DIY Build Your Own Steel Target

How to construct a steel long range target from a farm disc blade.

[@brendacooper251]

This world misses you Ed. You definitely made it a better place. Rest in peace my friend.

[@ErwinEnterprises]

I can see why Aaron keeps that guy around. Every good shop has at least one of those guys. This is the best gong design I've seen. No tools required, you don't have to pound it into the ground so you can shoot it in the winter, fits in the truck bed, no chains to get shot off. It doesn't get any better. I'm going to make 2 right now.

[@Migs3]

Excellent video. Thanks for taking the time to film and edit it and of course for positing it for our benefit. Keep up the good work! -Migs

[@tyronekim3506]

Simple and it works! Thanks for the video upload.

[@aaronace8599]

Wonderful idea! I'm gonna go make 2 now!

[@christimsadler]

these videos keep getting better and better. way to go, gw.

[@USMCsniper-bk9gl]

Nice gong. Very simple great idea.

[@Confederatemule]

Where does the bullet go if the target is hit on the upper half? Seems to me it would go in an upward direction. Up and over the berm.

[@carmelonavarro7327]

I went to get a disk from my neighbors barn like you said and he shot me. thanks

[@stephen1537]

That's because you didn't say PLEASE!!

[@bonitabromeliads]

maybe he was trying to shoot the plate while you were carryin it

[@indica3250]

Dumbass joke you got there

[@kenselectricalserviceandge5919]

😂😂

[@stevenford4313]

I have one similar. Works great for 22 and hand guns. The steel isn't even dented by these rounds. Just knocks the paint off. I use chains and T Posts to hang it from. I don't shoot ARs or 308 at it though. I might try shooting those rifles at it from 300 or 400 yards and see how it does. Great video!

[@KethenGoesHam]

Did you ever try the 308?

[@Miguel1485]

awesome! Great idea! :) Thank you

[@houndsmanone4563]

Great idea. Thanks. 👍🏽🙂

[@1UAC1]

New at this but from what I have read this is a good way to get someone seriously hurt or killed. Target steel has to be particularly hard so as not to create pot marks that can fling a bullet or bullet fragments back at you. The flat steel (and angle it is hung) of typical targets help make sure fragmentation spreads out within 20 degrees of the steel.

[@spraynpray]

Other than the soft steel center, I think they accomplished that. I'm scared of using soft steel.

[@av0wvos]

Yes! Soft steel is extremely dangerous. Search for this video to see why ".50 BMG Ricochets and Hits Guy in Head"

[@semajniffirg230]

1UAC1 I know this is very old but those disk blades are made from ar400 or ar500 steel. It's not mild steel.

[@jamiesloan5902]

Mild steel is perfectly fine for handgun rounds up to .45 acp. Anything from .357 magnum to rifle rounds isn't safe. Then it's time to buy some AR500. I have a couple of AR500 10" gongs. One is 3/8", and the other is 1/2". I shoot 55g FMJ at them from 50 yards, with my ar 15, with zero damage. I could probably move a little closer, on the 1/2" one. But, that's about as close as I would go on the 3/8" one. My .357 magnum 4" revolver will put dents in my mild steel targets. But, my mild steel above 1/4" thick, will hold up well against anything up to 9mm. Hope this info helps.... Steel is safe, if you use some common sense. The speed of the bullet at impact, is the thing to consider. Either hang them freely, or if you hang them solid, angle them slightly down. I have a "killer" range, and the majority of it is mild steel. I know from experience, which ones to safely shoot with magnum, or rifle calibers. And at what distance.

[@snapshot12002]

Ive been shooting disk blades for many years now. Anything under 500 yards the disk blade will become destroyed quickly with larger calibers. I simply have a rebar post to hang it on that I drive into the ground. Works great. The convex disk blade works great at deflecting the bullet from penetrating. My 162 AMAX bullets turn to dust when they hit. Even at a mile there is little left hitting this disk. Paint it white and have fun.

[@walterpalmer2749]

Excellent.....

[@roughneck6103]

I would add a second strap to help keep it from spinning.

