Son and I ended up with a 300 blackout we would like to utilize for shooting some deer. Anyone recommend some ammo they have had good results with on deer? Likely looking for 110 grainers - read that the Barnes TSX copper bullet has been highly recommended but expensive. What about the 110 vmax ammo? Also found some 110 grain reloads with lehigh control chaos copper rounds and considering them. Not shooting suppressed so looking for most energy with good penetration.

Thanks

110 v max worked well for us out of an 8.5" barrel. But greencounty I believe said they came apart to much with his 16" barrel. I can see it becuse b the few I recovered had jacket core separation and the leas had peeld back a lot and was not a ton left. Speed it up another 200fps with the longer barrel and I believe it will act more like the varmint bullet it is than the result I got with it moving slower.

The TSX are going to be your best bet. V max are not going to give you much in the way of penetration to get to the bits that matter. Practice a lot with it as with a comparatively weak round like the BO, shot placement is more important than ever. The Lehigh projectiles are as it says on the box unpredictable.

Providence and I have had very different results with Vmax 110gr
what is the same is they shoot great groups

what is different is I get very little penetration the bullet explodes to pieces even a neck shot deer has no exit wound repeated on 3 deer and I had a ewe that needed to be put down so after I dispatched her, I stitched her all down the neck with vmax rounds and not one vmax exited and she didn't have a very thick neck at all


I am running a 16 inch barrel and he is running a short 9 or 10 I don't recall exactly

so what barrel are you running comes into the equation for 16
for a commercially available ammo the 150gr Deer season XP definitely give neck exit wounds even on a thick neck buck I used them last year but only have 1 buck with 1 shot for data.

I need to get out and run rounds over the chronograph to see what I am getting with my 110gr v-max and 110gr sp loads

I have shot 1 with the 110gr Hornady soft points and got decent penetration with that but I was really low on them and was just able to get them again this summer not as loaded ammo but as projectiles.

being that I am sighted in for the 150 deer season xp and only have 2 weeks till season I have 2-3 boxes of them so I will just use them this year after I verify zero.

I've had good luck shooting the 110 gr Varmageddon from my Ruger American Ranch. Killed a pile of hogs including some big boars. I've also used some clones of the TTSX that done well.

16" barrel

Who makes the TTSX clones?

If you're looking for velocity Nosler makes a 110 grain accubond. These do not blow up like the 110 grain varmint bullets but they do expand. I still get better penetration from a 220 grain Outlaw State bullet at 980 FPS. Killed a lot of deer with both. And range is still limited with either choice.

I have used the Sig Sauer (I think they are 208gr) subsonic. Have taken 7 deer with this bullet. Using a suppressor and limited shots under 100 yards. Even the most recoil sensitive youth enjoys shooting and hits with authority.

I have also loaded the 190gr Hornady Sub-X bullets to 1000 fps with good results. This bullet can be pushed faster and still hold together. I have not exceeded 1600 fps with it.

I much prefer a heavier bullet running slower to the light weights going fast.

I guess that is where I am having difficulty. I read the muzzle energy of the smaller 110 grainers and they exceed the energy greatly of the larger slower moving bullets. I will not be shooting suppressed but using a 16" AR platform. We wont be shooting past 100 yards. I know I am only reading muzzle energy but even at 50 yards - no bullet can gain energy.....

I am not understanding how subsonic and suppressed make the 300 Blackout better than a supersonic, higher energy round......
Please clarify Leftlane - I am not being a smart alek - just honestly trying to figure the best round for killing deer most efficiently.

These are my assumptions - generally faster and bigger equates to more energy. Copper bullets penetrate deeper than varmint style vmax etc types and hollow points and open tip. A well bonded mushroom lead bullet or expanding copper bullet would be what I desire for good, deep penetration.

I carry one in the deer blind (with my deer rifle) to ear shoot hogs under 100 yards--subsonic and suppressed.

It's not what I would use on deer. I have the 308 sitting there for that (suppressed but super sonic).

It's not better infact I personally won't hunt with sub sonic except for squirrel. Sure it kills them but I prefer supper sonic for hunting if im shooting subsonic im better off with the x bow and bigger hole in the deer. But if you shoot a light bullet that comes apart before getting to the important parts that need holes through them or you don't get an exit and loose the deer due to a poor blood trail that's also a poor choice.

I would not use 110 v max with a 16" green county had experience with them being to explosive. If you were shooting 8.5" they worked like a soft point for me. Since I don't have any experience with a 16" I would go with his recommendation of the 150gr winchester he had good luck with.

