I haven't dealt with the HAM'R, so it might be all that & a bag of chips, but I suspect that it is going to be a lot more limited as to what bullets you can use with it than the 300 BO or the 7.62x40. As the case gets longer there are fewer & fewer bullets you can use due to bearing surface & ogive length vis a vis mag length.
Personally, I am really liking the 7.62x40. There are plenty of useful bullets for it and I easily get 2,500fps with 125gr bullets out of an AR.
In an AR I would also consider the 7.62x39, .30 American (30/6.8 SPC), .30 Remington AR and the 30 ARX/ARk/Major (all Grendel/7.62x39 variations). None of these are handicapped by having to be useful at subsonic velocities like the .300 BO.
i've had a hamr for a while now. maybe cpl thousand rounds thru it?? shot lots of hogs with several types of bullets. i'm shooting with black hot. buddy is white hot but he's shooting a 6.8
i ran across an inquiry on a blkout site while looking for bullet info. i posted some vids using 130 hot core, 125 pro hunter, 110 vmax and 110 pro hunter. i have some 125 tnt ill try next.
i've had a hamr for a while now. maybe cpl thousand rounds thru it?? shot lots of hogs with several types of bullets. i'm shooting with black hot. buddy is white hot but he's shooting a 6.8
I haven't dealt with the HAM'R, so it might be all that & a bag of chips, but I suspect that it is going to be a lot more limited as to what bullets you can use with it than the 300 BO or the 7.62x40. As the case gets longer there are fewer & fewer bullets you can use due to bearing surface & ogive length vis a vis mag length.
Personally, I am really liking the 7.62x40. There are plenty of useful bullets for it and I easily get 2,500fps with 125gr bullets out of an AR.
In an AR I would also consider the 7.62x39, .30 American (30/6.8 SPC), .30 Remington AR and the 30 ARX/ARk/Major (all Grendel/7.62x39 variations). None of these are handicapped by having to be useful at subsonic velocities like the .300 BO.
I haven't had it very long. I've only shot 2 deer with it, both using Sierra 125gr Pro Hunters. I've also shot 110gr Hornady varmint SPs, Midway 125gr polytips, Nosler 125gr BTs and Speer 130gr HPs. I have some Speer 125gr TNTs waiting in the wings.
My barrel is a 18" with mid gas and a 12" twist. I wanted a 14" twist, but that wasn't available. I wanted to use WC820 to power it, but WC820 doesn't work with mid gas. I should have got carbine gas. I opened up the port from .094" to, I believe, .105" or .110" with no joy for 820. (Dang, I thought I kept notes.) Now I use 1680 and it works perfect.
The 110s shoot extremely well, I just haven't build up the nerve to shoot a deer with a 110. They hit 2,600fps with ease. (chronographed, not guessed.)
The 125s easily get 2,500fps, except for the Nosler BT. The Nosler's boattail takes up powder space & I can't get any more powder in it without using fire formed cases or a drop tube, etc. I could probably fit another grain of powder in with the flatbase 125s & the 110. That's OK, the Nosler doesn't beat the Prohunter with any relevance until you get past 300yds.
The 130s got 2470fps, again with room to spare.
I'm using a couple Wilson Lancers but now Magpul makes 300 BO mags which would work. Mine work great. I don't need more than 2, so I'll probably never find out if the 300BO mags really work or not.
I like it a lot. Bullets are cheap, cases are free, recoil is light. You can watch bullet strikes through the scope. It's a 30/30 in an AR that is about point blank out to 300. The 125 PH friggin' smoked the deer I shot.
I considered building one to meet our minimum caliber requirments for medium game hunting in Colorado. But I got a smoking deal on a pair of BWH barrels in 6mmx45, so that went on the back burner. Glad to hear yours is working out. . Thanks for the report!!
tried some 125gr speer tnt hp last night. when i was able to hit something, they hit hard. one was a looong ass shot and one was gut shot. both drt. that doesn't happen very often. when i had a pass through, it was a good size nasty wound with stuff bubbling and hanging out.
almost forgot about these. using 110gr spire pt. i figured my buddy had the kill shot in the bag so i went for center of mass to see what they did. of course things don't always work out as planned. i was laughing to hard at where my friends bullets were hitting and it took me a few seconds to get back in the game. they were great killers on a lot of hogs but i think i'm settling on the 125s
Nice! It really is a modern 30/30 with better bullets. There are a lot of good reasons why the 30/30 was one of the most popular rounds in America for decades on end. It's enough without being too much.
The velocity posted for 125 and 130 grain bullets appear almost identical to the 6.5 Grendel, how would a 300 be an advantage?
If you are looking for flat trajectory, it's not.
If you are looking for something that can consume pistol powder & still shoot like a rifle, it's THE game. If you have a bunch of light .30s laying around from days of reduced loads for HP, it's the ticket. I seem to see more good deals on small .30 bullets than on 6.5 bullets. Maybe it's just because I look at .30s more. The brass is free. You can pick up good .223 brass at any range. I have my trimmer chucked to a drill & it only takes a few seconds to trim & then size the brass. Bill Wilson seems to think it's a better round than the Grendel out of SBRs due to the faster powder it can use. True? I don't know. I wasn't interested in an SBR.
You gotta remember your audience here. Finding brass on the ground IS justification for buying a new rifle! Oh, and thanks for bringing up the Grendel. You may be the one that FORCED me to buy one!
after watching some of the wilson vids, it appears he felt the real advantage to the hamr was using the same bolt and mag as the 5.56. yea.. it functions better with actual blackout mags, but you get the idea. if you are considering converting a 223 to a blkout, 6.5 or 6.8, then a hamr barrel is worth looking into. if you're buying a new rifle bigger than a 223 for medium sized game, it's still worth a look. if you already have a 6.whatever, you may not justify a hamr.. if people still do that
i still have a 6.8 that i shot a few hogs with over the last two to three years. i was handloading 130s in the hamr quite a bit faster than i was able to load 120s in the 6.8. i think i've settled on 125gr tnt. here are a few lucky shots with them...
All of my ARs are of the normal 5.56/.223 variety. I've got some 50gr GMXs and 53gr TSXs to work up some loads for an upcoming hog hunt, in April.
The upcoming hunt seems like a great excuse to build a bigger-bore AR, and after some Internet searching, I stumbled on this thread about the .300 Ham'r. The pig-whacking videos proved to be too much, so I ordered up an 18" .300 Ham'r barrel from Wilson Combat.
I'm planning to order up some Starline brass, just for simplicity sake, and start off with Speer's 125gr TNT and 130gr Hot-Cor bullets. The Barnes 110gr TAC-TX looks interesting, as well.
I found some AA1680, locally, but I haven't located a can of CFE-BLK yet. Does anyone have any input on either of these powders, one versus the other? Are there other powder options I should consider?
The velocity posted for 125 and 130 grain bullets appear almost identical to the 6.5 Grendel, how would a 300 be an advantage?
Sometimes things that just shouldn't be better are. That said I'd still like to play the DJones game with a good 223, I think I could get more hits but I could be wrong. Dont' much care if they go aways after the hit.
I’d bet those velocities for most Grendel factory stuff are out of 20-24” barrels. Wilson’s stuff is generally 16-18”, and stated so, when it comes to his stuff. I’m tempted to try the HAMR, just because. I don’t know that it’ll impress me more than my 6.8 stuff, but I don’t have time these days to load for my semis.....just certain of my oddball stuff. It’s a time vs benefit analysis. I like to roll my own, but I love to shoot and hunt. Reading the tea leaves, factory offerings in the HAMR seem on an uptic and are fairly reasonable. Factory Grendel offerings have surpassed the 6.8 in price and a good choice of hunting loads. Back when I used a Grendel some, I wasn’t gonna load for it, and 6.8 factory loads were better in regards to bullet/velocity combos, and just (anecdotally) seemed to kill quicker for me. The best 6.8 loads have been fubar’d since Nosler bought SSA. I don’t need my semis to be 350+ yard lasers. I need 0-200 emphasis, and 200-300ish capability in a pinch. The Grendel would tempt me to stretch that, just because of bullets, but the HAMR might be more useful for my purposes and shorter hunting barrels, and the BLK won’t cut it much past 100, IMO. I just have reservations about it’s longevity and availability at this point, after their 7.62x40. Down the road, if I get the time and $ to load for my ARs, then it won’t matter as much.
