300 Winchester Magnum VS Steel Targets
- March 25, 2025
- By Jared Daub
300 Winchester Magnum VS Steel Targets
If you are anything like us, you have this desire to see how devastating certain calibers are against steel targets. It’s a natural phenomenon. Humans make bigger, faster, more potent calibers. We want to see what they can do. Hardened AR550 target plates are a great way to do just that. So, we pitted our 300 winchester magnum VS Steel Targets to find out just how capable, or not, the 300 winmag actually is. Further, we are still trying to nail down exactly what caliber and bullet put a hole through one of our 1/2″ AR550 target plates. If you are not familiar with our infamous “Warranty Claim” Target Plate, you should check that blog out HERE. Additionally, we will link a video to the original warranty test at the bottom of this blog if you are interested. So let’s get down to business and get into this.
Disclosures
Before we go any further, you need to know who we are, and who we are not working with. Bergara sent us the two B-14 rifles you have seen us run in content. However, there are no contracts, payments, etc. Vortex Optics sent us the scopes in use in these videos. Talley sent us the precision rings. We paid full price for the Talley Scope mounts as well as the Atlas Bipods. Ammunition was purchased at standard retail prices. No sponsors there. There are no contracts or payments from these videos, and we do not make ANY money if you purchase a Bergara rifle, Vortex scope, Talley rings, or any other firearm accessories or gear shown.
However, we DO make money when you purchase our steel target systems (which you should do). See graphic below and let’s get you into some quality steel! Let’s get back to what you came here for: 300 Winchester Magnum VS Steel Targets.
“I was confident that 300 Winchester magnum would not punch a hole through our plate. Oh Boy was I ever wrong.”
The Setup Of This Test
The Rifle I was running for this test is my Bergara B-14 HMR Wilderness chambered in 300 winchester magnum. No, you aren’t crazy. I do have TWO identical B-14 HMR rifles. Well, nearly identical. One is chambered in 300 PRC, one is chambered in 300 winchester magnum. Let’s talk about the setup really fast. The Rifle is topped with a Talley 20MOA scope base / pica tinny rail. It features a built in bubble level. Additionally, I am running Talley Precision Rings. The scope is the Vortex Venom 5-25X50 FFP scope. A budget, yet capable option.
A Full Gear Review Inbound?
I will eventually do a review on the scope, because I see a lot of pros and cons, but that’s a blog and video for another day. As for the bipod, I am running an Atlas V8 Bipod. I mounted the Bipod using an off brand sling swivel mount. Not my favorite way to do that, but the video had to go on and it’s all I had. I’ll post some updates on the rifle, changes, and the build in the future.
The Bergara B-14’s are my entry into big bore bolt guns. While I am no expert at long range shooting or bolt guns in general, I’ve owned quite a few. The B-14 feels solid in your hand. The heavy 26″ Barrel absolutely launches rounds at blistering speeds. Accuracy has been incredible, and the bolt and trigger are amazing. It’s hard to believe that this rifle at the time of writing this is sub-$2000. I feel it was the perfect pairing for these videos because it showcases an obtainable rifle to you all. Additionally, I felt the B-14 would serve me for many years to come, so it was the right move. Thank you to Bergara for working with us on this project and sending these two rifles to us. It made this entire project possible!
Starting with the Warranty Claim Plate
We kicked off this video FIRST with the 1/2″ AR550 reduced C Zone Target Plate. Additionally, we did something very, very special. We purchased the EXACT ammunition that was supposedly used to shoot a hole through this plate. Further, we set up the rifle at the exact same distance. We wanted to be as scientific as possible, so we aligned as many variables with our customers warranty claim as possible. We were confident that the 1/2″ AR550 would stand up against the 165 grain federal fusion ammo with ease. But for you all, we had to prove it. So we did. Again, if you don’t know the full back story, give the full warranty claim video (at bottom of the blog) a read. It will shed light on the story. There is a BIG reason we are pitting 300 Winchester Magnum VS Steel Targets.
The 1/2″ Reduced C Zone plate took the two impacts of federal 165 grain fusion ammo with ease. No marking, no issues. I would be lying if I said I was surprised. I was VERY confident that this ammo would have no effect on the steel whatsoever. To spice things up, I also had purchased Federal 150 grain powershok ammunition. The reason I bought this was its speed. To further prove the point, I shot the 150 grain ammo through our chronograph. The average speed was 3,220 FPS from 10 feet from muzzle. That is a blisteringly fast round.
The Effect of the 150 grain PowerShok Ammo
I will be honest: I was a LITTLE nervous that there would be damage to the plate after impacting it with the 150’s. The sheer velocity behind that round had me a little bit concerned. But what I found was virtually no damage. Only the slightest of impressions, as can be seen from the photographs.
In the above photos, the green circles represent the impacts at 110 yards from the Federal Fusion 165 Grain Ammo. ZERO impressions! To the lower right of the top most green circle, you can see the hole that was created by our customer in the target plate. The question is: are we really supposed to believe that the hole was made from 300 winchester magnum? Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. We may not know what caused it, but there is just no way it was caused by the 165 grain ammo. To further prove this point, see the red circles. These are 150 grain impacts from a round going over 3200 FPS. Once again, no damage to the plate. There is simply no way even the faster 150 grain PowerShok Ammo could make it through.
