hello this is my 1st post, I just got a new 300 bo ar15 and im ready to hunt some small sized whitetail and hogs. any thing I should know of when using this round?

I would say learn the drops of the loads you using to hunt. Don't try to stretch it out to far if you are concerned with ethical kills. I too just finished a .300 BO pistol and plan to deer hunt with it this fall. Where I hunt my shots will be no more than 100 yards.

I have used the Barnes tac-tx 110gr successfully on quite a few deer. As stated know how much bullet drop at distances and know it is not a long range rifle.

110 Barnes blk tip

barnes 110 black tip sounds deadlyl

Yep. Some numbers for the Barnes 110 load:
 

done

I picked up Barnes 120gr VOR-TX black tip and got it sighted in at 100 yards. Shooting it out of 16" barrel. They make nice tiny groups. Very nice to see that they have same POI as my plinking/target ammo of Remington 120gr OTFB ammo. Deer season opens in 6 weeks here.

This seems as wise a place as any to ask... What optic are you guys running on your 300's this hunting season?

I'm torn between swapping a Steiner P4Xi off another (range toy) rifle, or ordering another dedicated hunting season optic for the 300. Something under $400. Not gonna lie, I kind of like the idea of either a 1st gen Viper PST 1-4 or a 1-6 strike eagle. Any reason either of these wouldn't work for 150 yard and in hunting???

Ideas?

I love my 1st Gen PST 1-4. It's on a 5.56 rifle right now. The Strike Eagle has a fisheye effect that bugs me. No reason they wouldn't work, but I prefer just a little more magnification for a hunting optic. 3-9 is my favorite for a deer rifle. It's not that I take long shots, but it's helpful if you're trying to see which buck you're looking at. It won't matter if you're not going to be picky about what deer you're shooting.

wow that a great post. thanks

I have 2-7x32mm Weaver on both of my AR carbines (5.56 and 300Blk) and 3-9x40mm Weaver on the AR rifle (5.56).
I don't really have a preference for one over the other as they are both durable and clear.

Thanks for all the input, I think i'm going to try the steiner this year, and if I like it, i'll get the 300 its own. If I decide it isn't enough zoom, I might just get another pst gen II 1-6.

I'm by no means a deer hunting expert, but I do run a Steiner P4xi on my 8' 300 blackout for deer hunting and it's a great fit in my opinion. The big eye box and clear glass is helpful for that night time/dawn transition, and the single illuminated dot in the middle helps there as well. Once there starts to be enough light out to see, I turn the illumination to the 2nd or 3rd setting just to give me enough of a red pinpoint that I can easily place it on a deer's vitals at 125 yards or less and be confident the round will go where I need it to provided I do my part.

Another vote of reassurance. Thank you for that. I was pretty confident in this decision, but as hunting season draws closer found myself questioning. Normally i'd just got out and shoot and make sure I was happy, but i'm deployed till October, so I have to do a lot of this stuff without being able to touch things. Input like yours helps immensely. Thank you.

well I found a burris 1/4 power scope and have since shot a small pig. how do I post pictures?

Higher level members here can display pictures through the sites media hosting service. Lacking that, you'd have to create and host the pictures first at a site such as Imgur. Or send me an IM and I'll host them for you.

I picked up a Leupold VXR 1.25-4 with the firedot circle reticle. I think it's a great fit for the 300 SBR. I have experience with the vxr patrol 1-4 on a 556 and love the daylight bright dot. With the circle dot, the lit dots sits in the center of a black circle making it very fast. Plus the bottom of the circle and the top of the bottom stadia can be used as hold over points. The vxr is also very light weight with good glass. I think it is an excellent choice worth considering.

Anyone use/load 110gr Vmax for deer? How about the GMX? Max shot would be 150yards, most typical would be 50-80.
Having trouble finding black tips in stock. When I do, they're nearly $1/bullet shipped. At that price I'd just buy the factory load.

I have neck shot a few does with the V max, I would not take a body shot with it. It explodes most of the time when I shoot coyotes with no exit.

I have a 7 year old son and he is hunting for the first time this year. He was struggling mightily holding an SKS (could group ok rested). It was about 10 minutes after sunset and he missed a deer perfectly still and broadside at 15 yards with 3 shots.I felt worse than he did.

It just hit me that I have a 10 inch barreled .300 blackout he should be able to handle with ease. I put a T2 on it tonight and went to the LGS for ammo and they didn't have anything for hunting. Got online and bought 60 rds of Hornady Custom 135 FTX. Good choice? Bad Choice? If bad, do you guys recommend something else? 60 yards or less is all we will be shooting. Thanks in advance

The 300 AAC Blackout is a fairly capable cartridge, but it absolutely requires the use of the "correct" bullet and load.

