Octane Munitions, 300 BLK, Quick Review

Only after I semi-built a 300 BLK in the AR-15 pistol platform, did I realize how expensive and hard it is to find ammo locally. Eventually I will reload for it.

That said, I did much search on the web. I think it was the site, Ammo to go. Maybe.

There, I found a site, Octane Munitions. They're out of St. George, Utah. A search turned up hardly a clue about them. Only something about earlier this year about their startup.

The 300 BLk ammo ran around 38 cents per round. I took a chance at it.

So I placed my order on the 25th of June. They had me wondering, because I didn't receive an email of shipment until about the 13th of July. I received shipment on the 19th.

The package, shipped UPS, was in very good condition. Inside was tightly packed. The ammo is loose, but filled the box. Bag lined and taped off.

I had ordered 250 each of 125 & 220 gr. It would have been a bit cheaper if I had ordered 500 rds. each. But I wanted to try super and subsonic with this pistol.

I got out to the range late Thursday. With little sunlight left, and dialing the red-dot, I only shot 20 rds. 5 in the 125 gr. and 15 in the 220 gr. (That is why the title of thread is "quick review."

I ran 5 rds. in the magazine at a time. I had one time with the 220 gr. of not locking the bolt back on the last round. That may be my buffer spring or the bolt not having ample lube. This is a trial of the pistol too. But no FTE or FTF. Still early to tell overall of the ammo. But they look of good quality.

Total with shipping ran me $197.

The main reason for this review, is that there was no information of these guys out there that I could find.

hdwhit said:

I'm going to be a little bit mischievous here and suggest the delay may have been attributable to them not making the ammunition until you ordered it.

Seriously, thank you very much for posting about a new source for ammunition and how it performed.

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I think you could be right about the delay. And the 300 Blk isn't exactly mainstream ammo. So probably a further delay.

I hope to be able to test more soon. And get some chrony readings.

BTW, I failed to mention, the pistol is a 8.5" barrel, unsuppressed.

Speedo66 said:

If you're looking to try smaller batches, AIM Surplus carries five brands. https://www.aimsurplus.com/catalog.aspx?groupid=345&name=.300+AAC+Blackout

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What I have is that subsonic rounds are harder to come by. Especially in bulk.

Locally, out of 4 places I checked, only Bass Pro keeps any 300 BLK in stock. And that is at around $25/20.

And for bullets to reload, Berrys looks to be the cheapest, at $161/500. Unless I try out cast lead bullets.

IMHO, the 40 S&W has a better chance of surviving the market than the 300 BLK. (I know, I had to go there.)

pdsmith505 said:

Yeah, .300 blk is a reloader's cartridge. I have two loads I use, one with the 110gr Barnes and one with anything I can find cheap over 200gr. Usually that means scoring a good deal on "factory seconds" from Midway.

That .30/rd subsonic (if you select the "seconds") may change the game for me though. Looks like they are using the Berry's plated bullets for them. Since subsonic .300 blk is more for having fun than anything else, they don't have to be perfect. Just go bang and not KaBOOM.

Anywho, getting a .300 blk to reliably cycle subs and supers can be a bit of a chore. I've been lucky and managed to get mine to cycle all four ways (subs/supers, can/no-can) without an adjustable gas block, but that's what a lot of people end up doing.

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What powders have you found to work well in the subs?

I plan on finding some AA 1680 or some more IMR 4198.

Glockula said:

Thanks for the review. The local Wally world has 300 blk supers for 15.00 a box. Remington 120s. The last box I bought was all Barnes brass.

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The 3 wally worlds in my area say they don't carry 300 BLK. Wondering if that is a dept. managers decision or not. Or maybe regional.

Glockula said:

That is a smoking deal on 300 blk ammo. Just the brass makes it worth it.

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I agree. That is one reason I felt it was worth the chance.