300BLK Hog Exterminating Loads?

[X-Caveman]

Notice, I did not say "hunting", so don't judge...

9" Barrel, surpessed, max shot about 120 yards, 80 to 100 yards is more typical.

So far, I've tried...
17.8gr H110 with a Hornady 125SST gets me 1,940 FPS - surprisingly good accuracy and velocity #s. My plinking load is the same, but with a 125TNT. It shoots well, too.
19.0gr H110 with a Barnes 110T-TSX gets me 2,080 FPS - mediocre accuracy at best, big ES.

Been using the Hornady load and the first pig shot gets recovered. After that it's a crap shoot. I did some mercy clean up work with the Barnes load and it was remarkably ineffective. I think it's the wrong Barnes projectile, but I can't find the ones with the big black tip.

I have some Lehigh Defense 115 Controlled Chaos in route. I almost bought some 101gr pills from the good folks at Hammer Bullets, and I still may. But at 1/2 the price, I figured I would try Lehighs first.

What do you guys recommend? It looks like deer season this year is going to be a bust, so I'm gonna try to put a dent in the hog population starting Nov 6th.

TIA!

 

[HandgunHTR]

Do you care if they are recovered or just want them to die? If it is the former, then the 125 grain SSTs are good performers in the 300BLK as are the Nosler Ballistic Tips. If you don't care if you recover them or not and just want them to die, then the 110 grain Hornady SPs or V-Max bullets or even the 110 grain Sierra Pro Hunters will do you just fine.

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

I use both the Hornady 125 SST and the Speer Gold Dot 300BLK. The 150's give a little more energy out of my 16" barrel. In my 7.5 I only shoot subs, so I can't tell you which one works better there.

Here is a link to a thread I have been following about the Speer Gold Dot 150 300BLK. They are designed for the 300BO and they expand as low as 1100 fps but great expansion at 1650.

Speer Gold Dot 150 BLK » 300BlkTalk

Speer Gold Dot 150 BLK - Page 8 - 300BlkTalk

Left to right Fps 1650, 1450, 1350

 

[Walt Krafft]

Rechamber to 300 Ham'R. Gives more velocity than a Blackout at supersonic speeds.

 

[H2OBUG]

I was shooting 17.0 of IMR 4227 under the 125 SST In my BO. It’s really accurate for a BO in a stock barrel AR I thought. I was doing .75 at 100 and 1.25 or less at 150.

 

[X-Caveman]

I use both the Hornady 125 SST and the Speer Gold Dot 300BLK. The 150's give a little more energy out of my 16" barrel. In my 7.5 I only shoot subs, so I can't tell you which one works better there.

Here is a link to a thread I have been following about the Speer Gold Dot 150 300BLK. They are designed for the 300BO and they expand as low as 1100 fps but great expansion at 1650.

Speer Gold Dot 150 BLK » 300BlkTalk

Speer Gold Dot 150 BLK - Page 8 - 300BlkTalk

Left to right Fps 1650, 1450, 1350

Thanks, Wes. Maybe I should register on that site. Looks like an awesome resource.

 

[rebel]

Thanks, Wes. Maybe I should register on that site. Looks like an awesome resource.

It is. And the fellow that tested that bullet extensively is on this forum. My go to in the old days was the SST. These days it's the Gold Dot -awesome projectile.

 

[DirtySteve]

At such low velocities I would think a heavier bullet would give you better results. Like a 165-180 grain bullet at 2,000 fps.. A little more penetration would be a good thing..

 

[dellet]

At such low velocities I would think a heavier bullet would give you better results. Like a 165-180 grain bullet at 2,000 fps.. A little more penetration would be a good thing..

The problem is bullet design and niche market. Manufacturers are hesitant to make a cartridge dedicated bullet.

Rule of thumb max fps numbers as a hand load in a 16" barrel.
110 grain Vmax 2400 fps, 1400 pounds muzzle, 1000 pounds @150 yards, 2100 fps
125 grain SST 2300 fps, 1470 pounds muzzle, 1000 @165 yards, 1900 fps
150 grains GD 2200 fps, 1612 pounds muzzle, 1000 @ 230 yards, 1770 fps
165 grain Partition 2100 fps, 1615 pounds muzzle, 1000@ 265 yards, 1650 fps
180 grain Partition 2000 fps, 1550 pounds muzzle. 1000@ 295 yards, 1585 fps

To get those numbers the bullet needs to be flat base and loaded to 2.260", or mag length, and expand at those velocities. As of yet I have not found a bullet that reliably expands below 1600 fps unless it is a dedicated Blackout bullet. The Partitions seem to be reliable to about 150-175 yards, around 1750 fps. Some 30-30 bullets work well like the 160 FTX, but because of the nose design case capacity is limited by overall length. This creates a problem in that the bullets that will allow the highest velocities, will have the worst BC's, 150-165 grain range is probably optimum. Using the Gold dot as a model you could increase the length about .125", probably weigh in around 170 grains.

