300 AAC Reloading

[dfletcher]

I just bought a Remington 700 SPS is 300 AAC - 16" heavy barrel, HS Precision stock and an AAC single chamber brake. Nikon Monarch 5.5 to 16X scope.

I bought the rifle for about 100 yd plinking. My 1st trip to the range went OK, I reloaded 110 and 150 grain bullets using Win 296 and AA 5744 respectively. Accuracy was not as good as I expected at 100 yds. Hovering around 1.5". The gun is great fun to shoot, gives a neat little "pop" when fired and of course pretty much zero recoil.

Does anyone have load suggestions? A powder that has worked well? I'm not using it for subsonic and would like to stick with 110/125 and 150 grain bullets.

[skyscraper]

I have loaded with H110... I found some good recipes for it on the 300blk talk forum. I can't remember any offhand but if you check that site there's some great info on 300 blackout

[pyro3k2]

What is the twist rate on the barrel?

[joelogic]

Post up in the Reloading Forum.

I like 17grs of H110.

[MongooseV8]

Lil Gun with a decent crimp. This round gets super big velocity spreads without a good crimp.

[dfletcher]

Thanks for the info.

Rate of twist is 1 in 7". I don't plan on using the "big & slow" stuff.

Interesting to hear about the crimp, maybe that explains why so many crimp dies are offered for this caliber. Also, the brass (reworked LC 5.56) was advertised as sized, deburred & chamfered. It was deburred & chamfered, but I'm wondering about the sizing - some necks were pretty tight, others not so much. Perhaps case thickness in what used to be the shoulder area is not quite consistent.

Any opinions on whether getting reworked 5.56 is less desireable than "from the start" 300 AAC brass?

For some reason I'm thinking Blue Dot might work well. I'll also dial down the Win 296/H110 a bit, see how that works. I'm not going to use AA 5744, leaves much unburned powder in the barrel. I sort of expected to see Hansel & Gretel making their way down the bore .......

[k1dude]

Not from experience, but from cursory research: AA1680 (Subsonic?), H110, Lil' Gun, W296, IMR 4227, IMR Trail Boss (bolt action - not semi-auto), AA4100 (Ramshot Enforcer), AA5744, AA9, Alliant 2400, Alliant PP-300MP, Vihtavouri N-110.

[pyro3k2]

Have you tried using 125gr yet?

[russ69]

Not from experience, but from cursory research: AA1680 (Subsonic?), H110, Lil' Gun, W296, IMR 4227, IMR Trail Boss (bolt action - not semi-auto), AA4100 (Ramshot Enforcer), AA5744, AA9, Alliant 2400, Alliant PP-300MP, Vihtavouri N-110.

Have you tried using 125gr yet?

I'm trying my 300 BLKout AR this weekend. I don't have any loads made up yet but I'm going to be starting with fresh Hornaday 300 brass, probably IMR 4227, and a 125 grain flat base match bullets. If that doesn't get me near 1/2 MOA, I'll have to start playing around. I have had good luck with the 125 grain burgers and IMR 4227 in my Contender so I'm thinking the 300 will be better and much faster.

[MongooseV8]

You know 1.5" at 100 isn't all that terrible. 1/2" might be asking a lot out of the little 300 blk.

[russ69]

You know 1.5" at 100 isn't all that terrible. 1/2" might be asking a lot out of the little 300 blk.

I don't see why. I shoot the same bullet at around 1500 fps out of my 32-20 and it will make really small clusters in a Contender. Pumping it up to 300 BLKOUT velocities isn't going to hurt it at all.

[dfletcher]

I don't see why. I shoot the same bullet at around 1500 fps out of my 32-20 and it will make really small clusters in a Contender. Pumping it up to 300 BLKOUT velocities isn't going to hurt it at all.

I agree the 300 AAC should do better than a strong +1" at 100 yds. I haven't tried the 125s yet, but I do have a few boxes or 130s. I have IMR 4227 and can give that a try. I'd be interested to hear of other results.

As an aside, the longer I shoot the more I tend to think I'd be happy shooting just the Encores and Contenders. I work off a pistol and a rifle frame for each model and they're always accurrate.

[barrage]

It's best to not ever load anything heavier than 110 grains in 300 Blackout.

[russ69]

...As an aside, the longer I shoot the more I tend to think I'd be happy shooting just the Encores and Contenders...

I was thinking the same thing as I lugged all my stuff up to the shooting bench. With my Contender, I just need my gun, a sandbag, ammo, stapler and some targets. Some of my Contenders shoot better than some of my rifles. I'm at the 100 yard line for sure, any closer and it's too easy.

[DarkSoul]

It's best to not ever load anything heavier than 110 grains in 300 Blackout.

Total rubbish

I have been using with great accuracy and reliability 147g projectiles on top of 18.6g of AA1680. This will yield approx 1900 fps or a hair less, and you should be grouping within 1" at 100 yards.

I have messed around with bullets from 125g to 178g with very good results, and some very impressive damage to cars with the heavier bullets (Vehicle Tactics course). I am starting to work up heavier subsonic loads now, but my primary plinking / steel shooting round is the above recipe. I have well over 10k through my 300 with that round with great results.