[kelzic]

What Im doing is making some hanging gongs out of some scrap bar steel we have at work. I choose some 4" diameter steel just want to know how thick to make it so that my .308 won't turn it into instant swiss cheese. Some more info this will be hanging at 300 yards and I will be shooting 168gr FGMM and 175gr .308 at it. thanks for any help and yeah I tried searching but I suck with those things.

 

[jeffdorr]

At 300 yards, I would hope that a half inch would stop a .308, unless it was armor piercing. If you're worried about penetration, three quarters would certainly stop one.

Jeff

 

[kelzic]

good the pieces that were there are 1/2" and 1" guess I will just leave them the way they are then thanks

 

[Slick]

I (used to) use a 3/4 inch thick steel bulkhead fitting. I blew through it after hitting it twice in the same spot with a .303 British. I welded it up and now only use my gong for shooting pistols and lever-guns no more powerful than .44 magnum.

That all said, it will be the alloy and final hardness that will determine how long any target will last. I never thought I'd tear up that bulkhead fitting so fast - but it's made from a soft grade of steel.

 

[Rob01]

That all said, it will be the alloy and final hardness that will determine how long any target will last.

Exactly. If you use the right hardness like the AR500 plate that is used for most targets comercially made you can use 3/8" and not worry about anything dinging it but use softer metal and make it an inch thick and you will have rounds passing right through it. I have an LV Shooter target that is 3/8" and shot it at 100 with my 300WM and not even a dent.

That said if it's scrap just make up a bunch of them and when you shoot one full of holes then hang up another one. I had a friend who had some 3/4" steel sheets about 11"x16" that i hung at 400 yards and after shooting it for a month or so with my .308 it put some holes in it and also bowed it and pushed the center back like it had been hammered. It was kind of cool actually. I just pulled it down and threw up another one.

 

[jpspeeddemon]

hardness of the metal is way more importan than thickness

500 brinnell hardness does the job even with .25 inch

 

[the m700 project]

+1 on hardness over thickness. I blew holes in 1/2 inch with a 223 at 100 yds on cheap steel. But if you get some really hard stuff you can blast it with 300 at 300 yds.

 

[Fishinguy]

+1 on hardness. My 3/8" plate for .22lr plinking has seen a few hundred rounds without a scratch but one round from a .270 went clean through and a round from a 30/30 came close. Another 3/8" plate made from the trip edge for a snowplow has held up without a sratch from FMJ and softpoint .223s

 

[Stormrider]

AR500 is great, but if you shoot it enough it will get brittle and fail. I put a hole in mine at 300y with a 308 the other day. Also cracked it in 2 places. I don't know how many rounds it's been hit with but its a bunch...
I've also heard of guys shooting groups on the AR500 with 223 and hitting the same spot over and over and eventually poking a hole in it...

 

[jeffdorr]

Steel of any sort will eventually fail. Repeated hammering of a malleable metal results in flattening or holes. Certainly better alloys will stand up longer, but they all eventually fail. You'd just have to weld it up or replace it.

Jeff

 

[Longun]

At 300 yards, I would hope that a half inch would stop a .308, unless it was armor piercing. If you're worried about penetration, three quarters would certainly stop one.

Jeff

It still depends lol. I shot 1/2" with 175 Grain BH ammo through my M40A3 and it did nothing but splat. My dad "errrrr" decided to shoot it with his hunting round from his .308, and it put a hole clean through it. And we were just about 300 out.

So you know it depends on the ammo too!