The hammer mirrors the 30-30... and does it extremely well.
The 6.8 SPC is a bit faster and very effective as well, it’s what I went with because I coyote hunt and want to reach out to 300 with running shots if I needed too.
Now If Kansas would allow Night optics I’d be all set.
I just have reservations about it’s longevity and availability at this point, after their 7.62x40. Down the road, if I get the time and $ to load for my ARs, then it won’t matter as much.
I wouldn't worry about it. Brass is soooo easy to form, just trim a range pick-up .223 case and run it through the sizing die.
I found some AA1680, locally, but I haven't located a can of CFE-BLK yet. Does anyone have any input on either of these powders, one versus the other? Are there other powder options I should consider?
They are very close. Another one to consider is Shooter's World Blackout. The initial numbers made it look like a 1680 beater, but real world, it seems very close to 1680 as well. Maybe lot-to-lot variation?
These cartridges are right on the edge for usefulness with W296 & H110 as well. I doubt you can get the velocity of 1680 with them and they can be iffy depending upon your gas system, but if you have a cheap source of them you might want to fool with them. You can try surplus carbine powder too - WC820. It's a 296 type powder.
a probably dumb question, with PSA making an AR that shoots the 7.62 x 39 why are we reinventing the wheel again and again and again, practice ammo dirt cheap vs BO, Winchester and Hornady provide hunting ammunition, 303 caliber 125 grain pro hunter bullets are 4 cents a shot...I know the novelty and marketing makes the HAMR more desirable. I think Jeff was shooting pigs at a pretty good distance with a model 1 sales x39 if he still posts here maybe he could chime in.
Sorry for the intrusion, I normally just lurk around here but you are talking about my two favorite cartridges.
I have had a 7.62x40WT since 2011 and it has been my constant companion, and handled everything from beavers to bears. Then Bill Wilson started working on the 300 HAM'R! Knowing how I felt about the 7.62x40, he allowed me to follow along from day one and it has been an interesting adventure.
Please allow me to answer a few questions that have popped up. AA1680 worked well in several loadings and Shooter's World Blackout is almost identical. However, CFE-BLK had shown more versatility with lower pressure levels. Shooter's World SOCOM has also worked well in some loadings. Forming brass is similar to the 7.62x40 process and is easy enough to do. In fact, I just finished a batch of 5,000 rounds (all Lake City) a few weeks ago. If you don't want to go through the process, Starline and SIG have both produced brass. To date, more than 30 bullets ranging from 110 to 150 grains have been tested for the 300 HAM'R.
I always found the 7.62x40WT an accurate round and the 300 HAM'R has given me the same (and better in some cases) accuracy.
If you want to shoot sub-sonic you can stay with the 300 BO but for pure power, the 300 HAM'R is the ticket. The best thing I can say about the Blackout is magazines designed it will work great with the 300 HAM'R.
The bottom line is, all you need to change on an AR to convert to the 300 HAM'R is a new barrel. You can convert 5.56 cases and maintain the standard capacity that you would have with a 5.56. I have fired thousands of rounds during the testing process and have not had a single problem. (OK, I did have one primer inserted upside down but that was my fault.)
If you are wondering about "longevity and availability" just hang around for a while. I promised to keep my mouth shut but 2020 is going to be an interesting year. I have no ties to Wilson Combat other than friendship, but I have reviewed the 300 HAM'R in several magazines. Today I can say that there is no "hype" in Wilson Combat's statements about the 300 HAM'R, it is the real deal!
a probably dumb question, with PSA making an AR that shoots the 7.62 x 39 why are we reinventing the wheel again and again and again, practice ammo dirt cheap vs BO, Winchester and Hornady provide hunting ammunition, 303 caliber 125 grain pro hunter bullets are 4 cents a shot.
Personally, I don't want to screw with weird bore sizes. I also don't want to deal with bolts that possibly shear lugs just when you are squeezing some juice out of the cartridge. Plus I don't care for the taper on the 7.62. I'd prefer a .30 Grendel.
I know, this all probably doesn't make any difference.
Tyrone, your right not much makes any difference! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes people do things that others say cannot be done, for instance I have to wonder how many deer have been shot dead with the Mini 30 in x39 caliber? Why I myself never knew the Russian sucked so badly until the 300 BO marketing BS compared it! Suddenly we learned as we are still learning daily that only the latest and greatest will work! I have a BO and it kills deer at $2.00 a round Barnes 110 grain Vor-TX. Looking at 1000 rounds of cheap ammunition for 18 cents a round. Sometimes I wonder if the pig hunters would better off to shoot them with FMJ and let them run off to die somewhere else, but that is cruel isn’t it.
I'm brand new to this forum, but my friend DJ told me about the 300 HAM'R thread so I figured I should participate in case anyone have specific technical type questions. I'd also like to mention that there is a very good and lengthy thread here on the Texas Hunting Forum with lots of good information. https://texashuntingforum.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/7506626/1
There was a Grendel thread that was semi-responsible for spinning up this thread - but mostly it was DJones fault for posting the Ham’r-ing the hogs videos.
Hard to argue anything more than the cartridge is named for what it does ...
After reading through, I share some sentiments on how similar numbers/stats can show up visible differences in the field and on game....whether some would call it anecdotal or not. I haven’t shot nearly the numbers of hogs to get into the hog lung shooting debate on the HAMR vs 6.8 or others, but my less numerous hog/deer/coyote shooting and results led md to personally like the 6.8 over the Grendel , even though the numbers didn’t show much difference.....stuff died faster with the 6.8 than similar combos in the Grendel....for ME. Not saying it’s any how definitive, just a case in point that maybe even slightly more bore size does something differently on game. Could be we imagine it, too.... but sometimes your results and expectations are all that matter, in that regard. I’m tempted by the HAMR, but not sure I need it......but it could be the step up in emphasis from my 6.8 that’s seems to be getting harder to feed good factory fodder, without loading.....which is a trigger....as I’m just ‘meh’ on the blackout for hunting, and had rather not step to the ppc/Grendel case head size on an AR, again.
After reading through, I share some sentiments on how similar numbers/stats can show up visible differences in the field and on game....whether some would call it anecdotal or not. I haven’t shot nearly the numbers of hogs to get into the hog lung shooting debate on the HAMR vs 6.8 or others, but my less numerous hog/deer/coyote shooting and results led md to personally like the 6.8 over the Grendel , even though the numbers didn’t show much difference.....stuff died faster with the 6.8 than similar combos in the Grendel....for ME. Not saying it’s any how definitive, just a case in point that maybe even slightly more bore size does something differently on game. Could be we imagine it, too.... but sometimes your results and expectations are all that matter, in that regard. I’m tempted by the HAMR, but not sure I need it......but it could be the step up in emphasis from my 6.8 that’s seems to be getting harder to feed good factory fodder, without loading.....which is a trigger....as I’m just ‘meh’ on the blackout for hunting, and had rather not step to the ppc/Grendel case head size on an AR, again.
You sound like a perfect candidate for the 300 HAM'R! I agree with you 100 %, there are times when things just seem to die quicker. I still have a mental picture of a black bear ingrained in my mind. It just crumbled! Plus, the first time I took a 300 HAM'R out after hogs the first shot downed two. I repeated the process with the second shot and had four hogs in two shots. (I told Bill Wilson he was going to have to listen to me talk about it for years!) If anyone has looked at the "numbers" for this cartridge, I have. Yet, It's hard to explain what my eyes have seen.
Now you can throw in the fact that surplus once fired 5.56 cases are everywhere and are easy to form, one of the best performing hunting bullets for the 300 HAM'R, the 130 gr. Speer HotCore, is as cheap as they come, and all you have to do is change a barrel. What is not to like.