If I were loading them I would try speer 130gr hot core becuse they are cheap. But I no longer shoot the 300 black out took it apart moved to 350 legand for our public ground cal restricted areas and think it's a much better round.

I no nothing about the 300 black out but I know the Barnes TSX bullets generally like a little speed for good expansion. Say at least 2000 fps 2200 is better

the speer 130gr is another one I tried
it is also a varmint bullet at least the Speer #2005 130gr.

if you reloading they are worth a second look they shot ok in practice I just don't have much data on deer with them. I had feed issues with them hunting. I later determined that was likely a magazine issue that mag got crushed. I just didn't get the time to go back to them.

This link has useful information.

https://www.black-hills.com/shop/new-rifle-ammo/300-blackout/

terminal performance sub sonic isn't better than super sonic in most cases you have to hit some extremes

of course 308 Win that reaches the target with hundreds of fps and fpe is also better than 300 black out

we shoot 300 black-out because it fills some niche purpose not because it is a wonderful hunting round

we are looking for
fits in an AR mag
low recoil
works form a 8-10 inch barrel
sub sonic
something like that

I got into 300blk because we hunt a shotgun and pistol only township. now you can have a 30-06 pistol in WI
there is also no law saying you can't have a 16 inch barrel pistol
so we built pistols with 16 inch barrels that shoot 300blackout because the parts were available and at a decent price at the time.
so our braced pistols fit into the legal pistols to hunt deer with in WI

my dad is also very recoil sensitive with neck, back , and shoulder surgeries over the last 3 decades so I built it to explore proof of concept and then he loved it.
he shot more deer in 3 years with his 300blk than he had in 15 years with his 870 12ga.

he walks himself down to the swamp sits , shoots a deer then walks down to it and calls me or my brother or my son and we come gut and drag it out for him.

honestly I think a well constructed 223 bullet like a triple shock or even 64gr power points would do anything a 110gr 30blk
you only have so much case capacity in 7.62x35 aka 300blk so a good bullet in 5.56x45 leaves you with more case capacity.

if your not wanting to fill the sub sonic niche or a short barrel 6.5 Grendel might be the way to go you get more case capacity but stay in lighter recoiling and fits in an AR , Scuba1 has played with the Grendel and can probably comment more Grendel is a 7.62x39 case necked down to 6.5mm/0.264" this was a round developed by blackwater the private military to make a long range cartridge fit in an Stanag mag and AR platform it requires a barrel , bolt , and mag follower change from a standard AR

300hammer would also be a better option it is Wilson combat's answer to the most punch they could pack in a 30cal super sonic that uses a standard AR bolt face for a 5.56 case head and fits in a stanag mag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STANAG_magazine
the issue is it didn't take off like 300 black out did mostly because of cost and in-availability.

350 legend lets you push a heavier bullet and more ammo intended for deer is available this was developed by Winchester to fill the niche of a strait wall cartridge state that fits an AR mag

300blk was really developed as a way to put a sub sonic round in an AR platform it's near twin 300wishiper was the wild cat and 300blk is the name sent to SAAMI and in supers it found a following for better terminal performance than 5.56 with a short barrel at close ranges.
before 300blk most agencies were running suppressed MP5 with suppressors and 147gr 9mm
the 300blk shines in a suppressed role from a short barrel because it is a gas gun direct impingement and not a blow back or like the MP5 a roller delay blow back. it also runs the same mags and controls and all but the barrel and gas tube as the AR-15 so parts were very interchangeable which made cost less.

so what niche are you trying to fill , if you can shoot a rifle in your area and want to make deer meat 308win all day long I like it with 180gr bullets

I'll have to see if I can find the box the ammo came in. If was not a major ammo maker.

