300 Blackout Ammo Buyer’s Guide: Best Remington Rounds for Hunting & Target Shooting

The 300 AAC Blackout, also known as just 300 Blackout, is a 30-caliber cartridge that has experienced an upward demand trend throughout the past decade. Specifically, this cartridge appeals to the avid target shooter and hunters who pursue predators, hogs, and even deer with the proper bullet selection. The cool thing about 300 Blackout is that its performance can be vastly altered based on the ammo you select. What do I mean by performance? With bullet weight and velocity adjustments, a shooter can choose between supersonic and subsonic performance. Being able to control this factor makes it a favorite for many shooters. Additionally, the longevity of the American 30-caliber bullet is arguably one of the most dominant throughout the ammunition market. As a trusted brand in the ammunition world, Remington offers shooters 300 Blackout ammo engineered for the pursuit of popular medium-sized game and other recreational target shooting scenarios. Let’s dive more into why the 300 Blackout is a beast in the ammunition arena.

Understanding 300 Blackout Ammo

What is 300 Blackout?

Launched in 2010, the 300 Blackout is a standard 30-caliber small arms cartridge initially designed for AR-style rifles. The purpose behind the 300 Blackout was to create a heavy-hitting round that outperforms the energy of similar cartridges, such as the 5.56 NATO, but out of shorter barrels. The 300 Blackout could provide an advantage in military scenarios where having an agile, powerful, and high-capacity rifle is important. To put this in a better perspective, the agile profile of the 300 Blackout is designed to allow shooters to utilize a rifle in situations where a handgun may initially seem more feasible, like Close-Quarters-Battle (CQB) or home defense.

300 Blackout Ballistics Overview

As stated earlier, the performance of the 300 Blackout can be largely altered by simply switching ammo. The most common difference between 300 Blackout ammo is the subsonic vs supersonic capabilities. These two terms refer to the speed at which the projectile travels when discharged. Subsonic refers to a projectile that travels under the speed of sound, while supersonic refers to projectiles traveling above the speed of sound. From a ballistics standpoint, 300 Blackout ammo traveling at subsonic velocities will have less energy and a significant drop at ranges when compared to supersonic loads while also lacking a sonic crack. However, each loading has its purpose.

300 Blackout Bullets and Grain Weights

Remington offers five different loads of 300 Blackout ammo packaged in various quantities. Offerings include the Core-Lokt Copper 120gr Hollow Point, Premier Match 125gr MatchKing Open Tip Match, UMC Rifle 150gr Full Metal Jacket, and a UMC Rifle or Subsonic Rifle 220gr Open Tip Flat Base. This load lineup will allow the consumer to find a preferred option for the two scenarios: hunting and target shooting.

300 Blackout Ammo For Hunting

For hunters, Remington 300 Blackout ammo lets you utilize the stout stature of a 30-caliber projectile combined with the iconic performance of the Core-Lokt hunting bullet. Pairing the correct bullet with a supersonic loading makes 300 Blackout an adequate load for a medium-sized big game at 200 yards and in. The most common game hunters pursue with the 300 Blackout are whitetail deer, feral hog, and coyotes.

Terminal performance is always important when selecting a rifle cartridge for hunting. Momentum, expansion, and penetration all play a part. Hunters should typically opt for a supersonic controlled expansion cartridge for medium-sized big game hunting and above to ensure appropriate terminal performance.

Penetration is arguably the most important factor of hunting bullets. Appropriate penetration and expansion ensure a quick expiration of the game and make tracking easier, especially if you have entry and exit holes. Insufficient penetration leads to long, tedious tracking jobs, wounded or unrecoverable game, and a nosedive in hunter confidence. However, to meet terminal performance needs, the monolithic body of Core-Lokt Copper yields fantastic weight retention, and the muzzle velocity of 2100FPS makes it a great choice for medium-sized big game and below. "What separates copper from a standard cup and core bullet is its monolithic design, meaning the entire bullet is formed from a single piece of solid copper. This one-piece construction drastically reduces fragmentation when the bullet impacts its target, improving penetration and ensuring repeatable expansion. These factors add up to excellent terminal performance, which is important to ensuring an ethical kill". -Jimmy Lawrence, Remington Ballistics Engineer.

