08-17-2011, 06:38 PM
I'm a dive master and had several old unservicable dive tanks. I've been shooting at them for years. They are aluminum, but they make great targets. They gong really loud when you hit them and can shoot at them with anything you want. Sure, the bullets go through at least one side depending on the caliber. But, who cares they were scrap anyway. I used to shoot with a bunch of guys from Beoing and they used to bring large (4 foot tall) unserviceable oxygen, acetalene, etc tanks. They work just as well. Usually, you can go to dive shops or welding supply stores and ask them if they have unserviceable tanks. If they are a little nervous about you trying to reuse them, bring a cordless drill along with a 3/8 drill and drill a whole in the tank right there in front of them. Usually, if you let them know up front what you are using them for they understand. When they get shot up to the point where they aren't much good, you just drop them off at the scrap yard or recycler. They might even pay you for the scrap weight of the metal.
Luckily, I live in Bremerton Washington and we have three navy bases, one of which is a ship yard. They cut up old navy ships and send out the scrap on rail cars to be shipped to steel manufacturers for re-melting. Some of the scrap finds its way to the local scrap metal yard. I can go in there and find some really nice pieces of old water tanks, ship hull, old excavating buckets etc. There is usually some kind of nice plate in there you can pick up for just a few bucks. They will usually cut it for you for a few bucks more.
Now, I can understand where a rifle range or someone with high volume of shooting would want AR500 (so it will hold up and last). But, you can pick up some mild steel for alot less. It will last the average shooter many years. Hell, those aluminum dive tanks have been shoot up many hundereds of times and are still holding up fairly well. Plus, I don't have to worry about ricochete with the aluminum.
Luckily, I live in Bremerton Washington and we have three navy bases, one of which is a ship yard. They cut up old navy ships and send out the scrap on rail cars to be shipped to steel manufacturers for re-melting. Some of the scrap finds its way to the local scrap metal yard. I can go in there and find some really nice pieces of old water tanks, ship hull, old excavating buckets etc. There is usually some kind of nice plate in there you can pick up for just a few bucks. They will usually cut it for you for a few bucks more.
Now, I can understand where a rifle range or someone with high volume of shooting would want AR500 (so it will hold up and last). But, you can pick up some mild steel for alot less. It will last the average shooter many years. Hell, those aluminum dive tanks have been shoot up many hundereds of times and are still holding up fairly well. Plus, I don't have to worry about ricochete with the aluminum.