If you ever get the chance to shoot steel targets, it makes it hard to go back to the boring paper targets that are used at most ranges. I was lucky enough or unlucky enough to be able to spend about 5 years training at a range that had steel targets, and there is just something about it that makes it more fun. I guess it is probably the the instantaneous feedback. You don’t have to go see where your shot hit because it either falls or it doesn’t. You hear the “ping” of the round striking. It’s awesome!
My favorite steel experience came a few years ago when I was lucky enough to compete at a man on man competition. Each side had the same number of steel targets to shoot, and the winner was declared by whomever shot their last pepper popper first. The one on the bottom wins. It is cool to be at a place that has that much steel to shoot.
Obviously there are some limitations to shooting steel. It is expensive to make buy the targets. If you have a small welding machine and a cutting torch or plasma cutter you can fabricate just about anything you can think of to shoot. My favorite to shoot are called pepper poppers. You can buy them at Metal Spinning Targets for your range.
One thing to remember is that you always want to be at least 10 yards away from steel. You will occasionally get some splatter when the bullet hits, so it goes without saying that you need to be wearing eye protection. A baseball cap is a good thing to have as well. The other thing to think about is ammo. Never use any hollow point ammo on a steel range. You don’t want flying razors.
If you know of any good steel ranges, post them in the comments so that everyone can find out how to get to them. Here is an example of a guy shooting steel targets. They are pepper poppers, but they are elevated off the ground; something you normally don’t see.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdaH_G69XcQ]