I picked up a couple boxes of bullets, Speer 130gr hollow points and 130gr FN Hot Cors, as well as some CFE-BLK yesterday. The barrel, dies and magazine should here on Tuesday, so it looks like I'm all set!
Is there anything out-of-the-ordinary for loading the .300 Ham'r, like a particular seating depth or crimp technique, or is it pretty straight forward? I have read that maximum powder charges might need a little coaxing to fit in the case, but otherwise I haven't seen anyone raise concerns about seating depth or crimping. With a full case of powder, I can't see bullet setback being much of an issue.
Not sure who else, but I don’t see them offered by ARP, and since Wilson has them under $200 on sale, I’m not sure I’d look at much elsewhere.
I will have to ensure I keep any HAMR loads well segregated from the wife’s 300 BLK stuff....I’d imagine there could be some bad potential for one getting into the other.
I picked up a couple boxes of bullets, Speer 130gr hollow points and 130gr FN Hot Cors, as well as some CFE-BLK yesterday. The barrel, dies and magazine should here on Tuesday, so it looks like I'm all set!
Is there anything out-of-the-ordinary for loading the .300 Ham'r, like a particular seating depth or crimp technique, or is it pretty straight forward? I have read that maximum powder charges might need a little coaxing to fit in the case, but otherwise I haven't seen anyone raise concerns about seating depth or crimping. With a full case of powder, I can't see bullet setback being much of an issue.
Dan
The 300 HAM'R is a really easy cartridge to load. Your right the case fill pretty much assures there is no bullet push back into the case on feeding. I just run a light taper crimp using a Redding .300 BLK die. As to seating dept, this info should help:
31 Bullets That Are Suitable for the 300 HAM’R and Recommended OAL
95gr Lehigh CC 2.255” OAL * 110gr Hornady SP #3010, 2.220” OAL, BC .256 ** 110gr Hornady V-MAX #23010, 2.255” OAL, BC .290 * 110gr Lehigh CC #05-308-110-CUSP, 2.255” OAL, BC .253 * 110gr Barnes TSX #30341 or TAC-X #30336, 2.255” OAL 110gr Nosler Varmageddon #34057, 2.255” OAL, BC .293 * 110gr Sierra HP-V #2110, 2.175” OAL, BC .177 * 125gr Sierra SBT PH #2120, 2.250” OAL, BC .279 ** 125gr Speer TNT #1986/#4725, 2.255” OAL, BC .341 ** 125gr Sierra FNHP #2020, 2.110”OAL, BC .119 130gr Speer HP #2005, 2.170” OAL, BC .244 * 130gr Speer FNHC #2007, 1.170” OAL, BC .248 * 130gr Speer HAM’R RNHC #20041125, 2.175” OAL, BC .248 ** (WC exclusive bullet) 130gr Hornady SP #3020, 2.215” OAL, BC .295 135gr Speer HAM’R Bonded, 2.255” OAL (New WC exclusive bullet, no BC info available yet) ** 135gr Sierra HP-V #2124, 2.230” OAL, BC .275 150gr Hornady SST #30303, 2.255” OAL, BC .370 ** 150gr Speer FNHC #2011, 2.155” OAL, BC .255 150gr Speer SPHC #2023, 2.255” OAL, BC .377 150gr Speer HAM’R Bonded 2.255” OAL BC 387 ** (WC exclusive bullet) 150gr Speer Gold Dot #308150GDB, 2.255” OAL, BC .503 150gr Speer Gold Dot (Blackout) #308150BLKGDB 2.255” OAL, BC .463 ** 150gr Speer Grand Slam #2026, 2.255” OAL, BC .295 * 150gr Nosler Partition #16329, 2.255” OAL, BC .387 150gr Federal Fusion BSP #FB308F1, 2.255” OAL, BC .387 ** 150gr Sierra FNPH #2000, 2.155” OAL, BC .185 150gr Sierra RNPH #2135, 2.175” OAL, BC .200 150gr Remington RN CoreLokt, 2.175” OAL 150gr Berry FMJ #70631, 2.250” OAL 150gr Speer TMJ #308150TMJ, 2.250” OAL 150gr Winchester PP #WB30PP150, 2.255” OAL
* denotes a very good bullet choice, ** denotes my personal GO TO bullets
BWilson, that's a great list of bullets and OAL. I know it's advertising for you, but good info regardless for the rest of us.
Does the 300 Hamr use the same dies as the 7.62x40, just backed off a bit, or did you have new dies made just for that cartridge? Have you done any testing of the 130gr Mk319 SOST bullet in either the 300 Hamr or 7.62x40? Nose length is similar to the 125 TNT so it looks like it'd fit, and I'd guess it should be pretty effective on pigs.
Also - will the 7.62x40 accomodate the 125gr NBT in normal AR mags (2.260" max)? I'm sorta interested in the x40 just for that bullet, if it fits.
Not that I need another of these, but I'm always interested in building wildcats like this and do it because I want to rather than any particular need for hunting or whatever. I appreciate whatever info you have time to share.
I tired, a 300 BO round is too short to head space correctly in a HAM'R and won't fire. I don't think a 300 HAM'R will even close the bolt in a BO.
Right now, Wilson Combat is your choice for barrels, but a lot of people are looking at this cartridge and that could change at any time. Personally, I choose WC barrels for all of my AR projects. They are reasonably priced even when they aren't on sale.
Yes, a 125 gr. Nosler BT will work well in the 7.62x40WT. I have used that bullet in one of mine for years. I have been a fan of the 7.62x40 ever since WC brought it out. I will always keep one for sentimental reasons but it sees little use since I've started shooting the 300 HAM'R.
BWilson, that's a great list of bullets and OAL. I know it's advertising for you, but good info regardless for the rest of us.
Does the 300 Hamr use the same dies as the 7.62x40, just backed off a bit, or did you have new dies made just for that cartridge? Have you done any testing of the 130gr Mk319 SOST bullet in either the 300 Hamr or 7.62x40? Nose length is similar to the 125 TNT so it looks like it'd fit, and I'd guess it should be pretty effective on pigs.
Also - will the 7.62x40 accomodate the 125gr NBT in normal AR mags (2.260" max)? I'm sorta interested in the x40 just for that bullet, if it fits.
Not that I need another of these, but I'm always interested in building wildcats like this and do it because I want to rather than any particular need for hunting or whatever. I appreciate whatever info you have time to share.
You can load new 300 HAM'R cases with 7.62x40 dies, but they won't size the base fully on fired cases. We offer both Lee and RCBS 300 HAM'R dies along with case gages, etc...
No I haven't tried the 130gr MK319 SOST bullet.
There is quite a bit of info on the 300 HAM'R gun pg of wilsoncombat.com
LOL....it’s always cool to have the horse on hand, if we’re gonna talk about him.
When you can pick your angles and shots, most stuff works. There’s types of hunting where angles/shots happen fast, and stuff moves fast. For that, there’s a balance between power and speed, that each has to figure in.....and the 30-30 realm is a great place to start, it would seem.....and the HAMR appears to actually get there....finally.
not really sure how far they were. i was sneaking up on some other hogs and these came out of the brush right in front of me. i wasn't ready and we startled each other. by the time i got some shots off, the close ones were probably still under 100 yards. the far shots had to be several hundred yards because they were on the edge of a big circle. granted that one was a lucky shot, but the 125gr tnt still had enough punch to knock one ass over teakettle!!.
i hate to admit this, but i zero at 100 paces on a steel plate rather than paper. on the last batch of 500 rounds i only checked to see if they were still on the plate. might have been a bit high. i don't get greedy with the standing shots and aim for the ear like some of the marksmen hunters do with their 'moa - all day long' rifles. i try to get a drt shot on the first pig and figure all the running shots are just luck anyway.
to that end, i'm minute of pig at about 100 yards. but my scope is also probably 2.5 to 3 inches over the bore line. i'm sure that skews the dope chart some, but i don't have time to think about that even if i did know the drop and distance. i just look to see where the dirt is flying and adjust.
not really sure how far they were. i was sneaking up on some other hogs and these came out of the brush right in front of me. i wasn't ready and we startled each other. by the time i got some shots off, the close ones were probably still under 100 yards. the far shots had to be several hundred yards because they were on the edge of a big circle. granted that one was a lucky shot, but the 125gr tnt still had enough punch to knock one ass over teakettle!!.
no brake. suppressed with a thunder beast ultra 7. some shots might sound louder than others, i guess, depending on where i am and the wind??
nebraska, where did the time go. that vid was almost a year ago. after re-seeing it though, i remember it like it was yesterday. oh wait, i can't remember what i did yesterday...
shot this hog at a buddy's place. he said the feeder was 225. seemed far so i measured it on google and it showed 115. not sure exactly where i was standing though, since it was dark, lol. so i guess it isn't really much help to say it was between 1 and 2 hundred yards.
he only wanted to take out one hog each. it was killing me to watch them trot up the hill and not shoot!! thought i missed the first shot, so i fired again. turns out the first shot blew his heart out the other side. fyi, he was shooting a 223 and didn't kill his. actually, i think his bullet bounced back and whizzed by us.
