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Paint for steel targets
- Thread starter stello1001
- Start date
Go to an ACE hardware and buy the cheapest striper paint you can. Comes out fast, wide, and covers really well. Haven't ever had any issues with nozzles clogging. Used to use primer/paint combo many years ago until I tried the striper stuff.
Guys I found the "secret" paint. At Home Depot go buy the Rustoleum Specialty Lacquer spray can paint. It comes in black and in white.
It dries super fast and covers as good or better than the other better covering spray paints.
I like that when I have to mess with a steel plate for whatever reason after I painted it that it's already dry so I don't get paint on my clothes, etc, by accident, like used to happen sometimes before I tried the Lacquer.
It dries super fast and covers as good or better than the other better covering spray paints.
I like that when I have to mess with a steel plate for whatever reason after I painted it that it's already dry so I don't get paint on my clothes, etc, by accident, like used to happen sometimes before I tried the Lacquer.
Nice, the cheap white I use is about like spraying skimmed milk.
I have several different sizes of diamonds cut out of cardboard to spray aiming points on my steel.
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We got a 20X24 plate of AR500 and hung it at 1000 yds. It was cut from a sheet they had on hand.
It has a coat of very light green, almost white, from it's manufacturing process that is stuck to it like Blue Bonnet.
We painted it with Rustoleum white after we hung it and shot the hell out of it. Almost impossible to see impacts as that light green stays on the plate when the Rustoleum flakes off.
We are going to take it down and bring it back up to Hq. and grind that shit off and let it rust a bit then rehang it and hope for the best.
It is great for targets on the short range as it sticks so good but not so good when you want to see your impacts farther out.
Something for you that are cutting your own targets from sheet stock, grind that shit off and let it rust a bit. FM
It has a coat of very light green, almost white, from it's manufacturing process that is stuck to it like Blue Bonnet.
We painted it with Rustoleum white after we hung it and shot the hell out of it. Almost impossible to see impacts as that light green stays on the plate when the Rustoleum flakes off.
We are going to take it down and bring it back up to Hq. and grind that shit off and let it rust a bit then rehang it and hope for the best.
It is great for targets on the short range as it sticks so good but not so good when you want to see your impacts farther out.
Something for you that are cutting your own targets from sheet stock, grind that shit off and let it rust a bit. FM
Ever tried painting with many thick layers of black, then spray some white over it once the black is dried off? The white might flake off and show the black underneath although I have never tried it so this is all speculation for me...
Ok so i thought Culpeper was just trolling around a bit by saying he paints his targets black, but now you.
If you guys are serious, how are you confirming impacts visually? And why not just leave the steel bare and exposed instead of using a dark finish???
1-If you have any kind of decent scope at all it’s easy to see the impact.
2-Because rusty targets like mine look like ass.
I have a damn minox ZP5 and 1000 yards has been really kicking my ass. I can't see shit with it, granted, there is some very slight mirage happening and that may play a huge role in it. I think I had 2 or 3 impacts recently but I had no way of confirming that until I drove up to my target to pick it up for the day.
Are your impacts popping up a lighter grey color which makes them visible on your black target? Also, I'm assuming you need illumination for this so you can see your reticle...
It really matters when you look at how often you need to paint it,
I tested this a while back :
Medium gray primer is the best color for a match when you don't want to paint the targets constantly
White with a waterline is the best visually, especially if the sun is behind you.
if you have to separate the targets via colors, the bright highlight colors work best to see the hits and make them stand out
I tested this a while back :
Medium gray primer is the best color for a match when you don't want to paint the targets constantly
White with a waterline is the best visually, especially if the sun is behind you.
if you have to separate the targets via colors, the bright highlight colors work best to see the hits and make them stand out
I’ll have to try the black paint sometime. Looking at that picture makes it look more useable than I thought. Probably doesn’t wash out with the sun at your back as easily either?
I paint mine black as well. Very easy to see the impacts when it exposes the shiny stuff underneath. I have tried the white and it doesn't have as much contrast as black.
