AK Steel Carnage

[MarikinaMan]

So I was watching Youtube videos and saw tests on AR500 and 7.62x39 ammo. The test showed over and over, AK ammo doesnt pock mark 3/8 AR500 plates down to 50 yards.

Memo to self - Take whats on Youtube with a grain of salt.

I shot IDPA plates at 75 yards, 8 inch gongs at 100 and a reactive target a 50. They all got pock marked. Some edge hits got gouged pretty bad.

And lastly, .357 magnum pocked marked at 15 yards too.

Aint doin that again.

3/8 wrought iron Shepherds Hook at 100 yards clean through



8 inch gong at 100 yards


Edge hit


357 pock mark at 15 yards


75 yard edge hit on IDPA


75 yard center mass pock marks

[AreWeFree]

So I was watching Youtube videos and saw tests on AR500 and 7.62x39 ammo. The test showed over and over, AK ammo doesnt pock mark 3/8 AR500 plates down to 50 yards.

Memo to self - Take whats on Youtube with a grain of salt.

I shot IDPA plates at 75 yards, 8 inch gongs at 100 and a reactive target a 50. They all got pock marked. Some edge hits got gouged pretty bad.

And lastly, .356 magnum pocked marked at 15 yards too.

Aint doin that again.

3/8 wrought iron Shepherds Hook at 100 yards clean through



8 inch gong at 100 yards


Edge hit


357 pock mark at 15 yards


75 yard edge hit on IDPA


75 yard center mass pock marks

My steel is still in excellent condition, no craters or deformation even with .223 closer than 100, and yes lots of 7.62x39 at 50 - 100.

7.62x39 is a slow round, 2400 fps, no problem for ar500 at 50 yards.


Remember, speed kills.
Next time buy properly heat treated and tempered AR500 steel.

[L84CABO]

Not all AR500 steel is created equal. Quality can vary greatly with AR500 steel which is why it's important to buy from a reputable and trusted source.

Much also depends on how the steel was handled. Heat can greatly reduce the strength of the steel and different cutting methods introduce different amounts of heat. The edges are particularly vulnerable. Then if your target is welded at all, that can also reduce its strength.

After that, speed is what generally kills steel targets. Usually more so than the size of the round unless you've just got bad quality steel. However, AR500 steel is rated at 3000 fps. And many .223/.556 rounds leave the muzzle at 3200 fps. So the steel needs to be far enough away so that the round drops below 3000 fps at point/time of impact.

Who were your targets made by?

[audiophil2]

So I was watching Youtube videos and saw tests on AR500 and 7.62x39 ammo. The test showed over and over, AK ammo doesnt pock mark 3/8 AR500 plates down to 50 yards.

Memo to self - Take whats on Youtube with a grain of salt.

I shot IDPA plates at 75 yards, 8 inch gongs at 100 and a reactive target a 50. They all got pock marked. Some edge hits got gouged pretty bad.

And lastly, .356 magnum pocked marked at 15 yards too.

Aint doin that again.

Those plates are inferior. I have thousands of rounds of x39 on plates as close as 25 yards and they are in better shape. Green tip 556 and 55gr 223 has not done much damage either. The only plate that has suffered is one I beat on with thousands of rounds of 308 from my full auto 1919 at about 50 yards and it does not look as bad as your plates.

[MarikinaMan]

^^^

The IDPAs are from Bullseye Metal. They have no damage except for the 357 hit and couple of edge hits. The gong, Ive got to check. They got the most of the damage. Ive shot them with 223 and 556 before but never under 100 yards. Ive shot the IDPAs with 6.5 creedmor at 200 and 300 yards. The reactive target also has a couple of edge hit damage. Before yesterday, never had a problem.

This is the first time Ive shot the gong with rifle rounds.

I actually thought the slow and chubby 7.62x39 round would not hurt them. My mistake. Theyre all still serviceable. My son and I shot more than 240 rounds at them. The damage marks number less than 15 among 3 targets.

I'm going to turn them around and they'll have perfect surfaces again. But I will relegate these targets to pistol or 200+ rilfe targets. I'll get branded plates for medium range rifle next time.

[ER308]

All my 3/8" AR500 from shooting targets 7 all hold up well even with 308 at 50 yds. No pits!

[MarikinaMan]

All my 3/8" AR500 from shooting targets 7 all hold up well even with 308 at 50 yds. No pits!

then thats my next go to. thanks.

[vinconco]

Good Steel w/ better hanging system

The pics the OP posted look very much like the damage you can expect from AR400.

All of Hang Fast Targets steel comes with a Material Test Report sheet upon request certifying it is AR500

We also have the easiest, most reactive hanging system on the market.
DISCOUNT TO CALGUNS !! 10% (code in signature)

[AreWeFree]

The pics the OP posted look very much like the damage you can expect from AR400.

All of Hang Fast Targets steel comes with a Material Test Report sheet upon request certifying it is AR500

We also have the easiest, most reactive hanging system on the market.
DISCOUNT TO CALGUNS !! 10% (code in signature)

Love the t-post hangar.

[vinconco]

Love the t-post hangar.

It has built in wrenches for the plate bolt and the T Post clamp.
Powder Coated "Gunmetal Gray"

They can be used a number of ways as well

[audiophil2]

The pics the OP posted look very much like the damage you can expect from AR400.



We also have the easiest, most reactive hanging system on the market.
DISCOUNT TO CALGUNS !! 10% (code in signature)

Those plates hold up great. I have sliced through several fence posts with my 1919 in the last year. The hanging bracket has taken a few hits too and is still usable.