Best steel targets for beginners: buy the one that publishes a safe distance

Steel is the most fun target format there is. You hear the hit, you do not walk downrange to score, and one plate outlasts a thousand sheets of paper. It is also the only target that reliably sends material back toward the firing line, which is why this page is organized around one requirement rather than around features.

That requirement: the maker has to publish a minimum safe shooting distance. If it does not, we do not list the target, however good the steel is. Our steel target safe distance page works through the physics in full.

The gate: a published minimum distance

Champion publishes a Steel Target Warnings page that covers its steel line, and that document is the reason two Champion targets lead this page. Do-All Outdoors publishes no minimum distance for its 8-inch AR500 gong, so we leave that product off the site entirely. Its self-healing gong is here instead, with its own caveat.

How we picked

Bench & Berm does not test gear, so nothing here is a measurement of ours. Picks are researched from published maker information and scored on the target rubric published on how we pick: hit visibility and feedback, indoor-range compatibility, size and standard, and pack contents and portability. Steel scores badly on indoor compatibility by definition, and that is correct rather than a flaw in the scoring.

The gate on top of the rubric is the published minimum distance. One pick on this page is a stand rather than a target, because a steel plate with nothing to hang it from is not a usable purchase, and one is a self-healing gong rather than steel, because for a lot of readers the honest answer is that their range will not allow steel at all.

The distances Champion publishes

These are quoted rather than summarized, because the wording matters:

• 15 yards is "the minimum shooting distance when using non-magnum class handgun, supersonic .22LR rimfire, and shotgun birdshot ammunition."
• 50 yards is "the minimum shooting distance when using magnum class handgun ammunition, and shotgun slugs."
• 100 yards is "the minimum shooting distance when using standard rifle ammunition under 2,500 fps upon impact and less than 3000 ft/lb of energy upon impact."
• 250 yards for magnum class rifle ammunition under the same velocity and energy limits.

Read the rifle figures twice, because they are where beginners get caught. One hundred yards is a long way, and a 100-yard bay is not what most new shooters have access to. If your outdoor range tops out at 50 yards, steel is a handgun-only proposition for you, and that is a decision you make before buying rather than after.

Side by side

The published figures, each linked to its source. "Not published" in a cell is a real finding about the product, not a gap in our research.

The mounting angle nobody mentions

Here is the detail that gets skipped in every forum thread about steel, and it is published in plain language. Champion says the shooting face should be angled down toward the ground, and that "a 10-20 degree angle from vertical is recommended."

The reason is straightforward once stated: a plate hanging dead vertical sends fragments back along the line they arrived on, which is the direction you are standing in. Tilting the face down redirects the splatter into the dirt in front of the target. A plate that swings freely on chain finds a safe angle more easily than one bolted rigid to a frame, which is part of why gongs on chain are a friendly beginner format.

Champion also makes a 2x4 Target Stand Topper for the Center Mass line, with the lumber not included. Our best target stands page covers the hanging hardware, and DIY target stand covers building the frame yourself.

Ammunition steel is not rated for

Champion lists what its steel is not rated for, and the list is longer than most people expect: sub-sonic rimfire, steel shot, non-lead pellets or BBs, steel core, steel jacketed, bi-metal jacketed, incendiary, armor piercing, tracer, A-frame style, solids, solid brass and solid copper bullets.

Two of those catch ordinary shooters. Steel core and bi-metal jacketed ammunition is common in cheap imported rifle ammunition, and a magnet on a loose round is the two-second test. And solid copper bullets are what a lot of lead-free hunting ammunition is, so a hunter sighting in with monolithic copper should not be doing it on steel.

Will your range even allow it?

Ask before you buy. Public ranges frequently prohibit steel, and the reasons are the ones above. Georgia DNR's firearm range rules and Florida FWC's range safety rules are two examples of public agencies publishing what may and may not be used on their ranges, and private ranges set their own conditions.

Indoors, assume no. An indoor lane has a backstop designed for bullets to bury themselves in, not for them to bounce off a plate at 15 yards in a concrete room. Our indoor vs outdoor shooting range page covers the difference, and range etiquette covers asking the range officer first, which is always the right move.

Eye protection is not optional in front of steel. Any pick on this site is marked ANSI Z87.1 high impact, which is what the plus sign after Z87 means (HexArmor), and our best shooting glasses page is where to start. The NRA's gun safety rules treat knowing your target and what is beyond it as a rule rather than advice.

If the answer is no

Self-healing polymer is the format that gives you most of what steel gives you and passes at many more ranges. Do-All's Big Gong Show 9-inch is rated by Do-All for "all Calibers .22 - .50 Cal. Rifles and Pistols", comes with its own stand, and uses Impact Seal material that closes up after a hit.

The honest caveat, which is also on its card: Do-All publishes no minimum safe shooting distance for it. So you are following your range's rules rather than a maker's figure, and you should treat it as an outdoor target. Our best reactive targets page covers the format, and paper vs steel targets argues the whole choice.

If you are trying to choose between a quarter-inch and a three-eighths plate, our AR500 steel target thickness page sets out what each maker publishes and which uses they name it for.

What to look for

1. A published minimum safe distance, by ammunition type. Not a single number, and not a forum post. The maker's own document.
2. A named steel grade. AR500 is the common one and Champion names it for the Center Mass line. A page that says only "steel" is telling you less.
3. A published mounting angle. Ten to twenty degrees from vertical, face down, is what Champion recommends. A target sold with no angle guidance leaves the most important setup decision to you.
4. A hanging system you can actually buy. Plates and hangers and lumber are often three separate purchases. Check before you order one of the three.
5. A caliber and velocity limit you can meet. Standard rifle under 2,500 fps at impact and under 3,000 ft-lb is a real constraint, not a formality.
6. Your range's permission, in advance. The cheapest step and the one most often skipped.

Beginner mistakes

• Shooting steel closer than the published minimum. Fifteen yards for non-magnum handgun is a floor, not a target distance.
• Hanging the plate dead vertical. Angle the face down, 10 to 20 degrees from vertical.
• Using steel-core or bi-metal ammunition. Champion lists both as not rated. A magnet settles it in two seconds.
• Shooting monolithic copper at steel. Solid copper and solid brass are on the not-rated list, and that includes a lot of lead-free hunting ammunition.
• Reusing a cratered plate. A dished or pitted face redirects bullets unpredictably. Feel the plate before every setup.
• Assuming your range allows it. Many do not, and indoor ranges almost never do. Ask first.