300 blackout pistol vs largish boar

T

Tipsy Mcstagger

New member
Hello guys. I recently built a 11.5" ar pistol in 300 blk and it's topped with irons and buis and a trs25 red dot. I have chronographed the barnes vortex 110 ttsx blacktip factory load at 2250 fps and went on a walk today looking for deer. I was hoping to take a doe (south tx) but a large boar ran from under the feeder towards me and presented himself at 70 yards quartering to me and I popped him below the ear and dropped him and he crumpled, no squealing. The bullet continued and exited above his shoulder 10-12". I had been hoping it would be a sufficient short range medium game cartridge (with low grain/high speed loads) and am now confident that it'll make a decent walking/stalking gun given the penetration. Anyway this is not a brag post I'm just trying to inform those that might be in the same camp I was about a marginally powered cartridge and that it seems sufficient. Now, I realize that where I put it a 22 would have killed it but the penetration was what seemed impressive for a low energy rifle cartridge. Maybe this info will help someone make a decision if they're on the fence now that I have a whole 'one-kill' with this set up.
 
That much penetration is somewhat surprising. What sort of damage did you find? Did it appear that the bullet had expanded much? DRT from a headshot doesn't tell much of a story about actual bullet performance. I'm looking at options for the 300 as a "kids' deer rifle".
 
Mobuck...I've had some experience with the 300 blackout, and it can be adequate within it's limitations. I consider the limitations to be excellent bullet placement and as a kids rifle I would worry about their ability to be that precise with the rifle. I have seen a lot of deer guy shot over the years, and with the marginal calibers that could easily relate to lost animals.
As a plinking/target/small game cartridge, I would consider it quite up to the task.
 
Now, I realize that where I put it a 22 would have killed it but the penetration was what seemed impressive for a low energy rifle cartridge. Maybe this info will help someone make a decision if they're on the fence now that I have a whole 'one-kill' with this set up.
Click to expand...


I hope folks don't make tough decisions on proper calibers/platforms for hunting big game because of one person's, one time experience with something most other folks consider marginal for big game. As Old Stony states, your experience was based more on a very difficult bullet placement than the platform. Your own statement above verifies that a .22 would have also produced a quick one shot kill, but I don't see you suggesting to others to use that experience to decide on using it for a deer/hog cartridge.
 
Well it's true that the internet is no place for opinions but I qualified it by saying that the shot placement was what killed it, but the penetration was what was impressive with this given cartridge/bullet. I can't help if if my experience is cherry picked as a warning of dire consequence should others choose to attempt to kill deer and hogs with a 30 caliber solid projectile that still had 1000lbs energy when it reached the target and exited the opposite shoulder.
 
I don't find the amount of penetration surprising at all considering it was a Barnes bullet at close to 2000 fps
 
I am not entirely surprised of your results and they are pretty decent ones. My go to rifle is a smith and Wesson m&p 15 in. 300 blackout and I have killed several wild hogs with it all of them have dropped in their tracks upon impact. And I use the remington hog hammer ammo now for it but have yet to shoot anything with the remington ammo. But all of the hogs I have killed with it have been with 110 gr. Hornady vmax. And every hog has dropped in their tracks with it. But I had no exit wounds either. But your pistol with good shot placement should be an excellent spot and stalk weapon. I know from personal experience that the caliber is certainly capable.
 
I'm glad to hear about your experiences as well. The hog hammers are solid coppers also, right? I tried to take a doe today while in a ground blind with it but all I saw was a group of jake and toms and a group of hens. It is technically a pistol, but I must also add that it's equipped with a sigbrace that was not used in a manner consistent with its original intent. It rides most excellently in my lap inside my truck where a standard AR rifle would be cumbersome. I chose the 110 barnes first due to construction and after a bit more testing, will then try 125 pro hunters and will plink with 147 pull downs and move up to 200+ subsonics. Not for hunting. More to come...please share more experiences with similar weights or constructions and what has worked or not for you.
 