[@jimmclean-mz6mb]

Good job. Thank you

[@bucksnort216]

Wondering how stable stand is what are the dimensions? Great idea thanks

[@georpetr6207]

Hello sir did you shoot it with an an 7.62x39 or a 308? And if yes did it hold?

[@deasttn]

I only have rubber mats in the front of my pickup truck. Will that work?

[@The_Lost_Alaskan78]

A new product that would be awesome for this is "The Last Stand". Good product for a project like this.

[@tac-z3363]

I was just about to order a couple of steel targets until i watched your video. I think i will use that money on a decent welder instead and hit the scrap yards and make my own targets. Thanks for making this video!

[@av0wvos]

Never use mild steel. AR 500 steel is the minimum standard for targets. Search for this video to see why. ".50 BMG Ricochets and Hits Guy in Head"

[@tac-z3363]

Av0wvos I shoot my 50 BMG between 450-500yds and have little interest in shooting it under 100 yds like the guy in that video did. Most of my 50 rounds are API and APIT so even ar500 will not stand up to those. (i dont think) Still have not bought any targets since I have bought 4 new guns since xmas.I need to buy some since the weather is getting better. I had to shoot paper again last weekend.

[@av0wvos]

TAC-Z I don't know what distance the guy was shooting at. Seemed more like 150-200 to me but really the distance (as long as it's over 100 yards) and the fact that it is a .50 is kind of irrelevant. The principle is the same across calibers. You want the target to be hard enough to shatter the bullet into tiny pieces. Shooting mild steel not only fails to shatter the bullet but pits will form in the surface of the target which have a high probability of sending a round back at the shooter. Of course once you introduce exotic rounds, all bets are off and you prob shouldn't be shooting steel at all. Although at 500+ yards your bullet has lost so much energy that it probably won't make the return trip with enough energy to do major damage. The video is again a good example. The bullet hit him the side of the head but didn't even break the skin. I personally however don't like idea of my targets shooting back, no matter what the circumstances/probability.

[@tac-z3363]

Av0wvos You make a good point, that 50 still has plenty of punch at 500 but I wouldnt think it could come all the way back. If i remember right the round came back and hit the guys earpro right? I wonder if it was the whole round or just a steel penetrator?

[@conservativemacro80]

+Av0wvos how will it ricochet if the bullet goes through the plate?

[@dpsrmag]

Nice design. I live on a farm and have plenty of these to use. I am wondering if it would have been better to turn the disk blade around so the concave side is forward. I was thinking this would help to prevent deflection. Your Thoughts? PS The use for me would be shooting Springfield 45-70 Trapdoor at 250 yards.

[@JoeyIngles]

dpsrmag I think that would make rounds more likely to ricochet back at you.

[@Charlie-cc5wl]

what is the material you used to hang the target? I was unable to understand. thanks

[@sjeverett75]

the legs are schedule 40 pipe also called black pipe. the cross piece is just rebar and the strap is a piece of conveyor belt.

[@D148521]

Nice! Donnie D

[@armandocontreras2390]

Question! I work as a field carpenter and recently we’ve been getting extra spare steel beams (used to carry the weight of a house) that my supervisor lets me take home. Would I be able to use this as a target…?

[@texlee1640]

I am making a few of these for use with 7.62x51 at 800 yards this weekend. I am not sure if they will hold up to the repeated hits, but these blades are hardened steel, much harder than mild steel like most are complaining about on here so my hopes are high. I'll report back my findings in a AAR.

[@ahmed-wq5yu]

Tex Lee how was it

[@texlee1640]

It worked out well, I hung them at 800m and shot them with 762 and 6.5CM and they barely had a dent after a full day of shooting.

[@KethenGoesHam]

Thanks for the follow up. I'm going to build some next week

[@tannerb5716]

Anytime I go shooting and I end up with paper .. I feel F*ucked over . I'm in love with steel .

[@rokinrandy]

Awesome idea. Too bad I don’t any farmers with a tractor.

[@nathanbright8862]

what calibers do you suggest using with this? also, at what ranges would you use what calibers? Thanks! great vid!

