First time 300 blk

308Loader · March 19, 2019, 05:44 PM

Hello again every one. I'm back with yet another cartage to load and basic questions. Seems I have fallen down the reloading rabbit hole and feel the need to reload for every firearm I own. I haven't bought a commercially produced round for about 4 years now (Are their meetings I should go to for this?

)

Onto the 300 blackout. picked up a barrel from a friend and built an upper around it, couldn't help my self. cut down some 223/556 brass and formed them, trimmed to length, camphored and deburred, then tumbled clean.

Looked through my Hornady reloading manual and Hodgdon's site and found H110 to be a powder to cover most bullet weights.

As my handle implies I started out reloading for .308 win. I have many projectiles on hand in that cal.

So this begins my questions for you all. I've never loaded for this cartage or formed brass from a parent cartage. Best I can tell this round was invented to compete with the 7.62x39 as far as penetration. Good with subsonic suppressed velocity's in an AR platform.

Should I anneal the new cases?

H110 an ok powder? I've read it is temp stable, but more suited to lighter projectiles. I live in MN where the temp swings are enormous from day to day, or day to night depending on time of year.

Suggested bullet weight for this cartage? For now this will just be a plinker out to 200m. Would like to bring the load up to whitetail deer hunting spec eventually.

Any thing else I'm missing?
As always thanks for the input

big al hunter · March 19, 2019, 09:06 PM

Quote:

(Are their meetings I should go to for this? )

Yes,. It is held every evening at Bass Pro Shop, next to the bullets and brass.

Never loaded the 300 BLK. But I use H110 in magnum revolver loads. I have found it to be best at near Max charges, with the case mostly full to the base of the bullet. Tends to be more consistent with magnum primers, but you may not need them with a rifle primer. Have fun!

Sharkbite · March 20, 2019, 09:50 AM

Welcome to the madness we call the “Blackout”. As always id suggest looking at the “300blktalk” forum for lots of load data. Im there under the same handle

H110/W296 are one of the top powders for SUPERSONIC loadings. I run it under all my 110-125gn bullets. WARNING: H110 does NOT like light loads with low case fill, so it does not play well with subsonic loads. Other powders work MUCH better anyways.

For subs, my go to is Accurate 1680 and a 210gn Amax. Unless you have a suppressor, subs make no sense to me.

For cheap range/plinking ammo, look for some 308 150gn surplus pulls. H110 will work for those too.

For a nice hunting bullet, the 110gn Barnes “blacktip” is getting high marks but the Speer golddot 150gn (designed for the 300blk) is doing very well, as well.

FrankenMauser · March 20, 2019, 02:33 PM

I would anneal the new necks of the cases you formed, if you want decent brass life. If you don't really care (wouldn't be surprising, with .223 brass so easy to get - often for free), run it as-is and see if it works for you. If you run into immediate cracking/splitting, or have chamber sealing issues, then the brass is telling you to anneal the necks.

H110/W296 seems to be the go-to powder, and works well for me. The aforementioned Accurate 1680 is a good option. SBR-SOCOM and SBR-Blackout are also very good choices, but with extremely limited published data. Both are based on the powder originally sold as Accurate 1680, however. So A1680 data can be used as a reference to estimate your own starting point, if you feel so inclined. (But they ARE different powders. No direct substitution!)
There are, of course, many other powders that will get the job done.

For supers, run whatever you want. Lighter bullets are going to have the potential for higher velocities and more spectacular impacts. Lighter bullets are generally cheaper, too.

For subs... I agree with Sharkbite. If you don't have a suppressor, there's no point in running subs. They do nothing for you, other than reduce muzzle velocity -- and, for some rigs, cause malfunctions due to the different pressures and dwell time.
But, if you do want to shoot subs, the 'butter zone' seems to be 190-220 gr bullets.

I don't run supers, so I can't offer a suggestion there, other than to look at what is popular with other shooters - or to look at your supply and grab something you don't see yourself loading in .308 Win.
For subs, I prefer the Hornady 208 gr ELD-M and the old fashioned Hornady 220 gr RN (.30-40 Krag bullet).
I was working with some Lehigh 194 gr "Maximum Expansion"(?) bullets late last year; but ended up just barely supersonic (the extreme spread was very narrow, but still only had 4 of 20 rounds subsonic). I need to load up another box to see how they do when properly subsonic.