Thanks for all the clips DJones. Great to see. You get better as time goes on when you shoot a large number of shots in a year. I was an Ok shot as a youngster but I don't shoot a thousand rounds a month as I did then. Not many places I can do that in Misery these days. I need some ground of my own. Be Well and keep posting those night shoots, Rustyzipper.
i may have mentioned earlier that hogs have a funny way of deciding for themselves when they go down. some of these took quite a beating before giving it up. gotta hit the central nervous system for a drop shot.
got on a few hogs last night. forgot to open my brass catcher bag and had a jam on the last pig. fortunately i was able to clear it and wipe them all out
Those are some great videos! Others may have already asked, but do you use a shooting stick when you set up for the shoot-out or is it typically an offhand situation? Nice shooting regardless.....
always use sticks when i can. i like the trigger stick tripod because i'm on uneven ground a lot and prefer the 'on the fly' adjustment. you can usually tell from the vid if i'm using them or not. if the scope bounces badly i'm probably freehand or resting the mag on the top, hood or just shooting out the window.
only screwup is when i swing so far left or right that i have to move and bump a tripod leg with my foot
Lots of articles about this lately. Does anyone have one yet?
Will there be any PSA type uppers available soon?
It does more of what I would like to do with an AR tan a .300 ACC Blackout so I am very interested.
Dancing Bear, I bought one in July, Plain & simple " I love it" and I am not a big AR fan. Easy to load for, make your own brass or buy factory stuff, Wilson Combat has already worked out loads for the gun and they work or they do in my gun. Daniel
wilson originally recommended i try the 130gr hot core for pigs. i went through hundreds of them and found them to be good killers. like most folks, i still wondered if there was something better. i tried many bullets and really liked the speed of the 110s. my buddy and i are currently shooting 125tnt, as in the vid below. hard for me to say one kills any better than the other. they have all downed hogs out to several hundred yards. granted those shots were luck, but we still take them. never know when one will result in another hog down.
Personally, I think 150s are too heavy for this class cartridge - they eat up too much powder space. I'd save them for 30/30 or above. I would not go heavier than 130gr or maybe 135gr. That's just my preference. About the longest bullet I want to use is a 125gr Nosler BT.
I'd give these a try. I can't recommend them expansion-wise, because MS doesn't tell you what they really are. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s30192/30-caliber-point308-diameter-125-grain-hollow-point-wcannelure-100-count-(blemished)
Here's some 135gr flat bases that may work. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s3027/30-caliber-point308-diameter-135-grain-flexible-tipped-wcannelure-100-count-box-(blemished)
I ordered some of 110gr SPs and 125gr HPs, but I don’t see the 110s listed anymore. Sold out already?
I thought about these, but I was thinking cheap: https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s30191/30-caliber-point308-diameter-110-grain-lead-free-poly-tipped-boat-tail-wcannelure-50-count-(blemished)
Personally, I think 150s are too heavy for this class cartridge - they eat up too much powder space. I'd save them for 30/30 or above. I would not go heavier than 130gr or maybe 135gr. That's just my preference. About the longest bullet I want to use is a 125gr Nosler BT.
I'd give these a try. I can't recommend them expansion-wise, because MS doesn't tell you what they really are. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s30192/30-caliber-point308-diameter-125-grain-hollow-point-wcannelure-100-count-(blemished)
Here's some 135gr flat bases that may work. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s3027/30-caliber-point308-diameter-135-grain-flexible-tipped-wcannelure-100-count-box-(blemished)
Tyrone
I beg to differ with you on your opinion of 150gr bullets. Personally I've found 150gr bullets such as the Hornady SST and Speer Gold Dot to be capable of taking some very large game such as Elk, Kudu, Wildebeest, Waterbuck and Zebra. Also if you run the #s on one of the ballistic programs you will find that a 150gr at 2300fps shoots flatter at 200-250yds than a 125gr at 2500fps due to the higher BC.
Also the Nosler 125gr BT or AB bullets are not compatible with the 300 HAM'R, they have to much of their weight at the base and the ogive is wrong resulting is them taking up too much powder space and poor accuracy due to the long jump the bullet has to make to the rifling.
Personally, I think 150s are too heavy for this class cartridge - they eat up too much powder space. I'd save them for 30/30 or above. I would not go heavier than 130gr or maybe 135gr. That's just my preference. About the longest bullet I want to use is a 125gr Nosler BT.
I'd give these a try. I can't recommend them expansion-wise, because MS doesn't tell you what they really are. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s30192/30-caliber-point308-diameter-125-grain-hollow-point-wcannelure-100-count-(blemished)
Here's some 135gr flat bases that may work. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s3027/30-caliber-point308-diameter-135-grain-flexible-tipped-wcannelure-100-count-box-(blemished)
Tyrone
I beg to differ with you on your opinion of 150gr bullets. Personally I've found 150gr bullets such as the Hornady SST and Speer Gold Dot to be capable of taking some very large game such as Elk, Kudu, Wildebeest, Waterbuck and Zebra. Also if you run the #s on one of the ballistic programs you will find that a 150gr at 2300fps shoots flatter at 200-250yds than a 125gr at 2500fps due to the higher BC.
Also the Nosler 125gr BT or AB bullets are not compatible with the 300 HAM'R, they have to much of their weight at the base and the ogive is wrong resulting is them taking up too much powder space and poor accuracy due to the long jump the bullet has to make to the rifling.
BW,
What are you considering too long a jump with the NBT's.
Have you tried the Lapua 155 Scenar? How’s that work?
I haven't seen or tried this bullet, but it looks like the nose is too long and pointed to work well. The only polymer tip bullets that I've tried that works well is the #30303 Hornady SST and the 110gr V-MAX
Also haven't tried the Lapua Scenar, but I think you will have the same issue.
Basically all of the really pointed bullets end up seating the .308 dia of the bullet below the case mouth to stay under 2.260" for magazine fit which also forces the bullet to have quite a jump to the rifling which usually kills accuracy. This also makes them take up a lot of powder space.
Didn't I post my 31 suitable bullet list with COL #s on this thread at some point? With 31 choices surely everyone can find a bullet choice to meet their need.....
Which thermals have been best for you in bad conditions....humidity, warmer temps, drizzle, etc?
i've only used a few thermals but none that i've seen work well in high humidity or drizzle. moisture isn't a good conductor of heat. i don't really know but i'd guess that a larger obj dia might allow for more thermal waves to enter, like light and a large obj lens. of course other factors must certainly play a role, like magnification and quality of glass??
here is an old vid from when it was raining. visibility was so bad i literally walked right up to the hay bales these hogs were destroying. when there's that much water in the air you can't tell the ground from the sky.
Basically all of the really pointed bullets end up seating the .308 dia of the bullet below the case mouth to stay under 2.260" for magazine fit which also forces the bullet to have quite a jump to the rifling which usually kills accuracy. This also makes them take up a lot of powder space.
