Was looking for a thread discussing hunting with 300BLK and how people like it, but didn't see one. I have taken a few hogs with mine and am actually quite surprised by the effect it has on medium game.

So far I'm still new to hunting with 300BLK and have only taken 3 pigs with it, all inside 100yds and under 150lbs. But all 3 were instant drops with no running or tracking. I aim for neck or shoulder and the 110 V-Max has performed admirably on body shots. One neck shot was a full pass through on the top boar, 40yd. One shoulder shot at a small sow, maybe 75lbs, that fragmented pretty good at ~60yds. Found a fragment of the bullet in the off side shoulder but didn't weight it because it was just a piece. It hit bone going in and made a huge mess of the shoulder.  

My most recent outing I took another lone boar, last pic, which was maybe 80-100yds away, and aimed at the shoulder. Instant drop and he kicked for a minute before going still. Pulled a beautiful mushroomed bullet out of the off side shoulder measured 0.625" at the widest point (over 2x expansion) and weighed 64gr (58% retention).

Conclusion: Excellent expansion from the 110 V-Max inside 100 yards. Though pass through is unlikely when hitting the shoulder. Hitting bone results in sever fragmentation. Aiming a bit higher on the shoulder blade seems to initiate a nice mushroomed expansion, but without much sectional density, it still gets stuck in the hide on the back side. My intention was for head and neck shots most of the time, but 2/3 ended up in the shoulder. Good to know that if I go for a second hog in a group that a shoulder hit should yield a kill. So far I have been very pleased with 300 BLK terminal performance using the V-Max bullet, and if this continues, I'll be stacking V-Max's deep as my go-to.






Ammo: 110 V-Max handloads with 19.8 gr H110 powder, 2.050" OAL. No chrono data.
I have not tried any other bullets yet. Barnes 110 sounds great, but price turns me off.

Gun: Home build Pistol
Ballistic Advantage 10.5" Hansen
PSA stealth lower
Aero Precision Upper
Larue MBT-2S curved
Burris XTR II 1-5
Silencerco Omega 300
KAC Shockwave Gen1


What has been your experience and what Ammo/Barrel Length do you prefer? I've seen some photos of several using subsonic as well. I may try that once I acquire enough bullets to work up a load and sight in for hunting.

My favorite use rifle is my 8" SBR with a can in 300blackout. I mostly use 220 Sierra Matchkings as subs (ok on hogs and very quiet) , Barnes 110 TTSX supers that are by far the most effective on hogs, deer, and attacking pitbulls, and 147 FMJBT for general use to include hogs.

I might have to try those 110 Varmit tips

My experience with the 110 V-Max has been limited to it's use in .308 Win as we once issued it (Hornady 110gr TAP) as duty ammo, kills hogs on contact.

I've not tried any supersonic loads in the .300 BO so I have nothing to offer in that regard. I see guys killing the shit out of hogs though with Barnes 110gr bullets loaded supersonic. I have sone, just have not loaded them up.

I'm 99% sub guy when using the .300 BO and I've used 220gr, 200gr, and 208gr projectiles which certainly are not expanding at all at about 1050 FPS. I have to make sure I'm within 50 yards AND make a good high/forward hit for success. Behind the shoulder with subs is a no-go based on my experience.

I'm going to get dog-piled for posting this, but I'm going to do it anyway.

We get a lot of calls/emails from hog hunters that want to move up to a big bore after having multiple failures with the 300 Blackout.
We get nearly zero calls about failures with any other caliber, 5.56, Grendel, SPC, you name it....only the Blackout.

You guys can battle out as to why that might be....I don't care.  I'm simply stating info that has come into the shop from customers.
Maybe guys that shoot like shit, think a bigger bullet will work better, and shitty shooters like the Blackout.  I don't know.

Or maybe Subsonic sucks for hunting.....and there are more subsonic shooters hunting with the 300 Blackout than any other caliber.

Tony Rumore
Tromix

I would guess mostly it’s sub shooters using match bullets.

I don't use subs. My favorite load is  125Gr Sierra soft point which works very well.  (Prohunter line)  I've also had decent luck with 150 gr Berry's plated bullets for the 30-30. (yes, they cycle just fine)

I have no issues taking hogs with either.

You're not wrong in your thinking.

I learned quickly subs in .300 BO have limitations, which are reasonable considering. Subs while fun, have limitations when it comes to hunting. That's why I stay at/under about 50 yards.

