FAQ

Welcome to Black Carbon! 

Black Carbon is an Australian manufacturing company delivering high quality Firearms related accessories for civilian, government and military use.

All targets/target systems by Black Carbon are manufactured in Australia at our 3500 sqm Dandenong Sth production facility. Strict quality control, continual testing, improvement and innovation make Black Carbon your #1 choice in target systems. 

Whether you shoot practical pistol style matches, long range precision, 3 gun, a mix of all or simply looking to improve your skill's we offer target systems to suit. We are currently the only Australian target manufacturer offering off the shelf target option's that are capable of handling firearm calibers right up to .50 BMG. All of Black Carbon’s steel targets and components of our target support systems are made using Australian made BISALLOY® 500 through hardened armoured steel plate ensuring you receive excellent value, factory backed, long lasting solutions.

        In addition to our stock range we also offer custom engineered systems and conduct works for spec applications.        

        Through our company group we can offer;

• CNC 4 axis mill machining

• CNC brake press folding (4000mm to 200 ton)

• Precision surface grinding

• CNC EDM wire cutting 

• CNC EDM spark erosion

• 400 power pressing (tooling presses)

• Guillotine and general cutting

• Overhead crane capacity's to 12 ton

• MIG, TIG and resistance welding capability's

• CAD design support and engineering

• Strength and deflection testing up to 20ton point or distributed load

• Future accreditation to ISO AS9001:2015.   Will be acquired mid 2020, should you immediately require works completed in ISO AS9001:2015 we can assign this to our "sister" company which currently holds accreditation.

 If you have any further questions about Black Carbon please don't hesitate to get in contact with us. 

Steel targets are used for many reasons, (when we use the term steel target's we are referring to Bisalloy500 amour plate targets, NOT MILD STEEL or any other form of steel or metal)

• Steel's longevity when compared to paper targets means that if used (thickness and mounting) correctly, targets can actually cost less than paper.
  
• The instant almost tactile feedback of steel shooting means a far more realistic and faster hit/miss recognition environment.
• That faster hit/miss environment of steel gives important clues that accelerate learning and skill, i.e slow down, re posture, adjust grip, fix stance, concentrate on trigger control, etc etc.
• At medium plus rifle ranges steel is unequaled for recognition of strike on a target. At long ranges paint removal and movement will nearly always show a visible strike.
• Steel helps keep the bad habits away by making you analyse the target for hits after each shot, rather than just unknowingly moving to the next shot or looking to electronic scoring screens.
• Shooting steel WILL improve your accuracy and marksmanship. 
• Steel shooting WILL improve your follow up and post shot awareness.

All Black Carbon Steel targets are manufactured from laser cut, Bisalloy Steel Pty Limited’s BISPLATE® 500, this material can also be referred to as Bis500 or Bisalloy® 500. The grade of 500 denote's the brinnell hardness and consequential basic tensile strength of the plate.

In addition to our targets we also use BISPLATE® 500 in high strike probability sections of our target support systems. These sections are; all vertical posts and hanging crossbeams, additionally we also offer optional base crossbeam armour kits for our upright stands. 

BISPLATE® 500, (Bis500, Bisalloy®500) is a directly comparable material to AR500. The differences between them are insignificant and can only really be differentiated through chem composition analisys. For the purposes of target material and armour they perform identically. 

AR500 is the most commonly used North American material, hence why you are so likely to see it used and featured in various media sources. A common feature with both Bisalloy® and AR steel's is the grade number referred to after the trade name, i.e 600, 500, 450, 400 or 320 and so on. 

This number is important when it counts to a materials suitability or usage as a target or armour material. 

-  A higher number refers to a harder but more brittle material

-  A lower number refers to a softer but less brittle, more malleable material. 

The hardness/wear grade of 500 is generally the industry accepted standard for a cost effective grade of target steel. It is the ideal compromise for safe usage and service life, hard enough to defeat conventional projectiles, malleable and shock resistant enough not to shatter or easily fracture.

BISPLATE® and BISALLOY® are registered trademarks of Bisalloy Steel Pty Limited.

