Cracked weld on my AR550 steel target.

Very interested to see how it holds up to hits now. Kind of wish I had thought to take a couple more pics before he took it... Oh well.

Happy to report almost 2 years later that Golddiggie's weld job has been holding up well with no signs of the weld cracking. Unfortunately I can't say the same about the other two plates I had rewelded. I had one weld that my neighbor did for me in the spring of 2015, and it failed this past summer.

Then I had an extra plate kicking around that was welded by some friends of my dads a few years ago which had been holding up for the past 6+ months. But today it took about 30-40 shots of 44 magnum from my Henry rifle at 40 yards to break the weld and sent that 10" AR550 plate spinning through the air. 310 grains of lead will do that I guess...
 
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every metal target I've ever bough I've had to re-weld. not to mention building a few nice one's (spinners) myself.
if you were closer to me here in rindge, I'd tell ya to bring it to me- I'd fix that thing so it'll never break in less than 10 minutes ;)
I buy my steel from peterson steel in worcester, mass- 1/4" and 1/2" 12" x 12" square bar stock is pretty cheap. i've put .223 fmj through 1/4" plate at 75 yards but not through the 1/2" plate.
 
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I'm pretty sure that you are the problem, heha

LOL probably. I stopped shooting rifle calibers at these evil roy targets due to the welds constantly failing. I have a gong that I hang from rubber chains that's been holding up well to .223, 7.62x39, and 30-06. So I figured 44 mag wouldn't be that bad but apparently I was wrong.

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every metal target I've ever bough I've had to re-weld. not to mention building a few nice one's (spinners) myself.
if you were closer to me here in rindge, I'd tell ya to bring it to me- I'd fix that thing so it'll never break in less than 10 minutes ;)
I buy my steel from peterson steel in worcester, mass- 1/4" and 1/2" 12" x 12" square bar stock is pretty cheap. i've put .223 fmj through 1/4" plate at 75 yards but not through the 1/2" plate.

Appreciate the offer!
 
Well I’m back to breaking shit again!🤣🤣
Didn’t crack the weld this time but I cracked the target stand itself.
44099E5A-8227-4740-A896-4D222726425A.jpegFD009B6F-0254-42AA-AEAC-542B213B9240.jpeg

I’ve had it for 10 years and it’s seen tens of thousands of rounds so not too disappointed. I was hammering it with 357 mag today from the DW so maybe that’s why it cracked 😂

It still works just fine so I’ll keep shooting it I guess. Can get a whole new setup for $150 from Brownells if need be - including the target.
 
Well I’m back to breaking shit again!🤣🤣
Didn’t crack the weld this time but I cracked the target stand itself.
View attachment 446657View attachment 446658

I’ve had it for 10 years and it’s seen tens of thousands of rounds so not too disappointed. I was hammering it with 357 mag today from the DW so maybe that’s why it cracked 😂

It still works just fine so I’ll keep shooting it I guess. Can get a whole new setup for $150 from Brownells if need be - including the target.
Preheat with a mapp torch, weld with ER70S-6 filler or 7018 rod, use torch again to bring the temp down slowly.
 
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Preheat with a mapp torch, weld with ER70S-6 filler, use torch again to bring the temp down slowly.
AR steel isn’t something that can just be welded up and one and done. It needs pre weld heat and stress relief and post weld heat and stress relief as it comes down to ambient In plain terms it’s fairly complex to work with.
Thanks. This is what I’ve heard also. I don’t know if my welder friend down the street has that ability/tools to do this correctly. He did weld my target a few years ago and it’s holding up so far but I’m sure he weakened the steel in the process. Oh well.
 
AR steel isn’t something that can just be welded up and one and done. It needs pre weld heat and stress relief and post weld heat and stress relief as it comes down to ambient In plain terms it’s fairly complex to work with.
Derp. I guess the stand is only mild steel so I should be okay for regular welding!
From the website:
NOTE: The stand is made of mild steel and is not intended to withstand the force of a bullet. Shooting the stand may result in damage.
 
Thanks. This is what I’ve heard also. I don’t know if my welder friend down the street has that ability/tools to do this correctly. He did weld my target a few years ago and it’s holding up so far but I’m sure he weakened the steel in the process. Oh well.
Duct tape? [smile]
 
All those million dollar yacht yards down the line in G-town nobody has a Tig welder ? Would be the right call to tig that fracture in tight. and not burn it in with Arc.
Oh yeah plenty of welders. I’ll probably text my welder buddy down the street and see if he can help.
 
I had the first AR500 target welded back to the bracket by some boat welders/machinists where my dad keeps his boat. I haven't shot that target yet so I don't know how long that weld will hold up for. Anyone have much experience welding AR550 steel to regular standard steel? Any NES welders? Just curious if it's a quick/easy thing to do.
Pre heat then weld we use ar plate on buckets and grapples all the time ar in wear areas and regular else were pre heat is the most important part
 
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