How Do Shooting Steel Targets Work?

Shooting steel can be a ton of fun. Unfortunately, many shooters will head out to the gun range and find themselves shooting paper plates, cardboard, or paper targets. Professional shooters, however, will opt to shoot metal targets. But why should you shoot AR550 targets? And how exactly do these types of targets work? Let’s take a quick look into how professional shooting targets differ from other targets and why they are so great!

How Metal Targets Work

Shooting steel is different from cardboard or paper targets in the sense that you do not shoot through them, and they instead absorb the shot. AR500 is a much harder metal than the standard lead or copper bullets that are fired from guns. When these bullets make an impact with the metal, they splatter and break apart. The hardened surface absorbs the impact, resulting in the famous audible sound that ar500 target solutions is known for. Because of how hard and dense the metal is, it does have a few things to consider when shooting it. Everything from safety, ricochets, safe shooting distances, type of metal, and thickness all come into play when shooting targets. But overall, ar500 targets are one of the best solutions for shooters as they give instant feedback on hits or misses, and they are reusable.

Are steel targets safe? Are They dangerous?

The answer is, yes they are safe as long as you follow a few guidelines. The angle of the target  plays an important role in safety while target shooting. To minimize the impact of ricochets, we recommend using a 20-30 degree angle. This slight angle will put your broken up shrapnel to the ground below your target. Think of bouncing a rubber ball. Throw it straight down towards your feet and you know it is coming right back towards your face. Now put a slight angle on in when you throw it down. It will now safely bounce away from you. The only difference is a rubber ball bounces while ammo disintegrates from the hardened surface and falls off the face of the target downwards.  

Another important part of safety is to make sure you are using quality metal. We recommend using only quality USA made AR500 and AR500. The hardened surface is needed to break up the ammo. Any soft metal surface that is shot at can leave gouges and cause ricochets or ammo fragments to come back at you.  Check out our page on steel targets to learn more. 

In short, safety should be the number one priority while target shooting. Gun owners must know how to use AR550 & AR500 targets properly.

Why Shoot Steel

Shooting steel is very popular amongst shooters for many reasons. They are very easy and quick to set up and take down. This means less time setting up and more time shooting. This also means more practice time in the sense that there is no downtime for replacing or repairing targets.

And like we already mentioned, one of the biggest benefits of shooting still is that instant confirmation sound of a target hit or miss. In addition to the audible sound, you also get a visual confirmation on where the bullet impacted the target. A quick coat of spray paint can freshen up any target when they get to many bullet impact marks and splatter. Depending on the ammo type that is used, our Rangetime targets could last up to a life time. Where else can you find a target that lasts for thousands and thousands of rounds? Paper targets often require target holes to be patched or covered when being used, resulting in many more trips downrange to repair or even replace the target. Ar550 targets do not have these same problems. Another great feature is they are  not affected by adverse weather conditions like paper targets would be. 

Metal targets are easy to set up and use, and there is really no reason why everyone shouldn’t have one of their own in their arsenal! By being harder and absorbing the impact of bullets, these types of targets are able to provide some of the best possible targets for shooting. With so many different advantages, ar550 targets should be included in any serious shooter’s gear for days out on the gun range. When buying targets, make sure they are made from high quality AR500 or AR550. Rangetime carries a great selection of AR500 & AR550 targets.