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.300BO Bolt Gun...talk me out of or into.

earthquake

Area Man
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  • Jul 30, 2009
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    I have a bunch of subs in .300BO that I had for a pistol which isn't getting used hardly at all. Since I have a can, I was considering taking advantage of PVA's 4th of July sale and ordering a 16.5" prefit for my TL3. I'm wondering if a .300BO and subs from a 16" barrel are useful and for what, other than plinking? What kind of range and/or performance can I expect? What do y'all use yours for? The ammo I have is S&B 220-gr. if i recall. TiA!
     
    Two purposes, hunting, and plinking. There is also the cool factor as it is very quiet compared to an AR. Don't have a bolt action 300BLK my self, but wouldn't mind one if I just had an action not doing anything.

    Edit to add, range. 100 for hunting, and have read several times of people taking it out to 300+ depending on scope and cant.
     
    300BLK bolts are great fun for plinking, one of my range mates had one. Drop is like a .22lr but drift and accuracy are better.

    For hunting, they are questionable on anything but small game. Supposedly the Hornady 190s are designed to expand at low velocities and are appropriate for deer sized game, but I haven’t seen one in action yet.
     
    I have an ar pistol and a bolt action in 300 blk. Rarely shoot the ar anymore. I use an AAC sdn-6 on mine. I use makers/Lehigh bullets and have NEVER lost a deer. Ranges from 50 - 125 yards and shooting behind front shoulder. I’m not cursed/blessed with hogs so my ar is a occasional truck gun.
     
    300BLK bolts are great fun for plinking, one of my range mates had one. Drop is like a .22lr but drift and accuracy are better.

    For hunting, they are questionable on anything but small game. Supposedly the Hornady 190s are designed to expand at low velocities and are appropriate for deer sized game, but I haven’t seen one in action yet.
    This was taken last year with the 190gn Sub-X at 90 yards. Barrel is 12.5" and the deer only went 30 maybe 40 yards.

    The Lehigh don't group worth shit for me, but the Hornady does about 1 MOA.

    20191116_105541.jpg
     
    It's a very nice short range lightweight hunter rifle. At distance, it is also very good practice as it's not as sensitive to wind as 22lr and it'll put pressure on having good fundamentals and trigger control. Plus it's a nice way to introduce firearms to kids or females.

    I have built one for the wife with a R700 barreled action with the 16" AAC lightweight barrel, accuracy is okay, nothing spectacular but a lot of fun.
    For supersonics, best bullet is the newish Speer 150 GDHP, approx 1 MOA at 100y. We've also got a deer couple of years ago with the Barnes blacktip 110gr but the Speer 150 is much cheaper, groups better and has better external ballistics.
    For subs, best are the LeHigh 174CE and 194ME (but they need to be loaded very close to the lands) but nowadays I'd say the Hornady 190 Sub-X is a decent performer, much cheaper and easily available. The 190 SubX tends to group better at higher subsonic velocities (1070-1100) but I haven't had the chance to fine tune the load.

    I'm waiting for a anTI action with a 12.5" prefit fluted barrel coming this fall, trying to put together a sub 6.5 lbs with scope deer rifle.

    Mags can be a bit finicky, I used the MDT plastic ones on my MDT HS3 and they feed fine most of the times, I also use a HS DBM on a Manners UC and the did need a fair amount of tuning with the feed lips.

    Best powders for subs in a bolt gun are fast/bulky powders. VV Tinstar is awesome for subs 175gr-200gr. VV N105 is great for heavy subs 200-240gr, especially those HDY 225 BTHP and other long bullets. Trailboss is awesome for subsonics 110-135gr.

    Also for subs, in my experience, R 7 1/2 primers were giving me more consistent velocities which is a big deal for long range subs.
    Some of my loads for bolt guns only:

    Hdy 225 BTHP - 7.5 gr N105 - 2.29 COAL - 1055 FPS SD 6
    Lapua 200 FMJBT - 7.0 Tinstar - 2.21 COAL - 1005 FPS SD 10
    190 SubX - 7.2 Tinstar - 2.15 COAL - 1040 FPS
    SMK 175 - 6.9 gr Tinstar - 2.21 COAL - 1015 FPS SD 7
    LeHigh 174CE - 7.3 Tinstar - 2.30 COAL - 1020 FPS

    Supersonic:
    Speed 150 GDHP - 22.2 AA1680 - 2.20 COAL
    Barnes 110 Blacktips - 19.6 H110 - 2.24 COAL
    Sierra 125 TMK - 17.2 VV N110 - 2.25 COAL
     
    TBAC's sound metering showed that the action noise of an AR15 is ~130 dB, let that sink in for a minute. If you're shooting subsonic ammunition with a suppressor, a bolt gun will be substantially quieter than an AR15.
     