Didn't I post my 31 suitable bullet list with COL #s on this thread at some point? With 31 choices surely everyone can find a bullet choice to meet their need.....
BW,
I'm more of a "why" guy then a list guy. Your description above nicely explains your list.
Basically all of the really pointed bullets end up seating the .308 dia of the bullet below the case mouth to stay under 2.260" for magazine fit which also forces the bullet to have quite a jump to the rifling which usually kills accuracy. This also makes them take up a lot of powder space.
Didn't I post my 31 suitable bullet list with COL #s on this thread at some point? With 31 choices surely everyone can find a bullet choice to meet their need.....
BW,
I'm more of a "why" guy then a list guy. Your description above nicely explains your list.
Thanks djones....that video is why I asked about humidity.....I fight it constantly using the thermals I currently have access to. I have to manually ‘nuke’ these, so humid conditions drive me batshit and eat batteries at a higher rate. I'm used to nights where I can’t see much but the emitters. LOL
Personally, I think 150s are too heavy for this class cartridge - they eat up too much powder space. I'd save them for 30/30 or above. I would not go heavier than 130gr or maybe 135gr. That's just my preference. About the longest bullet I want to use is a 125gr Nosler BT.
I'd give these a try. I can't recommend them expansion-wise, because MS doesn't tell you what they really are. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s30192/30-caliber-point308-diameter-125-grain-hollow-point-wcannelure-100-count-(blemished)
Here's some 135gr flat bases that may work. https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/00285s3027/30-caliber-point308-diameter-135-grain-flexible-tipped-wcannelure-100-count-box-(blemished)
Tyrone
I beg to differ with you on your opinion of 150gr bullets. Personally I've found 150gr bullets such as the Hornady SST and Speer Gold Dot to be capable of taking some very large game such as Elk, Kudu, Wildebeest, Waterbuck and Zebra. Also if you run the #s on one of the ballistic programs you will find that a 150gr at 2300fps shoots flatter at 200-250yds than a 125gr at 2500fps due to the higher BC.
Also the Nosler 125gr BT or AB bullets are not compatible with the 300 HAM'R, they have to much of their weight at the base and the ogive is wrong resulting is them taking up too much powder space and poor accuracy due to the long jump the bullet has to make to the rifling.
BW,
What are you considering too long a jump with the NBT's.
The shoot well for me with some very long jumps.
I don't have any #s handy, but all I know is if I load the 125 NBT to 2.255" I get 2-3" groups, if I take them to a belt sander and buzz the polymer tip off flush with the jacket they shoot sub-inch. I can only assume it's the jump to the rifling.
In the 150s, it looks like a flat base is the key.
A flat base certainly helps, BUT the Hornady #30303 150gr SST with boattail shoots very well for me and you can get 30fps more velocity out of it than any of the other 150gr bullets based on our pressure testing.
I don't have any #s handy, but all I know is if I load the 125 NBT to 2.255" I get 2-3" groups, if I take them to a belt sander and buzz the polymer tip off flush with the jacket they shoot sub-inch. I can only assume it's the jump to the rifling.
I would call that good test of your hypothesis.
Now that you mention it, dad trims the tips the 200gr NBT's in his .338 WM, and it that rifle, it helps tighten up the groups as well.
I have brass and dies on order. Can’t wait for the upper.
Originally Posted by BWilson
A flat base certainly helps, BUT the Hornady #30303 150gr SST with boattail shoots very well for me and you can get 30fps more velocity out of it than any of the other 150gr bullets based on our pressure testing.
I don't have any #s handy, but all I know is if I load the 125 NBT to 2.255" I get 2-3" groups, if I take them to a belt sander and buzz the polymer tip off flush with the jacket they shoot sub-inch. I can only assume it's the jump to the rifling.
I would call that good test of your hypothesis.
Now that you mention it, dad trims the tips the 200gr NBT's in his .338 WM, and it that rifle, it helps tighten up the groups as well.
Thanks.
Have you know the H2o volume of your cases?
Sorry, I don't know the water volume, just that a fireformed LC cases and Sig mfg 300 HAM'R cases have the most capacity.
I don't have any #s handy, but all I know is if I load the 125 NBT to 2.255" I get 2-3" groups, if I take them to a belt sander and buzz the polymer tip off flush with the jacket they shoot sub-inch. I can only assume it's the jump to the rifling.
I would call that good test of your hypothesis.
Now that you mention it, dad trims the tips the 200gr NBT's in his .338 WM, and it that rifle, it helps tighten up the groups as well.
Thanks.
Have you know the H2o volume of your cases?
Sorry, I don't know the water volume, just that a fireformed LC cases and Sig mfg 300 HAM'R cases have the most capacity.
Removing the plastic tip would not change the jump to the rifling.
I don't have any #s handy, but all I know is if I load the 125 NBT to 2.255" I get 2-3" groups, if I take them to a belt sander and buzz the polymer tip off flush with the jacket they shoot sub-inch. I can only assume it's the jump to the rifling.
I would call that good test of your hypothesis.
Now that you mention it, dad trims the tips the 200gr NBT's in his .338 WM, and it that rifle, it helps tighten up the groups as well.
Thanks.
Have you know the H2o volume of your cases?
Sorry, I don't know the water volume, just that a fireformed LC cases and Sig mfg 300 HAM'R cases have the most capacity.
Removing the plastic tip would not change the jump to the rifling.
By removing the tip you can seat the bullets out thus reducing the distance form the ogive to the rifling and still fit the cartridge in a AR-15 magazine
The brother in law and his friend have had hogs run back to them sometimes when they bust the herd.
Some have been killed with a shotgun loaded with some number 1 buck shot that i cast out of wheel weights.
Have you ever had a double line up perfectly?
many times pigs run away from the sound of the impact of the first pig hit. they also tend to run back in the direction they came from. i've tried to get creative on steering them in the direction i want. then again, they can get just as creative and run right at me, lol
i was still shooting a 6.8 here with an armasight zeus. pig was pumping blood pretty good but kept coming. i was hiding a couple of rows inside the corn and they never knew where i was!!
as far as doubles go, yes i've tried that numerous times but only seem to get the first one. i tend to use destructive bullets and probably don't do much damage if/when they exit.
well... not exactly. i asked for 500 of the 125tnt for xmas. wifey means well but got the 130 hot core. even tho we all search for the holy grail of calibers, bullets, load recipie etc, for me it really doesnt matter. ive shot into herds with many bullets. sometimes they all die, sometimes not so many. decided to keep the 130s. went to load them and violá... i found 600 of the 110 spire points i forgot i had when i went to the 125s. decided to load them instead. the 110s are whats in the pic.
sorry dw. i dint see the late entry from as. looks like yawl are in a runoff for the free hamr. for the tie breaker, i will need each of you to submit an executive brief titled... why you cant kill a hog with a 223.
my buddy who is a prostaffer for wilson got a 16 inch. i'm happy with the 18 but you can't go wrong with either one. i think wilson had test results posted somewhere showing the velocity change with one inch barrel length reductions over different brands of ammo. there was some difference but nothing worth fretting over velocity wise.
No one loves their 7.62x40WT more than I. However, if I was going to build something new it would be chambered in 300 HAM'R.
Frankly, I'd ask them about doing a 300 HAMR. The main difference is in throat length, which helps with the 150s but does nothing for the 125s. I'm running a XCaliber 5R using less powder with 125s and get 100fps more than the 300 data shows.
They are arguably all but identical cartridges. There's only a millimeter (.040") difference in case length.
So, anyone but me building one of these based on this thread?
Yes, I see at least one of these in my future. Maybe a 16" and 20"?
I just got home from traveling over the holidays, and the 18" Ham'r barrel was waiting for me. I put some ammo together tonight, and I definitely recommend buying new Ham'r brass, versus making it from .223 cases. I'm really looking forward to shooting this thing!
That’s what I’ve seen from my 6.8 SPC as well, they hit fine, and fly fine... but if you want better stopping performance than ballistics the 300 HAM ‘R. (HAM... LOL too funny) has better terminal performance, or at least the opportunity of it.
