Hey /diy/ers, I'm planning on making a dueling tree for

Would it be better to get other hardened steel scrap like hardox to begin with? All i have for cutting is a gas axe and would be worried about messing with the temper and ruining the targets quickly.

>>1211208
This. Start with hardened steel and don't fuck with the temper.

>>1211207
Quench it in mineral oil. Be sure you have actual mineral oil and not Kerosene. They have the same name in European

You can't use mild steel because it won't hold any temper. There's not enough carbon for it to harden like you want it to.

Rail road tie plates

>>1211275
>Quench it in mineral oil
this is probably the best you can do to harden the steel, but if you are using 1/2" steel, you need a seriously high caliber to even make a permanent mark, but those permanent marks wont have any major affects oh the functionality of a target

>>1211287
Seems like these are spring steel, are they pretty hard? Would my best bet to find them be walking the tracks or contacting the RR or scrap yard?

It's AR500 or waste time trying stuff out and fail then it's back to AR500.

Find some leaf springs at a salvage yard. They're pretty much ideal for this, having exactly the properties you're looking for.

>>1211430
AR500 for 9mm and 45acp? That's just wasteful Anon. OP, for those pistol calibers you can use mild steel just like it is, shoot the hell out of it, pound it back into shape if it bends (once a year maybe?), and when it's shot out replace it. You can do all that like, 10 times for the price of AR500 stuff. 1/4"-1/2" mild steel will last way longer than you're thinking.

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43KB, 400x299px

Check your local machine shops. Someone may have scrap pieces of what you are looking for, for less. When metal is ordered, it typically comes in standard lengths. Little is scraped. It's kept for other jobs or to sell to retards like you. Like the other Anon, said... 5/8, 3/4", mild steel plate would plenty suffice for pistols, and high velocity rifle rounds at distance. Weld it up after it's full of holes and grind it flat. Thus making it harder in the process.