Author Topic: Building a Gong (Read 2390 times)

Sourdough · « **on:** July 19, 2012, 04:51:59 PM »

I am building a set of gongs to shoot at ranges ranging from 500 to 1000 yards. I have built one already for use with the smaller, slower, calibers like the .223, 45-70, and 25-06. I used a piece of 3/8" steel plate I had laying around. It's 24" square and I think it will work for the smaller stuff.

My question is what thickness plate should I use for the big stuff, any ideas.

tykempster · « **Reply #1 on:** July 19, 2012, 07:01:45 PM »

3/8 AR500 will do at longer ranges. If you aren't going to move them you could go thicker to be safe.

ratdog · « **Reply #2 on:** July 19, 2012, 07:24:54 PM »

i used to shoot a lot of animal figures made of 3/8'' thick plate some would penetrate but not a.r. plate. old farm disks work but never shot high powered fmg's at them.a lot of fun i got a metal jack rabbit i have shot for years it is really a sight. have fun.

marine · « **Reply #3 on:** July 19, 2012, 08:32:39 PM »

i have a piece of 1" thick ar plate i used for rifles. its 1ft tall and 10in wide seems to work on any i have. it looks like the surface of the moon but no penetration with fmj ammo. its set up as more of a swinger style than just a gong.

bikerbeans · « **Reply #4 on:** July 19, 2012, 11:21:38 PM »

The 200 yard range at my club has a 4'x8' by 3/4" thick sheet of what I believer to be mild steel as a back stop. It will stop any hunting bullet and the FMJs steel core 223/5.56s. Steel core 308s will occassionally penetrate the plate but only when they hit one of the deeper craters.

BB

jeepmann1948 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 20, 2012, 01:19:21 AM »

check with the machine shops in your area to see if they have any scraps of 4140 HT it will last forever. T6 will work also. In all reality though Mild steel will work at the ranges you are using them though.If you cannot get some 1 inch thick stuff just weld pieces together to make the desired thickness.(think cheap)

Happy Trails

dave29 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 20, 2012, 02:08:07 AM »

Quote from: tykempster on July 19, 2012, 07:01:45 PM

3/8 AR500 will do at longer ranges. If you aren't going to move them you could go thicker to be safe.

This. AR500 steel will destroy the bullets and you won't have to worry about ricochets.

gcrank1 · « **Reply #7 on:** July 20, 2012, 02:34:58 AM »

For anyone thinking of using farm discs, those old thinish rusty discs wont stop much, Ok for 22s and slower cast lead pistol rounds, but even WWt rifle bullets can penetrate at 100yds. Hang them outer curved side toward you to keep them from focusing a ric back a'cha (same reason it is not a good idea to shoot at a vehicle wheel). The best farm discs are those from something like a Brush Hog disc; really thick, heavy duty steel and a pretty big dia. like 20-24". They ring nicely when struck too. I know they would work great way up-nort, even in cold.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #8 on:** July 20, 2012, 02:38:14 AM »

What was used for IMHSA targets was good it took a beating. If I were making a gong I would mount to swing .

Cemo · « **Reply #9 on:** July 20, 2012, 04:30:54 AM »

I have a 1" x 12" metal plate hanging at 170 yards from my shooting bench. Each shot with a rifle makes a small crater, with 30-06s, .308s and FMJ 7.62X39s being the worst. However after many many hits the damage is still only superficial and the plate should last a long time. I doubt hits at 500 and 1,000 yards would be much of an issue to the metal. The plates are just mild steel and do not ring, however there is a very distinct splat when we have a hit, even with just a .22 mag. A can of spray paint makes the target clean again if someone wants to check their hits.

