300 blackout for hunting deer. 1

[bullethead]

The 300 BO cartridge was designed for shorter than average rifle barrels which were mostly suppressed. It really wasn't intended to be a long range (100yd +) game killer. It was designed to make max velocity in 6"-10" barrels and be used in a compact weapon with more "punch" than a 5.56 when clearing rooms. Those rounds are not ideal hunting rounds though.

Sig has a hunting load that they designed for short barrels and for hunting deer sized game.
https://www.guns.com/news/2019/04/23/testing-sigs-300-blackout-short-barrel-loads

 

[B. White]

Folks also reported having good results with Speer 125gr TNTs at BO velocities. I've got some loaded, but I don't think I've ever taking it with me when hunting.

 

[fishman1957]

I had shoulder surgery last Oct so it was hunt with 300 bo or handgun I killed biggest buck of my life and a doe Grand Daughter killed a nice 6 pt Barnes 110 gn good exit lots of blood none went more than 30 yds. All70-100 yd shots can't complain will be using this year also

 

[tcward]

300BO is an iffy round past 75 yards. Get a 350 Legend upper and don’t look back.

 

[stevenadams75]

My handloads over the last few years have been excellent for the 300 blackout. I use a 10.5" barrel also on a pistol upper. I'm pushing 2080 fps with a 12 fps +/- 150 Sierra game kings. Excellent out to 125 yards(farthest shot I've taken). I have shot two with the nosler varmageddon 110g handloads, with devastating results. Proper shot placement is key though(Heart/Lungs is an instant kill with this combo). But most of my shots are 30-60 yards from a 20 foot tower stand.

 

[Liberty]

I would use a lighter and/ or boutique bullet from that length barrel.

 

[Robust Redhorse]

300 Blackout will certainly kill a whitetail, but it is by no means the optimal cartridge for deer in an AR-15 platform.


350 legend is probably the best in an Ar-15 platform, and the .223 with BIG GAME bullets is OK too, but I wouldn't choose it for a once in a lifetime hunt for a B&C buck.



IMHO -

If using:

- an AR-15 - use a 350 legend if possible.

- another type rifle (bolt action/semi auto/single shot) - at least a .257 Roberts up to any larger cartridge designed for MEDIUM sized game.

If you use a bullet designed for LARGE game, you may just push a pencil sized hole through a deer because the bullet is not designed to expand on something as small as a deer.

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

300 Blackout will certainly kill a whitetail, but it is by no means the optimal cartridge for deer in an AR-15 platform.


350 legend is probably the best in an Ar-15 platform, and the .223 with BIG GAME bullets is OK too, but I wouldn't choose it for a once in a lifetime hunt for a B&C buck.



IMHO -

If using:

- an AR-15 - use a 350 legend if possible.

- another type rifle (bolt action/semi auto/single shot) - at least a .257 Roberts up to any larger cartridge designed for MEDIUM sized game.

If you use a bullet designed for LARGE game, you may just push a pencil sized hole through a deer because the bullet is not designed to expand on something as small as a deer.

350 legend is better than a 300bo but it's nowhere even close ballistically to a 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 spc or even the 6mm arc, predator etc . The 350 legend is great for states that need straight walled cartridges but it's fairly pointless in georgia, 300blackout is essentially a semi 3030, the legend is essentially a semi 35rem, they're fine at short range but going past 200yards isn't gonna end well for the legend.

 

[NCHillbilly]

350 legend is better than a 300bo but it's nowhere even close ballistically to a 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 spc or even the 6mm arc, predator etc . The 350 legend is great for states that need straight walled cartridges but it's fairly pointless in georgia, 300blackout is essentially a semi 3030, the legend is essentially a semi 35rem, they're fine at short range but going past 200yards isn't gonna end well for the legend.

That is why I have a couple different rifles. I find my AR in 7.62x39 with a 4x scope to be an ideal 100-yard woods rifle, which is where I do most of my hunting. A lot of places I hunt, you can't see more than 50 yards. It is a lot more maneuverable and handy than a longer bolt action in a tree stand, and functions just fine in that setting. If I'm hunting at longer ranges, I bring out the .300Winmag bolt-action with a bigger scope, which is overkill and hard to manage in short-range woods hunting scenarios.

 

[transfixer]

The main reason I have a .300bo is the interchangeability with much of the 5.56/.223 AR parts, only the barrel is different, I can use the same bolt/bcg, same mags, I can convert 5.56/.223 cases to .300bo if I need to, and the variety of projectiles it can be loaded with, my intention was not to use it strictly for hunting, it is mainly a defense weapon, which it fills that category much better in my opinion than a 5.56/.223, with bigger/heavier projectiles,

If I were wanting an AR strictly for hunting, I would choose the Grendel, or 6.8, if that is all I were going to use it for, the drawbacks to them are special bolts and dedicated mags, and ammunition you won't readily be able to source just anywhere , so they would not be a good pick for an apocalyptic type situation.

