For defensive purposes, supers are the way to go, as the only reliably expanding subsonic rounds are all solid copper and $2+ a round. Barnes 110, Hornady SST, Lehigh cc are all very effective, but I would suggest the Barnes. As a truck gun, odds are that if you have to use it you might have to shoot through auto glass or car door, and the 110 Barnes will be the best performer. I wouldn't even consider subs, ballistically they suck, especially around barriers like cars. And I would be hesitant to use reloads for personal defense, just in case you do end up using them and end up in court.
-
If you enjoy the forum please consider supporting it by signing up for a NES Membership The benefits pay for the membership many times over.
300 blackout ammo suggestions please
- Thread starter Radtekk
- Start date
JRT
NES Member
What this really proves is 300BLK is the most versatile centerfire rifle cartridge in existence. I will trade the situational awareness and better soft tissue performance for the rapid expansion and energy transfer of a supersonic. I don’t think either choice is bad I guess it’s down to preference. I have a few boxes of Discreet Ballistics Selous, to try out the copper bullets.
Yea that's the only problem with Defensive Sub ammo. Pricey and sometimes hard to find.
Hornady SubX 190grain, Gorilla Silverback 205grain and Lehigh 198grain offerings are GTG - all are full copper open point (SubX has an insert for more efficient blooming). Hornady was the easiest to source out of the 3 (esp here in Mass).
I’ll note that another source of Lehigh bulleted cartridges is Underwood Ammo. They run pretty spicy though. I think their regular 9mm loads feel like +P.
I generally agree with this, except that I’d be very willing to use a good expanding 300BLK subsonic round in a home defense gun. I’m not worried about barrier blindness in my home, and the extremely short distances means that expansion should be reliable.
Dennis in MA
NES Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 38,195
- Likes
- 33,138
I find it fascinating how people are pro-subs for a non-can for SD. Virtually every article out there testing these guns says 220 for a sub and 110-125gr HP for SD without a can.
ChevyGuy91
NES Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 22,922
- Likes
- 23,513
There are some really cool subsonic loads out there, like the ones from Disctreet Ballistics. I wouldn't have a problem trusting them for SD, I just don't use fancy ammo for self defense that I can't afford to shoot in training.
Last edited:
I am pro Sub without a Can because it still allows me to the ability to shoot a 200 grain 30 caliber bullet that kicks like a .22 peashooter with barely any flash signature and less noise out of a 9" shorty. The ballistics data for Hornady SubX and Gorilla Silverback seem like a good match for someone who is worried about over penetration but still wants knockdown power at 5 to 25 yards; even without a can.
Dennis in MA
NES Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 38,195
- Likes
- 33,138
I can get behind that. I just fear that a 200gr bullet is gonna BHD and just tear a 30cal hole in someone without much other damage. (Granted, your typical Northeast suburban BG isn't a hopped up Somali, but. . . . )
At some point I'll get some ammo. And to the range. And test it all out. I've got one of those fwd-pushing flashy-thingies on my upper - pushes more of the energy straight forward. I'll see how that works and see how bad all of the loads are.
I do know my .223 was semi-painful to shoot. Not recoil. Just concussion out of a short bbl. Wow! Good thing this is 99% range toy. ROFL!!
At some point I'll get some ammo. And to the range. And test it all out. I've got one of those fwd-pushing flashy-thingies on my upper - pushes more of the energy straight forward. I'll see how that works and see how bad all of the loads are.
I do know my .223 was semi-painful to shoot. Not recoil. Just concussion out of a short bbl. Wow! Good thing this is 99% range toy. ROFL!!
ChevyGuy91
NES Member
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2008
- Messages
- 22,922
- Likes
- 23,513
S&B 200 grain target loads are so soft shooting (both recoil and concussive noise) - at least for me through my 9" with an H2/H3 buffer and a Surefire Warcomp. I always joke how it feels like a BB gun. And I have had other people at the range ask what I was shooting because there is barely any concussion.
I think just like 110/120 SD loads, your 190/205 SD loads need to be open tipped full copper loads that bloom effectively at low velocity. I've seen videos of people testing the no copper AMAX loads (with the pointed ballistic insert with metal jacketed lead core) and those things stay fully intact. Scary.
Dennis in MA
NES Member
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2007
- Messages
- 38,195
- Likes
- 33,138
Well this is an interesting development. In part I'm glad I didn't get any ammo yet. Although. . . there is none to be found anyhow. LOL
JRT
NES Member
Whisper (cartridge family) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
"The Whisper family of firearm cartridges is a group of wildcat cartridges developed in the early 1990s by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries. The Whisper Family was developed as a line of accurate, multi-purpose cartridges using relatively heavy rifle bullets for a given caliber in subsonic loads. The intention was to create an extremely accurate cartridge family for military, police, competition and specialized hunting markets that could also be easily sound suppressed.Top
While all cartridges in the Whisper family must be capable of accuracy using subsonic loads, most of the smaller caliber cartridges of the family (.308" and under) are also capable of being loaded to supersonic velocities using relatively lightweight bullets for their caliber, increasing their utility."
