What is generally considered the minimum safe distance for shooting steel plates and/or steel spinner targets with jacketed rounds from:

1)pistol rounds like 9mm, 40S&W, .357 mag

2)Rifle rounds like 7.62x39 (SKS)

3)Rifle rounds like 30-06, .280, 300Win

Many years ago, when I was more foolish, we set up some one inch mild steel plates and fired a few 30-06 rounds into them.
The steel was located at a distance of 50 yd.
We shot a round of AP into the steel plate which penetrated about 3/4 through, but then we heard metalic fragments bouncing off of the house behind us.
Then we tried some game loads from the 30-06, thinking that the shallower spash pattern would make for less returned material. We again had material hit the house, so we terminated that shooting session.
I would not shoot at any steel at less than 100 yd.

Several years ago when I was YOUNG and stupid (as opposed to OLD and stupid) a friend and I shot at a makeshift indoor range we had devised. It was comprised of about 24" of old catalogs (think "phonebooks") stacked and packed tight, several pine boards behind to hold them tight and backed by another 24" of old cardboard stuffed into another box.

I shot one 9mm hardball round from around 15 feet at a target on the front of the first catalog. The round passed through ALL of the catalogs, ALL of the pine boards, ALL of the cardboard, traveled another 10 feet or so, bounced off the concrete floor, hit a metal loading door and ricocheted behind us approx. 30 feet where it stuck in a wooden parts bin.

After we changed our underwear, and cleaned up the urine off the floor, we decided that although I would have bet money nothing like that could happen, it did.

I would be at least 50 yards away with pistol rounds, and 100 yards for rifle. It may be wise to have the targets hang at a slight forward angle to the ground (like an airgun or smallbore target trap) just in case.

25 yards is the normal distance that is considered safe for shooting targets like that with a pistol

Fixed steel plates are different than spinners. I have shot at spinners pretty close, 25-30 yards or so. Fixed steel plates are a different deal. I would hesitate to fire a pistol round (9mm, 357 etc) closer than 30 yards at a fixed steel plate/target after shooting at our "indoor" range.

In action pistol matches falling plates and poppers are commonly set up ten yards from the
firing line.Thes are targets that fall when you hit them.Fixed plates need to be at least twentyfive yards.

Maybe it's normal for shooters to do very dumb things as a youngster.....there was an abandoned bridge near our farm and it had this well riveted superstructure and I decided to see if my .270 could punch out a few of those rivets.....

It didn't do the job but the schrapnel that embedded itself in my forehead on the very first shot did.....I never shot bridge rivets again.....
I do shoot some plate steel at 100 yards and more for fun but that's as close as I want to shoot steel anymore.

it is amazing what we learn in our youth. it is equally amazing some of us are still around!

Fixed plates need to be at least twentyfive yards.

having done many foolish things myself, i would have to agree

Yes for handgun at least 25 yds. But my backstop is pitched at 45 degrees , much safer than hitting it square.Moving targets are also better in that the bullets energy is absorbed more by the target.

Thanks guys. I was working at a welding shop and talking shooting to one of the welders when he described his personal spinner design...probably a copy of something already marketed, but it is 2 1/2" thick disks-a 4" over a 6"- disk mounted on a pipe which can spin on a 1" solid bar. I asked him how much to make me one...and voila 2 days later he slid one into the back of my truck...gratis!

Soooo, does IPSC, IMSHA, or the like have a safety note on this? I note a lot of IPSC matches shooting at close range...

I owuld hesitate to shoot jacketed rounds closer than 25yds. I have shot 1,000s of lead loads as close as 7yards. The angle of the plate to the shooter is very important the closer you get. I have seen riccochets fromeven lead slugs bounce back & hit shooter in excess of 20yds.

CDH

Minimum distance between shooter and sheet metal target for IPSC matches is 7 meters for handguns, 9 mm .40S&W .45ACP and .357 magnum. There are different types of metal targets, all are 3/8 inches thick and NEVER FIXED.
You may find target dimensions in IPSC Rules pages 47 and 48 of the following site

http://www.ipsc.org/pdf/RulesHandgun.pdf

Hope this helps

BA Shooter



http://www.ipsc.org/pdf/RulesHandgun.pdf

CDH

I forgot something important. It is not allowed shoot this targets with .22 Long Rifle or .22 Magnum because sheet metal target mass is too heavy for light buillet and dangerous ricochets happen.
Small bullets bounce on metal surface.
Moreover, it is not allowed any caliber below 9mm or .38 Special
Same targets are used for shotgun IPSC matches.

BA Shooter