I say that because you can see the hogs in the 300 vid’s go down faster / harder than with the 6.8 vid.
Personally I have experienced bullets moving at 2400 penetrate better than ones that 27/2900 which cause lots of meat damage - when a critter is running, hitting a bone takes them down hard, and pigs have heavy bones so I can definitely see a HAM’R hamming better performance... Dead is dead, the 6.8 has longer / flatter tragectory, but the HAM will drop more faster IMO.
Love you videos...
Originally Posted by djones
Originally Posted by plainsman456
The brother in law and his friend have had hogs run back to them sometimes when they bust the herd.
Some have been killed with a shotgun loaded with some number 1 buck shot that i cast out of wheel weights.
Have you ever had a double line up perfectly?
many times pigs run away from the sound of the impact of the first pig hit. they also tend to run back in the direction they came from. i've tried to get creative on steering them in the direction i want. then again, they can get just as creative and run right at me, lol
i was still shooting a 6.8 here with an armasight zeus. pig was pumping blood pretty good but kept coming. i was hiding a couple of rows inside the corn and they never knew where i was!!
as far as doubles go, yes i've tried that numerous times but only seem to get the first one. i tend to use destructive bullets and probably don't do much damage if/when they exit.
i prefer loading the 300 brass too. i ripped the necks off several 223 cases during the process. granted my brass was of unknown age and random origin. my hunting bud has loaded over 2,000 and only split a few necks. we both used the 300 hamr die to open case in one step. all my experienced handloading buds told me that was nutts and i should go 6mm, 7mm and then 30 cal. that's more time than i will spend loading ammo. heck i don't even like loading ammo.
fortunately my bud does and he made 500 rounds for me at the beginning of december. i already went through them and 150 more this week. i think wilson's bullet to kill ratio is a little better than mine, lol
. i think wilson's bullet to kill ratio is a little better than mine, lol[/quote]
DJ that might be the understatement of 2020 !!!
Seriously though, we're not comparing apples to apples for the most part........DJ and team Oinkin primarily hunt cropland fields with the goal to kill every man, woman and child while I'm primarily hunting woods, river bottoms and cattle grazing land with the goal of killing the largest hog out of the group with surgical precision after getting as close as I can for the shot. I do occasionally shoot multiple hogs out of the same group, but I'm still always trying to drop a hog with every shot. I've been out and shot with DJ and crew and in crop fields up on the Red River and it is a blast when you get in a large group and 2-3 of you are trying to kill every hog in the group.
If you are shooting AR’s you need to get yourself a Dillon 650 or better progressing - you’ll go nuts doing it with a manual. I jumped up to the 650 when I started shooting high power, and it als comes in handy loading up for Pdog shooting.
NOW... Question is have you tried the 350 Legend yet on Hogs ?? :), shorter rang I think it would do fine, but some of the longer range stuff it may fall like a rock.
never tried a legend. between a 308, 6.8 and hamr, i'm as close to optimal as i need for pigging.
wilson... understatement huh? ok I deserved that, lol. now I’ll share this with everyone...
buddy invited wilson to come out and hunt. sure enough we got on them. hogs started to roll with the punches. two guys were rounding up dead hogs and wilson tells me he thinks he has a wounded one out there.
so, we approach his wounded hog. I already put my rifle up in the truck (yea, I know better). mind you I had never met wilson before but certainly knew who he was. I shine my flashlight on his hip and ask what he’s carrying, he said it was some kind of superduper 45 something or other. I said…”well do you know how to shoot that piece-a-crap”. he calmly remarked he and some other fella named hackberry, or something like that, put 1,200 rounds through it the week before. I said.. "well get up close so you don’t miss the damm thing", bwaahahaha.
I will say, for a famous guy, you’re good company and take teasing well.
I put some ammo together tonight, and I definitely recommend buying new Ham'r brass, versus making it from .223 cases.
Why is that, Dan?
Prepping brass is, easily, my least favorite loading chore. Trimming 50 pcs of .223 brass down to .300 Ham'r length took a fair amount of time, even with an RCBS power trimmer and 3-way cutter.
When the dies arrived, I split a bunch of cases (about 40%, actually) when I necked them up to .30 cal. Some splits were minor, and I saved those cases to make dummy rounds, but a lot of the split cases are completely unusable. These were all fired cases, so that may have had something to do with it. If I'm buying new brass, anyway, Starline's .300 Ham'r brass doesn't cost a whole lot more than their .223 brass. For the significant difference in case-prep time, though, I prefer to just get right to it.
I buy new .280AI brass, as well. Fireforming just doesn't do it for my anymore, either.
At first, I let the trimmer to all the work, but it took forever. I then used my carbide chop saw to knock off most of the case neck, and then I let the case trimmer do the rest. This method was faster, of course, but still tedious. I will gladly pay the extra 4-cents a piece for Starline to do the work for me. It's a bargain, at twice the price!
I think I'm going to shoot my 7.62x40 about 10,000 times, then take a throating reamer and ream the throat out to HAM'R specs, leaving the chamber in x40.
good idea, except with a real hamr barrel you get the 15" twist.
haven't been enuf days in january yet to fill up the whole song with kills, but you get the idea. the music recommendations i'm getting give me pause as to the future of this country.
good idea, except with a real hamr barrel you get the 15" twist.
That's probably worth about 5fps and 1/24" in group size. Fact is, I get the same velocities from the 7.62 as the loading data shows for the 300.
I assure you that you can't come close to 300 HAM'R velocity with the 7.62x40WT at the same chamber pressure. If you want to compare 7.62x40WT over pressure loads to 300 HAM'R safe pressure loads, then yes they can be very close.
C'mon, Bill. I'd buy a 300 if I didn't have the 7.62, but really, there is little compelling reason for the 300. Using the 4:1 rule of thumb for velocity gain, you gain what? About 2 grains with the 300? That's 8% on a 25gr baseline load. So, that's a potential 2% velocity increase. I'm getting over 2,500fps with 125s and I've loaded some of my cases 3 times now. So, that's about a 50fps potential gain.
You don't need new cartridges to use different twist rates or throat geometries either. I'm just wondering what it's reason for being is. It's not easy or cheap to launch new cartridges. I just don't see what the payoff was for this project.
Originally Posted by BWilson
I assure you that you can't come close to 300 HAM'R velocity with the 7.62x40WT at the same chamber pressure. If you want to compare 7.62x40WT over pressure loads to 300 HAM'R safe pressure loads, then yes they can be very close.
C'mon, Bill. I'd buy a 300 if I didn't have the 7.62, but really, there is little compelling reason for the 300. Using the 4:1 rule of thumb for velocity gain, you gain what? About 2 grains with the 300? That's 8% on a 25gr baseline load. So, that's a potential 2% velocity increase. I'm getting over 2,500fps with 125s and I've loaded some of my cases 3 times now. So, that's about a 50fps potential gain.
You don't need new cartridges to use different twist rates or throat geometries either. I'm just wondering what it's reason for being is. It's not easy or cheap to launch new cartridges. I just don't see what the payoff was for this project.
Originally Posted by BWilson
I assure you that you can't come close to 300 HAM'R velocity with the 7.62x40WT at the same chamber pressure. If you want to compare 7.62x40WT over pressure loads to 300 HAM'R safe pressure loads, then yes they can be very close.
Some of the loading data I saw is identical.
It's just a matter of how much you like to reload and mess with other specialty stuff like twist rates.
Whatever makes a person happy is all good to me.
But a 125gr bullet at 2500 + - fps is a 125gr bullet at 2500 + - fps. No matter what it's fired from, it's still basically a 200 yard cartridge.
The rest is splitting hairs. But splitting hairs makes some folks happy.
C'mon, Bill. I'd buy a 300 if I didn't have the 7.62, but really, there is little compelling reason for the 300. Using the 4:1 rule of thumb for velocity gain, you gain what? About 2 grains with the 300? That's 8% on a 25gr baseline load. So, that's a potential 2% velocity increase. I'm getting over 2,500fps with 125s and I've loaded some of my cases 3 times now. So, that's about a 50fps potential gain.
