your wooden frame may get chewed up quickly. My targets spit a lot of lead out to the sides.
Also, as stated by others the bolt should not be a concern, esp if you are shooting long distance. If the target was indeed cut how you say it was you are in good shape.
I have some AR500 that was apparently cut with a torch and the soft edges will cause a problem at close range.
IF/when the target starts to crater or show damage confine it to long distance shooting.
also steel targets can warp/bend and will benefit from being shot on both sides. This maybe hard to visualize given my poor explanation, but I will try to get some pics later this week.
The pic below shows a piece of a jacket from a 45 acp bullet that landed on some papers that were on the tailgate of my truck, while I was shooting steel. I was shooting the steel at 10 yards. The tailgate of the truck was approx 20 yards away with the truck facing away from the targets.
As a weldor and shooter, I’ve made more than a few targets in my day. Here are some tips for steel targets I can offer:
AR500 is thru-hardened abrasion resistant steel plate. Using any process that involves heat will anneal (soften) the plate in the local area. Plasma, laser or torch cutting and any welding process will create a softer annealed heat affected zone next to the weld or cut. I only cut out target plates (3/8" thick AR500 for rifle and AR400 for pistol/rimfire) with a water jet cutter, that way the plates are never softer around the edges. I do not weld anywhere on the plate. It’s difficult to get even properly welded joints to withstand the shock of repeated shooting and then the front of the plate anywhere you weld will become softer.
Bolts are definitely the best way way to connect the plate to a target frame or hanger, I use grade 8 button heads as they’re hardened and only slightly more expensive than hardware store junk in full boxes. The heads last significantly longer and can be ground off with a body grinder to remove them. I drill the holes for bolts through the plates with carbide ballmills in a Bridgeport mill. As the targets are not welded to the frame, they can be reversed as the face becomes pitted from repeated shooting. A badly spalled and pitted target face greatly increases the risk of ricochet.
If you haven’t shot steel, you’re missing out on great fun. Just do it safely and think about it first. It’s good common sense to 1.) make sure of your surroundings 2.) expect bullets to go anywhere 3.) wear eye pro anytime shooting, but definitely on steel targets. I feel a safe distance minimum is 25 yards for pistol and 100 yards for rifle. As always, your milage may vary.
+1 on the minimum distance recommendation. I caught a jacket fragment just above my upper lip shooting a little too close to steel with an M1 Carbine. SOB burned like hell and I had to peel it off. Just glad I was wearing eye protection.