(Ref: www.bisalloy.com.au). 

Yes! We'd love you to!

We have 16mm thick Bis500 targets for shooters with big calibre rifles generating 4500+ ft/lbs of energy just busting to let loose. 

Notes: 

- We do recommend, caliber's in the 4500+ ft/lbs being at least a minimum of 300 metres from targets.

- Black Carbon vertical target posts and hanging beams are made from Bisalloy®500 hardened steel, designed to accept accidental strikes, do not purposefully shoot at frames.

- Targets should be mounted Dynamically (i.e swinging on chain mounts)

- Consideration should be given to projectile design. Pointed, polymer tipped, hollow pointed, aluminium tipped are better than flat or heavy round nosed profiles as the front of the projectile is acting as a "crumple zone" on impact. 

- A velocity at impact of 2750fps or less is recommended. Increased plate erosion/pitting, potential fracture and finally drilling will occur as velocity increases above 2750fps. Check a reputable ballistic calculator for this info.

Be safe when shooting. If you are in doubt about any safety aspects of a shoot then there is no doubt, it's not safe. Be sure, Be safe. 

Nearly all Black Carbon Targets are interchangeable on any of our stands. 

We have designed our targets and support systems for modularity so you can expand, change and customise as best fits your shooting needs.

The Exception to the rule is:  The height of the stand and the weight of the target.

Care must be taken to limit target weight when using a full height (1800mm and or 1500mm) upright stand especially in forward angle position.

We recommend using smaller targets for these heights rather than a large 16mm/12mm thicknesses. 

For Example: The 16mm thickness targets are designed to be suitable for larger calibre rifles, when you combine this high calibre energy with 1800mm ( 1.8 meter ) of stand height and a heavy target load, the leveraged force may cause the target and stand to tip over if unpegged or secured. 

Please view the chart below to determine target/stand suitability.

Click here to download chart or simply view below. 

Black Carbon targets are unpainted. The cost of us providing them painted, especially given that you are going to need to touch them up after the've been hit a few times makes it a little pointless. Additionally many people have differing thoughts and preferences on what is the best colour, some prefer yellow, some red, some fluro pink. Personally we find the white works best, it stand's out well in most optics, strikes show up a good visible contrast to the base steel. Any fast dry type paint will do, try to find an Australian made supplier, we know "Hi-chem" currently do Australian made cans. Just follow the paint can instructions and keep in mind the paint will be removed during projectile strikes. We do not recommend having your targets powder coated and please never have your armoured target plates Hot Dip Galvanised (you run the risk of annealing the armour plate).

All our target mounting systems and other components are black E-coated. E-coat process is best described as a polarity charged dip painting. It is a process where a metal part is immersed in a solution containing a paint emulsion. An electric voltage is applied to the part causing the paint emulsion to condense onto the part. We use this process as it provides a level of visually acceptable finish and a good level of corrosion protection as the paint gets into all cavity areas of the system. 

To touch up any of our systems where "frag" or "spall" (projectile splatter/disintegration at impact, completely normal) have chipped or removed paint just use any Black Satin or Black Semi Gloss for a reasonably close match.... or go nuts and camo the whole thing! :)

We are located in Dandenong South, Victoria, Australia

For further information, Please fee free to Contact Us

The following short article is full of important information and will help you make more informed decisions, please take a moment to read it.

Selecting the right target size and thickness for your application is important, appropriate target thickness and mounting contribute significantly to a longer service life.  

Unfortunately there is no single easy answer as it's a question with many factors involved, such as;

• What velocity is it being developed. (at target impact)
• How much energy is being delivered into the target plate.
• What projectile design is being used.
• What type of shooting are you doing, ie; practical pistol, long range rifle, 3 gun..?

These questions combine to create a variety of answer's we cannot easily solve with graph or a chart.  