I am using Subersonic ammo exclusively for hunting right now. Terminal performance I'm seeing so far is boosting my confidence greatly. My bullet wish list includes the 110 Barnes and 125 Sierra Game Changer to try, but the 110 V-Max is highly available and working well for me. I think a 125 grain may have more sectional density for punching through. Expansion doesn't seem to be a problem with soft tipped bullets.

I need a bunch more practice and testing with subs before I take it out for hunting. I've only tried 200 SMK's and I only had 1 box. Even so I would target neck/head 50 yards and in. I envision the first round in the mag loaded Sub-sonic and using holdover on my Mil-based reticle then all followup shots are supers using the center cross hairs. After sufficient confirmation of dope at my intended ranges.

Also shot a young Racoon at 10 ft with the 110 V-Max. Blew out the offside shoulder, but it still ran ~100 yd on 3 legs to a nearby pond and died in the water. I expect the expansion didn't start until hitting bone on the back side due to the small size of the animal. Another piece of data that says the 110 V-Max is performing closer to a hunting bullet at these velocities rather than a varmint bullet.

I had a through and through a raccoon with a full house .44 Mag from a Henry BBX. It happens.

Video of the kill: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e8wSie83DGp9RGi78





Poor bastard didn't have a chance. Subsonic 190 gr sub X. Of course this is anecdotal, but it works for me.

No, I think 300 blackout in general was. In addition to subsonics.

This caliber is eligible for brain shots as well.

I am in NE FL Jax area. Not much chance to hunt hogs but I am getting ready with 1,000 projectiles of Hornady SubX 190gr. which is supposed to expand all the way down to 900fps.
I am going to load these for 1050/1060fps

how many people are using the 190gr Hornady Sub X?

My buddy’s dad killed 100’s with a .30 carbine with open sights but he was patient and limited his shots. I’ve killed a few with the .300 BO and it’s alright if you pick your shots or your not worried about them running off. I loaded some 150gr Hornady round nose bullets to 1900ish and they performed really well. That was out of a bolt action Ruger American. I personally think that the.300 black out gets it’s poor reputation from pistol form. I got a buddy that has one SBR’ed and his buddy shoots a pistol variant. The SBR beats the pistol variant hands down.

Unless I'm wrong, you could have an SBR and a Pistol with the exact same barrel Length. I'm assuming the SBR is a longer barrel?

I think most of the poor experience with the 300BLK is ammo selection. Even people I know comfortable around firearms don't pay close enough attention to bullet selection, especially in calibers with FMJ's readily available. Too many people loading up with 150gr FMJ's or 55gr FMJ in 5.56 and not getting the performance they want. But spending $1.50+ per round on expanding 5.56, or more for expanding 300BLK is a big kick to the wallet when "I could just buy American Eagle and shoot Hogs with that". Then complain that it doesn't flatten hogs like their 243 shooting PowerPoints.

Forum goers are all much more plugged into the details of ballistics and what it takes to get a reliable kill. Barrel length helps, but I'd take a 8" barrel with Barnes Tac-TX over a 16" barrel shooting 147FMJ every day of the week.

I personally think the rifle stock of the SBR leads to a better cheek weld and a steadier sight picture. The other thing I’ve noticed is experienced hunters that grew up with the .30/30 seem to do well with the.300 BO. I agree that forum users get caught up in the ballistic game and forget that shot placement is the deciding factor. We have had wild pigs here ever sense I could remember. People used to carry a .22 or. .22mag and kill a pig for extra meat just because that was what was in the truck.

My son uses a lightweight 16" upper w/ 110 gr ammo.  DRT results.

I read this post and thought I might have written it.  I hunt and shoot a lot of hogs as well.  Started with a 300 using hog hammer or black tip the first 5 rounds and then fmj.  Then moved to a 6.8 and 120gr. sst backed with 90gr gold dots and it just kills so much better.  I came to the same conclusion as you within the last 2 years when the prices of that ammo sky rocketed, just shoot m193.  I honestly don't think I "lose" many more hogs than I did shooting the 300.  The 6.8 I will say is impressive and if it was reasonably priced I'd still use it more; even those cheap 90 gold dots hammer pigs.  I've actually had good results with prvi 69gr match ammo that I bought a bunch of when it was cheap.

I crank out 55gr dog town bullets on the progressive press that the brass is near it’s life expectancy. Use whatever you got is my philosophy. If you have a 9mm Glock in the truck or a 1022 use it! We have to stop the spread of liberalism even in the animal kingdom…

As of today, kills in my night Hog Hunting outfit, HOG RUSH, LLC., total 9450.

