Which should I get, a gong made with AR400 steel or with AR500 steel?

I prefer a gong that is 16 inches in diameter. I buy them from Amazon.



I like the 3/16-inch-thick gong because it is a whole lot lighter in weight than the 1/4-inch gong, which is good for me, being that I’m a right leg amputee and operate from a wheelchair. Not that price really matters to me, but an AR400 16 x 3/16-inch gong costs 49.97 and the AR500 16 x 1/4-inch gong costs 72.41. BTW, I make a gong stand out of 1/2 galvanized pipe and when I get it assembled, it’s kind of heavy, so I like a light-weight gong.



However, the lighter weight 16 x 3/16-inch gong doesn’t come in AR500 steel, only AR400. If I want the harder AR500 steel, I’ll have to go with a heavier 16 x 1/4-inch gong.



I’m shooting subsonic .22 LR Quiet ammo and .25 cal pellets at them. The .22 Quiets reach about 46 fpe out of my bolt-action Savage rifle, while my .25 pellets hit with around 50 fpe out of my Daystate Wolverine HP R air rifle, nothing high powered like a 30.06 or 45-70 round is hitting the gong. And the .25 pellets are a whole heck of a lot more accurate. Both projectiles will work my Caldwell Resetting targets - even my .22 Longs will, which have less fpe than the Quiets - worse accuracy, too.



So, do you reckon an AR400 16 x 3/16-inch gong would be sufficient for what I will be shooting at it?



Thanks, Bobby
 
Here’s a nice chart from shootingtargets7 that might help you out...

https://shootingtargets7.com/pages/target-selection

One of the things that help steel targets stand up to the pounding, they are subjected to, is that they are allowed to swing in order to dissipate some of the energy they receive. However, a 16” target is a lot of steel to get swinging. So, the gong itself will be absorbing more of that energy rather than releasing it through swinging. It’s a balance.. thinner is lighter and should swing easier but, might not hold up 100%, thicker is heavier and won’t swing as easily but is designed to take a harder hit. 
 
Here’s a nice chart from shootingtargets7 that might help you out...

https://shootingtargets7.com/pages/target-selection

One of the things that help steel targets stand up to the pounding, they are subjected to, is that they are allowed to swing in order to dissipate some of the energy they receive. However, a 16” target is a lot of steel to get swinging. So, the gong itself will be absorbing more of that energy rather than releasing it through swinging. It’s a balance.. thinner is lighter and should swing easier but, might not hold up 100%, thicker is heavier and won’t swing as easily but is designed to take a harder hit.

Yep, that chart was just what I needed to see. AR400 will work for me. With the way I hang them on my galvanized pipe stand, they are free to swing to and fro with a pellet / bullet strike,