Sounds like a mix is in order to not only provide usable targets that have some lifespan but also to keep the costs down. AR500 is much pricier than T-1. The small chickens are not to much material wise to replace when needed. I got a quote from a target maker online this past week to see what a full set of 40 made from AR500 would cost. $5000 plus shipping and we would still need to weld feet on them. That was for 1/2" thick including Turkeys and 3/8" Rams. Not sure why he selected 1/2" for Turkeys when 3/8" should be ok.

So what is the right mix for the best price overall? Go T-1 on Chickens and Pigs since they are 1/2" and AR on the thinner ones? Seems about the best mix for cost and longevity with less replacement costs down the line.

Those of you using T-1 across the board how many times have you had to weld them up or heat them and then pound them back into a flat shape? That is what I have heard the most issues about the T-1 on the long lines is that it tends to cup the animals pretty quickly.

The $2000 quote I thought I had heard was incorrect that was for one set of animals not all 40 unfortunately. Still all in all when I consider how much money I have in brass and the barrel of my HP rifle alone, kicking in another $500 to have a range to shoot would be a no brainer for me if I can get 9 others to come along. After all why have a Ferrari in the garage that you can't drive because you didn't want to spring for gas! I really want this HP range to come together. I was even measuring the 8" I-Beams I have to use for rails to see how many feet I have and how much more we might need.

Dee

I would go with T-1 for all the animals. 1/2 thick for chickens and pigs and 3/8 for the other 2 animals. The only problem I have seen with the turkeys is the pad breaking off. The problem goes away with pre-heat before welding.

Just to be annoying.....T-1 is either 321 or 360 brinnell (hardness); AR 400 is 360 nominal to 400 brinnell; AR 500 is 450 brinnell. All are annealed, hardened, quenched and tempered. They are NOT useable for structural applications (brittle). They are made for abrasions and impacts ...like rocks in mining or the crap the bulldozer scoop hits. However Chapalloy Armor Plate is hovering around 500 brinnell and my favorite Mil-A 12560...its over 500 brinnell and made to test BULLET impacts...it ain't cheap but you can get it up to 12" thick for your real big BR All this hardened, annealed quenched and tempered stuff cuts like crap with a torch (plasma-a better idea), welds just OK if pre-heated. T-1360 is preferred for our game 'cause it has a higher yield, is less brittle and while real fast 6mm or 6.5 or 7's will leave marks (bright spots)...it doesn't fracture and make repairs impossible. Now the Mil-A family...is sweet...too costly

I did some testing last fall on some steel we use in the bridge industry. I am the welding technician for a large bridge fabricator in the northeast. I cut a piece of 1-1/2" HPS70W(A709Gr485W) and welded it to a base plate for testing. I chose this steel for its high tensile strength and hardness value. It did not fair as well as I had hoped. I decided to put it through to the real test with some M2 Ball coming out of my old M1. Severe deformation, large craters and good penetration. I hit it then with a penetrator round from the M1 and they drilled their way 7/8" deep. Even the .223 FMJ and .204 Ruger put a hurting on it. I scrapped that plan and went with a plate of AR500 to make a batch of chickens for our local club. I did a little test with them too. I hit them with my M1A FMJ and you cannot tell the difference between the FMJ and the match bullet hits. Go with the good stuff

I talked to the guy that repairs the T-1 targets at Missoula and he said the black powder dhooters ruin the most targets. The big old 500 gr bullets have been cracking the rams up around the horn area. He thinks it is from the vibrations that are set up in the targets with a slow heavy hits. The chickens are the only ones that have been getting damaged by the modern rifles.

Given the fact that our target are about 7 or 8 years old and both HP, cowboy lever, and BPCR use them the only fracturing occurred long ago on AR 400/500 turkeys. Chickens lose their feet and that creates a repair issue that eventually destroys the usefulness of the chicken. BPCR creates a welding problem because of the lead deposited on the target...the big slow 500 grain lead is not that 'shocking' to the target...at least that hasn't been our experience. Cowboy lever is hell on the poor chicken and his feet (50 yard hits with 30-30's etc!). Someone on this forum suggested that AR 400 and 500 were too soft and T-1 was harder.....T-1 is either 321 BHN hardness or 360. AR 400 is 380-400 BHN hardness and AR 500 is actually 450 BHN. T-1 is actually "softer"....all are annealed, quenched, and tempered. T-1 (either version) has more yield ( sort like flexibility). None weld worth a flip without preheating...unless you like to repeatedly weld. When we were foolish and didn't switch directions enough on our targets the rams started to bow and that screwed up their balance and tipping ease...ditto on the swine and turkeys.....the chicks just lost their feet ;)