However, to give a basic perspective of appropriate thickness (energy figures applicable at target distance, velocity of 2750 FPS or below recommended for all): 

In addition to the above, important considerations need to be made regarding projectile velocity. We know that as velocity starts to exceed around 2750fps the probability of target wear, erosion and potential failure begins to increase. The level/type of wear or possible failure will depend on projectile diameter (calibre), projectile type, it's velocity at impact (MOST IMPORTANT) and method of target mounting. If you must shoot at velocity's exceeding the 2750fps level (at target impact distance not muzzle) we recommend mounting the target dynamically. 

WHATS A SEMI STATIC MOUNTED TARGET? WHATS A DYNAMIC MOUNTED TARGET?

Semi static mounting is how we refer to targets mounted in our upright system's, they are mounted to a fixed head, target movement is very limited, only the urethane pillow block's and natural flex of the upright system allow for any form of shock cushioning. This mounting is particularly useful in fast paced style's of shooting where the target needs to maintain it's aspect to the shooter as it's being continually engaged.   

Dynamic mounting is when the target is allowed to hang, free to move and absorb impact, limited only by the chains or securing method that holds it at it's natural hanging point. Dynamic mounting is the most mechanically "kind" way of mounting a target. As the projectile strikes the target, it's energy/velocity is reduced by the target commencing it's rearward movement. This in turn reduces some of the shock and impact wear on the target plate, hence with this mounting method the same target plate can be rated to higher energy usage than if it was semi statically mounted.

Target failure in any steel target system is primarily due to one reason and one reason only; 

The level of energy/velocity being delivered into the target is greater than the target material's tensile ability to contain or resist.

Energy (as far as the target is concerned) is created by projectile weight and it's velocity, the only "modifier" to this is the projectile design. Projectile design has significance because of the way a projectile carries or delivers it's energy into the target, if the projectile deforms and progresses quickly to fracturing then it's not delivering as much destructive energy into the target plate as a projectile that holds together or has a higher more blunt level of fracturing.  

For example, if we use the same calibre, could create the same projectile weight, same velocity, hence same energy at impact but only change the projectiles; 

1. Hollow point boat tail (HPBT),   
2. The tungsten cored AP projectile, 

We know the HPBT will be defeated by the hardened target plate, we also know the AP round will probably go through the target plate (depending on thickness and projectile velocity) or at very least significantly damage it. 

Calibre and plate thickness hypotheticals don't matter in the above example, the point being made is that any velocity/energy scale for the selection of target plate thickness will be modified by the projectile being used. 

• Good projectiles to use - HPBT, Polymer tipped varmint type projectiles, lead round nosed, any projectile design that has a "crumple" or "cushioning zone" area.   
• Not so good projectiles - Wadcutters or anything that has a fairly flat front that's impact into the target plate is not cushioned or crumpled by pointed or rounded area. (are still ok to use, but they do increase localised pressure on the target plate).
• Bad projectiles to use - Anything steel or tungsten cored usually designed for dangerous game hunting, or anything designed with armour piecing potential or capability.

Brass/copper monolithic and type projectiles are fine for use with our target plates. We encourage caution to ensure safe distance, these projectiles do have a higher fracture pressure than conventional copper jacketed lead projectiles. For this reason, fragments from projectile disintegration could travel further.

Elevated levels of velocity does dramatically increase target plate wear, at velocity's of 2750+fps (at target impact not muzzle) cratering or pitting begins to form. Increasing velocity higher and higher then begins to have an almost compound effect on the level of target plate erosion. Once again this can be dependent on the projectile being used and the method of target mounting. 

At the more extreme end of high velocity ammunition (say 3500+fps) thermal erosion can begin to take place, again depending on the type of projectile being used the level of wear will differ. In some conditions thermal erosion can be viewed in the form of pyrolytic sparks at moment of projectile strike. 

We don't place a velocity limit on our targets, it's your target what you do with it is up to you. The best method of not damaging your target plate due to velocity is to move to a further distance. We know at around 3500+FPS an 8mm plate will be neatly drilled by a number of classic varmint type projectiles. That said, very few high velocity calibre's are capable of carrying this level of velocity to a target plate placed at around 200 meters and beyond. In cases of high velocity shooting, distance is your best friend, go far enough to get the velocity low enough.