Core-Lokt Copper 300 BLK cartridge and box in front of a tree trunk

Best 300 Blackout Ammo for Target Shooting

300 Blackout ammo excels in target shooting and close-quarters training. Initially, the Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) designed 300 Blackout for military use, specifically in AR-style rifles. Success in military applications ultimately led to widespread acceptance in consumer markets. Two factors that make a target shooting round stand out in the market are its availability and the comfort the shooter experiences while shooting, such as tame recoil, low report, or agile profile. The 300 Blackout embodies all these listed factors.

Recommended Remington 300 Blackout Target Ammo

The purpose behind this cartridge was to provide shooters with a hard-hitting cartridge that comes out of a short-barrel combat rifle, making it easier to maneuver in small areas while still being effective. The 300 blackout rides high with folks that train for these scenarios, those who enjoy shooting close-quarters battle (CQB) courses, or those who love shooting with suppressors (how could you not). For optimum noise-reduction fun, consider Remington's Subsonic Rifle load. Pair this with a 30-caliber suppressor, and you're in for a great time at the range. You’ll be caught off guard by how small the report is. Laughter of disbelief and the ringing of steel will arguably be louder than the report. If you find yourself slingin’ more lead than the average Joe, consider our UMC product line for your 300 Blackout ammo. Remington offers the UMC line in 20, 50, 160, and 200 count packages in both subsonic and supersonic velocities. UMC target ammo has been around for decades and has proven itself to shooters when they step up to the line. UMC and Subsonic Rifle product lines share a feature in their bullet; they are both loaded with an Open Tip Flat Base bullets. Although these bullets resemble hollow points, they are not. OTFB bullets are not designed to expand rapidly; they give high BCs due to their heavy, sleek body profile, maximizing their accuracy instead.

300 Blackout Vs Other Popular Hunting and Target Cartridges

6.5 Grendel vs 300 BLACKOUT

Even though both cartridges are the same in length, there is a significant variance. The bullet diameter is the first and most obvious difference between these two cartridges. The 300 BLACKOUT is .308 inches, and the 6.5 Grendel is .264 inches. Even though 6.5 Grendel’s does not embody the stout stature of a 30 cal, the higher velocity yields a greater measurement of transferred energy up close and at ranges. This gives Grendel an edge when comparing ability based on energy and velocity. While the 6.5 Grendel is popular in AR’s like the 300 Blackout, the 300 Blackout still has the edge in compactness and optimized performance with a suppressor.

300 Blackout vs 300 Win Mag

300 Win Mag is arguably one of the best hunting cartridges ever. The 300 Win Mag can handle close to, if not all, big game in North America. Regarding hunting performance, the 300 Win Mag has the 300 Blackout beat, however, every cartridge has its purpose. Compared to target shooting feasibility, the 300 Blackout is obviously cheaper, and the reduced recoil and agile profile has the burly 300 Win Mag beat. Your shoulder will thank you at the end of the day for not shooting 100+ magnum rounds as you easily could with the 300 Blackout.

Key Considerations When Buying 300 Blackout Ammo

To wrap things up, we covered the details surrounding 300 Blackout ammo and the loads you should use in certain applications. For hunting scenarios, you should watch for a controlled expansion bullet that moves above subsonic velocities. A controlled expansion bullet ensures proper energy transfer and penetration upon impact with game. Supersonic velocities play a part in ensuring that adequate pounds of energy will be transferred to the intended target. Pairing these factors with shots inside 200 yards makes the 300 Blackout an effective hunting load for medium-sized big game and below.

The 300 Blackout is also a popular target shooting and close-quarters cartridge outside the woods. Full metal jackets or OTFB bullets will get the job done when it comes to punching paper or ringing steel. Finding ammunition to suit these scenarios can be done online at Remington.com or at your local retailer. Heavy-hitting performance in a shorter barrel is what makes the 300 Blackout unique to the market. Whether you’re looking for a Hollywood-like report or a new medium-sized big game cartridge, consider joining the market of 300 Blackout shooters today.