1:10 Twist 30cal--What Weight Sub Bullet?

[Bully]

I'm finally in a "free state" and am looking to add a can to my safe.
I want to shoot my .308 with a 1:10/16" barrel using subs. Hoping to use it for night hunting on hogs at a buddy's spot this early spring.
What is the heaviest bullet I can get away with?
(Yes, I know... rifle dependent. Got it.)
I'll obviously test a bit but I'd like to avoid baffle strikes. It's pricey enough without having to buy it again.
Thanks in advance.

 

[AckleymanII]

news....., hogs have great hearing, better than human. A friend tried 22 sub sonic suppressed, and they still ran like a scalded cat.

 

[Buzz]

It’s going to vary significantly based on bullet shape. The Sierra 180 RN is pretty commonly used in 1:10, whereas long, sleek 180 or 185 may be a little iffy. Some people claim they can get a 220smk to work in a 1:10. You can use the stability calculator on JBM’s site to get an idea of what may or may not work.

I would shoot them with the can off over a chrono and look for any signs of issues on the target. If you’re making nice, round holes at 50+ yards then you shouldn’t have issues with the can on.

 

[dellet]

Depends on the bullet you choose, and length is the key.

A flat base, round nose you could probably get up around 250 grains.

1.4” in length is probably a good number for comparison, but with the right bullet longer is possible,

If you have a copper solid that weighs 200 grains, the exact same shape lead bullet will weigh around 240 grains. Jacketed around 225-30 grains. Copper weighs about 80% of lead.

Then there is distance it remains stable, that is where design comes in. I have a 265 grain cast bullet that is just under 1.4” and is quite accurate and stable in a 1/10 out to about 75 yards, then just falls apart around 100.
A 220 SMK that is .100” longer, is fine past 200.

 

[CharlieNC]

Shoot them in the head for DRT, at least that's the protocol around here or they escape in the swamp. On my only hog hunt I used a 125gr Sierra Pro Hunter and at 100yd the deed was done, it blew out the head.

 

[JayBeeYou]

I had great success running a 30/30 150 grain flatpoint with trailboss. It seemed to hit with a little more authority than a spitzer and penetrates like crazy.

 

[JLB5482]

I shoot 308 subsonic in both bolt Guns and semi auto.

220 gr is going to be your max. Hornady or Speer 220 Gr round nose with a flat base.

Otherwise stick with a 200 grain.

Bearing surface is critical for a subsonic shooting.

I have some 200 and 220 grain subsonic expanders that work great on hogs.

Head or neck shots at 50 yards or less is the ticket when subsonic hunting.







This is a 5 shot group using 230 grain Bergers at 50 yards out of my little Bolt Gun.
1:8” Twist 14.5” 12.5 grs of Trail Boss


My point is accuracy is key in huntings with subs.





JLB

 

[XTR]

This is where JBM Ballistics is your friend.

plug a selection of bullets and velocities into the stability calc and see what will work. For subs at reasonable sub ranges you need a stability a bit greater than 1 to keep them flying straight. Losing a little BC for an SG less than 1.5 is not really an issue.

 

[rockhound78]

Try some of the Hornady Sub-x 190gr bullets. Have shot them out of a 30-30 subsonic. Deer haven't co-operated yet for me to see how they perform.

 

[mgunderson]

Round nose bullets are often very short for their weight. The ballistic calculators that have velocity in them are very helpful to look at stability, but that only tells half the answer. Many of the sleek newer bullets don't like the slower subsonic speeds.

The terminal performance is something I have no experience with.