Rifle Bullets vs. Steel At 250,000 FPS

Here’s some spectacular slow motion footage of various rifle calibers hitting a steel plate at 250,000 frames per second. Rounds tested include .223, 5.56 NATO, 300 Blackout, 7.62×39 (the AK-47 round, but out of an AR pattern rifle), 7.62×54 (Mosin–Nagant), .308, and our old friend, .50 BMG.

A few notes:

  • 5.56 NATO seems to pack more punch than 300 Blackout, which is strangely unimpressive.
  • You can actually see the shadow of the shock cone from the 7.62×39, which is pretty cool.
  • The fireball from the Mosin–Nagant is huge!
  • The .50 BMG is shot from a Noreen 50, which I don’t think I’ve seen before (on video or in person).
  • The .50 BMG punches through the ballistic steel plate and destroys the wooden backstop. You can see the shockwave distortion pass in from of the camera.
  • The fireball from the .50 BMG muzzle break is a lot more noticeable at 250,000 fps compared to 33,000 fps.
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    5 Responses to “Rifle Bullets vs. Steel At 250,000 FPS”

    1. Dave L. says:

      When I read the headline, I thought it was 250,000 Feet per Second, not Frames. About 100x normal velocity for rifle rounds.

      Which made me wonder how they got the projectiles going that fast.

    2. Richard says:

      300 BO was subsonic. it’s equiv to a 45 at that. and they make a deal about the next round being super.

      they didn’t even know the .50 would go through the steel.

      how do these guys have 150K subs?

    3. Etaoin Shrdlu says:

      I thought it was 250,000 feet per second also! ‘How’d they do that?’

      ‘How’d they photograph that?’

      ‘It must be a mistake!’

    4. Etaoin Shrdlu says:

      And as to the fireball from the Mozin, well it isn’t for nothing that it’s the most obnoxious thing to be to your left at the range. (BOOM!!, then you hit hard in the neck with the guy’s hot brass each time). Unless you have a bunch of re-enacters with their black powder muskets firing volleys, LOL!

    5. Sailorcurt says:

      I third it, my first response when reading the headline was “how the heck did they get bullets moving that fast?”

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