316 stainless

[PawPaw]

A buddy brought by some scrap from a local manufactory. They do special metal fabrication and he thought I might be able to use this, out of their scrap pile.

That's a 10-inch disc of 316 stainless. He says that it's very hard, tough, and they have to use special tools to work it. Normal bits won't cut it, they had to drill those holes on the plasma table. I'm going to hang it on the 100 yard line and see how it holds up.

 

[big al hunter]

I would be tempted to put that at 300 yards for fun. Looks like a gong good time.

 

[saands]

316 is difficult to machine, but it won't hold up to bullet strikes like AR500 plate or other heat treated steels will. I would second the suggestion to hang it out farther ... it will get hit less often and with lower energy strikes ... it will last longer that way! Scrap that is ready to use is ALWAYS a good find ... even if it isn't the perfect material. On the positive side, it will not rust, even in your part of the world!

Saands

 

[klyph3]

Maybe a nice pistol target, but most rifles will severely deform or penetrate that. Hard to tell, but it doesn't look very thick.

 

[impalacustom]

That looks like the top off of a pressure vessel, 316 SS is about 6x weaker than AR500. Shoot it with slow bullets and you will be fine, anything fast and it will zip right through or dent it very badly. Remember speed is what kills steel.