I talked to my friend that cut and poked the holes in it and we both thought that would have worked well.however, what he calls Mill Scale is stuck to it so tight and light green that a good 6.5 hit is about 5/16ths across. Hard to see in our Luepold,sic , spotting scope. don't know the numbers but it is a nice one.
Works great on new targets we put up on the short out to 600 range as it takes many hits to knock the paint off of that one.
I need to paint it every time I shoot so we can figure in the clicks to hit the bottle.
Therefore, this plate is coming back in and I hope to put some rust on it and be able to see the hits.
Gonna take some grinding.
Black paint doesn't let Old eyes see the center too well in the crosshairs but I will give it a try. Spot in the center might just work too.
I will do that until I am ready to work on it. Good thought. FM
Works great on new targets we put up on the short out to 600 range as it takes many hits to knock the paint off of that one.
I need to paint it every time I shoot so we can figure in the clicks to hit the bottle.
Therefore, this plate is coming back in and I hope to put some rust on it and be able to see the hits.
Gonna take some grinding.
Black paint doesn't let Old eyes see the center too well in the crosshairs but I will give it a try. Spot in the center might just work too.
I will do that until I am ready to work on it. Good thought. FM
If it helps, a new member is sponsored by Steel Target Paint and states that they can give a discount code:
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/hello-from-central-georgia.6979487/
https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/hello-from-central-georgia.6979487/
Gray Primer has to be the WORST!!! The targets at matches all look haze gray and are hard as shit to see by afternoon when they've been hit a thousand times. Why would you want to start off that way? Why paint them at all (especially when you've got impact indicators)?
Why do you care how it dries? I spray then and shoot them immediately. It's not like the paint is going to stick better dry than wet when you shoot at it. It's coming off, period.
I won't get into a debate, but just buy the waterjet cut targets and you won't have any problems with abrasion resistant steel abrading.
Why do you care how it dries? I spray then and shoot them immediately. It's not like the paint is going to stick better dry than wet when you shoot at it. It's coming off, period.
I won't get into a debate, but just buy the waterjet cut targets and you won't have any problems with abrasion resistant steel abrading.
DANG, two pages of what to paint a target with !!!!!!!!!
And the scary part is I read it.
And the scary part is I read it.
Yea, me too....and I'll probably come back to the thread in a year when I finally knock the paint off the targets
I just got back from shooting the 1000 here.
I checked the target that has that Mill Scale on it and it had 28 hits or thereabouts. I did not paint it black, just going to take it down and grind it clean then put it back up and paint as needed and hope we can see impacts.
Hits on it were no more than 5/16" across and faint, we could not see them through our spotting scope. We could hear them but not see them.
We are going to cut some from the same sheet and hang them at 200 and 300 on the short range and see how they do under,"Heavy Traffic."
That Mill Scale is tougher than Old Folks toenails. A solid hit does very little to it. It may be the answer to some of my prayers as to the short 0 to 600 yd range. FM
I checked the target that has that Mill Scale on it and it had 28 hits or thereabouts. I did not paint it black, just going to take it down and grind it clean then put it back up and paint as needed and hope we can see impacts.
Hits on it were no more than 5/16" across and faint, we could not see them through our spotting scope. We could hear them but not see them.
We are going to cut some from the same sheet and hang them at 200 and 300 on the short range and see how they do under,"Heavy Traffic."
That Mill Scale is tougher than Old Folks toenails. A solid hit does very little to it. It may be the answer to some of my prayers as to the short 0 to 600 yd range. FM
80+ responses on what paint to use on steel you’re going to shoot......
I think we’ve jumped the shark here. It’s paint.....
I think we’ve jumped the shark here. It’s paint.....
