On Tuesday, November 7, 2000 at 9:50:34 AM UTC+2, Ben Jackson wrote:
I picked up a chunk of 1/2" mild steel plate at a scrap yard with the
intention of turning it into various pistol/rifle targets. What is
the best way to treat it after welding it up to prolong the life of
the target?

Case hardening sounds like a good idea. Can I do that with just a
rosebud tip on a OA torch?

Any pointers on target construction welcome.
--
Ben Jackson

http://www.ben.com/

I've shot steel gongs extensively and if you make the gong to big and heavy the inertia is to great, thus every round you fire will cause more damage I've found that if you make a 1/2 inch plate less than 40 cm diameter and you hang it at a slight angle(allowing it to face downwards) the bullets ricochet into the ground thus exerting less energy in your gong and prolonging its lifetime,

OR ask a friend on a farm or at a scrap yard for a Disc implements ,old discs and weld something to cover the hole in the middle and you have a higher carbon steel gong already nice and round ready to shoot and cheaper than sheet metal. I also found that they outlast the mild steel sheet metal gongs by far. And on low velocity cartridges ricochets are not dangerous I have been hit a few times and I would compare the worst to bee sting just be shore to wear eye protection, but if you suspend your gongs at the right angles downward the chance of ricochets coming back at you are very small.

Jan Griesel