You don't need new cartridges to use different twist rates or throat geometries either. I'm just wondering what it's reason for being is. It's not easy or cheap to launch new cartridges. I just don't see what the payoff was for this project.
Originally Posted by BWilson
I assure you that you can't come close to 300 HAM'R velocity with the 7.62x40WT at the same chamber pressure. If you want to compare 7.62x40WT over pressure loads to 300 HAM'R safe pressure loads, then yes they can be very close.
Some of the loading data I saw is identical.
Not sure where your getting your load data? I've got a LOT of experience with both cartridges and I've never seen pressure tested load data that shows any 125gr 7.62x40 load at 2500fps with pressure under 57,500PSI (not even in a 20" barrel), but I do have data on a specific 125gr 300 HAM'R load at 2550fps at 56,000PSI. Trust me, if your loading a 125gr to 2500fps your loads are over pressure, especially if your using A1680.
As to the WHY of the 300 HAM'R, there are several reasons. The main ones are:
7.62x40WT is a un-marketable caliber name and was brought to market at the worst possible time due to the .300 Blackout introduction.
The original goal was to equal .30-30 velocity with comparable bullet weights in the same barrel length. This can't be done with the 7.62x40WT, but can with the 300 HAM'R.
While the 7.62x40WT and it's 1-12 twist is usually pretty accurate, after extensive accuracy testing with the following twist rates we found 1-15 to have a substantial advantage in accuracy potential with bullets in the 110-135gr range, while still shooting 150gr bullets as well as the 1-12. We tested 1-11, 1-11.25, 1-12, 1-13, 1-14, 1-15
We found the increased powder capacity to have a huge positive effect on chamber pressure.
Of the hogs surveyed in this video shot last night, none could tell the difference between 300Blk, 300Ham'r, and 7.62x39... or 40.... or even a 30-30 Winchester...
What zero are you using with the 150 STS in the 300 HAM’R?
Also, for those using a Dillon 550 RL, what powder die are you using? The 300 BLK / 7.62X39?
Looks like a great setup!
I'd love to have one like it. That upper, combined with the Dillon 550 would force me to gladly re-purpose my 7.62.
When I was shooting competition, I used a progressive loader. The reason I did was that I did not enjoy reloading too much, as I was busy. Mine wasn't a Dillon, but would love to crank out loads for hunting on one.
Looks like a 200 yard gun no matter how you load for it if you'r euning the 150 grain version:
150 grain Hornady 300 Savage SST
150 grain Hornady round nose
I'll bet the 150 RN would be a hell of a house gun load...
David, the 150SST can be safely loaded to 2300fps from a 16" barrel with CFEBLK. The Hornady RN is almost too rough for the HAM'R and doesn't expand well.
Wilson Combat is excited to announce that the 300 HAM’R cartridge, originally developed in 2018, has been accepted by SAAMI as a standardized cartridge.
The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Institute, Inc. (SAAMI), is the organization at the forefront of promoting firearm safety by creating standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms, ammunition and components.
The .30 caliber cartridge is designed to optimize performance of 95gr-150gr bullets and to function in the AR15 platform. Muzzle velocities range from 2280fps to 2770fps out of a 16” barrel depending on bullet weight. The cartridge operates at a maximum average pressure of 57,500psi.
Designed for self defense, law enforcement and hunting applications, the terminal performance of the cartridge is comparable to the legendary .30-30 Winchester. However, the 300 HAM’R has a substantially flatter trajectory due to the higher ballistic coefficient of the bullets used.
In addition, Wilson Combat would like to publicly thank Starline Brass of Sedalia, MO, Western Powders of Miles City, MT and Sig Sauer Ammunition of Jacksonville, AR for their assistance during development and an extra thanks to Sig Sauer Ammunition for submitting the cartridge to SAAMI.
About Wilson Combat:
Wilson Combat has been in business since 1977 and is an industry leading manufacturer of high quality firearms for self protection, law enforcement, military and recreational use. Headquartered in Berryville, Arkansas Wilson Combat manufactures cutting edge handguns, rifles, shotguns, firearm accessories and ammunition. Visit WILSONCOMBAT.COM for more information.
Anyone else waiting for the first round of pissing and moaning from Blackout lovers proclaiming it's really no better than their pet, ala 6.5 you-know-what?
Midsouth has a line in their description that says, "Can be loaded up to 1950FPS". Wilson's loading data has 150s going over 2200fps.
If these are the Berry plated I didn't have great luck with them when I tested. The best bang for buck for a range ammo bullet that I know of is the Speer 130gr HP, it's the least expensive .30 cal bullet Speer makes, shoots very good in the 2400-2450fps range and most of the local guys around here kill a lot of hogs with them.
I finally took the new .300 Ham'r out yesterday. What a hoot!
I started at 50yds, for sight-in purposes. The first five shots made one ragged hole. I shot 110gr Hornady SPs, 125 Speer TNTs, 130gr Speer HCFN, and 130gr Speer HPs. All four bullets made nice, tight groups with CFE-BLK powder. All loads cycled without a hitch with a 10-rnd Lancer .300 Blackout magazine.
The wind was cranking pretty good, and it knocked the target stand over a couple of times, so I didn't stretch the distance past 50 yards. I'll stretch it out further, next time, and I'll break out the chronograph for some velocity numbers, too. Can't wait! This thing is stupid-fun to shoot!
I finally took the new .300 Ham'r out yesterday. What a hoot!
I started at 50yds, for sight-in purposes. The first five shots made one ragged hole. I shot 110gr Hornady SPs, 125 Speer TNTs, 130gr Speer HCFN, and 130gr Speer HPs. All four bullets made nice, tight groups with CFE-BLK powder. All loads cycled without a hitch with a 10-rnd Lancer .300 Blackout magazine.
The wind was cranking pretty good, and it knocked the target stand over a couple of times, so I didn't stretch the distance past 50 yards. I'll stretch it out further, next time, and I'll break out the chronograph for some velocity numbers, too. Can't wait! This thing is stupid-fun to shoot!
There is no use in fighting. The hook has been set and they are already starting to reel you in.
I know how you're feeling, they are fun, accurate, and recoil very little.
I've got a 16" aero m5 AR10 that I built with Wilson Combat's lightest 308 barrel. Great shooter.
Run it with a 3x prism scope. Nice and light. 125 TNT is my bullet of choice, cuz I stocked up on them when they were cheap.
Today I saw the price of starline Ham'r brass for much cheaper than 308 and realized I could probably have the same performance as my AR10 in a much lighter package.
Kicking myself I didn't pickup a Ham'r barrel during the last Wilson combat holiday sale when they were dirt cheap.
Of course I could've built a whole upper then for the barrel price alone these days.
What’s the upper limit on game with the 300 HAMR and the 125 TNT?
Deer? Elk?
I'd consider it for about anything you'd use a 30-30 on.
If you are looking to maximize penetration, it pretty much maxes out at 150gr compared to 170s. But that's probably more of a theoretical disadvantage than a practical one.
i know wilson has taken a lot of african game with 130s and up. i'm more into the blow 'em up bullets. i think 125s are fine for hogs, and i suspect they'd be fine for deer if you don't mind some meat damage. that's about as big as stuff gets around here. i'm about to switch back to 110s. they destroy stuff just fine at night distances (couple hundred yards) and are faster.
they offer at least a couple of 110 gr bullets. i've used the sierra pro hunter lead tip before and just got a bunch more. i read elsewhere that the 125gr pro hunter can be pushed faster than the 125gr tnt. not sure if that translates to the 110s or not. i don't think the 110gr hp is even a tnt. either way, the 110 sp will scream, relatively speaking that is, lol.
all the 110s are varminters and probably the 125s too; at least the ones that will fit in the ham'r. that's what i meant when i said i like a blow 'em up bullet. i'm not looking for a mushroom, exit or blood trail.
Still have only killed paper so far with mine, but I let a few friends shoot it and they all said they were building uppers as soon as they can order barrels from @BWILSON.
They have brass and dies in-bound, and I turned them on to this thread for guidance on bullets.