But it is Tactical Paint. Anyone build a drop chart on 250 centipoise Krylon from 5" to 36"? With a 2-5mph cross wind?
i go to Menards and buy the cheapest shit i can find. When it wears off, cover it again. My targets are far enough away, by the time i get back to my shooting bench, it's dry
Lmfao, that is indeed a lot of replies. Clearly though, there are so many varying preferences which resulted in it. Personally, I like a cheap enough paint that will chip off entirely with my impact so that I can see the hit better. But go too cheap, and the paint almost seems like watered milk. Look at first page on pic of my yellow painted target. The paint ran so much and barely even covered the target the way it should have. I believe there are paints that should handle these issues better than others. That orange surveyor paint is one of them. I will try the 2x coverage white primer as well, and maybe the stripping/striper paint as many suggested.
I have used a can of the 2x spray paint, its really does work well. Probably twice as well as the bottom of the barrel quick color paint... but it costs 4x as much.
Ive found the cheap stuff and impact marks is really only an issue on new targets, after a few cycles its built up a bit and you get the nice big gray impacts. And yeah its not the best for a quick thin layer cover up and its watery and can run but from 500 yards away you cant tell anyways.
Ive found the cheap stuff and impact marks is really only an issue on new targets, after a few cycles its built up a bit and you get the nice big gray impacts. And yeah its not the best for a quick thin layer cover up and its watery and can run but from 500 yards away you cant tell anyways.
White rattle can.
That's my spec. I might do a black water line if I'm truing BC or MV. Don't overthink it.
This thread has opened my eyes to how much thought people put into things.....
That's my spec. I might do a black water line if I'm truing BC or MV. Don't overthink it.
This thread has opened my eyes to how much thought people put into things.....
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You have no idea. I have about 10 steel gongs and will paint each one with different paint and colors just to experiment which is the best.
It gives you a better aiming point. Line your horizontal stadia line to it and fire away. My groups shrunk when I added the waterline. It is most beneficial when truing or verifying drops as it lets you identify whether you are high or low.
I then decided to paint a vertical and horizontal on my target, allowing me to completely align my reticle, and that shrunk my groups even more. I didn't think it would help much until I tried it and found out for myself. I suppose it won't matter much if all you're after is plinking and just getting hits...
It's cold outside....and most of us are stuck at work behind a computer monitor wishing we were at the range....we got more time to think than we have time for shooting...so we tend to go down some rabbit hole of what ifs and we lose ourselves in the process.
Then again, I've learned a lot sitting here slamming foot-long chili cheese dogs and reading up on Weaponized Math, Optimal Barrel Time, reloading techniques, and what is and what isn't all that important when shooting.
Now, I need to get out there and practice what I learned and burn off some of these dogs and Little Debbies.
I shoot USPSA Steel Challenge and we paint A LOT, like after every shooter. Universally, Steel Target Paint is the go-to paint for that sport and it sucks when a match has anything but that. It is more expensive, but you don't use as much as other paint to cover a target, so it works out in the end. When you paint as much as we do in Steel Challenge, quality matters. It's a lot thicker and a ton more paint comes out compared to regular rattle cans. Their slogan is, "one shot covers the spot" because one quick tap of the nozzle is all it takes to cover an impact. It work in hot, cold, wet, snow, everything and it dries quick. It's a harder sell for long range shooters since targets pretty much only get painted at the beginning of a match, but it's worth checking out.
I am sponsored by Steel Target Paint, but I get nothing but discounts from my sponsorship. Larry, the owner, is a huge supporter of shooting sports and the team is a great bunch of people that I'm honored to be a part of.
I'm new to the forum here and don't want to overstep anything by dropping discount codes and whatnot, but if it's cool with Frank the the mods I can post up discounts for Rangestore.net so people can try out the paint.
I am sponsored by Steel Target Paint, but I get nothing but discounts from my sponsorship. Larry, the owner, is a huge supporter of shooting sports and the team is a great bunch of people that I'm honored to be a part of.
I'm new to the forum here and don't want to overstep anything by dropping discount codes and whatnot, but if it's cool with Frank the the mods I can post up discounts for Rangestore.net so people can try out the paint.
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OAF Paint is a subsidiary of Mall Ninja Holdings Inc. Their video production division just made that Vortex GenIII 1-10x video...so you know they are top notch.