    I have a rem700 sps tactical in 300BO. I used to bang steel with it quite a bit and it is silly quiet with 220g Sierra OTM bullets. I have ever hunted with it though. I do most of my shorter range heavy brush hunting with a 44 mag handi rifle.
     
    Thanks guys. This actually has me thinking of just buying an inexpensive complete bolt rifle in .300 BO instead of swapping barrels in/out on my TL3...probably for same price as a match barrel. Who all makes one? I see:
    1. Remington SDS
    2. Ruger Ranch
    3. Who else?
     
    I've got the AAC Remington and love it. I shoot Hornady 190 gr subs out to 200 yards with it when hunting. I've taken several deer with it using it suppressed and it never fails to produce giggles on my end. The rest of the herd usually runs a few feet and stops to look around. I could fill my 6 tags in one trip if I wanted too.
     
    Bolt action 300blk with subs and a suppressor is about as quiet as it gets for anything centerfire.
     
    I have a 700 aac blackout with a 16 inch barrel and it is a deer killing machine . I normally hunt with outlaw state 220 grain bullets but last year I tried the hornady 190 grain sub-x took a high shoulder shot on a big doe and dropped her like a hot potato broke the shoulder and smashed the spine . I have never had a deer run so far that I couldn't see it drop most never make it 10ft . I also like the 110 grain barnes but to be honest my property is heavy timber with a lot of steep hills and ravines so a shot much farther than 75 yds is a seldom presented . I can hammer the hell out of my nra steel chicken target at 200 yds pretty easy with the 190 grain subs . I have a yhm 7.62 phantom suppressor and it is crazy quite .

    fMtEg1g.jpg
     
    @reubenski how much was that barrel? I've only used shouldered prefits from PVA. Never tried the barrel-nut version.
     
    I wanted 300BO to work so bad and tried multiple bullets/speeds but had a very high rate of fox and raccoons not recovered. Went back to .223 and haven’t lost any more. The only thing I thing BO does well is be quite, everything else seems to be questionable performance in this guy’s opinion.
     
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    I know you're not asking about a new cartridge, but I would rather have a bolt 7.62x39. More performance when cranked up. Ppu sells subsonic 182grn ammo. Would be fun.
     
    @earthquake are those PVA barrels 1 in 10", 1 in7" or 1 in 8" twist?

    I was going through their online order form and did not see anywhere to choose a twist rate.
     
    CDNN is selling Rem/AAC 16” 300BLK barrels for a 700/7 action for $99. If you had a donor action rifle that would be a cheap ticket.

    Interesting. Wonder what the odds this ia gonna headspace with a std remington recoil lug? Ive got a spare model 7 action 223 laying around
     
    Interesting. Wonder what the odds this ia gonna headspace with a std remington recoil lug? Ive got a spare model 7 action 223 laying around
    I bet it would. Customize a lug for headspace if needed, (with proper measurements).
     
    I have a Ruger American Ranch in 300BLK, and a Howa mini in 7.62x39. Both are an absolute giggle to shoot, but I haven't had a chance to (successfully) hunt with either one; though I DID open up an armadillo like a can of Spam with the 300BLK from about 5 yards... :p

    The BLK is on the right:

    Cousin rifles.jpg
     
    You mean like this?
    View attachment 7377849
    View attachment 7377854
    View attachment 7377857

    Its fun, but pretty useless. Sub MOA at 100, 18" vertical at 300yds
    I am in the beginning stages of starting a suppressed bolt action rifle build in 300 blackout. What is the manufacturer/model of this chassis and platform? I am interested in a 16 inch barrel, a folding stock, the flexibility of shooting both subs and supers, and hopefully achieve sub-MOA accuracy. This thread is a couple of years old... is this this the manufacturer you would still recommend?
     
    Hey, thanks for getting back to me. And thanks for being so specific. Yeah, 17 pounds is out, as I want it to be a working/truck gun. I am starting to go down the rabbit hole on possibilities... the Origin is one of them. I need another gun like I need a hole in the head. I will probably reach out again.