Is The 300BLK Subsonic a 200 yard Deer Killer?

[AP2020]

 

[SheepDog]

Is it possible to kill a deer at 200 yards with a subsonic 194 grain bullet?
Yes, it is possible but the question is is it likely and ethical?
Not really, on either count. The bullet has just enough power to cleanly kill a 48 pound dog with a normal body hit. It has already dropped over 5 feet from the line of departure. It only has 26 foot pounds per second of momentum which is about the same as my 140gr bullet from my 357 at 50 yards but that 140gr bullet is still traveling at over 1250 fps.

The 300AAC starts out at 1000 fps if it is sub-sonic so at 200 yards it is going about 850 fps. (about 2/3 the velocity of the 357)
A 30-30 with a 170 grain bullet is still going 1530 fps at 200 yards with much more energy and momentum than the 300AAC and most would limit the 30-30 to 150 yards.

So to answer the question the answer is a qualified yes. It can be done with a very good shot with the best results from a head or neck shot.
Would a standard shoulder/body shot be ethical? Not in my opinion.
How about yours?

 

[rcparker1]

I can tell you from shooting my blackout the bullet flys like a soft ball underhanded from a jr hi girl. At 200 I'd worry about vertical hold unless I was sited dead on and practiced. Even then I personally wouldn't take a deer. Inside a 100yards, love it in sub Sonic mode

 

[Ggmac]

Not ethical or powerful enough . A 30 cal hole will not leave a blood trail nor will it exit . A 30 cal hv bullet that's meant to expand is a different beast .

 

[F224]

Sure, but given the option of a supersonic bullet in the same gun, an ethical argument is easily made that you should shoot a faster bullet. See the posts above.

 

[rebel]

OP I believe you know who I am and I take issue with your post. Not that it can't be done, but it shouldn't be advocated or sensationalized. Certainly not in my skill set as a 200 yard zero means you are 18" high at 100, much less the bullet doesn't have enough speed to properly expand. Here is a guy that does have that skill set and earns a living doing it.
Regularly kills elk sized animals with 300 NON - EXPANDING subs at distance. This guy is the real deal.

http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=100286
He has taken them at much longer distances, always head shots. Knowing the challenges of subs at 200 meters/yards with high ES and SD stringing the group - this guy has my respect. I don't have that skill set so I would pick 50 yards as my limit.

 

[GaryL1959]

I

Sure it could kill a deer at 200 yards, but the question is WHY? I dressed a buck last fall for a buddy, 3 hits with 208 AMaxs, subsonic out of a 300 BO, 35 to 40 yard shot. No expansion, no exits. The deer died, but .....
II my opinion, if you are going to be shooting past 50 yards, use a different rifle / load.

 

[wildfowler]

I

Sure it could kill a deer at 200 yards, but the question is WHY? I dressed a buck last fall for a buddy, 3 hits with 208 S-Maxs, subsonic out of a 300 BO, 35 to 40 yard shot. No expansion, no exits. The deer died, but .....
II my opinion, if you are going to be shooting past 50 yards, use a different rifle / load.

I agree. My experience with subsonic on hogs at 50 yards or so was not that encouraging.

A shot to the vitals would penetrate. In many cases leave a good blood trail. Though not necessarily an instant blood trail.

My observation was that when shot, the hog didn't flinch, it didn't jump, it didn't buckle. In fact, if you didn't hear then bullet impact you would think you missed based on the reaction of the hog. Every hog I shot with subsonic just ran off.

Luckily most died less than 100 yards away.

I will absolutely kill a deer but there are much better choices in my opinion. It's supersonic blackout for deer for me please.

 

[Yote Hunter]

The Lehigh 194 gr Max Exp Subsonic is a whole different animal. Kills coyotes dead on the spot with no movement shot at subsonic speeds out of 300 BO. Never had any bullet do that out of my 300 BO. Tried 220gr 240 gr SMK and 245 gr Missouri Lead cast bullet. No expansion or blood trails but the Lehigh is something else. I believe a properly placed shot at 200 yards will do the job and very well. You have to get Extreme spreads down with proper primer and crimp pressure and then it can be very accurate at 200 yards. There again you have to really do your homework though.

 

[rebel]

The Lehigh expands readily in flesh or ballistic gel for sure, at 200 yards though you only get partial expansion because of velocity. None of the " match" type bullets will do anything but tumble and that isn't reliable. Yote Hunter is spot on about doing your homework with subsonic hunting. I might add at any distance. The link provided in my previous post is from a fellow who culls stag, pigs and goats in NZ for a living. All he uses is the rifle shown in 300 Blk. He is a phenomenal hunter and an excellent shot.
Here is a link that shows performance on deer at 80 yards -
http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=145&t=91641

 

[P1ZombieKiller]

I shot a deer with subsonic 200 grn SMK at 35 yards head on several years ago. I had a shot on an injured deer and wanted to put this deer down. I went right into the chest plate knowing the bullet would not expand, but would cause internal damage. The deer had jumped into a cattle pen, and broke his legs. He was hobbling around, and would die of starvation or worse, the coyotes would eat him alive. Here is the bullet from that deer. You can see that even though the bullet went through the breast plate, it only bent the tip of the bullet ever so slightly.

