T&E review: Hammer Targets sent this target for testing and evaluation. The company did not see the video prior to publication. Specs and availability are as taped (upload Aug 2022) and may have moved — verify current listings before you buy.
Channel fans and family — shooting steel is cool. Hauling it out and setting it up 300 yards away? Not so much. Here’s my hands-on review of the Hammer Targets steel gong system with the built-in slide hammer — an elegant “set steel anywhere” solution I first spotted in the Shot Show 2022 new-product showcase. Full Gear review from the video (~9 min), not a booth clip and not a Short.
Gear I actually use: SlavGuns Amazon. Product path from the video: Hammer Targets. Support the channel: join on YouTube.
Why portable steel matters
Reactive steel is about as rewarding as recreational shooting gets — that delayed ding and the swinging plate are instant hit confirmation. Past a few hundred yards, paper hits get hard or impossible to call depending on your glass, which is why people pay more to join clubs that already have steel. Plenty of clubs don’t, but still let you bring your own. Same story on private land or BLM out west. That’s the problem Hammer Targets is trying to solve: get steel in the ground without dragging a bulky stand and a separate T-post driver.
What you get
Two things I always look for in steel: (1) it’s not a thin cheap plate that rifles will chew up or punch through at 100 yards, and (2) it’s reactive, not static, so jackets are less likely to come straight back at you. This Hammer Target checks both boxes and then some.
- 10-inch laser-cut gong
- 3/8-inch AR500 steel
- Replaceable plate held with cotter pins
- Integrated slide hammer in the post — think T-post without carrying a separate driver
- Plate hangs at about a 20-degree angle so impacts are guided down into the dirt
As taped: handgun cartridges down to about 12 yards (no, your braced AR “pistol” doesn’t count as a handgun here); most rifle cartridges at 100 yards; larger Magnums out at 200–300 yards. Don’t run armor-piercing or steel-core — those can punch through or crater the plate. Craters are a safety problem because a follow-up into a concave spot can send a ricochet back at you.
The company also offers a loud “cowbell” style target on their site, and had other plates planned when this was taped.
Setup (and one hard-learned tip)
Hold the post upright and drive it with the slide hammer. To pull it: yank straight up and you’re done. Important lesson from the tape — remove the top/plate piece before hammering. Hammering with the gong still mounted can damage the pin. Point the fin straight back as you drive, then reinstall the plate, align the holes, drop the pin, and lock it.
Range impressions
I set it by the berm (rocky ground — the hammer still went in) and ran rimfire plus Creedmoor. Plate stayed on; wrong-size cotter pin popped once on my end, but the gong itself was fine. After a pile of .22 and some Creedmoor there was no dimpling — just paint flaking where impacts landed. For a range with steel at 300 and nothing at 100, this is perfect for rimfire practice, and it’s equally handy anywhere you can’t leave club steel planted.
Bottom line
I’m excited about this one: set steel where you want without a bulky stand or extra tools, 100% made in the USA, quality AR500, and a safer angled reactive design. Specs and product line from the Aug 2022 tape may have moved — check current Hammer Targets listings before you buy.
Keep squatting.
Would a slide-hammer AR500 gong like this solve your “no steel at 100” club problem, or do you already leave plates planted?
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