I am not overly impressed with my .300 Blackout. Unless your goal is sub-sonic, I fail to see it as an improvement in any way over a 5.56. Damage wise, I would put the 5.56 with a Barnes X up against anything the .300 Blackuut has to offer. I think its original name "300 Whisper" better suited the cartridge.
 
On barnes's website they're claiming 20" penetration into gelatin out to 300 yards sbr and standard length and I've seen somewhere else that it expands down to 1300 fps. Someone asked what the damage was and it was not grisly. But I've shot smaller and hogs and deer with 308 165 sst and sgk and 243 95 sst and no exit wound. Some of the grisliest wounds I've seen have been from 223 fmj pass throughs on hogs, sometimes it's two inches, but sometimes it's a caliber-size hole.
 
No, I agree it's probably the least best performance rifle cartridge for ARs but it seems to cover a lot of bases, not excelling at any of them except maybe suppressed. What's attractive is same everything except barrel, sbr performance, 110 to 220+ grain options, more powerful than a pistol (standard semi auto), more accurate (due to ergonomics) than a pistol, and it's not too noisy. I have a few ARs and I assembled it last. I have several 5.56 ARs for different tasks and a 6.5 grendel and thought I'd give 300 a try before I assembled a pistol caliber AR. Trust me, I know it's not the best and that's kind of the point of this post, bullet construction may make this a viable medium game option at short distances. I'm not touting this as an instant death pill and I'm not saying this is the answer and to go buy a 300 blackout for deer, but that if you're on the fence and own a 300, give it a try.
 
Tipsy, I recently shot a 350 # boar with my AAC Handi Rifle in 300 Blackout (125 gr TNT bullet) with a shot in the LF shoulder and angled through the heart etc. no exit hole. He ran sixty yards and was dead when he fell. This Spring I hope to get a chance at another Texas Boar. I love the 300 for a plinker but it is definitely short range for hogs and deer.
 
I support hunting with any caliber that you can shoot accurately and are disciplined enough to keep within it's limitations.

A lot depends on hunting terrain. Some people are afforded long distance shots
Some terrain limits you to 25-75 yards... In the close quarters most center fire rifle cartridges will do the trick.

I've passed on shots with higher power rifles only because I couldn't verify that the area beyond the pig was clear.

I prefer lower power to lessen the chance of exits when hunting pigs... But I only hunted pigs on active ranches
 
Well I usually also take my 243 or 308 in case I need to take a distance shot down a pipeline right of way from a blind or the truck (not walking) on a pig, because I know there really is a distance limitation. I also plan to try taking some deer and pigs with a 686 6" scoped with 158xtp within 50 yards. That's half the power of a 300 but I think it'll work for all native texas beasts. My brother has killed a few pigs with pass throughs with his 1894c 357 and 125 jsps. We don't get many long shots here and half the time you're right on top of them and light recoiling, fast shooting guns work out well, especially with a red dot, in my experience.
 
Most of the people that have the 300blk seem happy with them,
If you stay within their limits, and shoot accurately they appear to take
Down decent sized animals.

I am looking at building another upper for a second hunting rig.
(My 6.8 with a 120sst works for me)

I am considering the .277 Wolverine, (223 brass, .277 bullet) 300blk,
Or even just getting a 1x7 barreled 5.56 and shoot the 62 gr fusion bullet

I reload, and would love the cheap brass.
 
Old stony, I don't carry out all those rifles walking and they're in the truck for pig killing, which is different here than traditional hunting. It's more about eradication by any mean (ethical means, to me). My 800 yard range is also frequented by pigs and I usually have some form of target rifle with me.
All the other 223/556 based calibers also look interesting, well larger than .224 anyway.
 
snyper
I don't find the amount of penetration surprising at all considering it was a Barnes bullet at close to 2000 fps
Click to expand...
I agree with snyper: a good hit and the bullet performed as designed at that speed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top