Reports of hunters who have tried subsonic loads on deer are consistent with the gel tests. One test of the Remington 220 grain subsonic load showed the bullet penetrating to 16 inches or more before it stopped acting like an icepick. Additional wounding effects are enhanced if the bullet tumbles, but what little data I’ve found shows that although tumbling will occur in gelatin at some point, it’s usually only after very deep penetration. In my tests of the latter, they don’t expand at subsonic velocities even in water. There are many videos showing gelatin tests of expanding bullets, and not so many of nonexpanding bullets like the various Sierra MatchKing or even heavy Hornady A-MAX bullets like the 208 grain version. Every decision we make pertaining to self-defense involves compromises, but those are two we don’t have to make.Īnd as a point about terminal ballistics, many people have pointed out that heavy subsonic loads in 300 Blackout are generally poor performers. The things I believe are common mistakes with 300 BLK SBRs and similar weapons are hanging a suppressor on the weapon, thereby giving up the advantages of a short barrel, and relying on subsonic loads. With proper ammunition its muzzle energy from a 9 inch barrel is as great as typical 223/5.56 loads from 16 inches, and it accomplishes that with much less blast and noise. The 300 BLK allows us to use the AR platform with all of its benefits, but with much shorter barrels. The 223/5.56 cartridge has been demonstrated in countless engagements to be a highly effective antipersonnel round, but in tight quarters from a short barrel it suffers from the disadvantages of loss of ballistic effectiveness and distracting, perhaps debilitating, muzzle blast.īoth of those problems are mitigated by choosing the 300 Blackout cartridge. An AR-based weapon is clearly the best option for countless reasons, and then it’s a matter of the cartridge. Once we’ve made that decision, the question becomes which action and cartridge do we choose. In your short barrel they may actually be slow on the bottom end of the load range.Although I believe a handgun is the best close quarters defensive weapon under most circumstances, my second choice is a short-barreled rifle (or rifle-like handgun). It's longer than the ELD and weighs more, so those loads will be safe, but possibly fast in a 16" barrel. In your case, depending on powder used, I would substitute data for a 230 Berger, I know both Accurate and Hodgdon have data for it. The reason for doing this would be knowledge gained, giving you a better idea of how this all works. You can use the data and load as a single shot, working the cartridge length down, watching for pressure signs. If the COL, like in your case, is longer than magazine length by doing that, the load will be safe to shoot, as long as it does not seat into the lands of the barrel. I have a little twist in Rebel's method that allows a pretty quick conversion of bullets in data.Ĭase length + bullet length - COL= seated depthĬase length + bullet length - seated depth = COLĬonfirm that the bullet is not seating in the lands of your barrel. Accurate's load data divides it into sub and super sections, so you can actually see what a max pressure load is. If it is related to pressuure, start in the middle. Keep in mind that most data for 200 grain plus data is for subsonic velocity, not max pressure, pay attention to that, it gives a little wiggle room for loads if max is related to velocity. You're on the right track comparing lengths, weight and seated depth. Easiest is to join a forum and say "give me load data for this combo". Start high and work your way down to subsonic. Since you will be developing subs, the deeper the bullet the more pressure i.e. Not sure what powder you have, but if using 1680, you can check recommended sub charges and quickly ensure you are not compressing. I would make a dummy case to 2.25, measure base to ogive of another eld bullet, then measure cartridge base to ogive and subtract the case length to determine how much bullet you have in your case. How should I go about starting to develop this load? I will be shooting out of a 10.3" AR with a pistol gas tube. A 220gr SMK is recommended at 2.260" COAL. The 9th ed Hornady manual has load data for a 225gr bullet, but upon researching it, the bullet is 1.558" long. Got o looking afterwards, and there is zero load data available for the 300 BLK with this bullet. ![]() ![]() I picked up some 30 cal 220gr ELD-X pills at cabelas. JasonPegg wrote:Hey guys, I am fairly new to reloading.
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