If you do shoot subs, be extra mindful of ricochets. These long, heavy bullets are often barely stable, and most don't expand at all, or even deform much, at subsonic velocities. As such, they ricochet quite easily (even off "soft" things like wood and dirt), and turn into flying buzzsaws that can keep bouncing around for a while.

308Loader · March 20, 2019, 04:49 PM

Thanks for the replies. I broke my rules and bought some Fedral 150gr and Rem 125's to test out the new configuration. Just so I know, if it does break the upper or my face it was the equptment not my loads.

Seems like I'm on the right track for loading a few test rounds. I picked up some No$ler 125gr BT and have some leftover Hornady 125gr SST to try out. I also have some Hornady 150gr Sp (free bullets from buying the die) and 155gr match I could try out with this powder. I will try heavier bullets as the testing progresses.

I do feel like i should anneal these cases. Case prep from 556 to 300blk is kind of a PITA. No experience with the annealing process, have seen many DIY processes, seems easy enough.

FrankenMauser · March 20, 2019, 10:55 PM

Keep the heat localized. Don't overheat.
Quench to protect the case heads.
It's that simple.

I don't know anyone that has flame-annealed that didn't lose a few during the learning curve - including myself - but you'll figure it out quickly.
I do recommend low light or near-darkness, if you don't use a temperature indicator (like Tempilaq). I don't.

Sharkbite · March 21, 2019, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Case prep from 556 to 300blk is kind of a PITA.

I made exactly 10 cases when i first started with the caliber. Just so i knew how to do it. After that ive just bought premade brass from Carolina brass. I buy em 1000 at a time and they come ready to load...making the brass is just not worth my time. YMMV

308Loader · March 21, 2019, 04:03 PM

I think I over complicated the reforming process for my self. Read a few posts and watched a few vids. The first fifty I did were definitely the hard way.

removed expander ball and stem
sized 223 brass (whole thing)
trimmed down to length (trimmed long 1.368+) with my FA case prep center (whole thing,ouch my fingers hurt!)
champ-deburr
sized again (thread said to)
final trim and champ-deburr

second 50 I broke out the dremmel tool with cut off disks (broke 4 in 50 cases) cut the cases at the neck
champ-deburr
sized (struck once, rotated 90 degrees and struck again with expander installed)
final trim and champ-deburr (1.358)

On the second go I discovered I could hold the case with lyman case holder that came with an old trim kit. You know the one with a mandrel and cutting head that you can chuck up in a drill. That worked way better for my fingers. couldn't find a mandrel at the local gun shop for 300 blk. I think ill order one online for the third batch. Better yet, I'm going to check my gun club for range pickup brass. No guarantee that it is once fired, but probably less hassle.

CerberusRagnar · March 22, 2019, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 308Loader

...
Suggested bullet weight for this cartage? For now this will just be a plinker out to 200m. Would like to bring the load up to whitetail deer hunting spec eventually...

This is one of the nice things about 300 AAC/BLK, it can take a variety of weights. I usually run 115-147 at the range. Whatever is on sale. That is one of the downsides, this thing is expensive to feed. Waiting on some dies so I can shoot more. I've started the conversion of about 50 casings. I too used the dremel as it was the easiest method. I made a little wood jig to hold a casing as they get a little toasty when getting cut down. Not sure how much more I will convert as it is a bit of a chore. Best of luck to you.

Grey_Lion · March 22, 2019, 10:51 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukwy3Y7p4Jg

Should I choose this caliber for my next firearm, I intend to make a jig like this and mount it on a table saw slide - then put in a metal cutting blade on the table saw. I'd also add depth adjustment screws for fine tuning.

NC FNS · March 25, 2019, 08:21 PM

I use speer 125 grain tnts with imr 4227 (supersonic). Very good groups for an amateur like me. H110 has worked well also. Mostly use RP once-fired, and new Starline brass with some old CCI SR magnum primers (450?)

**Unclenick** · March 25, 2019, 08:54 PM

It's a lot of work, and I notice Starline has new brass already formed for about 28 cents if your hands start to get tired. But free brass from the range has a lot of the appeal.

You don't want cutoff wheels for something soft like brass. You want a slitting saw blade. If it were my task, I'd be trying to do something like put the slitting saw on its mandrel in my drill press and using the cheapo X-Y table I have on it to move the cases through cutting. Slitting saws are dangerous as a spinning straight razor when it comes to how they treat your skin. Very easy to get a deep accidental cut. But they work great if you keep your hands the heck out of the way.