Dad's old 270/308/3006 will cleanly harvest game with almost any load made. While we like to sit around the campfire and argue about how my favored 180 load outperforms your 150 grain loading, and Uncle Lou is pissing and moaning about the 165 splitting the distance, all will get it done without fuss. The 300 Blackout does NOT have that versatility..... And unlike the typical 270/308/3006, the Blackout comes in two very distinct load types.....

Subsonics... In order to minimize firing noise (or more correctly, the noise of the projectile breaking the sound barrier), the 300 AAC comes in lot of subsonic loadings. Given that there is a hard upper boundary for speed in a subsonic load, the only way to increase "power" is to use a heavier bullet and to use a bullet that does not suffer from lots of aerodynamic drag. We end up with various 208, 220, 240 grain streamlined bullets in the Blackout. Fundamentally, these are all pretty much identical in that they use the heaviest practical bullets and a streamlined projectile. The end result is simple: This is a more efficient loading and has the most practical energy that can be easily obtained within the constraints of the subsonic speed limits and a cartridge that still fits in an AR magazine and bolt face. But any way you slice it, you are essentially using a cartridge that roughly approximates the .45 ACP.... These bullets typically will not expand, and if they do expand, they typically won't have enough actual energy to really penetrate deeply (like your expanded .30 in the 308). These subsonic loads have all kind of benefits over a subsonic 9mm for example, but they really are not great hunting loads. Don't use them.

Supersonics. Stick a 110 to 125 grain expanding bullet in the 300 AAC, and its an entirely different performer. I typically think of these as roughly equal to the 7.62x39 soviet loading. These are entirely capable game takers, within their range limitations. I'm entirely comfortable using these loads to about 100 yards, maybe 125. To get the best performance out of these loads, you need a bullet designed to open at fairly modest speeds. The 300 Blackout isn't going to push bullets to 2800 fps like a 308 will. Nosler's 125 Ballistic Tip and Hornady's similar SST. These are fairly lightly constructed bullets, but they will open up and expand at modest 300 AAC speeds. The other option, which is probably the best option on the market, is the Barnes 110 grain load. This bullet was specifically designed for the impact speeds of the AAC.

Note regarding distance: Maybe you can hit targets reliably at 250 yards with the AAC. Good for you! Unfortunately, the 125 yard limit is still in effect. The 300 AAC simply doesnt have the horsepower to be a decent long range player. The issue isn't rounds on target, its remaining velocity. While you may hit targets at 300 yards, the remaining velocity has dropped significantly. As a result, even the very good performing bullets like the Nosler BT, the Hornady SST and the Barnes TAC-TX now have insufficient remaining velocity to really work well. In most guns all three of these should be running roughly 2000 fps or so at 100 yards, and likely down into the mid 1900's but 150 yards (those are off the cuff estimates). Once bullet speeds drop below the 1900 FPS range, bullet expansion and terminal effect starts to really suffer. Limit shots to 125 (100 would be better!) and it will all work out fine.

Limit your shots to reasonable ranges. Use one of the three bullets mentioned above. And so long as you do your part and but the bullet in the vitals, those loads will cleanly harvest your deer or hog. If you get creative and try to use a subsonic load, do so knowing that the odds of crippled or wounded game animal are SIGNIFICANTLY higher. The subsonics just don't work nearly as well as the supersonics....

Fro

Edit: Hornady does a pretty god job matching bullet to the cartridge and intended use. The FTX loads are, by and large, decent performers out of modest guns and cartridges like the 30-30 and 35 rem. Given that they reduced the bullet weight to 135 grains, I suspect the bullet is specifically manufactured for the 300 AAC's velocity limitations. Designed for purpose, if you will, just like the 110 Barnes TAC Tx load. It should work fine. Careful about range.... Those 135's only start at about 2000 fps or a bit more, so they arent going fast to begin with. Speeds will drop off sharply beyond 100 yards, and terminal effect will suffer accordingly.

I no longer hunt deer with 300blk, on the large whitetail up here in the northern states, I have found they just don't work the best and there are other calibers that work better 6.5 Grendel 6.8spc or any of the big bores.

That said if I had to choose you will want something light to get the fps up. I had the best luck with Barnes 110gr Vor TX black tip. They were designed for 300blk and will do the job if you do your part under 100yds. But don't expect to take long shots or shots with questionable shot placement, if it isn't broadside or a head shot I wouldn't take it.

This is just from my experience last 2 years, imo 300blk is not an ideal whitetail round or at least not for large whitetail. You will probably be fine with TX whitetail those things are small.