Note that I limited distance to 1000 pounds of energy on target, not minimum expansion velocity. The reason for this is that bullets like the 110 Barnes that expands down to 1350 fps are not hunting bullets. Yes, it will expand at 1350 and deliver a whopping 450 pounds of energy and about 10-12" of penetration at 450 yards on a good day.

The round is not near as anemic as many would try to convince you, bullet choice is an issue, as is shooting skill and being able to calculate drops.

I know of a number of 250 + pound hogs taken cleanly in the 175-200 yard range with the Gold Dot. Bullet passed through ribs on both sides.

My go to load is 2080 fps in a 12" MOdel 7 and is good for 1/2 MOA. Same load in an 8" barrel is 1930 fps and +/- 3/4 MOA both at 200 yards.

 

[JSH]

I have played with several of the 30x221 variations with bullets from 100-220. As a hunting cartridge it leaves me wanting more.

 

[X-Caveman]

The problem is bullet design and niche market. Manufacturers are hesitant to make a cartridge dedicated bullet.

Rule of thumb max fps numbers as a hand load in a 16" barrel.
110 grain Vmax 2400 fps, 1400 pounds muzzle, 1000 pounds @150 yards, 2100 fps
125 grain SST 2300 fps, 1470 pounds muzzle, 1000 @165 yards, 1900 fps
150 grains GD 2200 fps, 1612 pounds muzzle, 1000 @ 230 yards, 1770 fps
165 grain Partition 2100 fps, 1615 pounds muzzle, 1000@ 265 yards, 1650 fps
180 grain Partition 2000 fps, 1550 pounds muzzle. 1000@ 295 yards, 1585 fps

To get those numbers the bullet needs to be flat base and loaded to 2.260", or mag length, and expand at those velocities. As of yet I have not found a bullet that reliably expands below 1600 fps unless it is a dedicated Blackout bullet. The Partitions seem to be reliable to about 150-175 yards, around 1750 fps. Some 30-30 bullets work well like the 160 FTX, but because of the nose design case capacity is limited by overall length. This creates a problem in that the bullets that will allow the highest velocities, will have the worst BC's, 150-165 grain range is probably optimum. Using the Gold dot as a model you could increase the length about .125", probably weigh in around 170 grains.

Note that I limited distance to 1000 pounds of energy on target, not minimum expansion velocity. The reason for this is that bullets like the 110 Barnes that expands down to 1350 fps are not hunting bullets. Yes, it will expand at 1350 and deliver a whopping 450 pounds of energy and about 10-12" of penetration at 450 yards on a good day.

The round is not near as anemic as many would try to convince you, bullet choice is an issue, as is shooting skill and being able to calculate drops.

I know of a number of 250 + pound hogs taken cleanly in the 175-200 yard range with the Gold Dot. Bullet passed through ribs on both sides.

My go to load is 2080 fps in a 12" MOdel 7 and is good for 1/2 MOA. Same load in an 8" barrel is 1930 fps and +/- 3/4 MOA both at 200 yards.

Thank you. Seems the most knowledgeable over there also frequent this site. I shouldn't be surprised.

My barrel is only 9" long, so the velocities you mentioned in the table above aren't attainable. My 125SST is 1,940 at the muzzle, barely meeting the 1K ft-lb standard. Well, I guess it does out to about 15 yards... I once had a 16" 300BLK but got rid of it because it was so cumbersome once the suppressor was hanging off it. I really like my current set-up from an ergonomic, functionality, heft standpoint.