Mobuck · March 25, 2019, 09:35 PM

"Best I can tell this round was invented to compete with the 7.62x39 as far as penetration."

Actually more as large bore AR 15 alternative that is easily suppressed when fed subsonic ammo.

March 19, 2019, 05:44 PM	#1
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	First time 300 blk Hello again every one. I'm back with yet another cartage to load and basic questions. Seems I have fallen down the reloading rabbit hole and feel the need to reload for every firearm I own. I haven't bought a commercially produced round for about 4 years now (Are their meetings I should go to for this? ) Onto the 300 blackout. picked up a barrel from a friend and built an upper around it, couldn't help my self. cut down some 223/556 brass and formed them, trimmed to length, camphored and deburred, then tumbled clean. Looked through my Hornady reloading manual and Hodgdon's site and found H110 to be a powder to cover most bullet weights. As my handle implies I started out reloading for .308 win. I have many projectiles on hand in that cal. So this begins my questions for you all. I've never loaded for this cartage or formed brass from a parent cartage. Best I can tell this round was invented to compete with the 7.62x39 as far as penetration. Good with subsonic suppressed velocity's in an AR platform. Should I anneal the new cases? H110 an ok powder? I've read it is temp stable, but more suited to lighter projectiles. I live in MN where the temp swings are enormous from day to day, or day to night depending on time of year. Suggested bullet weight for this cartage? For now this will just be a plinker out to 200m. Would like to bring the load up to whitetail deer hunting spec eventually. Any thing else I'm missing? As always thanks for the input __________________ Just a dude with stuff. Last edited by 308Loader; March 19, 2019 at 06:31 PM.

March 20, 2019, 02:33 PM	#4
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	I would anneal the new necks of the cases you formed, if you want decent brass life. If you don't really care (wouldn't be surprising, with .223 brass so easy to get - often for free), run it as-is and see if it works for you. If you run into immediate cracking/splitting, or have chamber sealing issues, then the brass is telling you to anneal the necks. H110/W296 seems to be the go-to powder, and works well for me. The aforementioned Accurate 1680 is a good option. SBR-SOCOM and SBR-Blackout are also very good choices, but with extremely limited published data. Both are based on the powder originally sold as Accurate 1680, however. So A1680 data can be used as a reference to estimate your own starting point, if you feel so inclined. (But they ARE different powders. No direct substitution!) There are, of course, many other powders that will get the job done. For supers, run whatever you want. Lighter bullets are going to have the potential for higher velocities and more spectacular impacts. Lighter bullets are generally cheaper, too. For subs... I agree with Sharkbite. If you don't have a suppressor, there's no point in running subs. They do nothing for you, other than reduce muzzle velocity -- and, for some rigs, cause malfunctions due to the different pressures and dwell time. But, if you do want to shoot subs, the 'butter zone' seems to be 190-220 gr bullets. I don't run supers, so I can't offer a suggestion there, other than to look at what is popular with other shooters - or to look at your supply and grab something you don't see yourself loading in .308 Win. For subs, I prefer the Hornady 208 gr ELD-M and the old fashioned Hornady 220 gr RN (.30-40 Krag bullet). I was working with some Lehigh 194 gr "Maximum Expansion"(?) bullets late last year; but ended up just barely supersonic (the extreme spread was very narrow, but still only had 4 of 20 rounds subsonic). I need to load up another box to see how they do when properly subsonic. If you do shoot subs, be extra mindful of ricochets. These long, heavy bullets are often barely stable, and most don't expand at all, or even deform much, at subsonic velocities. As such, they ricochet quite easily (even off "soft" things like wood and dirt), and turn into flying buzzsaws that can keep bouncing around for a while. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 20, 2019, 04:49 PM	#5
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	Thanks for the replies. I broke my rules and bought some Fedral 150gr and Rem 125's to test out the new configuration. Just so I know, if it does break the upper or my face it was the equptment not my loads. Seems like I'm on the right track for loading a few test rounds. I picked up some No$ler 125gr BT and have some leftover Hornady 125gr SST to try out. I also have some Hornady 150gr Sp (free bullets from buying the die) and 155gr match I could try out with this powder. I will try heavier bullets as the testing progresses. I do feel like i should anneal these cases. Case prep from 556 to 300blk is kind of a PITA. No experience with the annealing process, have seen many DIY processes, seems easy enough. __________________ Just a dude with stuff.