Buckskin · « **Reply #10 on:** July 20, 2012, 06:27:17 AM »

I just made a gong which is set at 500 yards. It is 16"x16"x3/4", painted white and hanging from a giant saw horse and old ratchet straps. Been shooting it with my 300 RUM and it makes a small dent and nice sound at that yardage. I have 2 more that I am planning on setting around 750 and 1000yds, the one for 1000yds is 20"x20". It is regular steel, not hardened. Hardened would be better, but you will shell out the cash for it. It was $120 for the three dingers, my guess is that you can triple that if hardened.

bajabill · « **Reply #11 on:** July 20, 2012, 06:55:52 AM »

I have bought 3 from this guy via group buys on longrangehunting, 8x8, 12x12, 12x24 - all 3/8 thick.

www.jcsteeltargets.com

at medium ranges (100+) most guns will not damage the steel, I have a 220 swift that I need to keep away about 200+. Speed seems to be what scratches the steel. Nothing has dented or made a deep divot.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #12 on:** July 20, 2012, 08:05:04 AM »

There are lots of sources for AR500 plates, ebay has a good prices on 3/8"x10" for $36 shipped which is supposed to be good for up to 308 Win, ½" for up to 338 WinMag according to one source.

Tim

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=ar500+steel

http://www.mcssl.com/store/2252406/catalog/product/196d45f138544848a93e5e0d98b269d9

http://www.shootsteel.com/?gclid=COKox-P7qLECFQxshwod4BEAQw

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #13 on:** July 20, 2012, 09:08:58 AM »

Try a metal supplier they often cut to order and have left over pcs. called drops . We get them sometimes when we only need a small pcs. most often they are very cheap since they made the money on the pcs they sold .

Blackhawker · « **Reply #14 on:** July 20, 2012, 09:22:58 AM »

Just got back from a trip to the BLM areas of Wyoming and my friend and I took a couple of these with us:

http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/884623/caldwell-magnum-rifle-gong-10-round-target-ar-550-steel-white

These are 550 steel and, yes, they are pretty pricey but no matter what we fired at them, there wasn't even a ding left on them. We didn't take anything super high powered with us but anything up to near a .308 at a couple of hundred yards didn't do anything but knock off the white paint.
As a previous poster mentioned, any kind of bullet that hits these plates completely disintegrates. All I found were gas checks and the back sides of bullets on the ground. Even big, heavy bullets disappeared on impact.

rebel49 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2012, 05:19:51 PM »

So you guys were out polluting the landscape again!! LOL.

Sourdough · « **Reply #16 on:** July 28, 2012, 03:08:16 AM »

Went to the big tank supplier in Fairbanks. They had scrap oval pieces they cut out of tanks for man holes. Got one 24"X36" and 3/8s thick. The other one is 48"X52" again 3/8s thick. Glad I got a lift on the back of the truck, these things are heavy.

bigvarmnt · « **Reply #17 on:** July 28, 2012, 03:21:25 AM »

I'm surprised they are only 3/8s thick. Still a good find though. You should have asked if they had a whole old tank laying around

I have some 3'x3' 1/2" pieces but I'm getting too many neighbors and afraid of a stray going the wrong way. I think the bullets would just SPLAT but haven't tried to put the torch to them yet. Too heavy to move around without the backhoe. Sounds like you are in for some fun shooting

Buckskin · « **Reply #18 on:** July 28, 2012, 05:48:19 AM »

48"x52"

That's not a gong, that's a backstop... Probably should cut it and double it up or you're 338 will make swiss cheese out of it.

bilmac · « **Reply #19 on:** July 28, 2012, 06:00:58 AM »

Railroad tie plates work pretty good. They are the piece of iron that lies between the rail and the cross tie. They are about 14" X 9" and 3/4 thick. Plus if they don't ring when you shoot at them you can always claim you shot through one of the 4 holes that the spikes went through.

Sourdough · « **Reply #20 on:** July 28, 2012, 12:59:12 PM »

bilmac, 14X9 would be kind of hard to see at 1000 yards.

mechanic · « **Reply #21 on:** July 28, 2012, 03:02:10 PM »

Sourdough, I don't believe you need worry too much at 1000 yards. I use a square piece of 3/8 at 800 for my 45-70 with lead bullets, and of course they just mar the surface, but even a 308 or 30-06 makes very little impression at that range. At 100 yards I would be concerned, but not at 1000.

