300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

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JakFrost273
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by JakFrost273 »

SChunter wrote:Edit - how did your second/third shots on the range sound after your can was all gassed-up?
Ah yes, we think alike. I shot two quick shots back-to-back in front of the lodge to check for the infamous first-round-pop and the filling the suppressor can with gas to quiet down on the next shot and......... no difference in the sound of the sonic report. Same loud crack then impact slap.

I will definitely use lower powder charges such as the 11.0 you mentioned and aim for a 970fps velocity since the Lehigh Defense Maximum Expansion 194gr bullets are rated to expand as low as 750fps.

Awesome bullets in my opinion, my go-to round for subsonic hunting. All copper and I don't have to worry about jacket & core separation, fragmentation, or lack of expansion. I'm glad that they are available since they take the guess work out of bullet selection for me.
DiveR
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by DiveR »

Great read mate. I only shoot two firearms now days, a 204 for amazing evaporation of small animals and head disolving of slightly larger ones, and a 300 blackout handi rifle, all my work with the 300 is sub never do I shoot supers through it. I started this mission with a 308 but traded to a 300 as the case allows for a much wider spread of projectiles for different applications. I currently shoot 32 cals HB wad cutters back to front, this replaces the need for a 22lr as these clover leaf group at 50m and are devistating on anything they hit that you would have previously used a 22 for. I have a modified 150gr lee mold with massive hollow points 4mm mouth 10mm deep, these are great on light animals out to 150 and with head shots will knock larger animals no trouble.They are also still very quiet as they easily leave the barrel without the need for alot of gas, very good for sneaky shooting. I also have a 200 gr lee mold modified with the same savage hollowpoint, this was supposed to take large animals at distance with body shots(and it does) but they still run and you need to track them for 50+m to find the kill. This is on pigs n horses as for roos they just get knocked flat on the spot. These let off a much more distinc signiture and recoil is present due to the size of the slug being driven but still very quiet. I am currently aquring a 240gr smaller hp mold for the larger game at greater distance. Less expansion more weight driving deeper. The lee 230gr slugs shoot very well from my gun but I have had no luck modifying a mold yet so will be purchasing one.
All things aside without knowledge of bullet drop and skill for shot placement this is a hard game for most to achieve, you have to really want the end result and really really really play with each load to get desired results as even the info I managed to find out there has only just been a rough guide, probably the best advice I ever picked up was "cast bullets" For stability at distance cast bullets for modification to get a bullet that will expand at low velocities cast bullets.
I use the H&R handi with colapsable ATI stock and foregrip with the nikon p300 scope, The ATI foregrip added much accuracy to the firearm as the original foregrip was rubish and the collapsable stock alowing the but to extend longer than the original made it much more comfy and hence more accurate. The nikon scope with slip drums allows for easy change of zero for diff loads these I have painted marks on in dif colours to know each easily and the hold overs are amazing once you know where each one is on each load, the only critsism i have is the max zoom of 7 power but it has yet to cost me a kill its just always nice to have more magnification at distance on smaller game. This firearm is exactly as its name stakes a "Handi Rifle" I have a finger grip screw on the fore grip allowing easy disaembly and thus fitting it in a small grab bag and keeping it compact and easy to lug into areas required.
Great gun great fun great cal great cartridge love it thanks guys,
For hunting practises the sub gun is much like the bow hunt but it aloows the hunter if he possess the skill to accuartely kill from much longer ranges. The lack of sonic boom gives confusion to animals for example i have crawled to within 50m of a mob of 20 pigs plus suckers and took 6 before they got enough of a fright to flight. The sound of the 1st impact on the biggest boars skull was way louder than the flight of the slug and it actually put the mob closer too me as they moved away from the sound of the impact. This happens regularly on mob animals. I have taken small wallabies at a range found 230m this animal was the size of a 2L coke bottle, the rest of the mob came to the magic 100m mark for easy head shots and bulk confusion. So i also agree that it is nothing like bow hunting as bows just cant compete with this enjoyment.
odenstrust
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by odenstrust »

I'm hunting with subs and I'm still a newb. So this thread is encouraging especially since I just read this article by Nick Leghorn...
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/0 ... r-hunting/

Don't hunt with subsonic 300BLK he says. Wow. That sounds bad?
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gds
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by gds »

I am going to sort of say I agree with him to a point. If one is not going to practice, and practice, and also use the correctly designed bullet, the I do not suggest doing it.
Yes, I am a Baptist, and yes I carry a gun. You might think I carry a gun because I don't trust God. Well you would be wrong. I have complete faith in my Lord. It is mankind I have no trust in
300blackin
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by 300blackin »

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I haven't read it yet, only skimmed, but will later today after work.

Subsonic hunting with a suppressor is extremely fun! Of course, you are dealing wit less velocity which means you need to be extra carful to make up fo it with a well placed shot and a heavy expanding bullet. The lehigh defense bullets are great, but don't work in some Remington 700's (my main hunter) so theoretically if I wanted to use those rounds to hunt deer with a suppressor, I would use my suppressed SBR, but that is technically illegal so I am not going to admit doing so here.

Its even possible to hunt ethically with a subsonic FMJ. A 230 grain FMJ moving at 950 FPS has some serious power behind it. Its going to require a headshot or very well placed chest shot, but its definitely doable and adds some challenge to the hunt like a bow, you must get a lot closer. It fits wll with the "suppressor mindset" meaning you need to camo up, kill your scent, and wait patiently like a deer assassin ever more so than normally.