March 20, 2019, 10:55 PM	#6
FrankenMauser Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Location: In the valley above the plain Posts: 13,424	Keep the heat localized. Don't overheat. Quench to protect the case heads. It's that simple. I don't know anyone that has flame-annealed that didn't lose a few during the learning curve - including myself - but you'll figure it out quickly. I do recommend low light or near-darkness, if you don't use a temperature indicator (like Tempilaq). I don't. __________________ Don't even try it. It's even worse than the internet would lead you to believe.

March 21, 2019, 04:03 PM	#8
308Loader Senior Member Join Date: August 24, 2014 Location: Minnesota Posts: 639	I think I over complicated the reforming process for my self. Read a few posts and watched a few vids. The first fifty I did were definitely the hard way. removed expander ball and stem sized 223 brass (whole thing) trimmed down to length (trimmed long 1.368+) with my FA case prep center (whole thing,ouch my fingers hurt!) champ-deburr sized again (thread said to) final trim and champ-deburr second 50 I broke out the dremmel tool with cut off disks (broke 4 in 50 cases) cut the cases at the neck champ-deburr sized (struck once, rotated 90 degrees and struck again with expander installed) final trim and champ-deburr (1.358) On the second go I discovered I could hold the case with lyman case holder that came with an old trim kit. You know the one with a mandrel and cutting head that you can chuck up in a drill. That worked way better for my fingers. couldn't find a mandrel at the local gun shop for 300 blk. I think ill order one online for the third batch. Better yet, I'm going to check my gun club for range pickup brass. No guarantee that it is once fired, but probably less hassle. __________________ Just a dude with stuff. Last edited by 308Loader; March 21, 2019 at 04:21 PM.

March 20, 2019, 09:50 AM	#3
Sharkbite Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 2013 Location: Western slope of Colorado Posts: 3,679	Welcome to the madness we call the “Blackout”. As always id suggest looking at the “300blktalk” forum for lots of load data. Im there under the same handle H110/W296 are one of the top powders for SUPERSONIC loadings. I run it under all my 110-125gn bullets. WARNING: H110 does NOT like light loads with low case fill, so it does not play well with subsonic loads. Other powders work MUCH better anyways. For subs, my go to is Accurate 1680 and a 210gn Amax. Unless you have a suppressor, subs make no sense to me. For cheap range/plinking ammo, look for some 308 150gn surplus pulls. H110 will work for those too. For a nice hunting bullet, the 110gn Barnes “blacktip” is getting high marks but the Speer golddot 150gn (designed for the 300blk) is doing very well, as well.

March 22, 2019, 10:51 AM	#10
Grey_Lion Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2018 Location: Baton Rouge - Louisiana Posts: 407	223 to 300 cut down jig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukwy3Y7p4Jg Should I choose this caliber for my next firearm, I intend to make a jig like this and mount it on a table saw slide - then put in a metal cutting blade on the table saw. I'd also add depth adjustment screws for fine tuning.

March 25, 2019, 08:21 PM	#11
NC FNS Member Join Date: April 23, 2017 Posts: 28	I use speer 125 grain tnts with imr 4227 (supersonic). Very good groups for an amateur like me. H110 has worked well also. Mostly use RP once-fired, and new Starline brass with some old CCI SR magnum primers (450?)

March 25, 2019, 08:54 PM	#12
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	It's a lot of work, and I notice Starline has new brass already formed for about 28 cents if your hands start to get tired. But free brass from the range has a lot of the appeal. You don't want cutoff wheels for something soft like brass. You want a slitting saw blade. If it were my task, I'd be trying to do something like put the slitting saw on its mandrel in my drill press and using the cheapo X-Y table I have on it to move the cases through cutting. Slitting saws are dangerous as a spinning straight razor when it comes to how they treat your skin. Very easy to get a deep accidental cut. But they work great if you keep your hands the heck out of the way. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

March 25, 2019, 09:35 PM	#13
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	"Best I can tell this round was invented to compete with the 7.62x39 as far as penetration." Actually more as large bore AR 15 alternative that is easily suppressed when fed subsonic ammo.