300 Blackout Reloads

[Morrey]

I did my best research and loaded several boxes of test rounds for my new Sig Virtus 300 BO. The loads are 19 grains of H110 pushing a 110 gr Tac-TX black tip.

I ordered a Sig QD can last year, so I removed the factory flash hider and replaced it with a Sig QD muzzle brake and have shot it a few times (no can) to sight in the scope.

Just got a call my suppressor tax stamp came in so I'll be picking the can up in the next few days.

Question: With the can attached, and with the non-sub hunting loads listed above, will I need ear protection at the range or most importantly, while hunting?

 

[greyling22]

It should sound more or less like 22lr unsuppressed. Perhaps just a tad quieter. Probably ok without when hunting, but I'd wear something at the range. Especially since there is inevitably some dingus with a 16" 308 wearing a brake next to you.......

 

[jmorris]

I always test my loads to make sure they are stable without a can first.

I hunted for years without plugs using unsuppressed rifles, using ones with a suppressor are much better.

If the noise bothers you plug, muff or both. Protecting your ears never hurts and ears are one thing that can’t be fixed.

 

[dredd]

I have a 300BLK with a 16" Barrel (AR Platform)
I have a 'Can for it.
I shoot it mostly suppressed for varmints and pigs.

When shooting targets & paper, I wear ear plugs regardless of Sub or Super Sonic.
My hearing is still darn good at 54 years old.
I do have a touch of tennnitus.

When hunting, I don't really worry about the Subs, but I do "stop up" my ears when shooting Supers.
By "stop up", I suck down my ears by closing off my throat & sucking in or holding my nose. I don't really know how to describe it.
It's a reverse Scuba Diving thing... Kinda.

All that being said... Subs are easy on the ears. Supers do not suck at all.

I now have a couple of 'Cans and can't imagine not using them.
They make all shooting activities so much better.

 

[Grumulkin]

I did my best research and loaded several boxes of test rounds for my new Sig Virtus 300 BO. The loads are 19 grains of H110 pushing a 110 gr Tac-TX black tip.

Question: With the can attached, and with the non-sub hunting loads listed above, will I need ear protection at the range or most importantly, while hunting?

1. When you get your can, attach it and look down the barrel to be sure everything appears to line up as it should.

2. As noted above, do your load testing without the can to make sure the bullets are properly stabilized. This would be most important with subsonic loads. A baffle strike would be unpleasant.

3. When hunting with a suppressed 308 Winchester, I don't usually use hearing protection. For a range session I use hearing protection. Hearing protection never hurts but with a suppressed 308 Winchester, I don't find it unpleasant to shoot without it and my wife doesn't even complain when I shoot something in the back yard.



Something shot in the back yard.

 

[Morrey]

Thanks for the replies!

When at the range, invariably there is someone out there who has a gun that sounds like a cannon. It is no question that hearing protection is needed, maybe not due to my setup, but due to theirs - good point. I'll just have to hear the db level of these supers to decide if I can chance hunting w/o hearing protection.

I'll visually check to see the can has aligned with the bore as it should before test firing. As mentioned, I have test fired the Sig and sighted in the scope w/o issue so I feel confident to affix the can now and do a visual before firing.

I do have some high expansion subsonic rounds to hunt with, and while these are commercially produced, I'll still shoot a few w/o the can to see if the bullet is key holing the target. If all looks good, I'll affix the can.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[greyling22]

I watched my cousin shoot a pig with one of those commercial high expansion subsonic rounds (Hornady sub x). When we eventually recovered the pig, the round was intact, no expansion at all. Fired from a 6" barrel at about 40yds into the abdomen. We have not chrono'd it to see if it achieved enough velocity out of that short barrel to expand reliably.
Your mileage may vary, but I was unimpressed with the round.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

I have your exact setup and have been using it for over a year. My answer to the hearing protection is use it, let me tell you from experience your hearing never comes back and you do not want continuous ringing in your ear like I have. That came from many years in the Marine Corp and not having hearing protection. I think it is a far stretch to say that it sounds like 22lr a really far stretch. I have over 15 pages of notes in working with 300 blackout here http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3460 with 7 different rifles so I speak from experience. Please for me wear hearing protection you do not want to have to sleep with hearing protection in to stop the ringing just to sleep which puts you at jeopardy for not hearing your burglar alarm or even your fire alarm it is a situation the progresses down hill fast.

 

[Morrey]

I have your exact setup and have been using it for over a year. My answer to the hearing protection is use it, let me tell you from experience your hearing never comes back and you do not want continuous ringing in your ear like I have. That came from many years in the Marine Corp and not having hearing protection. I think it is a far stretch to say that it sounds like 22lr a really far stretch. I have over 15 pages of notes in working with 300 blackout here http://www.dayattherange.com/?page_id=3460 with 7 different rifles so I speak from experience. Please for me wear hearing protection you do not want to have to sleep with hearing protection in to stop the ringing just to sleep which puts you at jeopardy for not hearing your burglar alarm or even your fire alarm it is a situation the progresses down hill fast.

Totally understood, you make a heck of a good case for hearing protection.

Thanks for the link to your notes. Since you have a setup like mine with the Sig MCX Virtus (mine is the 16" Patrol) and the Sig QD (mine is SRD762TI-QD) can, have you been pleased with combo?

