So here's your choices. Home defense pcc/sbr/carbine (you only get one of two choices) ...

All things equal (see below) which do you choose for home defense?

  • 9mm

    Votes: 63 71.6%

  • 300 BLK

    Votes: 25 28.4%
  • Total voters
    88
  • Poll closed .
Airborne Falcon

Airborne Falcon

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Capital City, SC
Both of these are supressed.

Both are firing 145-150 grain projectiles.

Both are subsonic.

Both are AR platform PCC or SBR configurations. Bottom line, AR platform, short barrels (let's say equal lengths +/- 1"). Both have the same lights affixed. Both weigh roughly the same unloaded within 8 oz or so. Both utilize the same sighting systems. Both with trigger upgrades ... 3.5 pds of crisp lovely triggers.

Do you go with 9mm or 300 blk? Remember, both are firing 145-150 grain projectiles and both are traveling subsonic and both are supressed. Both cycle reliably with their given loads.

What is/are the variable(s) that might lead you to choose one over the other given all things equal for the most part?

...... and okay, in anticipation of the inevitable pill comparisons. Let's even take it one step further. Let's say the 9mm loads are HST 147s or SIG V-Crown 147s or Fed HydraShok 147s or any of the premier engineered 147 expanding PD projectiles available for handloading ... and the velocity is 1025 with a SD of 10.

The 300 BLK load also travels at 1025 fps with a SD of 10 and it's loaded with a Maker's 150 grain expanding subsonic. https://makerbullets.com/proddetail.php?prod=308150SBLK

There, that way no one can claim we're talking pull down 147 FMJs here in this comparison. Both projectiles expand at subsonic velocities.

Okay given all of that, all things being relatively equal, which do you choose for home defense?
 
mcb said:
Why the weight limit? I am shooting 220gr Maker REX in my 300 BO and they are excellent for a subsonic 300 BO projectiles. If I was going to use a 300 BO with subs for self defense that would be the bullet I would use.
Click to expand...

The projectile weight limit is to keep things comparatively equal given other considerations. There are weights to take into consideration, among other things not yet mentioned, but the 145-150 parameter is for a reason.

(BTW fwiw I run heavier Maker's and Lehigh projectiles in my 300 BLK platforms subsonic but ... I was enlightened about something earlier today as-to-why some SOCOM SOG units are now going-with lighter projectiles and I was like duh doh ( 8 (|) oh yeah that makes perfect sense and has always been important to SpecOps troops and the military in general.)

So you don't get to change the parameters. 9mm was the room clearing anti-terrorist units' choice (in the MP5) for decades. 300 BLK is slowly gaining ground in that regard thus making both super suitable for home defense cartridges out of the same platforms basically.

There is a major deciding factor or two in play here. The question remains, which is preferable for home defense given the equal metric already stated?
 
150gr offerings in 300BLK as subsonics really hampers it's effectiveness.

But 30 rounds of Lehigh 150gr subsonic expanding bullets still would trump 30 rounds of 147gr 9mm, but not by much.

If you bump the 300BLK up to the 220gr Makers or similar Lehigh offerings its a no brainer to me going with the 300BLK
 
Really if the best performance out of a 300BLK is going to be 110/120gr TTSX loads they would blow away any 9mm load, but if subsonic is the desire these are out of question.
 
You didn't say who/what I'm defending my home from. If its a bear, then give me the 300bo. If its an invading battalion from the red army, then I'll take 9mm simply because I can carry more rds.
 
Airborne Falcon said:
The projectile weight limit is to keep things comparatively equal given other considerations. There are weights to take into consideration, among other things not yet mentioned, but the 145-150 parameter is for a reason.
Click to expand...

A 150gr subsonic has too low pressure at subsonic velocities. You won't find them available at the store and no reloader would make them. 200-220 gr is where you need to be.

That being said, 300BO can accept larger mags so I choose that one.
 
Suppressed 223 AR15 Pistol for Home Defense. 9mm on hip.
9mm carbines in the safe.

index.php
 
Airborne Falcon said:
The projectile weight limit is to keep things comparatively equal given other considerations. There are weights to take into consideration, among other things not yet mentioned, but the 145-150 parameter is for a reason.

(BTW fwiw I run heavier Maker's and Lehigh projectiles in my 300 BLK platforms subsonic but ... I was enlightened about something earlier today as-to-why some SOCOM SOG units are now going-with lighter projectiles and I was like duh doh ( 8 (|) oh yeah that makes perfect sense and has always been important to SpecOps troops and the military in general.)

So you don't get to change the parameters. 9mm was the room clearing anti-terrorist units' choice (in the MP5) for decades. 300 BLK is slowly gaining ground in that regard thus making both super suitable for home defense cartridges out of the same platforms basically.