[@cerberus0413]

I would expect to do damage with all high velocity rifle calibers even at 100 yards. Your 35 remingtons, 30-30s, etc will do less than your 5.56, 308, 30-06. The curve will help you, it will deflect some energy, the mild steel block will probably get chewed up faster than the harrow disc (depending on how well it was really made).

[@jamiesloan5902]

Read my post above...

[@jsmetalcraft2001]

I don't know about the safety of the curve or how a disc blade compares to AR500. But I can say, being around the blade my whole life, they are very very hard wear resistance metal. If done right these would make the loudest gong you have heard IMO. I have a call in to get a price on some AR500, but after watching this video I will give the blades a try with hand gun. Mild steel has worked ok with 9mm but the 22tcm eats it up.

[@jsmetalcraft2001]

+JS Farm and Machine Just did some quick searches. Disc blades come in all shapes, sizes and thickness so they are not all going to be the same. With that said I found one blade that was listed as 380-420 Brinell. So they may compare to AR400.

[@dearthworm]

I am puzzled by the successful results. I had the same idea of using a disker blade so I did a test shoot on a disk. The one I used was a smaller size from a very old implement, possibly a 40's, 50's vintage, but is should still be very hard steel. I shot it with a .223 from 100 yards with a fragmenting hollow-point varmint bullet. The disk didn't even ring - I just heard a tick and the bullet left a clean hole right through the disk like it had been drilled.

[@johndoee4511]

.223 is a very fast round. It'll do that.

[@benarcher45]

Want...

[@graham4615]

ahh damn what am i gonna do with all these welding skills.....damn lol

[@Ruthless9o7]

Should really be sure to use steel that is at least rated AR500, anything softer pits and can cause unpredictable ricochet. I'm sure that blade is hardened steel awfully thin looking though for larger caliber rifles I wouldn't use such a target. How has it worked out for you? Seem your still kicking just fine?

[@jdsolberg7613]

That's one way of reducing the surplus population.

[@JoeyP322]

Cool video (If you can weld) -

[@weeral1]

Joey P Maybe you could take the center piece and drill a hole for a high grade bolt through it and rig the bolt through wood or something to sandwich the blade. Also, just thought of this.. Get another piece of steel or blade, preferably something that will ring a different sound. Rig it to hang by itself behind the first target and then you get a different sound when you get a bullseye! Shoooot I love welding but I think I'll make me one of those if I ever come across one of these blades. I like that idea a lot.

[@jcraws7978]

Just weld it to a fence post.

[@wrk2115]

welding that block to the disc diminished the tone. An eye bolt welded at the apex of the disc might work better

[@artbmarshall]

This is a very dangerous target. Using anything other than hardened steel (like AR 500) is very risky. The bullets may not flatten and fragment and there are larger pieces intact to ricochet back. Recommending that a shooter use "scrap steel" is also setting yourself up for a legal risk.

[@davidsmith7721]

Mike McDonald of

[@randallhighsmith3406]

Let me pop the center with my 50 cal bout 3 times. Lol

[@nebulousJames12345]

Just make sure there is no one within 5 miles before shooting this thing

[@reflexionesjm706]

I saw the damage of the bullet made on that center block, tat’s is a serious danger, 4 days ago we was shooting a non professional metal target made, or probably not hard AR500 metal, and one bullet ricocheted to me and hit my leg, in recovering and the pain is extremely strong! I’m not recommended to anyone used plates like this, first plate have to be completely plane, not curb, and not blocks or anything like edges or lips! This metal used for target is extremely dangerous I guarantee one bullet going to ricocheted!

[@-_-unseen-_-]

The only con I see is that it takes two people to set it up.

[@millstar562]

No, it did not have a nice ring to it. Good idea though

[@1digitalwatcher]

That is a nice nice target , too bad the parts to duplicate (disk blade) this are impossible to be found.

[@eebydeeby69420]

scrap yard or antique store.

[@cerberus0413]

shoopwhoopX Best results will be those out in farm country.

[@troyowens8272]

Uhhhh. Ricochet concerns.

[@johnbrowniv]

You lost me at “you are going to weld.”

[@michaeltaylor7996]

POS

[@jeffkaps3128]

Absolutely dangerous... Don't do this.