thats the nature of our sport. The shooting at steel argument, while valid, is offset by the fact that we are not talking about I-Beams and Plow disks, but a small, unstable, 7 oz cylinder. As I said, I have been shooting at these thing for 5+/- years and a few thousand rounds, with ZERO problems. That does not mean it would be impossible under perfect conditions for something to go wrong (as with any range supplyed steel target I have seen), but it is a good enough track record for me. I am not trying to bash your thread or take a crap in it. Seriously though I have shot sections of sucker rod that were cut down to about this size. I did it for along time but one day i took a chunk of steel, not lead in the forearm. From about 25 yards away while shooting with a 40 S&W. Steel targets made out of the correct steel and set at the correct angle to deflect the bullet properly are a good thing. That being said none of the pieces I took could have lethal wounds unless I took one in the cartaroid. Still if you are going to shoot thing slike this make sure you wear eye pro. It was not directed at you ( just the I-Beam and plow disk seemed a good example) just a general response. And yes, eye pro is a must, I agree.
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Posted: 2/9/2010 1:57:41 PM EDT
[#40]
I was waiting for you to melt and forge them into a flat of some kind on an anvil..
Hammer time! eta.. with the price of steel and metals what they are..Have you thought about taking them to a scrapper to see what they would be worth by weight? |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:04:43 PM EDT
[#41]
I expected better when you wrote reactive targets.
Why not just set up some empty soda cans, bottles, normal targets that dont require al the work? |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:07:38 PM EDT
[#42]
Those would be cool if you had a row of 5-6 of them hanging from a chain of some sort underneath a stand. That way if you hit one, it would fling around.
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:14:48 PM EDT
[#43]
Didn't take this thread long to become about how nearly "everyone" here has taken a ricochet and NEARLY DIED.
Maybe we should discuss how dangerous it is to shoot a bullet straight up? |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:20:11 PM EDT
[#44]
I fired .45 FMJ into a pile of logs and had one come zinging back past my left arm. You can get ricochets from almost anything, its just an acceptable part of shooting |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:22:25 PM EDT
[#45]
Pretty cool thread!
HH |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:29:45 PM EDT
[#46]
Quoted:
I expected better when you wrote reactive targets. Why not just set up some empty soda cans, bottles, normal targets that dont require al the work? Because empty bottles break and cans send shards of Al all over the place. makes it kind of difficult to pack you mess out. Unless you're one of those shooters who leaves their targets all over the place. |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 2:49:27 PM EDT
[#47]
Quoted:
Paintballs glued to a piece of cardboard. No doubt whether you hit the target or not, even at 300 yards or more. I've got about two cases of old paint sitting in my bedroom. They seem a little small for that though; what distance are you shooting them at? |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 5:13:55 PM EDT
[#48]
Quoted: Didn't take this thread long to become about how nearly "everyone" here has taken a ricochet and NEARLY DIED. Maybe we should discuss how dangerous it is to shoot a bullet straight up? At my range (I'm the owner), we've had a piece of jacket enter an arm deep enough to lodge against the bone, requiring some serious surgery to get out. We've had a piece go into a guy's nose, causing profuse bleeding, and I had a piece tear the tip of my ear pretty good. Somewhere we have a picture of a piece sticking out of an A2 buttstock that was sitting on a bench. Since investing in some better swinging AR500 armor and restricting it to 25+ yards for pistols and 100+ for rifles, no injuries. You do the math. My objection to the little cylinders is much more about sending rounds over, out from, and beyond the berm. If there is any doubt whatsoever about this, as I said earlier shoot something shaped like that with tracers (I've done it). You'll see your rounds go in places you did not want rounds going. |
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Posted: 2/9/2010 7:08:54 PM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
Didn't take this thread long to become about how nearly "everyone" here has taken a ricochet and NEARLY DIED. Maybe we should discuss how dangerous it is to shoot a bullet straight up? I wasn't close to death....but the fact remains that if you shoot enough steel sooner or later you WILL catch some bullet fragments. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. Example: I parked my car about 25 yards from one of the reactive steel ranges at Blackwater to say howdy to a friend and to BS with Jason and Kyle. When I came back to my car it was peppered all over with bullet bits. ...and that was on a well maintained range with their own target production facility on site. |
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Posted: 3/8/2010 11:10:04 AM EDT
[#50]
I shot some of these today. There isn't a damned thing wrong with shooting these things.
I hit several dead on with .223 and all they did was fly off! Barely even scratched the paint. I can attest that these things are perfectly safe. |
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