This again is a testament to the absolute brute strength of our 1/2″ AR550 systems. Nothing else compares. Further, the 1/2″ AR550 strike plates feature a LIFETIME warranty, which means if it fails you while under proper use, you get a free replacement. What other company stands by their targets like that? We’ll answer: Nobody.
Moving onto the 3/8″ Genesis AR500 Target Plates
The Genesis Line of Steel Targets is our budget AR500 steel target systems. The objective of these systems is a low cost, decent performance to get as many people into steel targets as possible. They are not as strong as our Exodus / AR550 line. There is a reason the Exodus line is our PREMIUM line. That being said, we do spec very high quality AR500 steel for our targets. I was confident that 300 Winchester magnum would not punch a hole through our plate. Oh Boy was I ever wrong.
In the center photo above, the red circles represent 150 grain powershok impacts. You can clearly see TWO holes, and TWO craters.
The Federal Fusion 165 Grain Ammo did nothing to the Genesis AR500 C Zone target plate. The 150 grain PowerShok Ammo immediately blew a hole right through the plate! I did not realize that as I squeezed off the shot and sent a second one, but upon inspection I saw the hole. You can see my reaction in the video. It absolutely blew my mind and it points to the devastating capability of 300 winchester magnum against standard steel targets.
Why was 150 grain able to make a hole?
Simply put, the 150 grain ammo was blazing fast. Additionally, lead tipped and lead hollow point ammo that is fast can truly cause incredible damage. That’s a topic for another day. The round has a thick enough jacket and enough speed to destroy standard steel targets. So if you plan to shoot your 300 Winchester magnum, consider our AR550 line of targets OR make sure you are at the proper distances. For this Genesis plate, 110 yards was far too close. Magnum calibers at 3,000 FPS muzzle velocity should be used at 200 yards. For every 100 FPS over 3,000, you MUST add 25 yards. So what that means is we SHOULD have been around 259 yards. Had we been at that distance, even the Genesis AR500 plate would have remained unscathed.
Another interesting point: The 300 PRC ammunition did NO damage to the Genesis AR500 plate at 100 yards. You can give that blog a read HERE.
“Frankly, I have no concerns with API. I’ve played with that a lot over the years. However, the M2 Black tip AP round loaded into 300WM has me….slightly concerned. It MAY punch a clean hole through.”
Moving the 300 winchester magnum onto Mild Steel
We burned out a C Zone shaped plate from standard soft mild steel. We mounted that up downrange, and we wanted to shoot this one last. This was to do a few things. First, we wanted to showcase the devastating capability of 300WM. Second, we wanted to show you all why we say to NEVER shoot questionable steel! The 300WM only made it through ONE time. The other 3 rounds created craters, and in the footage you can see the lead ricochet and come back towards us. Please: NEVER SHOOT MILD STEEL! Yes, we are a steel target company. Yes, we want you to buy our products and support us. But that is not a sales pitch. You could die by shooting questionable steel targets. It’s simply not worth your life.
Analyzing the Damage from 300 winchester magnum on the mild steel
Above you can see how three of the rounds did not pass through. Only one of the 150 grain rounds punched through. These craters can be a HUGE hazard as they absolutely can send fragmentation at high velocity back to you the shooter. Isn’t it wild how the 300 WM was able to punch through AR500 but not readily through mild steel? Bullets and the physics surrounding them are crazy. And bullets can do some unexpected things when testing against various barriers. Again, I feel I should reiterate: NEVER shoot mild steel! Never shoot at improper distances! Always follow our manuals, safety guidelines, and instructions with our targets. Further, it is for YOUR safety and the safety of others that we post that information.
What does the 300 Winchester Magnum data tell us?
For me, this test simply proved what I already knew to be true: 300 winchester magnum did not cause the hole in the warranty plate. At least, not with federal 165 grain fusion ammo OR 150 grain PowerShok Ammo. Could it have been armor piercing 300 WM? Possibly. Although I find that highly unlikely. But, you know us: We already have 300WM AP and API ammo loaded up and ready to go.
So the hunt continues to find out exactly what punched a hole clean through our reduced C Zone plate. Next up: 300 winchester magnum Armor Piercing and Armor Piercing Incendiary ammo. Frankly, I have no concerns with API. I’ve played with that a lot over the years. However, the M2 Black tip AP round loaded into 300WM has me….slightly concerned. It MAY punch a clean hole through. My objective was to load them up over 3000 FPS, so we will see. If that interests you, please stay tuned. There will be more tests where we put 300 Winchester Magnum VS Steel Targets.
Also, let us know what caliber you think punched the hole. Further, does this convince you that we make the best targets on the planet with the ONLY lifetime warranty? If so, consider supporting us by purchasing a Genesis or Exodus System today. (Genesis Systems do not have the lifetime warranty, but they are excellent for beginners / first time steel target shooters / owners). Thank you for all the support. See you all again soon!
