KRATE Tactical AR500 Steel Shooting Targets – 3/8" – Made in The USA – Metal Silhouettes and Gongs for Shooting Range and Gun Practice with Rifles, Handguns and Shotguns

I'm going to try and provide A LOT of context for my experience with this plate. It's very important that I do that because if I just post up some pics you will likely thing they are made out of aluminum and not AR500 steel. So here's my story and the context for the pics that I posted. Please read before you make assumptions based on the pics.So friends of mine flew/drove in for a "Texas Summer Shootout 2019". All of us are either veterans or former LEO's. Myself and my SF brother, a Marine and a couple of LEO's most of us veterans of one thing or the other, experienced shooters and a couple of us very experienced shooters and trainers (weapons training). So that's the "posse".Here is the breakdown of our range day and night. We had a 9 hour day shoot and later around midnight, hit the range again for a night shoot with nods. In all, we expended approx 2,500 rounds (Breakdown of ammo type is below) The BULK of our shooting was at 75-100m. During the day we did NMQ (Navy quals) on PAPER. We also did some movement to contact/2 man team drills where we moved from 75-25m, and at 25m, we typically engaged the target with approx. 4-5 rds. (Think Mozambique) The Night shoot was a 50-25m (movement to contact/target plates again shooting while moving, so it wasn't a full mag dump or anything like that. Controlled fire using comms between two shooters, multiple targets (plates and paper)Breakdown of ammo used:55gr FMJ: 85%62gr FMJ: 10%77gr SMK: 5% (Black Hills so we didn't blast a lot of this just due to cost)220gr 300blk subs: 100rds**We did not use armor-piercing ammo. (This is very important to note)Weapons: (to understand velocity)10.3-12.5 SBR's ( 100-25m) (the majority of ammo shot through these rifles)14.5-18" SPR (100m) (maybe 500 rds through these)300BLK subs (100m)Plate usage:AR500 Silhouette: 45% (The item in this review)AR550 Gong 10": 30%AR550 Gong 8": 25% (this percentage includes paper targets)I am fully aware of the recommendations on caliber/grain and distances mentioned in the description and also in the safety statements. But this is why I give context for our shooting because we did, in fact, exceed those parameters, I will say that I have always exceeded those parameters because you should "train as you fight" and not all gunfights occur at 100 plus meters/yards.These plates did not perform as well as my gongs and for a very valid reason. AR550 is a harder steel than AR500. I'll post a pic of one of my gongs just for reference, but keep in mind it's almost 18 months old.Will I buy these plates again? I would buy these but only if I'm planning on shooting distances greater than or maybe equal to 100m. Hits did give us a very good (loud) feedback at all distances, so that was good. I don't think pockmarks/divots that you see are the fault of any manufacturing process, I believe it's due to the AR500 steel. These were well-made plates, well cut/machined. From that perspective, these are great plates, and I would also give the seller the benefit of doubt and say that in distances >= 100+ parameters, they will probably hold up well, but the fact is we shot one side of this plate out. It is INOP, unusable as is. But to highlight the fact (once again) we did not shoot within the sellers specified parameters. Also, I am not advocating shooting at distances we shot at, or distances shorter than what the seller recommends and includes in their safety briefing. My brother and I train as we fight. Or will fight, and we have learned that distance is not always greater than 100m. We were also kitted up for whatever that's worth.Again you really need to take the photos in context with how we shot. But at the same time, I wanted to give a range report on how the plates did within OUR parameters. I hope this helps someone out.

This target has seen a ton of 22lr, as well as .308 and .223 rounds. Even from 50 yards .223 does no damage. The image I've included is a 1" group from 150 yards with 180 grain .308 Federal Soft Point. .308 leaves the tiniest little divot in this steel, you can barely feel it. It will hold up to many thousands of rounds IMO. The laser cuts are very clean. I think these targets are a good value, with clean cuts and a good heat treat / hardness. Definitely recommended.

The first time I shot steel was in the military. The clanging sound it made gave me instant gratification. We had courses set up that not only improved our accuracy but our speed as well. Pistols were always shot at 25+ yds and rifle at 100+ yds. I shot thousands of rounds through my rifle and my pistol on steel. You may find this hard to believe but I could hit a 12 inch steel target at 100 yds with my 9mm pistol. If you get steel to shoot you will not be disappointed. Yes it is more expensive but if you follow all the safety precautions and take care of your steel, it will last for many satisfying years. Never shoot armor piercing rounds on your steel if you want it to last. It will pit your steel increasing your chances of getting hit by splash back or a ricochet over time. Set up your own course with different size steel targets at different distances and test your skills. You can even set up competitions between you and your friends to see who gets bragging rights. If you are on the fence about whether it is safe to shoot steel, take a look at all the videos on YouTube. Just type "shooting steel" in the search window. And if your wondering if I was ever hit by splash back the answer is yes. Always when I was shooting my pistol at 25 yds but don't worry. It happens from time to time and was never serious. Just a small scratch with a little blood. Everyone on the range should always wear eye and ear protection. Remember to always follow the manufacturers safety precautions for the gun you are shooting!!! I will be buying more from this seller.

This is as high quality as AR 500 can get. Cuts look great as well! I shot over 200 rounds of steel core AK ammo and 5.56 through my AR at 100 yards, then another 100 rounds of .45 and 9mm at 10 yards my first shoot and it literally isn't even scratched. No divots whatsoever. You could easily shoot these closer than 100 yards with no worry of damage.

I was hesitant to buy one of these on amazon but I’m glad I did. So far I’ve only used 9mm on it and my girlfriend was shooting her.22 and neither even scratched this thing. Could only barely tell where the .22 rounds hit and with the 9mm you can see the splatter of the projectile but otherwise no damage or pitting of any kind. Will definitely be buying more come spring. Wanna see how it’ll fare as a long range rifle target.

The media could not be loaded.  I’m extremely happy with these AR500 plates. I picked up the triple pack of 10x18 plates and they held up amazing. If you follow the suggested distances and use the appropriate hardware, these targets will last a lifetime. I mounted them on some scrap wood for the time being while I setup the range. I used Grade 100 chain and Grade 8 hardware. I’m very happy with these and plan on getting the pair of 12x20” silhouettes next month.