We hope this article has been helpful, if you have any further questions please don't hesitate to get in contact with us.

All you need is a 18mm deep socket on a 1/2'' drive ratchet. If you add a 100mm extension to this, then it's even easier. All our system's are single tool designed meaning you don't need two tools to hold a bolt or nut as you do up the other side of that bolt or nut. 

The only exception to the above is the pendulum swinger system where a 18mm ring spanner is require to fasten the front  mounting plate.

NEVER EVER SHOOT INTO A NORMAL MILD STEEL TARGET! IF ANYONE TELLS YOU IT IS SAFE, PLEASE INFORM THEM, IT IS NOT! NORMAL MILD STEELS AND OTHER METALS ARE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TO SHOOT AT, THEY HAVE A BAD HABIT OF RETURNING FRAG/SPALL STRAIGHT BACK IN THE DIRECTION THE PROJECTILE CAME FROM. 

OUR BISALLOY500 TARGETS ARE A SPECIFIC GRADE OF THROUGH HARDENED STEEL USED TO ENSURE FRACTURING OF THE PROJECTILE IN A CONTROLLED MANNER. BISALLOY 500 TARGETS ARE SAFE TO SHOOT AT, OUR ARMOURED TARGET PLATES ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR THIS USE 

• Always follow all firearms safety rules at all times when shooting. Safety is your responsibility not someone else's.

• Always consider target placement and target plate angle, where will "frag" (disintegrating projectile) go to? Black Carbon shooting target frames give you the option to angle the entire post forward to create more downward "fragmentation" bias.

• NEVER EVER shoot steel ball bearings, pellets, BB's, etc, at steel armour targets. Steel pellets, BB's, Air gun pellets and in some cases .22's have a significantly higher chance of bounce back. Projectiles must ideally fragment upon striking Bis500 steel targets.

• Never shoot on steel targets that have been damaged or deformed in any way as this may cause frag splash at unexpected angles.

• Shooters and spectators must wear eye and ear protection.

• Always use your targets in a safe manner and do not stand too close or engage targets at an unreasonably close distance. Projectile fragments can carry some distance.

• Never use steel targets for purposes outside their design, if you are in doubt about the set up or safe use of a target then there is no doubt, you should not use it, seek further suitably qualified advice.

• Do not use armor-piercing, steel-core, tungsten cored or other hardened ammunition

• Pistol Distance: 15 metres minimum distance from the target; Maximum 1,500 fps lead/jacketed ammo only.

• Rifle Distance: 150 metres minimum distance from the target; extend this to 200 meters when using calibers creating higher than 4500 ft/lbs energy at impact. Remember the job of the steel target is to disintegrate the projectile, not deflect it. Velocity of 2750fps is ideally the max velocity at impact and should be adhered to.

• Do not weld or modify plate.

• Shoot steel targets straight on, not at steep angles; Consider all uncontrollable directions and potential dangers of frag splatter or ricochet from misses.

• Projectile splatter may be hot; do not use in dry grass or near other combustable materials during high risk fire periods.

• If the target becomes bent, cratered or damaged in any way, replace it.

• Shooting steel (Bis500 armoured plate, not normal steel) is a very safe form of shooting that thousands of people world wide engage in every day. Make safety a priority, make sensible choices and you'll have a heap of fun.
  

In short, yes but we don't recommend it, use your targets instead.

All of our vertical uprights, and over head cross beams are made from Bis500. The frame can accept accidental strikes, (it was designed with this as a major design criteria) however please do not repeatedly shoot the bisalloy frame. The purpose of using bis500 steel is that if you hit the frame instead of your target ( the sun got in your eyes ) it doesn't matter, the frame will remain intact the target still supported and the miss is refracted in a predictable manner. 

The frame design adopts shallow engineered angles to refract projectiles, however as the bisalloy frame armour is 8mm/in some sections 6mm thick, the frame may eventually get damaged / warp with repeated strikes from high energy calibre's.

We also make optional armour plates for lower cross beams and inner feet plate armour, with these optioned you really do have an amazingly durable system.

