I am hunting South Texas hogs using a suppressed AR in 300 BLK. I've been using factory Hornady 208 sub ammo, and I'm seeing the 208 AMAXs going straight through, without evidence of much expansion. The exits look about the same as the entries, and there's not as much disruption in the engine room as I'd like to see. I assume that AMAXs won't really expand much below a certain speed, and subsonic is much lower than that. Supersonic AMAXs perform very well in game in my experience. It's still killing hogs, but not with as much authority as I'd like. Anyone got a fave subsonic hunting bullet for the little 300? I do handload, so factory ammo is not required. I want to hunt whitetails with this as well, as soon as the season starts, which is why I'd like a bit more thump.
Hunting & Fishing Suppressed hunting bullet expansion
- Thread starter TenZero
- Start date
Something with a soft point may give you the expansion you're looking for while being subsonic.
Sir, here is some great information and discussion that may help your decision:
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...g/104085-subsonic-meat-test-pic-heavy-em.html
http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...g/104085-subsonic-meat-test-pic-heavy-em.html
Try Outlaw State Bullets or Lehigh (sp)
Also Sierra 240's or Hawk 250's ... Both will tumble providing for a much more aggressive wound channel
Also Sierra 240's or Hawk 250's ... Both will tumble providing for a much more aggressive wound channel
For pigs, outlaws are expensive.
In my 300WTF, I have had success turning the 208s backwards, hits a little harder, doesn't expand, works more like a solid.
And I've had some success with the round nose 220s, but the M4 feed ramps don't like them much.
For my piggy killing pleasures, I run a 208 and put it in the eye or between them (if that is the shot presented.)
All this also depends on the size of pig being shot and whether you plan to keep it or just add to an existing gut pile intact.
In my 300WTF, I have had success turning the 208s backwards, hits a little harder, doesn't expand, works more like a solid.
And I've had some success with the round nose 220s, but the M4 feed ramps don't like them much.
For my piggy killing pleasures, I run a 208 and put it in the eye or between them (if that is the shot presented.)
All this also depends on the size of pig being shot and whether you plan to keep it or just add to an existing gut pile intact.
Outlaws are expensive, but they absolutely stone them. Otherwise, I shoot the 240 gr. SMK. I have a 1 in 8 twist barrel with 10" length and they begin to destabilize as soon as the leave the muzzle. The are starting to keyhole the target at 25 yds.
Larger meplat!
Do you load your own?
This is the RCBS 30-180-FP from montanabulletworks.com, it doesn't need to be as hard as 22bhn though, but it really doesn't matter since at low velocity it's not going to expand anyway.
Do you load your own?
This is the RCBS 30-180-FP from montanabulletworks.com, it doesn't need to be as hard as 22bhn though, but it really doesn't matter since at low velocity it's not going to expand anyway.
Rancid, I confess I hadn't even thought of running backward 208's. Genius! I'll give that a go, since I have a ton of them. I too noticed that the 208s are accurate enough for eye shots, even subsonic, inside about 60-70 yards. Maybe I'll do the same and concentrate on the headshots instead of expansion. Placement over power, right? I'm not crazy about deliberately shooting unstable stuff, as I really don't want a baffle strike. AZsugar, you are right, those outlaws are shockingly expensive, but as long as you are only using them to kill stuff, the cost isn't really that bad. Load dev will be expensive though. Cold Bore, excellent info on the meat test! Thanks everyone for the great ideas, I'm finding this rifle/cartridge to be really fun to experiment with, and pigs are the neverending hunting season. 
Last edited:
I enjoy the 300, it is fun to shoot and great to play around with; however, I hunt pigs in very thick brush in Laredo (for a land owner that doesn't like any animals shot and not recovered) so I do most of my hog killing with a 300WM. That too is expensive, but hits with authority and they drop usually on the spot. If you are looking for instant incapacitation at various ranges, 300blk isn't the ideal caliber (super or sub.) If you are just looking to kill pigs and don't care so much about them running after impact, carry on.
With the 300blk, especially subsonic, it is all about shot placement.
With the 300blk, especially subsonic, it is all about shot placement.
Rancid, I'm hunting about 20 miles East of Cotulla, and I know what you mean about the brush. It's about 8 feet high, cactus and mesquite, wall to wall thorns. I tried dove hunting out there, and there are plenty of birds. I shot a few, and gave up after I couldn't recover a single one. No sense killing dove for nothing. My landowner doesn't care what happens to the hogs, as long as I shoot 'em. I like to eat the sows and piglets though. I had been using an AR10 in .308, but since I got my can, I switched to the 300 because it's so much nicer to carry around.