Ben

Sourdough · « **Reply #22 on:** July 28, 2012, 08:11:51 PM »

We will also be shooting .338/378 and 30/378 Weatherbys. They still have a punch at that range. I expect the 30-06 to just mar the surface, but the big guns I think are going to do a bit more.

We'll find out soon.

44 Man · « **Reply #23 on:** July 29, 2012, 01:20:53 AM »

It wouldn't be a problem for me no matter what type of steel they were made of because I couldn't see them that far away anyway! Of course you can always turn the power up on the 'scope but that wouldn't help either, heck my heartbeat moves my little .223 almost an inch at 100 yds with my 6-24 bushnell. Let's see, at 1000 yds that's a 10 inch (or more) heartbeat. By the time you dope in drop and wind, I think I'd need bigger than 48" to reliably hit anything. I had some friends that lived in Alaska for a few year (couple decades ago) and I don't remember where they were, but I remember them complaining that they never saw the vistas that Alaska is known for. They said all they ever saw was hugely tall trees and a slot of sky where the roads were cut! They said for hunting they only needed a 100 yd gun. I'd guess you are in a more favored place than that. 44 Man

tykempster · « **Reply #24 on:** July 29, 2012, 03:39:16 AM »

48"x52" is huge...I believe I'd try some 2000 yard shots with your 338 at it, shouldn't be a struggle to put rounds on such a large target.

bigvarmnt · « **Reply #25 on:** July 29, 2012, 05:47:19 AM »

I was at a 1000 yd. range outside Tucson AZ and they had some large counter weighted target holders. I don't think they were for 12" square targets. I'd like to see where I was hitting, even if a little off center I would know where I was hitting on a larger target rather than wondering where I missed it at

As far as hearing a GONG sound at 1000+ that ship has sailed

I think you are going to have a great time shooting it

wyohandi · « **Reply #26 on:** July 29, 2012, 07:03:30 AM »

we use a 18" blind flange at 1000 yds it has taken a beating the 375 cheytac will still punch through but everything else just leaves a dimple. AR500 is the way to go if you want a gong that will last forever, stops everthing up to a 338 at 200yds or more only takes the paint off. If its not too windy you can hear hits at 1000yds pretty easy. Those railroad tie plates make pretty good targets their not too small for 1000yds about MOA-ish. We have a 6" round gong at 1200yds and it gets pounded on a regular basis, if you can't do MOA or there-abouts at a given range you need more practice or better equipment. Long range is kinda a spendy game unless your happy with pretty close.

bigvarmnt · « **Reply #27 on:** July 29, 2012, 07:23:33 AM »

I heard it was always windy in Wyo. I would think wind would be a problem at longer ranges. 1000 yds was a long ride from the bench to the targets in a pickup truck. I think I need much more practice And better equipment

Sounds like a good time though

Watch the extra features on the DVD "Shooter" if you get a chance

I guess he did pretty good and wasn't much of a shooter before the movie.

quickdtoo · « **Reply #28 on:** July 29, 2012, 08:08:17 AM »

I watched the Gunwerks Long Range Hunting TV show last night that I had recorded, he was shooting a 140gr Berger bullet in a $5000 LR-1 6.5-284 at 1 mile(1760yds), first shot hit just left(he said), second shot(shown

) hit the 20"x 20" plate.

Tim

gcrank1 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 29, 2012, 08:32:26 AM »

A few years back the record 1000yd. group was made with a 6.5 x 55, IIRC. The group was incredibly small and translated to something like 1/4 moa for the distance. If I can find that article I will dbl. check and correct if Im wrong here, or if someone else knows, please do.
What I like about 1000yd is that i have time for a half cup o'joe and a little nap before my TrailBoss load gets there..........