.308 Win. Subsonic Hunting Load Suggestions

[KC45]

I want to hunt hogs on my property with my new .30 caliber suppressor.
It will be used on a Remington 700 in .308 Winchester caliber with 16 1/2" barrel rifle.

I loaded some Hornady 150grs bullet with IMR Trailboss powder and got some decent results at about 950fps. At 50 yards I'm getting 1-1 1/2" groups for 5 shot groups which is okay for my purpose.

My questions is for loading subsonic hunting ammo to use on hogs. Should I go to very heavy (200gr+) bullets or stay within the normal .308 weight (150-175gr)? I'm concerned about stability of very heavy bullets but also concerned if lighter bullets will have necessary penetration on hogs. Finally, should I just use FMJ type bullets for maximum penetration or traditional hunting bullets (HP or SP) for some expansion?

Any personal experience and/or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[ssyoumans]

Are you using a suppressor? If so, then be very careful since most Rem 700 rifles will not stabilize 220gr bullets at subsonic velocities. You will need a 1:8 twist. I:12 and 1:10 won't do.

If not using a can, then there is almost zero difference in report, so why bother.

 

[KC45]

Yes, it will be used with a suppressor.
I know to test the round without the suppressor to check for signs of stability/keyholes before using the round with the suppressor. My barrel has the standard Remington 1:10" twist rate which is why I was asking about using heavy weight bullets.

 

[jwrowland77]

I don't know much about subsonic yet, but I would go with the traditional hunting bullets. They way you can recover the meat for the freezer. IMO, FMJ could still kill the hogs but you won't get the same destruction as a typical hunting bullet. I enjoy eating wild hog too much.

 

[KC45]

My concern is that traditional HP or SP hunting bullet will not expand at subsonic velocity (<1,000 fps). Also, if they do expand, will they have enough energy to penetrate to reach the vitals? Keep in mind that expanded bullet will have much less penetration.

 

[Haxby]

Check out the stability calculator at jbmballistics.com. They have a list of bullet lengths, too.
Looks like a 220 gr rn might be the way to go.

 

[Rushthezeppelin]

Just build a 300 blk, use 220gr SMKs and call it good

 

[Crosbyman]

Here is what I use

I shoot a Remington 700 with a suppressed barrel made by John's Guns with a 150 grain Hornady BT loaded over 10 grains of Bulls Eye. I kill every hog I shoot at in the Trinity river bottom.

 

[jmorris]

I use 10g of trailboss with a hi--tek coated Lee cast 170g 1117fps and shoots inside an inch at 60 yards.

For subsonic hunting I use at least a 405g bullet out of a 458 socom.

The only way to get energy once you set a speed limit is with mass.

 

[KC45]

Crosbyman,

Do you know if your bullets are expanding?
Do you get complete penetration on hogs?
What kind of accuracy do you get?

 

[Captain Capsize]

Some folks are hunting hogs with .22 cal air rifles and bragging about it. They are getting very close and using head shots only. If you can do that any load at the range of 10 feet will work.

 

[mtrmn]

I have found by shooting milk jugs full of water that virtually NO hunting bullet will expand at subsonic velocities. They have to be travelling faster than that to open up. Even varmint bullets in my 223's could probably be loaded up and re-used. Best bet is to go with a flat-nose cast bullet with a lot of weight if you INSIST on staying subsonic. OR there IS a company out there that guarantees hi-performance with their special bullets, but I can't think of the name right now. Also their bullets are very expensive and hard to get.
Personally I just go with full-house loads and a suppressor. My 308 and 223's sound like a 22LR or maybe a 22mag at most. And this is almost completely due to the bullets breaking the sound barrier. I get good performance from my bullets, and still much quieter than normal.
Also the animals that remain will NOT be able to figure what direction the shot came from because all they hear is the supersonic crack of the bullet as it passes by. I have experienced this myself, and anyone who has worked the pits on a military range can confirm that the loudest noise THEY hear is the sound of that bullet passing by their position.

 

[Kernel]

Bullets for the .30-30 are, in general, inexpensive and designed to perform at low velocities. Both lead and jacketed. Test some to see it they will expand at your expected velcities. I don't see the flat-nosed, or round-nose, profile being of any hinderance at subsonic velocities and ranges.

 

[jmorris]

I have found by shooting milk jugs full of water that virtually NO hunting bullet will expand at subsonic velocities. They have to be travelling faster than that to open up. Even varmint bullets in my 223's could probably be loaded up and re-used. Best bet is to go with a flat-nose cast bullet with a lot of weight if you INSIST on staying subsonic. OR there IS a company out there that guarantees hi-performance with their special bullets, but I can't think of the name right now. Also their bullets are very expensive and hard to get.

I have killed more than a few animals with loads that are not that impressive at killing milk jugs. One of the reasons I picked the 458 socom for the job is that the bullets and speeds it is fired at have killed many animals from 1873 to this day.

It is a rather large hope that a 220g .30cal bullet will preform as expected at subsonic as well as it would from a 300 win mag but a 405 from a socom subsonic is not that far from the 1200fps you would have had from a 45-70 in 1873.

 

[jmorris]

I would bet money that a lot of impacts on these animals were from subsonic hits.

 

[mtrmn]

Here's the special designed subsonic bullets I was thinking of:
http://www.lehighbullets.com/products.asp?cat=26
http://outlawstatebullets.com/2.html
http://www.corbins.com/subsonic.htm

I was simply addressing the fact that one can not expect any expansion from conventional hunting bullets when fired at subsonic velocities.

 

[Kernel]

A buck and a quarter per bullet? Ouch! Hornady's 170 gr. jacketed .30-30 bullets will run you less than twenty-five cents apiece. Cheap enough to try, anyway.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Here's the special designed subsonic bullets I was thinking of:
http://www.lehighbullets.com/products.asp?cat=26
http://outlawstatebullets.com/2.html
http://www.corbins.com/subsonic.htm

I was simply addressing the fact that one can not expect any expansion from conventional hunting bullets when fired at subsonic velocities.

Do you see the prices of those bullets! ($65/50 +S&H) Just to kill a hog??? I think not...

IMO go with the H4895 reduced loads suggested by Hodgdon on their site and a bullet meant for the 30-30 and you will be fine.

 

[Swampman]

You're unlikely to get decent expansion with any traditional .30 caliber jacketed hunting bullet at subsonic velocities.
After trying a number of options, I settled on a hard cast 235 grain 5R boattail bullet with a small "scallop" ground into the ogive to help initiate tumbling.
My Remington 700 AAC SD with 1/10 twist will shoot these bullets into about 3.5 inches at 100 yards. If you hit a hog with a broadside chest shot the bullet will usually penetrate two or three inches before it destabilizes and starts to make a mess of the insides.
Don't expect DRT performance from subsonic bullets unless you get a brain or spine hit.

The mould is available from Midway for about $25.00 but you might want to check your barrel twist before you buy one.
To the best of my knowledge, the "standard" twist for Remington .308 barrels was always 1/12", they put the 1/10" twist on the AAC SD model for better subsonic performance.

I've attached a pic of one of the 235 gr. 5R bullets next to a 55 grain M-193 bullet for scale. Sorry about the poor quality of the cast bullet, I had to pull it out of the cull bucket.