THE TRUTH ABOUT STEEL ANDSTEEL TARGETS, PT 2By:  Ac'on  Target

 In  an  age  where  it  seems  everyone  “knows  a  guy”who  can  make  steel  targets  for  them  out  of  a  weldingshop,  understanding  the  facts  about  steel  is  evenmore  important.  Steel  targets  can  be  perfectly  safe

and  a  fantas'c  training  tool  if  done  right,  but  they  canalso  be  extremely  dangerous  if  done  wrong.

Homemade  targets  from  local  weldingshops  can  cause  injury,  but  somecommercial  target  manufacturers  useinferior  steel  too,  which  can  be  verydangerous.  Any  steel  with  a  Brinellhardness  ra'ng  under  400  falls  into  thiscategory,  including  standard  “T-­‐1″  steelwith  a  hardness  ra'ng  in  the  300  range.

A  few  premium  quality  manufacturers  usesteel  with  a  higher  Brinell  hardness  ra'ngof  500  or  even  550.  Fewer  than  10  steelmills  in  the  world  can  provide  qualityAR500/550  steel.

QUALITY STEEL ISNT ALWAYS USEDWHEN MAKING PORTABLE TARGETS

QUALITY STEEL ISNT ALWAYS USEDWHEN MAKING PORTABLE TARGETS

Ac'on  Target  has  direct  rela'onships  withmany  of  steel  suppliers  which  allows  themto  purchase  steel  mill  direct.  In  addi'on  tobeing  cer'fied  by  the  plant  that  created  it,Ac'on  Target  also  conducts  independenthardness  tes'ng  on  every  shipment  theyreceive  and  sends  back  orders  that  don'tmeet  ballis'c  standards.

Other  steel  cer'fica'ons  like  “MagnumSteel”  or  “Extreme  Steel”  are  merelymarke'ng  terms  added  by  themanufacturer.

PROPER DESIGN IS CRITICALEven The Best Steel Canʼt Compensate for Poorly Designed Targets

The  basic  destruc've  force  generated  bybullets  striking  steel  targets  is  heat.  Excessiveconcentrated  heat  alters  the  steel’s  hardnessproper'es  and  results  in  damage.  The  amountof  heat  generated  is  propor'onal  to  the  speedof  the  bullet,  which  is  why  rifles  cause  moredamage  to  steel  targets  than  handguns.

PROPER DESIGN IS CRITICALEven The Best Steel Canʼt Compensate for Poorly Designed Targets

Shoo'ng  a  steel  target  with  a  rifle  –  even  at100  yards  –  can  damage  your  target,  even  if  ithas  a  Brinell  hardness  ra'ng  of  550.  For  bestresults,  use  only  steel  targets  that  arespecifically  designed  for  use  with  rifles.  Withso  many  complex  variables  it  is  virtuallyimpossible  to  establish  a  set  distance  forshoo'ng  rifles  on  steel  targets.  Even  if  yoursteel  targets  have  only  minimal  rifle  damage,they  should  never  be  used  for  closer  distancehandgun  training.

PROPER DESIGN IS CRITICALEven The Best Steel Canʼt Compensate for Poorly Designed Targets

Shotgun  slugs  have  the  greatest  poten'al  forbodily  harm  to  the  shooter  due  to  the  sheervolume  of  lead  that  can  be  returned  fromdamaged  or  poorly  designed  steel  targets  andrequire  a  100  yard  distance  at  minimum.

Many  types  of  frangible  ammuni'on  arelighter  than  regular  lead  ammuni'on.  Thelighter  bullets  can  mean  greater  speed,  whichmeans  more  heat,  which  can  mean  damage  toyour  steel  target.  Follow  the  exact  same  ruleswith  frangible  ammuni'on  as  you  do  with  anyother  type  of  ammuni'on

Steel  targets  can  be  fun  and  safe  as  long  as  they  aremade  of  quality  steel  and  designed  to  produce

predictable  splaXer.  Shoo'ng  on  poorly  designedtargets  made  of  inferior  steel  can  result  in  severebodily  harm.  Safety  is  Ac'on  Target's  greatestconcern.  They  have  decades  of  experience

manufacturing  steel  targets,  and  constantly  conductballis'c  research  to  make  sure  the  steel  they  usemeets  high  standards.  If  you  are  looking  for  a  steeltarget,  trust  Ac'on  Target  to  point  you  in  the  right

direc'on.

Read  more  and  comment  by  visi'ngwww.Ac'onTarget.com

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