300 blackout supersonic

I've been shooting a 160 grn powder coated bullet for the 30/30 in mine. Using 14.8 grn h110. I seem to recall getting around 1500fps out of my 8" barrel. It's been a while since I loaded them. I cannot recall if they were gas checked or not.

I plan to do exactly that in a ruger American.

For me 300 Blackout is all about suppressed subsonic. If I was looking at a dedicated supersonic gun you might as well go 300 Ham'r. This assumes were talking AR plateform.

mcb said:

For me 300 Blackout is all about suppressed subsonic. If I was looking at a dedicated supersonic gun you might as well go 300 Ham'r. This assumes were talking AR plateform.

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Thanks mcb, now I have another AR to build…..lol

I agree the .300 BO is a great subsonic cartridge and if I ever wanted to go with another .300 it will be the Hamr

mcb said:

For me 300 Blackout is all about suppressed subsonic. If I was looking at a dedicated supersonic gun you might as well go 300 Ham'r. This assumes were talking AR plateform.

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I appreciate the cartridge for its versatility, I havent seen the same capabilities in the hamr

I shoot only supersonic in my 300 Blackout rifles. I like mostly 125 grain bullets but 110 to 150 grain bullets are good performers as well depending on the rifle.

I use Accurate 1680 or W296/H110 powders. Follow reputable loading data.

AJC1 said:

I appreciate the cartridge for its versatility, I havent seen the same capabilities in the hamr

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300 Ham'r was all about maximizing super sonic performance at the expense of subsonic performance and not much else, it has all the other (dis)advantages of 300 BO.

I'm considering a 300 blk upper for my pistol. Just to get performance w a short barrel. Would be a good thing to have in the truck for city trips. Not familiar w the hamr.

mcb said:

300 Ham'r was all about maximizing super sonic performance at the expense of subsonic performance and not much else, it has all the other (dis)advantages of 300 BO.

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Can it shoot a 220?

175 to 210 gr are FUN at 300 yards. 8-10 feet high, but very accurate.

AJC1 said:

Can it shoot a 220?

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No, 300 Ham'r uses a 1:10 twist to optimize super sonic performance. It performs best in that 110 - 150 grain range. It will get you 200-400 fps faster from the same barrel length with that bullet weight range compared to 300 BO.

If you want subsonic 220 gr then go 300 BO with a 1:7 twist or faster. If you want super sonic 220 gr go 300 WM, 300PRC or 300 RUM.

A very good, handy and succinct summary, thank you!

I, like many (probably), will be just sticking with .300BLK for a pistol that I built and a carbine for which I have amassed the components but have not yet spent the hour, or so, to assemble the Upper.

Since I do not (yet ... if ever <sigh>) own a suppressor, I will be exclusively loading & shooting s/s 125gr & 130gr loads. Just before the current firearms-related Silliness ramped up (very early 2020) I acquired comfortable supplies of both 125gr and 130gr Speer HP bullets. One of those flavors was a direct result of one of the final, sweet, Rebate deals. Come to think of it, both may have come to me thru Rebates. Hard to remember such an unremarkable (at the time) situation that occurred so very long ago. O_L_D, dontchaknow?

Lennyjoe said:

I agree the .300 BO is a great subsonic cartridge and if I ever wanted to go with another .300 it will be the Hamr

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7.62Wilson Tactical (Ham'r's older brother), in a gas gun, is very constrained vis a vis powder burn rate and bullet weight by it's small case volume. I have found .300BO to much less picky in bullet weight and powder selection.

In 7.62WT, 110-130gr, and within a few % burn rate of A1680, is the window. I have a one recipes that works with 150gr, but only with a single powder within a few grains of maximum pressure. It's the narrowest operating window of any cartridge I've ever played with.

Something to consider.

Unlike 7.62x40 WT the 300 Ham'r is a SAAMI cartridge and is gaining some market traction. Hodgdon online reloading data base has loads for 300 Hammer using 110 - 150 gr bullets and three different powders for each bullet weight.



Left: 300 Ham'r, Middle: 7.62x40 WT, Right: 300 AAC Blackout.

I love my 300 BO pistols but they get feed a very steady diet of subsonics. I do have a 300 BO carbine that I mostly use with super sonic ammo but since I built my 30 RAR it has not seen much use.

That said 300 BO is still the "easy button" and the most versatile of the bunch. Lot of support and lots of factory ammo if your not a reloaded. If you get a 300 BO carbine (with pistol length gas system) tuned up right it will go from Supers to Sub with and without suppressor and run equally well in all configs.

My interest is peaking on the Ham’r. Since I have tons of LC 5.56 brass, cutting saws and all to make .300 BO brass, converting the 5.56 to 300 Ham’r would be simple after getting a sizing die.

