Satellite dish target practice?

[Larry Legend]

Does this sound like a bad idea? I have an old dish network satellite dish in the garage and though it might make a fun/noisy target to shoot at.

Best guess, but would a .40 FMJ be able to penetrate it?

 

[pipmaster1971]

What's it made out of? I'd be VERY concerned that if the round didn't penetrate could, (due to the parabola shape of the dish), ricochet at a very unpredictable angle.

 

[Twigg]

Only one way to find out.

 

[Gonzo]

My newest target is old fridge doors. Do not use your fridge for cover, ever.

 

[matt1956]

Only one way to find out.

thats the spirit

 

[JRyan]

Be careful.

Clean it up when your done.

 

[Ripach]

Satellite dishes are made out of relatively thin metal, my guess (Based on my car shoot experience) would be clean penetration. If a round will penetrate both sides of a pick-up truck, I don't see a dish stopping one.


But just in case....

Be careful.

 

[Larry Legend]

Satellite dishes are made out of relatively thin metal, my guess (Based on my car shoot experience) would be clean penetration. If a round will penetrate both sides of a pick-up truck, I don't see a dish stopping one.


But just in case....

Hmm. So a typical pistol round penetrates 2+ layers of 16-18 gauge sheet metal?

Sounds promising. I guess the question now would be, what to take cover behind while firing the first round?

 

[Mike S]

just shoot the damn thing... it'll go through.

 

[matt1956]

Hmm. So a typical pistol round penetrates 2+ layers of 16-18 gauge sheet metal?

Sounds promising. I guess the question now would be, what to take cover behind while firing the first round?

I would say that a jacketed round would.

Hollow points (depending on round) may not, YMMV.

 

[Eye5600]

upload speed is not usually measured in ft/sec.

 

[Ma$$hole]

I wouldn't see a problem however let me tell you a few of my "Hmm maybe shouldn't have shot at that" stories... In short...

- Shooting a whipped cream can with a .22lr is fun to watch, however it can spit a nice lil ricochet

-Shot at a wheel barrel on the ground with a 18" barreled 500 with #6 shot. Didn't see the rock just short of if and I got some shot spit back in my face

-And the winner that almost made me a Darwin winner was (Drum roll please)... A buddy of mine shot three .22lr rounds into a steel barrel filled with water. Let's just say 3 shots were taken and 4 holes were made. The round came right back at us at a 45 degree angle. Not fun.

Dish will be fine.

 

[Blitz1]

Only one way to find out.

I like the way you think.

 

[In_God_We_Trust]

My newest target is old fridge doors. Do not use your fridge for cover, ever.

Check this out:
4 Pounds of Tannerite VS 1 Old Fridge

Definitely a danger close scenario...

 

[FalArAk]

What's it made out of? I'd be VERY concerned that if the round didn't penetrate could, (due to the parabola shape of the dish), ricochet at a very unpredictable angle.

 

[ShadeWPI]

I used to work for a company that made Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) filters that are enclosed in heavy metal enclosures. I took some older "failed" units to the shooting range once to use as target practice.

This perticular filter uses an 0.063" thick (14g) steel enclosure with an additional 0.096" (10ga) end plate. The filters are mainly filled with inductors (powdered iron cores) and a potting compound similar to hot-melt glue.

At a range of 15 yards we shot the thing with 9mm ammunition. End shots to the reinforced end causes heavy deformation and deflection but no penetration. (0.15" thick steel) but square strikes on the top causes a complete penetration of the cover and heavy deformation of the back-plate.

The thin sheet metal of a car body (typically 0.015" - 0.022" thick) doesn't stand a chance unless struck at a very high angle of impact. Same for the satalite dish as long as it has a sturdy back-stop. if it's just "sitting" there and able to move and flex a lot, it may be able to deform sufficiently to deflect the bullet.

 

[punx45]

Sounds promising. I guess the question now would be, what to take cover behind while firing the first round?

not a fridge, apparently.

 

[Larry Legend]

not a fridge, apparently.

I was thinking a large pine tree.

 

[NH40VE]

when you do shoot the dang thing.....take some pics/Video of it.

BTW-aren't some dishes made out of fiberglass(or something like that) ?? (never mind this question,found anwser)

Raw Materials
The basic satellite dish consists of the following materials:

A parabolic reflector made of fiberglass or metal, usually aluminum, with a protruding steel feed horn and amplifier in its middle.
A steel actuator that enables the dish to receive signals from more than one satellite.
A metal (usually aluminum) shroud measuring about 6 to 18 inches (15 to 45 centimeters) in height. It is installed on the dish's circumference perpendicularly to reduce side interference.

I wonder what H.P. does to that..

 

[Gonzo]

not a fridge, apparently.

Fridge hasn't stopped a thing yet. buckshot, .45, .38, 5.56 all make nice holes.

 

[Kenny474]

Me and some buddies took an old dish and put enough holes in it to strain your spaghetti. Never once did we hear or see any ricochet. 22lr. 17hmr, 30-06, 12ga(no birdshot), .50 muzzle-loader, all ripped right through. They definitely aren't even slightly bullet resistant.

 

[8A1]

I like to shoot at old phone books and those 1000+ page parts catalogs I get. At about 15-20 yards they trap .40 and .380 nicely. Kind of cool to save the bullets afterwards.