Just wondering if steel core is ok to shoot at the rifle range.

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how about shooting ar500 with steel core? hoping to shoot surplus mosin ammo. appreciate the help

how about shooting ar500 with steel core? hoping to shoot surplus mosin ammo. appreciate the help

You should probably ask the RSO first.  At 100yds, steel core ammo striking AR500 plates can (and do) bounce.  The direction they bounce can be scary.

If you are allowed to shoot it, try to angle the target so it's facing down a bit.  Then bounces will be more likely to deflect into the ground.

Advice I've seen says not to shoot steel on steel closer than 300 yds for safety.

As far as damaging the plates, 3/8" AR500 plates should be fine, but at 100 yds, I'd feel better with 1/2".  When shooting steel targets, velocity makes a big difference in the amount of damage sustained, and distance affects velocity.

YMMV.

You should probably ask the RSO first.  At 100yds, steel core ammo striking AR500 plates can (and do) bounce.  The direction they bounce can be scary.

If you are allowed to shoot it, try to angle the target so it's facing down a bit.  Then bounces will be more likely to deflect into the ground.

Advice I've seen says not to shoot steel on steel closer than 300 yds for safety.

As far as damaging the plates, 3/8" AR500 plates should be fine, but at 100 yds, I'd feel better with 1/2".  When shooting steel targets, velocity makes a big difference in the amount of damage sustained, and distance affects velocity.

YMMV.

Thanks for he advice. Gonna hang my 1/2 plates with long lag bolts so they'll angle down. Will definitely ask the RSO first.

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In the case of ammunition that, as CMP puts it, "attracts a magnet," is the assumption that it is steel core?

In the case of ammunition that, as CMP puts it, "attracts a magnet," is the assumption that it is steel core?

Ferromagnetic materials are strongly attracted by a magnetic force. The elements iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and gadolinium (Gd) are such materials.

Iron is the metal with the strongest magnetic attraction.  Steel can also be highly magnetized because it is made up mostly of  iron. 

Steel is an alloy or combination of iron and several other metals, giving it greater hardness than iron, as well as other specialized properties. Because of its hardness, steel retains magnetism longer than iron.

Alloys of iron, nickel, cobalt, gadolinium and certain ceramic materials can become "permanent" magnets, such that they retain their magnetism for a long time.

Iron, nickel, and cobalt are not normally used in bullet cores.  Therefore, a positive "magnet test" indicates the bullet probably contains steel in it's core or jacket.

In the case of ammunition that, as CMP puts it, "attracts a magnet," is the assumption that it is steel core?

There's some sort of steel in the jacket.  The core is lead.  That cheap xm80 7.62x51 federal sells has a bi metal jacket too, as well as almost all 7.62x39.  So a magnet test doesn't necessarily mean it has a steel core.  Could be just a steel core, or bi metal jacket.  Sometimes both.

Well can't really say for 100 yards but at 300+ yards with your plates properly angled the steel cores don't go far at all.  We found quite a few cores and jackets around the target in a ~10' area.  At that distance the 3/8 AR500 can take the hits better.