Early on back in 2010 or so I did lots of R&D on the 300 whisper. (300BLK)

After $4000 of my own money, wasted hunting trips, thousands of rounds of donated manufacturers ammo, and lots of frustration, I decided the 300BLK is a 30 carbine. It sux at killing. Lots of hit/ run where otherwise a better caliber/combo would take them down.

If it was not called the “Blackout”, unsuspecting half wit mouth breathers wouldn’t buy it.

The 300Blackout sux. What puzzles me the most, is that I have been kicked off lots of tx hunting boards for showing my data.

People are married to their purchase and their ego will not allow them to swallow the fact that they were duped by the gun rags that got paid to promote an inferior product.

300 Blackout Sux.

The reason 300 Blackout does not get the thumbs up from high volume killers is that it’s a rebranded 30 carbine. 1900fps does not create the temporary wound cavity needed to incapacitate the animal enough for significant blood loss and shock.

300 Blackout sux at killing.

Is a 308 at 400 yards just as shitty?

Compared to what? 300WM?
110gr Barnes smacks them pretty well even out of a short barrel.
I've never shot a hog with it that didn't drop right there or within sight, but I'm not a "high volume killer"...
If you're spraying at pigs as they scatter, you're making bad shots.

Know your limitations with the round and don't make bad shots.

I usually tote a 6.8 for more range but the suppressed SBR 300 still gets out every now and then.

My dad was from Texas, so I’m considered a foreigner.

A rifle that wounds effectively generally pushes a bullet at about 2175 fps. That velocity varies depending on the weight of the projectile up or below that threshold but 2175 is a general velocity.

.300 BO in 220 gr subsonic are really pistol calibered carbines out of any barrel length and not much different than as far as wounding goes compared to a. 9mm subsonic or .45 acp. 900 fps or less. That’s why they suck at wounding unless a vital organ is directly hit.

.300 BO out of 16 inch barrels with with 125 gr start out at the cusp already. 2175 fps. With a 9 inch barrel you are below that.

.300 BO with 110 gr out of a 16 inch barrel start out as a good rifle. 2375 fps.

.300 BO with 110 gr out of a 9 inch barrel starts off at the cusp. 2175 fps. A bit more depending on the powder used but at the cusp nevertheless.

At close range all except subsonic are rifles and wound as such. As the range increases, the velocity decreases and they lose rifle wounding capabilities.

This is why .300 BO sucks . Too slow. It’s a short range rifle unless using 110 gr pushed fast enough with a longer barrel. Everyone says that you only need 9 inches of barrel but that is false. 9 inches makes it a 100 yard rifle even with 110 gr.

You need more barrel to push a 110 gr at 2375 so that past 100 yards it’s still faster than 2175 fps.

Yes. Not ideal unless  shot placement is proper. You lose the shock that you get at 200 yards and in.

Some .300 loads with short barrels are that at the muzzle.

400 yards at night is especially hard to gauge through a thermal scope and make hits with any caliber.  Your perception is lacking.  A lot shots you're just hitting short.

His point was comparing ballistics: a 300blk being the equivalent of a 308 at 400 yards

It's 5:00 am

OP wrote: "I am using Subersonic ammo exclusively for hunting right now. Terminal performance I'm seeing so far is boosting my confidence greatly. My bullet wish list includes the 110 Barnes and 125 Sierra Game Changer to try, but the 110 V-Max is highly available and working well for me."

I read it as Subsonic, and thought, "Huh?"

I need my coffee.

After using it on deer, I concur.

I went hog hunting this spring.  A 45-70 in the hip can drop a sow. My lead was off.  

Yes I see that....but a strange comparison??  I think.

So since you can kill a deer with brain shot from a .22 short, does that mean it's a good deer hunting round?

I think this statement will coincide with some people are better marksman and better hunters than others. You will always have people who are more patient and have more self control. They have a tendency to wait for higher percentage kill shots. I think actual skills outweigh personal perceived skills. In the right hands the .300 Black Out can be very effective. But in the wrong a disaster. I personally think if you are eradicating feral hogs use it one runs off who cares. But if you’re paying for a hunt and your not 110% comfortable with it maybe you need to choose another caliber. Hogs have been killed with air rifles. They’re not mystic bullet proof creatures.

Don’t take my word for it. I don’t get anything out of posting my experience.

Get on the Texas hunting forum website and ask the same question.

