Mild steel less than 3/4" thick will get smashed by centerfire hits. You need to use Ar 400/500 really. You will then get lots of lead 'spray' but mild steel will have fragments of steel/lead going all directions. Keep a minimum distance of 50m for safety, 200 for longevity.This one must weigh about 4kg. They will be used for centrefire calibre's, I don't mind if we make a few holes in them, as long as they are safe to shoot at.
Cheers tiff, I was going to go more 'indepth' now I'm home, but you have beat me to it. Oh, mqc mk II is looking promisingAnything of reasonable thickness (ie. that the bullet won't pass straight though), should be made of at least hardox 400. Anything milder can be dangerous to shoot with a centre fire, since bullets can ricochet off the uneven cratered surface. Hardox 400/500 on the other hand (even with non-steel cored FMJ bullets) will result in the bullets 'smashing' into the harder plate, producing a spray of lead and copper inline with the face of the place and minimal damage to the flat surface. Also use 8mm+ grade 8.8 bolts, since they can withstand direct hits and the 'spray' won't cut into them. Just remember that impact speed kills steel, so while a .338 may not scratch it a .223 can do significant damage!
Get some proper ones. As the bullet is passing through, it could be sent off in any direction. The MOD hard target template isn't 800m wide each side for no reason.We'll be shooting these things from 100m+ away and from a highseat. So do you think its a safe thing to do or shall I just buy some proper ones???