If you are shooting at steel that can fall over or move in some manner you will not have anything come back at you. I would be more concerned with what the back-stop looks like. It should deflect the bullet into a trap of some kind, not deflect it back at you. If you are at an established indoor range, I'm sure the back-stop is safe.

Jerry, I have occasionally felt splatter from 40 meters! It is rare, but it happens and it always startles me.

Borg wrote:If the plastic is hard enough to last, you'd still get "return fire"
Borg

Borg, a hard plastic like PVC or lexan would be brittle, most likely shatter and even may spash back. I guess I should have been clear and said soft plastic. They make targets that are able to take hits from centerfire rifles that are claimed to last. Its most likely a soft plastic that would allow the bullets to pass through. I don't think they could withstand a full match but for practice they would.

How about making the spinners out of the tread section of steel-belted radials? That would be pliable material, yet firm enough to demonstrate a reaction.

Sounds like a plan. It would have to be something you would have to play with to find the right matterial for what you want it to do. I was only suggesting plastic like LDPV (low density poly vinyl) since its cheep and readily available. Old milk bottles are LDPV.

I've shot many a pistol falling plate match at ranges from 15 to 30 yards, both CF and RF. With CF,getting hit with bullet splatter at 15 yds. is not uncommon, but the fragment size is so small and velocity so low that at most it stings a little and once in awhile might break the skin--just a scratch. With .22 RF these events are very rare indeed. I wouldn't hesitate to shoot steel spinners with a .22 at 12 meters, just recommend long pants (jeans or other heavy material) and of course eye protection is mandatory.

Newbold targets are made of a pretty cool material that self seals after each hit. You'll see the same type thing in the shape of a small crow or prarie dog now too. I thought about buying the Newbold ones and cutting to shape to use as practice animals.

how about thick rubber as in sidewalls of tire? thick enough to take some abuse but tough enough to last a while.#57