How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200yrds

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How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200yrds

Postby Pig_Popper » Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:10 pm

Image

The old argument of big:slower moving mass versus light:fast moving mass rears its ugly head.

The two shots in the white are 95gr SST (243 win) the three in butt area are 32 gr Hornady (204 Ruger)

The one shot in the eye is 250gr Monoflex (450b)

A VERY slight dimple over a larger surface area for 450b versus deep dimples for the other two .

Interesting ...

Holdover for 450b was 6 inches
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby Bmt85 » Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:28 pm

Not surprising, the smaller calibers are running faster and retain velocity better down range. So, better for steel penetration. Now if we were talking about soft targets and terminal performance......
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby plant_one » Sat Jan 21, 2017 9:44 pm

what kind of steel is that?


and not shcoking as BMT said - little fast bullets will always do more damage to steel than big fat slow ones.


even AR-500 steel has its limitations - 3000 FPS impact velocity before it starts to show damage. and yes a 204 ruger will even dimple that if shot too close (learned the hard way on a brand new gong :/ )
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby Hoot » Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:15 pm

Luckily, pigs are not made of steel. I see one kill shot on target. ;)

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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby Pig_Popper » Sat Jan 21, 2017 11:23 pm

Hey guys not sure on the type of steel my buddy brought it to the lease this weekend it was about 3/8 inch thick.

Hoot - that's a very good observation but I did have a test shot right before the steel shot since i need to know the holdover :D

I'm thoroughly enjoying the caliber - word must've got out because I'm seeing significant less pigs since Ive been toting Thumper.
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby plant_one » Sun Jan 22, 2017 12:25 am

which one rocked that gong the hardest? 8-)





on paper, with factory offerings, hornady supplies the following info at 200 yds

450 : 20" test barrel, 250 FTX - 1289 ft/lbs (1524 fps)
243 : 95gr sst - 1478 ft/lbs (2648 fps) (barrel length not specified in hornady.com data, other loads wehre length is shown for the 243 all show 24" barrel)
204 : 26" test barrel, 32gr vmax - 699 ft/lbs (3137 fps)

so at that distance the 243 carries the most energy, however the only round above the 3000 FPS impact threshold of ar 500 is the 204 ruger. at 2648 fps that SST should have splashed and just scratched the paint. my ar in 204 will splash with that load at 200 yds on AR500, but i'm only getting 4000 FPS mv, not 4225 that hornady gets from their 26" barrel.

just so you know, shooting mild steel like that can be dangerous. once it starts to dimple - you can actually get frags coming back at you in a ricochet.

on hardened steel, the bullet just "splashes" and comes apart on impact.

just for safety's sake - make sure you dont shoot that plate again, especailly if you're doing close range work with a pistol.


just a little education on steel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc64gdz67u0



good ar500 steel can be had rather affordably. i've got a couple 12" gongs that i acquired for less than $40, however i had to make my own target stands and provide mounting hardware. its definitely not something i'd want to outfit an entire range with at once, but a target here and a target there, and soon enough you'll have a steel festival to shoot at. i watch for blems and sales and build my own target stands using chain and grade 6 carriage bolts for mounting.

hth
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby Pig_Popper » Sun Jan 22, 2017 9:20 am

My buddy corrected me it is half inch iron plate.

Thanks for the info on 200 yard velocities that certainly paints a good pictures.
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby plant_one » Sun Jan 22, 2017 9:46 am

ok. well please be safe. shooting steel is a blast, but i'd hate to see someone get injured from shooting damaged steel.


spend a few $ and get you some good 3/8" ar500. then you can hammer then day in and day out without worry.

just make sure that you mount them with a forward facing angle (top toward the shooters position) to deflect the lead down if mounted stationary - even 10* angle works - or put them on a swinging hanger.


carrige bolts work great, grade 5 or 6 those domed heads lightly hardened like that just help the splash and dont deform at all.


and just remember to keep the impact velocity below 3000 fps.


shepherds hooks work nice for pistol use and small caliber rifles (like 223) however, i find i have a hard time keeping them in the ground when hitting with even an intermediate round like 300blk or 7.62x39. 2 or 3 shots and the plate is on the ground, sometimes less. the 308 takes the shepherds hook right out of the ground with a single shot. i havent even bothered to try it with the 450 as i've managed to tip my 12" bullseye gong over with it at about 65 or 70 yds lol
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Re: How does Thumper compare to other calibers on steel 200y

Postby Pig_Popper » Tue Jan 24, 2017 6:09 am

Copy that - thanks for the tips
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