There is a major deciding factor or two in play here. The question remains, which is preferable for home defense given the equal metric already stated?
Click to expand...

Are you say the SOCOM guys are running ~150gr subsonic rounds in their 300 BO? Please share your enlightenment on why they are doing that? I am not even sure I could get a 150gr projectile to cycle my 300 BO and still remain subsonic. For me 300 Blackout is either heavy 220+gr subsonic projectiles or light 110-125 gr projectiles going as fast as I can get them.
 
mcb said:
For me 300 Blackout is either heavy 220+gr subsonic projectiles or light 110-125 gr projectiles going as fast as I can get them.
Click to expand...

Yup, in between weights are very firmly planted in the no use category for 300BLK in my book. Other than cheap 147gr pull down range fodder.
 
Jeff H said:
A 150gr subsonic has too low pressure at subsonic velocities. You won't find them available at the store and no reloader would make them.

... 300BO can accept larger mags so I choose that one.
Click to expand...

That is factually incorrect friend. I even linked to the 150 gr Maker's offerings (see above) that handloaders are using to load 150 gr subsonics with excellent expansion.

I've been loading 147 pulldowns subsonic for a couple of years, that I train and plink-with, using 1680, CFE BLK and N120.

This fella right here (and there are many other examples) puts it nicely on video ... and this is five years old. Many many many handloaders have/are taking advantage of current up-to-date ooad data utilizing lighter modern expanding 30 cal projectiles ... and it's happening for a reason.



I have-to admit I'm a little surprised at the close-minded tone of some ... jumping to conclusions without giving the possibilities any thought or consideration.
 
Airborne Falcon said:
That is factually incorrect friend. I even linked to the 150 gr Maker's offerings (see above) that handloaders are using to load 150 gr subsonics with excellent expansion.

I've been loading 147 pulldowns subsonic for a couple of years, that I train and plink-with, using 1680, CFE BLK and N120.

This fella right here (and there are many other examples) puts it nicely on video ... and this is five years old. Many many many handloaders have/are taking advantage of current up-to-date ooad data utilizing lighter modern expanding 30 cal projectiles ... and it's happening for a reason.



I have-to admit I'm a little surprised at the close-minded tone of some ... jumping to conclusions without giving the possibilities any thought or consideration.
Click to expand...


But what is the point of 150gr subsonic other than cheap plinking. If you're actually hunting or using subsonic ammo for self defense then a subsonic wants as much weight as you can get given the artificial velocity limit. Assuming similar construction a 150gr bullet at 1000 fps is never going to out perform a 220gr bullet at 1000 fps.
 
mcb said:
But what is the point of 150gr subsonic other than cheap plinking. If you're actually hunting or using subsonic ammo for self defense then a subsonic wants as much weight as you can get given the artificial velocity limit. Assuming similar construction a 150gr bullet at 1000 fps is never going to out perform a 220gr bullet at 1000 fps.
Click to expand...

Weight ... same reason they went from 147 gr 7.62 to 55, 62, 77 gr 5.56. We're talking home defense, not hunting. Hunting is a horse of a different color. The velocity is not artificial ... it's physics. It's speed of sound limits. Mathematically it's M = u/c.

Again, we're talking home defense. Bigger is not necessarily better if we're getting good penetration and expansion and leaving a nice big wound cavity. If all things are equal, the platform is reliable, the supression is optimum for inside, dead of night plus the other advantages to both platforms we take for granted ... it all comes-down-to cartridge preference.
 
Airborne Falcon said:
Weight ... same reason they went from 147 gr 7.62 to 55, 62, 77 gr 5.56. We're talking home defense, not hunting. Hunting is a horse of a different color. The velocity is not artificial ... it's physics. It's speed of sound limits. Mathematically it's M = u/c.

Again, we're talking home defense. Bigger is not necessarily better if we're getting good penetration and expansion and leaving a nice big wound cavity. If all things are equal, the platform is reliable, the supression is optimum for inside, dead of night plus the other advantages to both platforms we take for granted ... it all comes-down-to cartridge preference.
Click to expand...

But the desire to be subsonic is artificial and if we are going to put that artificial velocity limit on my SD gun then I am going to maximize my lethality going as heavy as I can with a quality expanding bullet. I am very certain that a a 220gr Maker Rex is going to out penetrate a 150gr Maker Rex when both bullets are fired at the same velocity.

But playing nice, given all the restriction you have put on your hypothetical situation then its a coin flip. There would not be enough difference to make a difference.
 
I'd go 9mm because I can buy it off the shelf around here, and it's cheaper. The .300 Blackout would be a special order item, and in that round, I'd rather have something outside the parameters mentioned.
 
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