 

[Liberty]

I started out with a 30-06, have tried all sorts of other stuff, and I still haven’t found anything better for humanely killing white tails in Georgia. The power levels generated by calibers that will fit into an ar magwell will always be substantially less than our .308s, 30-06, 300 Win mags etc. None of that is part of this discussion, but I say that to make the point of ar-anything is a short range proposition on deer until you move up into the ar-10 platform. Keep your ar shots in 30-30 range with ammunition properly matched to the game being hunted, and the rest is a near academic level argument. Everyone’s brother-in-law’s best friend nephew has claimed to have killed a deer DRT at 300 yards with a 30-30, .223, or .44 magnum, but in the real world, ft. lbs of delivered energy and properly constructed bullets along with shot good placement kills deer humanely. The 30 Sabercat seems to be leading the pack, but that is an awful lot of money or work for something that still isn’t a .308. Bullets shaped like missiles fly better and retain more energy than those shaped like a peanut butter jar, although the blunt force trauma can be greater at shorter ranges, but within reasonable ranges we are back to academic arguments. Not trying to be a party pooper, but these new calibers are more for selling guns and ammo with clever marketing or in niche markets in states with odd hunting regulations than substantial advancements in the tired ar-15 platform.

 

[Robust Redhorse]

350 legend is better than a 300bo but it's nowhere even close ballistically to a 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 spc or even the 6mm arc, predator etc . The 350 legend is great for states that need straight walled cartridges but it's fairly pointless in georgia, 300blackout is essentially a semi 3030, the legend is essentially a semi 35rem, they're fine at short range but going past 200yards isn't gonna end well for the legend.

doomtrpr_z71 is exactly right on this one (don't know what I was thinking), I'd go with a 6.5 Grendel for a deer rifle.

 

[delacroix]

Or not. Unless your want is for subsonic with a suppressor. Otherwise you're just wasting powder on something over-loud and underpowered.

 

[rosewood]

The main reason I have a .300bo is the interchangeability with much of the 5.56/.223 AR parts, only the barrel is different, I can use the same bolt/bcg, same mags, I can convert 5.56/.223 cases to .300bo if I need to, and the variety of projectiles it can be loaded with, my intention was not to use it strictly for hunting, it is mainly a defense weapon, which it fills that category much better in my opinion than a 5.56/.223, with bigger/heavier projectiles,

If I were wanting an AR strictly for hunting, I would choose the Grendel, or 6.8, if that is all I were going to use it for, the drawbacks to them are special bolts and dedicated mags, and ammunition you won't readily be able to source just anywhere , so they would not be a good pick for an apocalyptic type situation.

I couldn't have said it better myself. We think just alike, all of the above.

Rosewood

 

[buckpasser]

I put together a Blk AR for my kids to use. Of course I had to “test it out” before I could trust it. I know it doesn’t look like much. I know it’s not a monster on paper. I know it’s a pesky little dinky laughable hunting round. I realize it shouldn’t be anyone’s “go to”, but durn...it just smears death on them! I’ve killed my biggest and third biggest buck with it as well as another big bodied buck. My son and daughter nailed their first deer last year, my kid BIL did the same on two does bang bang style. It’s ridiculous with the Sig Sauer Elite 120g copper. I actually became an AR-aholic because of it. I’m sick...

BTW, one of the bucks died at 120 yards and another died at full running speed.

 

[bullethead]

I put together a Blk AR for my kids to use. Of course I had to “test it out” before I could trust it. I know it doesn’t look like much. I know it’s not a monster on paper. I know it’s a pesky little dinky laughable hunting round. I realize it shouldn’t be anyone’s “go to”, but durn...it just smears death on them! I’ve killed my biggest and third biggest buck with it as well as another big bodied buck. My son and daughter nailed their first deer last year, my kid BIL did the same on two does bang bang style. It’s ridiculous with the Sig Sauer Elite 120g copper. I actually became an AR-aholic because of it. I’m sick...

BTW, one of the bucks died at 120 yards and another died at full running speed.

That Sig bullet is an equalizer

 

[buckpasser]

That Sig bullet is an equalizer

I can’t say enough good about it. I don’t think they’re wildly popular, but after seeing what a little ‘ol Blk could do, the .30-06 has been gathering dust ever since. I did build a Grendel last year and made a kill, but for where I hunt I could have just stayed with the .300 forever. No recoil, lower noise level, and a speedy follow up capability are too nice to ignore, especially when that copper bullet is smashing them so hard.

 

[transfixer]

I put together a Blk AR for my kids to use. Of course I had to “test it out” before I could trust it. I know it doesn’t look like much. I know it’s not a monster on paper. I know it’s a pesky little dinky laughable hunting round. I realize it shouldn’t be anyone’s “go to”, but durn...it just smears death on them! I’ve killed my biggest and third biggest buck with it as well as another big bodied buck. My son and daughter nailed their first deer last year, my kid BIL did the same on two does bang bang style. It’s ridiculous with the Sig Sauer Elite 120g copper. I actually became an AR-aholic because of it. I’m sick...

BTW, one of the bucks died at 120 yards and another died at full running speed.

I've not tried any of the copper projectiles in mine, I've been too leary of them expanding at blackout velocities, and now I'm running a 10.5in barrel, which will mean lower than advertised velocities

 

[bullethead]

I've not tried any of the copper projectiles in mine, I've been too leary of them expanding at blackout velocities, and now I'm running a 10.5in barrel, which will mean lower than advertised velocities

Some manufacturers make their copper bullets geared towards specific Cartridges/Velocities. I would bet that particular Sig 120gr copper bullet is of a different construction than one designed for a faster .30cal cartridge.

 

[buckpasser]

Some manufacturers make their copper bullets geared towards specific Cartridges/Velocities. I would bet that particular Sig 120gr copper bullet is of a different construction than one designed for a faster .30cal cartridge.

I’m not a bullet or ballistics guru like some here, but I can tell you they perfected that round.