I have zero aspirations of shooting anything alive with my 300BLK past about 120 yards. Likewise, I won't hunt a game animal with it. I have other tools for that. This is all nighttime hog exterminating with a thermal, suppressed. Our property isn't very large and we have neighbors. I like the 300BLK because it's quiet, doesn't recoil much (faster follow up shots) and the misses are a lot less likely to leave the property vs a 5.56, .308, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, etc. As I'm sure you know, the first shot on a group of hogs is the only one that's well aimed. The 125SST has served me reasonably well there. My last time out, the first one was the only one I recovered. The other 17 in the group escaped, at least one of which carrying some lead.

I'm just curious if there's something better. I would prefer the higher end of the velocity spectrum - less drop/ lead required. Have you experimented with the Lehigh 115 Controlled Chaos? If not, would you like to? I could send you a few when they come in.

Finally, I know this probably sounds wrong/ unethical to a lot of folks. You must understand these feral hogs are a nuisance. They aren't native here, they breed at alarming rates, destroy crops, force out game animals and can even be dangerous. Just yesterday I heard that their population is supposed to double in TX in the next year. It's a problem.

 

[dellet]

There a a few huge industry and shooter problems with the cartridge and how it's marketed, used and understood.

First in the Blackout version which has got all the hype, it was never intended to hunt with, unless you include humans. It was a tactical project. Almost all the bullets designed for it are high for cartridge velocity, rapid expansion or fracturing.

In a word they are incorrectly designed for hunting to have minimal penetration, no exit wound.

All these rounds that meet FBI protocol and provide 16" or less, based on a lower than max velocity, are not ideal hunting rounds in my opinion.

Don't get hung up on energy levels, I use them because people are familiar with them.

1900 FPS in a 9" barrel is not a problem with a 150 grain bullet. At 200 yards that will be around 1550 fps, the bullet will expand almost completely and will have 800 pounds of energy. Twice the muzzle energy of a 357 magnum pistol with the same 150 grain bullet. or the Blackout would have the same energy at 500 yards that the 357 mag would have at the muzzle.

If you run the numbers for 110,125, 150 grain bullets at your chosen barrel velocity, it always comes out the same within 200 yards. Drops and energy on target are not different enough to use that as the only reason to pick a bullet. The 150 will have the energy edge, but then you have to choose between total energy dump and less penetration, or less energy dump more penetration. if the bullet exits, it's left energy on the table.

Member on the blacktalk forum Hogcaller. Look for his posts, he is there in Texas. Sadly looks like his photos are down. He shot a lot of hogs testing the gold dot against the 125 sst. I think he favors the Gold Dot. Drop him a PM.

300BlkTalk » Search

 

[JSH]

From what little I know, hogs and coyotes are a fair bit alike. You either kill them or educate them.

You might see what the IHMSA shooters are doing with this cartridge. I know some are still on the heavy bullet subsonic, others have went a bit lighter and supersonic. Years ago I settled on a 150-165 for hammering steel, supersonic.

 

[X-Caveman]

WTB: 150gr Gold Dot 300 BLK Bullets. Surprise, surprise- don’t see them in stock at my usual spots.

 

[H2OBUG]

Look at the 110 Hornaday GMX also. That Speer Gold Dot BO bullet is a bad boy.

I have considered using the 150BO Gold Dot in my 30-30 G2 Carbine.

 

[yotehater]

Any bullet will kill them but some do it better in the 300 Blackout. I've tried 165 gr CoreLokt @ 1850fps, the 125 SST, the Nosler 110 Varmegeddon, the Speer 125 TNT, but if I want to make sure they go down I use the Barnes 110 TAC-TX.


They usually pass through but this old grizzled boar was shot diagonally at 185 yds and the bullet didn't exit. I finally found it after the carcass rotted away. Prefect expansion and weight retention. I also shoot them in a 9.5" pistol barrel and they are just as effective within its range. 200 yds max in my opinion for hogs. The cup and core are just for plinking and coyotes.

This sow was shot a couple of nights ago at 150 yds with the barnes 110 tac-tx. She went about twenty feet and piled up. Complete pass through.

 

[yotehater]

WTB: 150gr Gold Dot 300 BLK Bullets. Surprise, surprise- don’t see them in stock at my usual spots.

I've not even heard of it, but it sounds like a good hog bullet if they can keep up with demand. I chuckle at the Blackout haters every time this little round makes progress. Stack them suckers high.

 

[X-Caveman]

 

[X-Caveman]

For those unfamiliar with the issue. I literally deleted thousands of pictures of hogs in the last hour in preparation for a trip out there this weekend to swap cards.

 

[yotehater]

It looks like you need a machine gun.