Ha, I am trying to fill the niche that I bought a 5.56 AR at an auction and luckily after the firing pin didnt fire, I had my son take it apart and we found out it was a 300 blackout stamped on the barrel under the rail......I thought about taking it back to the auction but believe it was an honest mistake that I can live with. So, now just trying to use it to harvest deer. We dont need it as we already have .243s, 30-30, and 3006s for deer but figured I would use it to its best potential. Will I be packing it during prime rut and hoping to harvest a decent buck - likely not. But, early and late doe seasons - definitely could be fun in the woods.

then I would pick up a couple boxes of the Winchester Deer season XP it uses what they call and extreme point

a plastic ballistic tip that sheds on entry and it basically has a big hollow point under the plastic tip box velocity is 1900fps muzzle and should be 1717fps at 100 yards by the box

I am hoping to go get some chrono data on mine next week.

a good way to think about 300 black out is from a 16 inch barrel at least in 150gr it is at whatever distance your at the approximately the same as 30-30 50 yards further out

so if you shoot 150 yards with a 30-30 that is the same weight and velocity you get at 100 yards with 300blk 150gr

AR's can get a little confusing that way if it started life as a 5.56 rifle and then found an new upper along the way the receiver may say 5.56 and the barrel 300blk

I would argue all recivers should say MULTI-CAL but they may not all say that.

what is important was you didn't go the other way thinking it was 300blk and it happened to be a 5.56 barrel

because 5.56 will chamber a 110gr 300blk but it is destructive to the gun when you fire it ,
not uncommon to blow the bottom of the mag out and bulge and break some stuff you could get hurt by flying parts
notice he was using 110gr vmax in the gun he blew up in the video

I assembled a black out to meet our deer cal restrictions on public land for my youngest son when he was 7. It was low recoil, adjustable, and when braced pistol were not sbrs the 8.5" barrel witn supressor was nice and short lowered recoil yet and still quiet enough with supper sonic ammo. Funny thing he shot his first deer with suppressed 7mm-08 and that evening his brother shot 2 with the Blackout just to try it out.

When I needed to make it an sbr since I'm not tec savvy I did try for the free tax stamp instead I just got rid of the brace since I don't have a need for the gun anymore. It works and we killed every deer shot with it I think between 5 and 10 but it's a limited week round and there are better options out for our needs now.

You have it may as well put it to use just know it's limitations.

Green County 180s out of a 308 are slow and kind of a turd. 150s I found do much more damage and always exit. If I were hunting elk I would use 180s in a 30/60 or one of the mags but can't see the benefits in a 308 for whitetail. My cousin was always shooting heave bullets in his 308 and not overly impressed. He finally started shooting 150 after me telling him to try them for a few years and he is much happier. More damage and deer drop or only make it 20 yards or so. Do you have big 250lb northern deer? Ours are135 or so for average down a big one would be maybe 150. Small yearling 70 to 100. Bigger deer may make a difference?

Honestly I prefer a 7mm-08 with 139gr or 243 with 100gr over the 06 I used to shoot preformance wise and fhe 06 should average 200 fps faster than the 308. I like my 270 better also than my 06 also. I never have understood the draw to the 308 for deer or 30 cals for that matter. Maybe in the 300 prc but then 338 lapua is better yet. .

We do have some nicer large framed bucks. My kids generally use our .243s with 100 grain corelokts or powershoks. We have harvested quite a few deer with these and the recoil is very manageable and a comfort to shoot for my wife and kids. I generally pack a 30-06 shooting 150-165 grainers and never lost a deer yet. I too prefer the .243 for comfort though.
Back to the 300 blackout - anyone try the tipped game kings from sierra - think they are the 125 grain? I like game kings but never tried the newer tipped game kings in anything. For that matter anyone try the tgk in any caliber? How does the bullet hold together? I generally like sierra and they are close to me

the 180s are a hand load of mine from the shorter of my 308 barrels clocked at an average 2625fps 21 feet from the muzzle
not exactly a turd
at 100 yards there is only a 120fps difference from the box velocity of the 150gr 308win deer season XP
I worked up it took a bunch of bullets and I found an accuracy node 1/2 gr under max load I found older books that put it 1gr under max
it works ,shows no pressure signs and I can neck size only the brass till the 5th reload then more because I choose to than because it gave me any issue I full length size.

they are the same speed as 150gr 308 Winchester deer season XP at 300 yards and carry more energy the entire time

I like 2 holes and I like a bullet that is still super sonic at a 1000 yards because I use the same bullets for target and game
I built that load with the goal of ringing steel at 1/2 mile and to go shoot with a friend that was shooting 1000 yards with 308win , he moved and so far I have only taken them to 1/4 mile but they look very promising at 1/4.

I have to confess I have shot more cows with it than deer but the deer shot didn't go any where either.

there is nothing wrong with 150s either and if I was only shooting deer with them I might just buy them off the shelf like that but I tried some 150gr factory loads and my gun just didn't like them very much, wasn't getting the accuracy I wanted.

the road kill I cut up Thursday was huge in the body and neck for a 7 point 3x4 probably right around 250