Deer 300 Blackout

[ChrisDumais]

Haven't pulled the trigger on .300 AAC BLK yet. Hopping to wait until ammo prices lower.

My though is to use the 125 gr for hunting because it has 2x the energy and flatter trajectory rather than lobbing a 230 gr subsonic bullet 150 yards. I had always thought the subsonic was primarily for personal defense or night hunting where you are close range and don't want the bullet to travel far.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Haven't pulled the trigger on .300 AAC BLK yet. Hopping to wait until ammo prices lower.

My though is to use the 125 gr for hunting because it has 2x the energy and flatter trajectory rather than lobbing a 230 gr subsonic bullet 150 yards. I had always thought the subsonic was primarily for personal defense or night hunting where you are close range and don't want the bullet to travel far.

Without going into a full educational class on external ballistics, as long as you can compensate for the drop (scope has enough adjustment), accurately measure target range, and properly account for the wind, a 220 gr will likely perform at far greater distances than a 125 purely due to velocity loss and instability in the transonic range. The trick is that the above items aren't easily accounted for in deer hunting. Targets move, and heavy, slow bullets with a fast drop MUST have very accurate range data at longer distances because you're effectively lobbing a mortar into the top of your target.

 

[natdscott]

In my strong opinions:

1) 300 Blackout with hot supersonic loads should be employed at the same ranges and with the same restrictions as a .30-30. In other words, it's about a 200 yard rifle, flat-out.

2) With subsonic loadings, the Blackout is strictly a head-shot rifle. That means that your maximum range is as far as you and the rifle can shoot a tennis ball reliably, in field conditions, and get it there at the right time before the animal has a chance to move. For most guys, that'll be about 50 yards.

The subsonic 200+ grain loads are NOT long-range employment rounds, and were never intended to be. If a guy wants to shoot those kind of bullets at longer range, then he needs a bigger .300.

-Nate

 

[two70]

Without going into a full educational class on external ballistics, as long as you can compensate for the drop (scope has enough adjustment), accurately measure target range, and properly account for the wind, a 220 gr will likely perform at far greater distances than a 125 purely due to velocity loss and instability in the transonic range. The trick is that the above items aren't easily accounted for in deer hunting. Targets move, and heavy, slow bullets with a fast drop MUST have very accurate range data at longer distances because you're effectively lobbing a mortar into the top of your target.

Within the actual effective range of the .300 BO the ballistic advantage of the 220 grain load vs. the 125 grain load is far more perception than reality. The ballistic advantage of the 220 grain load is not seen until past 500 yards. Also, at BO velocities those 220 grain projectiles will not expand nor likely remain stable once they encounter tissue. They are a bad idea for hunting.

In my strong opinions:

1) 300 Blackout with hot supersonic loads should be employed at the same ranges and with the same restrictions as a .30-30. In other words, it's about a 200 yard rifle, flat-out.

2) With subsonic loadings, the Blackout is strictly a head-shot rifle. That means that your maximum range is as far as you and the rifle can shoot a tennis ball reliably, in field conditions, and get it there at the right time before the animal has a chance to move. For most guys, that'll be about 50 yards.

The subsonic 200+ grain loads are NOT long-range employment rounds, and were never intended to be. If a guy wants to shoot those kind of bullets at longer range, then he needs a bigger .300.

-Nate

To elaborate further:

1. That 200 yard limit is entirely reasonable for the .30-30 but the .300 BO can only achieve the low end of .30-30 level performance so trying to make it long range round by using heavy bullets makes even less sense than doing so with a .30-30 which has 2-2.5 times the case capacity.
2.The head shot has a very small margin of error that if muffed can lead to lost deer suffering a long, painful death. IMO, deer, or any animal for that matter, deserve more respect than to resort to a head shot as anything but a last option.
3. Agreed but I'll take it a step farther and say that if you want longer range period then a larger .30 caliber is necessary.

 

[Que]

I just finished my 300 Blackout and now I have to order the reloading dies. I balked at this round since it came out and now I really like it. I plan to go with 180-200 grain projectile. The guys on the deer program here said they have wonderful success with that weight through their suppressors.

 

[natdscott]

Agreed, two70.

2.The head shot has a very small margin of error that if muffed can lead to lost deer suffering a long, painful death. IMO, deer, or any animal for that matter, deserve more respect than to resort to a head shot as anything but a last option.

I take (or did take) headshots here and there, but I've only been doing that for a few years. To my teacher's credit, I was taught that in no way was I shooting well enough to take those kind of shots. That, and the VERY first deer I ever checked in as a 9 year old was followed by a doe that the guy had shot in the head 3 times before getting a slug to COUNT. No jaw and a nose that was no longer attached in the middle. Only 1 ear... it made an impression.

In recent years, I'd gotten to a point in my shooting and equipment, and most importantly my understanding of a deer's body language and movement patterns, that cranial shots were a decent option when possible.

I've not had a deer take so much as a single step, but these shots are not to be taken casually, and the hunter needs to be really HONEST with themselves about what they can hit. This is tested on paper, through the summer and fall, in REAL practice and training. If you can hit a walnut at your planned yardage every single time, then take that times 1.5-2x for stress and field conditions, and you can probably take an appropriate ear shot.

The deer has to cooperate as well. They need to be calm, unaware of your presence, and not directly facing you. Best is from the side, or quartering away, but I'd happily shoot one in the back of the head if that's the shot I had...I just don't feel like I can judge their behavior as well if I can't see their face.

In certain circles, there is a lot of discussion of what part of the brain to hit, but in my experience, our weapons are of such high power on a relatively small cranial vault that they wreck most everything in one pass.

Other than those of you who can complete the above, shoot them in the chest and be happy with that (and there's a lot to be happy about with a good chest hit).

-Nate

 

[yetti462]

If I have my 243 I'll head shoot one, very easy gut job and no meat loss.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Within the actual effective range of the .300 BO the ballistic advantage of the 220 grain load vs. the 125 grain load is far more perception than reality. The ballistic advantage of the 220 grain load is not seen until past 500 yards. Also, at BO velocities those 220 grain projectiles will not expand nor likely remain stable once they encounter tissue. They are a bad idea for hunting.

Good points, I totally neglected terminal ballistics in my thought process. I'm not normally a 300 BLK hunter; I use a 308 because I'm shooting 200-350 yds.

Guess I was stuck in the "long range target shooter" thought-process where terminal ballistics dooesn't matter as long as you get it on target.

 

[two70]

Good points, I totally neglected terminal ballistics in my thought process. I'm not normally a 300 BLK hunter; I use a 308 because I'm shooting 200-350 yds.

Guess I was stuck in the "long range target shooter" thought-process where terminal ballistics dooesn't matter as long as you get it on target.

It is a good thing to think about and discuss IMO. I have to watch myself because I'm primarily a hunter not a target shooter and I'm prone to having the opposite thought process of terminal ballistics being the only thing that matters. I'm sure there are some heavy weight bullets that will expand at subsonic velocities but even then I don't see a benefit over the supersonic loads and I wonder about reliability.

 

[rkesar]

I killed two with my blackout last year, one at 100 yards perfect heart shot and there wasn't hardly anything left of the heart, the next one was at 165 yards and a double long shot, great blood trails and short track jobs. I used 150 gr Winchester deer season xp rds. I love the combination, in my opinion it's a great deer gun