There’s nothing as satisfying as shooting at reactive targets. The instant feedback and less time spent with tape and a stapler mean more time shooting and more fun. All you need is a can of spray paint and you’re back in business.
We ran into the guys from Krate Tactical at the Palmetto State Armory Gathering. They’re veteran-owned makers of a wide range of AR500 steel targets.
You can get everything from small gongs quarter-inch gongs to large half-inch thick plates and silhouettes in 1/4″, 3/8″ and 1/2″ thicknesses. There’s also a three-target bundle with 4, 8 and 12-inch gongs for an affordable $89.99.
They make a range of stands and hardware that make setting up targets at the range a breeze. 
Check out Krate Tactical’s full line of targets and accessories here.
Need a volunteer for a T & E, Dan?
Picked up some new toys… 🙂
Ringing steel is much more fun then holes in paper.
“Ringing steel is much more fun then holes in paper.”
Quite true.
In your case, better than bored teenage boys with .22s trying to puncture your marsupial pelt while playing ‘hookie’ from school…
Rather have them doing that then some of the other things they do while playing hookie.
Serious question: what kind of spray paint works well on AR500 steel gongs?
(I have an AR500 steel gong and tried applying some white spray paint to it — I could never get the paint to seem bright white.)
Plain old Krylon seems to work just fine.
Good afternoon Dan,
Rustoleum spray sux (stays wet and tacky for a long time) dirt, debris and bugs stick to it as well as smudging paint on your hands, truck, etc. found out the hard way with some old Rustoleum spray I had sitting around.
Bright is kinda hard, but flat white latex wall paint works…
I highly recommend AR500 steel gongs to anyone who has access to an outdoor range which allows them.
I use large “S” hooks and large chain to hang my gong from whatever is available. Bring at least two spare “S” hooks on every outing if you are shooting heavy/fast bullets which smack the gong hard enough to make it swing wildly.
Note: I welded two cast-iron pipe tees to 3/8-inch solid steel rods which I shove into the ground to hold up my gong. I then push a third 3/8-inch solid steel rod through both tees horizontally and suspend my chain from that horizontal steel rod. Those chains in-turn hold up my gong. I have found that arrangement to be pretty robust. (Bullets invariable deflect off the gong or directly hit your supporting structure and will damage it if is not substantial solid-steel.)
@uncommon_sense
Gonna have to build a couple like yours…a really solid hit on one of my gongs with one of my 45-70’s tends to knock the whole kaboodle over. I’ve been using the folding steel hinged sawhorse thingies with cheap 2×4’s. Works well and pretty cheap (and easy) to repair out in the field when someone inevitably nails the stand. I take extra “S” hooks and “eye” bolts every time we take the steel out…just ’cause.
Do you braze, stick or MIG weld the cast iron to the steel rods? Which electrodes or shield gas do you use?
Thank you for the upgrade idea…fortunately I have an unspent Lowe’s gift card from Christmas.
Old Guy in Montana,
In my case I used a MIG welder to weld the cast-iron tees to the solid steel rods. I have to think that brazing would work equally well. I have no experience with stick welding so I have no idea if that would work well. My intuition says that stick welding would not work well with the cast-iron pipe which has fairly thin walls.
Friendly suggestion:
If you are smacking your gong with .45-70 Government, I don’t think 3/8-inch solid steel rods stuck in the ground are substantial enough. (The momentum of that gong swinging around with a good hit will probably work the steel rods loose in the dirt.) I like your sawhorse idea only I would use two sawhorses with their top 2x4s parallel to each other and let those top 2x4s support a horizontal 3/8-inch steel rod (which in-turn suspends a chain to your gong).
Even with two sawhorses, you may still have to add ballast to those sawhorses to stop a wildly swinging gong from moving those sawhorses around. When I smack my gong just right with a .44 Magnum, 240 grain bullet, it REALLY swings around. A .45-70 Government bullet (which could easily weigh about 50% more and have even greater muzzle velocity than my rifles shooting .44 Magnum) is capable of pushing that gong a lot harder.
@u_s
If the top bars are parallel with a steel bar between them…I think the legs of the “horses” are going to interfere with shooting at the gong.
I still like your solution…may have to see if I have some 1/2″ round stock in the iron pile and see how that plays out.
Almost time to take a jaunt to central MT, the prairie dogs and Columbian Ground Squirrels are already out on sunny days…need to practice a bit on the small gongs before heading that way.
THANKS FOR INFOR ALWAYS
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