Sorry for the long story, but I bought the Lehighs (but the 200 grain version) and plan on doing some subsonic hunting as soon as I spend some more time practicing at 50-125 yards. This bullet expands very fast in soft tissue, but it is designed that way. 200 SMK, 208 AMAX and even the 200 Barnes all require super sonic speeds to expand. This is a pic of the 200 grain Lehigh at 1050 fps shot into a bucket of sand at 25 yards.

 

[Ggmac]

Still , that expansion is at almost point blank range , not what the op is asking , 200 yds . IF the animal was tied to a tree at 200 yds , maybe , but tracking a wounded animal with no blood trail is NOT GOOD SPORTSSHIP or HUMANE . It's reasons like this that start the min required cartridge requirements .
Please DO NOT TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG . Stick a $5 roast out at 200 yds , or better yet have a buddy tie it to a tree , point it to you , shoot , and with no other help go find the roast and if you find what tree it's on , see how deep it penetrated or that is IF you hit the 6" roast .
YES I feel strongly on this subject .

 

[Yote Hunter]

The expansion of 194 gr Lehigh Max exp subsonic bullet I shot through a 2 liter bottle of water at just over 100 yards at 1050 fps looks just like the one posted above. Expansion was identical and they are designed to expand down to 750 fps. If you run the numbers through a ballistic program you will see it remains above 750 fps well past 500 yards. Now I definately am not advocating taking game at 500 yards subsonic. It only looses 85 fps from point blank to 200 yards. They will expand beautifully at 200 yards. The OP has proven they expand very well at 400 plus yards. If you place them where they need to be they will be just as deadly at 200 yards. 200 yards is a long ways subsonic being it drops 31" from 100-200 yards but in skilled hands that know their rifle they will do the job but you have to really do your homework. I have shot groups 2 3/4" to sub 5" (5) shot groups at 200 yards frequently. They do tremendous damage upon impact because they are designed for very low speeds.

 

[Mikemci]

Show a little RESPECT for your quarry. Take a proper weapon afield or stay home.

 

[hogpatrol]

My answer to the OP is not with any certainty.

 

[MClark]

A problem with subsonic hunting is there are a lot of people who read about it on the Internet, watch TV and YouTube and say this is what I want to do. They have little hunting experience and don't practice at all ranges and conditions that may be encountered in the field. Just sight it in from the bench and go. And to compound the problem we can add night vision (hogs). Just because someone can afford it doesn't mean they know how to use it.
The people at Lehigh, and others on this board, subsonic hunting is what they do and they have practiced enough to hunt and know when not to. The only guy I have hunted with using subsonic had an assistant calling range.

So yes a 300 Blackout can hunt deer, in the hands of a person who is willing to make the commitment to doing it right.

M

 

[Ggmac]

Hitting the animal and recovering it are 2 different things . Under ideal conditions , with the perfect shot , it could work . But are u perfect ?
Do you have the willpower to track a wounded animal till found , with a small or no blood trail ? A thermal camera helps at night .

 

[hogpatrol]

A problem with subsonic hunting is there are a lot of people who read about it on the Internet, watch TV and YouTube and say this is what I want to do. They have little hunting experience and don't practice at all ranges and conditions that may be encountered in the field. Just sight it in from the bench and go. And to compound the problem we can add night vision (hogs). Just because someone can afford it doesn't mean they know how to use it.
The people at Lehigh, and others on this board, subsonic hunting is what they do and they have practiced enough to hunt and know when not to. The only guy I have hunted with using subsonic had an assistant calling range.

So yes a 300 Blackout can hunt deer, in the hands of a person who is willing to make the commitment to doing it right.

M

Same goes for "long range hunting" and the .338 Lapua newbies. They'll shoot factory ammo once a year and think it qualifies them for the title "Long Range Hunter".

 

[Drop Port]

I'll make this easy without speculation, Yes it sucks and no I wont do it again. It performed as could be expected.
Just my experience and .02

 

[rcparker1]

Same goes for "long range hunting" and the .338 Lapua newbies. They'll shoot factory ammo once a year and think it qualifies them for the title "Long Range Hunter".

A 338 Lapua and a few YouTube videos don't make you sniper. That could hurt a lot of feeling