Take care of your frames/support systems, they will take care of your target plates, that means you'll enjoy more shooting time with a lot less repairing time.

No, we only accept one Australian delivery address per online order. If you need to send products to more than one delivery address you'll need to place separate orders for each delivery address.

When your order has been dispatched you’ll receive an email that includes a unique tracking code so you can find out where your parcel is at any time!

No, Once the target has been hit with a projectile, or damaged in anyway, returns are not accepted. 

Yes, however additional shipping fees apply due to the size and weight of our steel targets and systems. 

As the majority of our products are made from heavy Bisalloy steel, we can only use courier service and shipping them to N.S.W, WA, ACT, QLD, TAS does incure additional fees, these fees are available to view in checkout.  

All other items which are 5kg and under in weight are posted via Aus Post.

We manufacture all of our target systems in house, we currently have stock of all targets. Currently we are building stock levels of our target systems and as these become available this will be reflected on the product page. 

During our initial (current) stock manufacturing period we may have production lead times on applicable products and although we will make every effort for a speedy delivery, we will not sacrifice the quality of our product by cutting corners, rushing sub-par products out the door. 

Updates will be given to customers on estimate delivery dates and / or expected lead times, payments are processed at the time of checkout.

VISA, MasterCard, Credit Card, PayPal or bank transfer. 

To use bank transfer, please contact us with your order request and an invoice will be supplied. 

All our items are available for pickup from our factory located at 16 Gaine Rd, Dandenong South, VIC 3175, EFTPOS available. 

Our pick up hours are Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:00pm. Should you wish to pick up your order outside of these hours you must have an appointment. 

You may also purchase directly from our factory during the hours of 8:30am to 4:30 Monday to Friday.

Refunds and Returns

First, If you have a need to consider refunds and returns, you likely ordered a product from us. 

Which means we owe you a “thank you!”  : ) 

Nothing makes us happier than sharing our love for steel target shooting with you and welcoming you to the Black Carbon Team, and as such we promise to do our very best to deliver an amazing product and customer experience.

Rest assured, to make sure  we give you the best service and products, here are some things you might want to know..

• Email: info@blackcarbon.com.au with your order number.

• You may contact us for a refund if your item(s) have not yet been shipped. 

• If your order has been shipped, we will refund your payment as soon as we have received the item(s) back from you and processed them at our warehouse to ensure we receive all goods. Return costs is the responsibility of the customer.

• Items returned must be unopened, undamaged and un-shot.. if you have shot at your targets then we cannot supply you with a refund. 

• Returns are only accepted 30 days after ship date, we require you to contact us as soon as possible.

• If you have made the wrong order before shipping, contact us and we can guide you to a suitable option. At times, we may contact you via email or phone to confirm your order prior to shipping to ensure the right selection for your needs.
• We guarantee your items will arrive in great condition via Australia post or a courier service Australia Wide. 

• Your satisfaction is extremely important to us, we want to give you only the best customer care.

• If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@blackcarbon.com.au 

Black Carbon PTY LTD assumes NO LIABILITY for your use or misuse of any item(s) sold or donated, including without limitation any incidental or consequential liability. Black Carbon targets are intended for a specific use as part of a inherently dangerous activity. ALL WARRANTIES,  NO ORAL AGREEMENT OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND SHALL BE BINDING UNLESS IN WRITING AND SIGNED BY BLACK CARBON PTY LTD.  Statements, images, or descriptions are informational only, and not made or given as a warranty in any way.  Black Carbon specifically disavows any other representation, warranty, or liability related to the condition or use of the items sold.  Black Carbon does not cover any consequential damages, and its liability is limited to repairing or replacing defective items.  Every item is sold "AS IS" and "WITH ALL FAULTS".  The entire risk as to the quality and performance of the product is with the buyer. All risk of injury is assumed by and shall pass to the purchaser.  

Note: Laws in Australia vary from state to state and as such please check with your local firearms authority. We accept no responsibility for irresponsible behaviour. Always be safe.