I'm going to stick with 6.8 in my ARs, but really considering building a lightweight 300 Ham'r on a M700 .378 action I have on hand. I bet a 20" #1 would be sweet for woods hunting whitetail and hogs locally. I notice you hardly hear the 125 NBT mentioned due to length, but I believe it will work fine in a bolt action. Curious why they haven't developed more loads with powders currently popular for the BO such as 300MP, LG, 296/h110 etc. You hardly ever see 1680 or CFE Black here.
I'm going to stick with 6.8 in my ARs, but really considering building a lightweight 300 Ham'r on a M700 .378 action I have on hand. I bet a 20" #1 would be sweet for woods hunting whitetail and hogs locally. I notice you hardly hear the 125 NBT mentioned due to length, but I believe it will work fine in a bolt action. Curious why they haven't developed more loads with powders currently popular for the BO such as 300MP, LG, 296/h110 etc. You hardly ever see 1680 or CFE Black here.
Yes, the Nosler BT uses up some case volume because of the BT. The Sierra ProHunter and the 125gr TNT don't have that, so they leave more useful volume. And frankly, a BT isn't needed for this short range cartridge. It just doesn't help much at ranges under 250yds or so. I ran the velocity numbers I got from NBT vs SPH and the NBT didn't catch up velocity-wise until past 200 yds. I haven't tried 300MP or LG, but 266/H110 is too fast to operate a midlength gas AR with a .110" port. I think you need carbine or even pistol gas for those powders. I wish I could use those, but 1680 and CFE Blk, etc are pretty darn sweet so I don't complain too much.
ive got so many bullet boxes laying around i dont know whats what. the 110s i just loaded were hornady lead tip. didnt get to shoot any last night. finished off last mag of 125s though. next time...
if you're asking me, i'm afraid i'm not familiar with the models. i got a complete upper. i already had a lower with parts i preferred... namely trigger. i don't recall the differences in profiles or components. i just wanted a fluted and threaded barrel. mine's 18" but 16" would be fine with me. i think the guy named Graycard here is knowledgeable on the subject. you can pm him if he doesn't chime in.
yea.. i know. sometimes my shooting sux. they were hit, just not very well. killed 3 in the cotton but only recovered two. got all 5 from the pasture and 6 from the open field.
Other day at the range. 150 SSTs been giving me fits, so I decided to load those and 125 TNTs in decreasing lengths of 0.015” to see what my rifle likes.
David, what barrel length are you running? I've got a 1000 TNTs, and I'm debating picking up a hamr barrel. Either that, or SBRing my AR10 and going 12.5.
Right now the AR10 SBR is winning, since I'v got a couple thousand pieces of 308 brass and over 30 pounds of H335, but on the other hand I've got a couple "pistol" lowers ready to roll, so the lack of paperwork/engraving is making this hard.
Purpose is deer/hog/bad guy capable rig around 20" with a long suppressor.
ALL TESTING WAS DONE WITH THE SAME BARREL PROGRESSIVELY SHORTENED FOR NO BARREL TO BARREL VARIATION AND ALL AMMO FOR EACH LOAD FROM THE SAME LOT. ALSO ALL SHOOTING WAS DONE DURING A 5 HOUR PERIOD ON THE SAME DAY USING A LABRADAR TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT OF ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. ALL CHRONOGRAPH STRINGS WERE 10 SHOTS WITH THE HIGH AND LOW SHOT REMOVED FOR AN AVERAGE OF THE REMAINING 8 SHOTS.
AS YOU CAN SEE AS THE BULLET WEIGHT WENT UP BARREL LENGTH HAD LESS EFFECT ON VELOCITY. AVERAGING THE 16.25 TO 20 NUMBERS IT WORKS OUT TO 10.5 FPS PER INCH.
not sure how they addressed the gas tube length as the barrell was progressively shortened.
I think once you cut the 308 down to 12.5", you're getting to near HAMR velocities anyway, and the HAMR is more efficient at that barrel length?
Not sure what velocity a 12.5" 308 gets, but @djones' post above shows the comparable HAMR velocities.
Originally Posted by CaptArab
David, what barrel length are you running? I've got a 1000 TNTs, and I'm debating picking up a hamr barrel. Either that, or SBRing my AR10 and going 12.5.
Right now the AR10 SBR is winning, since I'v got a couple thousand pieces of 308 brass and over 30 pounds of H335, but on the other hand I've got a couple "pistol" lowers ready to roll, so the lack of paperwork/engraving is making this hard.
Purpose is deer/hog/bad guy capable rig around 20" with a long suppressor.
funny how this thread keeps popping up. it must be for the vids
not sure if i have enuf kill shots for another music vid yet, but here are a cpl hunts in the meantime. the one with the crosshairs tilted are from chasing hogs across a field and hanging out the window... and i kept bumping the gun into the side mirror.
the crosshair i see in the scope is the plus symbol. the horizontal part disappears sometimes in the video. i think my external dvr needs a filter for proper use on my scope.
the crosshairs on the trijicon are large. fine for hogs but it covers up a lot if i'm aiming at a coyote at any distance. i've recently starting using my old NV scope with an IR light for predators. it has a great crosshair with a dimmer switch. i focused in perfectly on this cat's eyes at about 150 yds with a 204, 40 grain vmax.
Ive been wanting the quietest handiest little rig possible for tight deer blinds and night time predators.
Picked up a Wilson combat 8" 300 hamr barrel, RCBS dies, starling brass, and 5 lbs of cfe blk. Already have a good stash of 125 TNTs. Barrel and does were under 250 and I already have enough parts to slap an upper together.
Should be a good little deer rig out to 150 yards or so which is all I really need for this application. With the 8" barrel even the Nomad L should be manageable.
Shot this yesterday with my HAMR pistol. 11.3" barrel. 17 yards (max range inside my house), SIG Romeo 5 red dot, braced on sand bags, handloaded 125 TNT to match SIG factory ammo.
Easy to shoot, even easier with a suppressor. Great house gun.
still shooting a trijicon mark 3. new scopes have a lot more features that i like... swapple, rechargeable batteries standby mode internal audio/video auto shutter nuc user upgradeable firmware one shot zero pixel repair pic in pic (if thats ur thing) and so on...
but im used to the mk3 and i really like 4.5x base mag. i got a bering optics for yotes. its usually dedicated to a 204 but a bud used it on a 6.8 a cpl days ago. it has some limitations but at half the price its certainly not half the scope.
i thought i found one i wanted with a built in lrf but realiized the ranging reticle couldnt be adjuusted to the center of the crosshairs.
heres a cpl vids of the 4.5x mk3 and the super yoter at 3x side by side.
You might want to check your equipment. It seems that you're picking up interference of an earthly angel sort. Scantily clad girls with beautiful front teeth. 😂
Do any of you know of any 20" barrels for the 300 Hamr? All I see on Wilson and Shaw sites are 18" barrels. I'd rather buy a 20" complete upper, but can have my son build one if I can find the barrel.
No, but X-caliber does 7.62x40WT and 30 HRT which bookend both sides of the 300HAM'R velocity-wise.
I don't believe the 7.62x40 gives up much to the HAM'R with 125gr bullets out of a X-Caliber 5R @18". I get 2,500fps with a 125gr Sierra PH measured by a Magnetospeed.
I still may get one but right now am getting ready to take out a Radical Arms 7.62x39 to try on pigs. In the process of building a Wilson Combat lower, not sure what caliber that might end up as yet.
Possibly a Ham'r, but thinking of something 6.8/277. Going to be a 300 yrd max gun for deer and hogs.
Can it handle the variety of bullets and weights the Blackout can?
No. The Ham'r is intended for lighter bullets, in the 110-150gr range, supersonic only.
To me, the Blackout is only interesting as a subsonic bullet launcher. This limits my choices to bullets 190 grains and heavier.
I think the Ham'r and .350 Legend are better hunting rounds for the AR platform. The Blackout has its place, though. It's airgun-quiet in a suppressed bolt gun!
You may be the one that FORCED me to buy one! 
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