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

Now you are really going to get me in trouble -- yes I love it and better than any AR I have

 

[Morrey]

I watched my cousin shoot a pig with one of those commercial high expansion subsonic rounds (Hornady sub x). When we eventually recovered the pig, the round was intact, no expansion at all. Fired from a 6" barrel at about 40yds into the abdomen. We have not chrono'd it to see if it achieved enough velocity out of that short barrel to expand reliably.
Your mileage may vary, but I was unimpressed with the round.

Here is where I may run into trouble....hunting hogs with subsonic 300 BO loads. Since I am not confident loading sub rounds, I looked online and watched several videos, read several articles and then called the owner of Maker Bullets who has a special interest in 300 BO. He suggested a 220 gr sub load he manufactures called the Over Watch. He sent me a recovered projectile that had been fired and the petals were peeled back like a banana, razor sharp and 100% intact. For the sake of argument, I bought 2 boxes of loaded ammo that have been untested so far.

My goal is to control feral hogs on my farm, and I have a corn feeder setup at 65 yards from my stand/blind. I am realistic that this round will not take down monster hogs like a mortar round would, so shot placement will be critic. And to be honest, and while I have taken 300-400 lb boars, most of the mature hogs I see average 150 pounds. I am also realistic that shooting subsonic wont allow me to take out an entire sounder of hogs at one fell swoop. A squealing (hit) hog is going to spook the whole sounder so my expectations are real. To me, the real advantage is being able to control the feral hog population on my farm discreetly and not shoot super rounds that will drive my cows and horses into a panic. My stand is away from the livestock down by a creek offering a safe location to shoot, and this is where the hogs come out of the swamp into the fields and pastures.

Wish me luck in that the Maker Bullets do their job....so I MUST do mine too with proper shot placement.

 

[Dill]

the Makers bullets are top notch. If you do your part, they will do theirs.

 

[SCC]

Morrey, 300BLK subsonic is a round that just begs for custom loads for each rifle. With a 16" barrel you shouldn't have much problem with commercial loads, may not be optimal but should perform well. I aim for 1000fps for all my subsonic loads. You want max velocity without entering the transonic range over around 1080fps, on a warm day. 1000fps is generally safe on all but the coldest days. In my case, I have 4 sub loads, one for the suppressed SBR, and 3 for the suppressed bolt action (super quiet). This round is addictive, I predict that you'll have another rifle within 1-2 years.

 

[Mr.Revolverguy]

This is what a factory round at 35 yards wil do to a 150pound hog http://www.dayattherange.com/?p=5824

 

[Morrey]

Morrey, 300BLK subsonic is a round that just begs for custom loads for each rifle. With a 16" barrel you shouldn't have much problem with commercial loads, may not be optimal but should perform well. I aim for 1000fps for all my subsonic loads. You want max velocity without entering the transonic range over around 1080fps, on a warm day. 1000fps is generally safe on all but the coldest days. In my case, I have 4 sub loads, one for the suppressed SBR, and 3 for the suppressed bolt action (super quiet). This round is addictive, I predict that you'll have another rifle within 1-2 years.

I appreciate your vote of confidence! I have hand loaded for years (mainly 7mm and 30 cal) so its not the lack of experience I'm holding back on. The whole subsonic and suppressor deal is all new to me, and after reading crazy stuff of issues gone wrong, I suppose I am a bit gun-shy of problems like baffle strikes.

My solution is the buy commercial sub rounds to start, then eventually venture into my own loads. I think I "know" to shoot a few subs at paper (50 yards w/o the can) and make sure I am getting a clean hole thereby reducing the likelihood of a baffle strike. Right? Then I'll feel more confidence and not destroy an $1,100 suppressor I waited 8 months to get.

Next I'll have to do some subsonic research of the best pill and powder choice suited for hogs at 60 yards in my MCX to ensure the best chance for complete cycling. All this will come in time, and yes for sure, my best loads have always come from my own reloading bench.

 

[Morrey]

Morrey, 300BLK subsonic is a round that just begs for custom loads for each rifle. With a 16" barrel you shouldn't have much problem with commercial loads, may not be optimal but should perform well. I aim for 1000fps for all my subsonic loads. You want max velocity without entering the transonic range over around 1080fps, on a warm day. 1000fps is generally safe on all but the coldest days. In my case, I have 4 sub loads, one for the suppressed SBR, and 3 for the suppressed bolt action (super quiet). This round is addictive, I predict that you'll have another rifle within 1-2 years.

SCC (and others), would you mind sharing a sub load to help me as a starting point. The Maker loads I bought are 220 grain projectiles so I'll be sighting in at 75 yards with that weight. My other option is to contact Maker Ammo as he told me personally he would share the load data I'll need if I buy the projectiles from him. That is fine, but y'all may suggest other more flexible options.

Pictured here is a typical "evening" of feral hogs on my farm. As you can see, some control is needed as these pigs breed at a rate like no other. The good thing is we use the meat for table fare in hopes of making a dent in the population as they breed out of control and wreak havoc on our land and cause lots of issues from an environmental stand point..

Any help with load suggestions is VERY appreciated!

 

[SCC]

Morrey,

Sharing my sub loads is somewhat pointless. (But look for a PM.) Our rifles are completely different. Also, I don't hunt and my only sub "hunting" load was done for the bolt action, really just to try the Maker bullet, an early version of the 200 grain. Your best bet for loads is to check out the handloading section of the 300blktalk forum and start from some of the data there.