Sorry OP for wandering off your original thread…..

I didn’t mess with subsonic 300 blk much but I already had a 458 socom that performed my subsonic jobs better and a 9mm that would thrown 147’s subsonic for fun, a lot cheaper.

I did cast and coat 150’s running super for a bit but didn’t really play with it much as the accuracy wasn’t there with the mold I had that would work for the round vs jacketed bullets.

Getting back onto the OP subject more, I have never tried coated lead in 300 BO. I am tempted to try it for subsonic plinking ammo just to save money but it would seem the coated lead would not work as well for light super sonic loads. Most of those are going to be too fast for the coatings to work well. I have seen people do it but it seems like allot of work to get them to run without leading up barrels and/or having horrible accuracy compared to jacketed and all copper bullets.

For 300 BO supers I am running Barnes 110gr TAC-TX for hunting and Speer 125gr TNT for cheap plinking and varmints.

mcb said:

Getting back onto the OP subject more, I have never tried coated lead in 300 BO. I am tempted to try it for subsonic plinking ammo just to save money but it would seem the coated lead would not work as well for light super sonic loads. Most of those are going to be too fast for the coatings to work well. I have seen people do it but it seems like allot of work to get them to run without leading up barrels and/or having horrible accuracy compared to jacketed and all copper bullets.

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The Berrys copper plated 220 grain is an awesome, EASY to use plinking bullet for the 300 BO. They are in stock at Powder Valley for $117/500 which isn't all that much more than quality store bought coated cast bullets. Plus, no issues with leading... or having to bell mouth and crimp the cases.

Berrys also has a 110 grain plated bullet marketed for the 30 carbine and a 150 grain plated bullet marketed for the 30-30. Both are rated for up to 2000 fps. Powder valley seems to have the best prices on Berrys Bullets... significantly cheaper than direct from Berrys and other suppliers. 300 BO is $117 vs $157. Berrys also has other 300 BO bullets at 150, 180 and 200 grains... but the 220 is the easiest to find in stock.

archeryrob said:

Well, I just saw people shooting 330 blackout with powder coated bullets and I shoot powder coat out of my 30-30 at 2000 fps. I just thought I could get the same performance from an AR platform and still make my own bullets.

Now I am not sure what to do.

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Since they are the same diameter, shoot your existing 30-30 bullets out of the AR 300 BO... and see how they work. At least that's my 'Captain Obvious' answer.

n2omike said:

The Berrys copper plated 220 grain is an awesome, EASY to use plinking bullet for the 300 BO. They are in stock at Powder Valley for $117/500 which isn't all that much more than quality store bought coated cast bullets. Plus, no issues with leading... or having to bell mouth and crimp the cases.

Berrys also has a 110 grain plated bullet marketed for the 30 carbine and a 150 grain plated bullet marketed for the 30-30. Both are rated for up to 2000 fps. Powder valley seems to have the best prices on Berrys Bullets... significantly cheaper than direct from Berrys and other suppliers. 300 BO is $117 vs $157. Berrys also has other 300 BO bullets at 150, 180 and 200 grains... but the 220 is the easiest to find in stock.

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Yeah I love the Berry's plated 220gr. The are my go to plinking rounds for subsonic.

archeryrob said:

Well, I just saw people shooting 330 blackout with powder coated bullets and I shoot powder coat out of my 30-30 at 2000 fps. I just thought I could get the same performance from an AR platform and still make my own bullets.

Now I am not sure what to do.

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Most of the powder coated 300 BO I have seen is for subsonics. That said if you already have experience shooting powder coated in your 30-30 at 2000 fps and your coating is working well for you by all means give those a try in you 300 BO.

mcb said:

For me 300 Blackout is all about suppressed subsonic. If I was looking at a dedicated supersonic gun you might as well go 300 Ham'r. This assumes were talking AR plateform.

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I'm a big fan of subsonic 300 Blackout myself.

But for a dedicated supersonic 30 cal AR?

An AR-10 type in 7.62x51/.308 seems like a pretty obvious choice.

Swampman said:

I'm a big fan of subsonic 300 Blackout myself.

But for a dedicated supersonic 30 cal AR?

An AR-10 type in 7.62x51/.308 seems like a pretty obvious choice.

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7.62x51 is certainly ballistically superior to just about any 30 cal cartridge that fits in an AR-15 but an AR-10 (DPMS or Armalite pattern) is a substantially heavier and more expensive rifle than an AR-15 in 300 BO/Ham'r. You can go with a newer lighter weight next gen of 308 AR (like POF or if you find one a DPMS GII) but although lighter (still heavier than a similar configured AR-15) comes with an even higher price tag. The 300 BO/Ham'r are cheap, easy, and light.