I posted my findings there back in 2013 or so and got booted off because at the time, 300BLK was all the rage and site sponsors didn’t wanna lose out.

Plus all the casuals had bought into the gun rag claims of it being the best hog hunting round.

Now they all report today what I was telling them back then.

300BLK sucks.

I’m glad to see that the Vmax performs well. I’ve avoided it so far because I was concerned about penetration and fragmentation.
I normally use Barnes Tac Tx. It’s a hammer, but it’s expensive and can be hard to find. The Vmax seems to be widely available. I may pick some of up.

Thanks

I I shot 1 deer with a 300BO.The shot was about 50 yds broadside with a sst hornady bullet I loaded.I Did recover the doe, but basically by dumb luck.The bullet did alot of damage, to the vitals, but because it didn't exit, there was almost no blood at all.I 30 cal pin hole entrance wound won't bleed much.I have since switched to the barnes 110 gr tac bullets.I do not have any experience with the tac bullets, because I switched to a 6.5 grendel.My 6.5 has killed 4 deer now, and is very very deadly on a deer sized animal.

I think SparkyD answered your question.

Not strange considering ballistics and energy.

458 Socom is what you need. My record is 3 with one shot.

When I shoot 300blk at hogs it’s Barnes 120 tac-tx. No complaints although I usually use 6.5g at night and 30-30 during the day u less I’m stalking.

I haven't been able to get out hunting for hogs in some time, but with deer season approaching I may get more chances since I'll be out in the field.

I have been passively looking for some 125 gr bullets here locally, to no avail. I have been too lazy to look online and get a box to try. The 110V-max has had 2 exits and 1 retention of the bullet, all shoulder/body shots at <150lb targets, so penetration has been acceptable for me in that envelope. Expansion is not a problem under 100yd, which is all the range I'll ever need for this gun.

This season I want to get a sub-sonic kill with the 190 SUB-X. I already know the load I'll use, so it would simply be an exercise in loading and sighting them.

Got my first subsonic kill. Plan worked perfectly. Though these were some 208 ELD-M's that I picked up, not the 190 SUB-X. First round in the mag Subsonic, holdover 3 mil on first shot, rest of the mag is supers for POA shooting. I didn't get a good followup shot with the supers because even subs make enough noise to spook the group at 85 yards. Probably the impact of the bullet and the kicking hog more than the report of the shot. Aimed just below the ear and the hog was walking left to right so it ended up in the neck right at the spine, which worked just as well. Hog dropped and kicked for several minutes before bleeding out. Not as clean a kill as I'd want, and the bullet looked like it penciled through (small entry, small exit), so I'm glad I only made it the first shot where I had a good POA.

Got another with 110 V-Max supers straight on in the snout, insta-death just as expected. Shooting in small clearings in south-west texas brushland. So no wide fields that allow for followup shots that many of the pro hog killers get that need more stopping power with variable shot placement. If I had opportunity for several followup shots in more open terrain, I'd probably be building a 6.5 Grendel or lug out my LR-308 semi. But in these close quarters 1-2 shot encounters under 100 yd, the 300BLK is getting the job done.

I saw some 100gr Barnes TAC-TX bullets at a sporting goods store. Didn't buy them, but I want to go back and pick up a box sometime soon if they stick around. Instead I grabbed the 208 ELD-M since I wanted to load some more subs.

I guess people overlook m193 was purpose built for 556, wolf 6.5grendel fmj bullet was purpose built for the grendel, shoehorning a 308 147gr fmj in the blackout of course terminal performance sucks. With purpose built blackout bullets(110gr tac etc) the 300 does fine for hunting. Hog control isn't so much hunting as it is eradication so I completely understand not using premium ammo to do it. I favor imi razorcore 77gr for hogs, doesn't break the bank and good terminal performance, but actually hunting a hog as in pick out 1 clean shot I've never had an issue with the blackout and tac or maker bullets I've never had an issue. In a perfect world the 277 wolverine would be a factory load. 90gr  gold dot at 2500fps from a 10" barrel and subsonic capability like the blackout its about as close to an ideal all around combo that I've found.

I have had fantastic results in 300blk using the 125 grain Sierra Matchking.   At BO velocities it works more like a ballistic tip and really performs well

I'm building my Dad a 16" Wilson Combat barrel 300BLK for hogs and varmints. He just bought an AGM Thermal for it, which should be quite a nice set up. He does not have a silencer yet, but has plans for one. He will be shooting the same 110 V-Max supers that I do and will probably get a decent amount more velocity than my 10". I expect good things.