The RST Steel target is multi use target produced by Renaissance Steel Research of Wilmington, North Carolina. They are a Veteran owned company that produces more than thirty different steel targets for all styles of shooters. The RST in the name stands for Ready, Ship, Target and it’s the companies hottest selling target to date.
If you’ve never shot steel targets you are truly missing out on one of the most fun ways to practice marksmanship. Properly built steel targets can be invaluable training tools, they provide instant feedback and obviously last much longer than any paper target could ever imagine. The ringing of rounds off of high quality steel targets is music to my ears.
The RST Steel target is built to withstands thousands of rounds and is made of 3/8″ thick AR500 steel. The bullet impact area’s face measures 10″ wide x 20″ long, with a 6″ head section. The target comes disassembled and ships in a United States Postal Service flat rate box mailer. That means shipping charges are almost nonexistent, even to me in Alaska shipping was effortless.
Unpacking & Assembly
The above picture you can see how the target arrives, wrapped tightly in plastic with all the nuts and bolts neatly secured. Despite the United States Postal Services best attempts to destroy the package, the 20+ pound box arrived safe and intact.
Once the clear plastic wrapping is removed assembly is simple and straightforward. Instructions with diagrams are given for those of you who are not mechanically inclined. I inventoried the kit to make sure all of the components were present including the correct number of bolts, nuts and washers. RSR’s shipping department scored high marks for not leaving anything out.
All you need to assemble the RST Target is a 1/2″ socket and a 1/2″ box end wrench, if you don’t have those you can substitute a pair of adjustable jaw pliers. If you have ever tried to assemble television stands or home furniture then you can figure it out from here, bolt goes threw the hole, washer and nuts on the other side. Tighten as needed, its not building the space shuttle, its just a steel target.
Next you will need an average 2″x4″ wooded stud from your local hardware store. Measure the correct height to ensure that the target hangs at approximately chest level. I cut my 2″x4″ to a length of 54″ and inserted it in the stand. Next hang the bracket on the post and attach the silhouette, place the target in a safe direction and let the good times roll
The RST target is a simple and well laid out target system that allows a shooter two different styles of targets shoot. If you are like me and sometimes shoot at ranges that don’t allow steel targets, this target and stand can still be useful. The designers took that into consideration and added some brackets for an end user to insert a few sticks of simple 1″x2″ wood to make risers. This small feature gives the shooter the flexibility of being able construct their own wood frame targets and have a dependable stand to put them in.
Durability Testing
Anyone can take a cutting torch and make a target out of steel, but Renaissance Steel Research claims their targets are some of the best on the market. Even before putting it together I found the RST was best in the shipping the target at the very least. Looking at my invoice I paid ZERO to get it here to Alaska, that says something right up front. Now about the function tests, how does it hold up ?
The first test we decided to throw at the target was a heavy one for sure. We lined up my Polish AKM, my brother in laws Yugoslavian SKS and my friend Randy’s Arsenal SLR 107 all loaded with Wolf 123 grain full metal jacketed rounds. We were within the 100 yard limit RSR suggested. Magazine after magazine was dumped into the 3/8″ AR500 steel. Shoot, reload shoot again, over and over again . Once we hit 500 rounds we stopped and walked forward to inspect the carnage.
The one thing that was immediately noticeable was the pile of copper bullet jackets that were scattered in front of the target. When the bullets hit the target it appears they basically turned themselves inside out and sprayed towards the ground and to the left of the target. The face of the steel target was surprisingly in good shape, a few gouges and marks but much less than I anticipated. We did notice that the 2″x4″ post that made up the center of the target had several noticeable pieces of lead and copper jacket imbedded in it. An acceptable casualty in our minds
We then went back to the firing line and reloaded, thats when Randy changed guns and brought out his Polish RPD belt fed 7.62x39mm and started to hammer away at the 3/8″ plate. The rest of us chimed in and began to pepper the target with more slow and fast fire rounds. We doubled up what we had already put into the target bringing us to a total of 1000 rounds in just over an hour and a half.
Thats a lot of rounds to be fired on any target and I can say that it’s a completely different shooting experience when you don’t have to change paper targets after every few shooters. The ringing of the rounds off the steel is a fantastic sound and provides a shooter with instant gratification. In my opinion if a shooter wanted to they could affix the target with some of the birchwood casey style sticker targets on it if they were wanting to dial in a rifle or an optic.
In a final test for the day we walked up to the seven yard mark and began to pummel the target with a mix of various 115 grain 9mm rounds and approximately 15 rounds of .44 Magnum from Blazer. Magazine after magazine from my Smith & Wesson M&P, and my Helwan Brigadier we dumped into the target with little effect on its surface. This simple and effective target from RSR had survived the day with top marks. All three of us were impressed.
Hope you enjoyed this look at the Ready, Ship Target from Renaissance Steel Research. If you are in the market for a target that will last years instead of hours, you really should check out their site and see if one of their options will work for you. A link has been provided below. If you have any comments or suggestions be sure you let us know by dropping a comment in the area below.
Thanks,
Rick
Targets Available at: www.rsrsteeltargets.com