Its hard to describe the thrill of taking 100 pounds of venison without making a sound. I killed my first deer this past week with a perfect headshot with my suppressed R700 AAC-SD rifle and a 208 grain "a-max" bullet from hornady, loaded with H110 to an average velocity of 987 FPS. Definitely not the best hunting round, but if you can make a headshot its fine. I practiced a LOT with this round and my new red dot sight so I was confident in taking the 20 yard shot off a monopod. My family was roughly 100 yards away and didn't hear a thing.

Just an FYI, know your hunting rules. Make sure your setup and ammo is legal. I'm guessing there are more than a few places where it would be illegal to take a deer with a suppressed SBR and subsonic ammo. If you choose to break the law, you are taking an enormous risk. If you take this risk, make sure your are not being unethical. Breaking the law isn't always "wrong" but hunting unethically always is unless you are starving to death. Hunting with subsonics means you need to make much more precise shots. Headshots can blow off a deer's jaw and it will die a slow death from starvation. Don't take a shot unless you have practice and can make the shot 99 times out of 100.
WilsonCur
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by WilsonCur »

This is a very valuable thread. Thank you all for contributing. I started hunting squirrels with subsonic .22 rimfire last year and loved it. This year I'm planning to step up to Whitetail and hogs. I've got a Savage Model 10 rebarreled to 300 Blackout that I've been working with. I'm using the Silencerco Harvester to keep things quite. I hope to have something to add to the thread this fall.
Best regards! and Good hunting!
tallburnedmidget
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by tallburnedmidget »

WilsonCur wrote:This is a very valuable thread. Thank you all for contributing. I started hunting squirrels with subsonic .22 rimfire last year and loved it. This year I'm planning to step up to Whitetail and hogs. I've got a Savage Model 10 rebarreled to 300 Blackout that I've been working with. I'm using the Silencerco Harvester to keep things quite. I hope to have something to add to the thread this fall.
Best regards! and Good hunting!
Hello and welcome!

I'm glad you found it helpful. Lots of good content here to help people succeed when sub hunting as apposed for people to just run out and fail then knock sub hunting :)
hardcase
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by hardcase »

Great info here.

I'm looking for something similar to the JBM calculator that puts the trajectory into a bell curve. Specifically using a 50 yard zero instead of 100 yard for subs and/or supers that most curves have. What I'm looking for doesn't need to be in as much detail (wind speed, etc.) as the JBM calculator. 90% of my deer hunting is less than 50 yards. I can use Kentucky windage for any shots over 50 yards or just skip them all together unless conditions are perfect. Most times around here deer are active at dawn and dusk and there is no wind. At my typical range of 15-20 yds I'll try the head shot between the base of the ear and eye. Longer than that, go for heart and skip everything over 75 yards or so.

My AR 300 BO has a 1x4 scope. My 300 BO bolt gun 3x9 scope. I truly hate doing the blood trail thing. If I can't make a good shot, I'll skip the shot.
jwb47
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by jwb47 »

hardcase wrote:Great info here.

I'm looking for something similar to the JBM calculator that puts the trajectory into a bell curve. Specifically using a 50 yard zero instead of 100 yard for subs and/or supers that most curves have. What I'm looking for doesn't need to be in as much detail (wind speed, etc.) as the JBM calculator. 90% of my deer hunting is less than 50 yards. I can use Kentucky windage for any shots over 50 yards or just skip them all together unless conditions are perfect. Most times around here deer are active at dawn and dusk and there is no wind. At my typical range of 15-20 yds I'll try the head shot between the base of the ear and eye. Longer than that, go for heart and skip everything over 75 yards or so.

My AR 300 BO has a 1x4 scope. My 300 BO bolt gun 3x9 scope. I truly hate doing the blood trail thing. If I can't make a good shot, I'll skip the shot.
the most responsible thing I have seen posted for hunting with subs or supers .
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RavenArmament
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Re: 300 blk Subsonic Hunting Primer

Post by RavenArmament »

odenstrust wrote:I'm hunting with subs and I'm still a newb. So this thread is encouraging especially since I just read this article by Nick Leghorn...
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2012/0 ... r-hunting/

Don't hunt with subsonic 300BLK he says. Wow. That sounds bad?
I personally don't care for anything on that blog, but that aside, low velocity bullets have been used for hunting for many, many years. This is nothing new and yes it is ethical. The article seems to infer a similar thing of these magnum maniacs that boast of superb ballistics at range yet the reality is they can't keep a 5 inch group offhand at 100y because they can't handle the recoil and are poor shooters. Same thing with the low velocity hunting- many hunters don't practice enough to be proficient. Easy to blame the equipment and say don't use it than it is to tell a person to improve their skills. Pride gets in the way.

Shot placement isn't any more important with subsonic, supersonic, or archery equipment. They all need to hit the same place. Period.

Expansion is over-romanticized especially in hunting. Too much emphasis is placed on bullet expansion, but bullet expansion is needed for high velocity jacketed bullets to perform better than cast bullets. That's part of where that expansion marketing comes from and it is several decades old. Expansion is touted as more effective and in order to do that velocity needs to increase to upset the bullet jacket and follow through with rupture and expansion of the bullet core.

"Don't use subsonic bullets for hunting because they don't expand". They don't need to expand. They need to be placed deep in the vitals to kill. So do that and you will kill. That is what the "old guard" won't understand and refuses to listen to.
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