Best 300 Blackout Ammo Picks

What cartridge has similar ballistic performance to the 7.62×39, is optimized for the AR platform, and functions reliably in suppressed and unsuppressed short-barreled rifles (SBRs) alike? If you answered “My old dog Blue,” then ha ha! You sure are a merrymaker. But the answer I was looking for is “300 AAC Blackout” (aka 300 Blackout, 300 BLK, or 7.62×35).

If you’re still relatively new to this thrilling .30 caliber cartridge, then you’re no doubt considering losing your mind in response to the overwhelming variety of ammo for sale. Do not start molding aluminum foil to your head just yet. I’m about to give you my top ammo recommendations free of charge because I love you very much and want nothing more than what’s best for you in life.

Best 300 Blackout Ammo – Our Picks

Top cheap supersonic 300 Blackout ammo: Magtech 123 Grain FMJ Ammo

Best cheap subsonic 300 Blackout ammo: Sellier & Bellot 200 Grain FMJ

Top premium 300 BLK ammo for the range: Remington Premier Match 125 Grain

Best premium 300 Blackout round for the range: Hornady Black 208 Grain

Top 300 Blackout ammo for varmint hunting: Nosler 110 Grain Polymer Tip

More Details About Our Picks

Each recommendation is either supersonic (i.e. loaded with a bullet lighter than 190 grains) or subsonic (190 grains or heavier). If you opt for a supersonic round (i.e. one which breaks the sound barrier by achieving muzzle velocity in excess of 1,125 fps), then you’ll benefit from a flatter trajectory and higher striking energy. If you go subsonic (muzzle velocity lower than 1,125 fps), then you’ll observe much steeper bullet drop and weaker striking energy – albeit with the accompanying advantages of lower recoil and softer report. (Subsonic ammo isn’t absolutely necessary for a suppressor, although it is required if you want to witness the accessory’s best possible performance.)

Best Cheap Supersonic 300 AAC Blackout Ammo for Target Shooting

Magtech 300 BLK 123 Grain FMJ

• Product No. 300BLKB
• Bullet Weight: 123 Grains
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,230 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,359 ft lbs

It’s manufactured by one of the largest and best-funded ammunition producers on the planet. It lacks cheap non-reloadable steel cases, bimetal-jacketed bullets that attract a magnet, and corrosive Berdan primers. It’s pretty darn reliable, too. I’m talking about Magtech 300 BLK: Brazil’s answer to thrifty marksmen’s prayers.

These range loads’ 123 grain full metal jacket bullets will do nothing more extravagant than follow flat, predictable trajectories to their targets. They certainly wouldn’t do any favors to small game, although I’d always prefer a bullet that’s capable of terminal expansion for any hunting or defensive endeavor – the reason why this and the next three recommendations are recommended for target shooting only.

Best Cheap Subsonic 300 AAC Blackout Ammo for Target Shooting

Sellier & Bellot Subsonic 200 Grain FMJ

• Product No. SB300BLKSUBA
• Bullet Weight: 200 Grains
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,060 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 499 ft lbs

Sellier & Bellot makes these hefty beauts in the Czech Republic. Like Magtech, S&B only loads new brass, noncorrosive primers, and steel-free bullets that can’t attract a magnet. They are also currently owned by Colt CZ Group, and therefore in possession of all the experience and funding they need in order to run a world-class operation.

This round’s ponderous 1,060 fps muzzle velocity is around 65 fps lower than the speed of sound (I say “around” because the speed of sound varies depending on atmospheric conditions such as altitude, temperature and barometric pressure). Note that a 300 BLK round’s subsonic muzzle velocity isn’t solely the product of its beefy 190+ grain bullet. It is also decidedly weaker than any supersonic alternative. For context, this particular subsonic round’s power factor equals 212.0, whereas the preceding supersonic cartridge’s power factor is approximately 29% higher at 274.3.

Best Premium Supersonic 300 AAC Blackout Ammo for Target Shooting

Remington Premier Match 125 Grain MatchKing

• Product No. 21503
• Bullet Weight: 125 Grains
• Bullet Type: Sierra MatchKing (SMK)
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,215 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,362 ft lbs

If you want to witness the absolute best accuracy you and your rifle are capable of together, then you must spring for the crème de la crème: Remington’s elite competition ammo, loaded with the same type of bullet that has been fired to win more competitions than all other bullets combined.

This round’s Sierra MatchKing only superficially resembles the kind of JHP you might use for varmint hunting or defense. But as an open tip match, its nose cavity isn’t actually capable of initiating terminal expansion. The SMK’s wafer thin and uniformly concentric jacket, sleek frontal profile, flawlessly balanced swaged lead core, and carefully standardized weight all contribute toward its outstanding precision.

Best Premium Subsonic 300 AAC Blackout Ammo for Target Shooting

Hornady BLACK 208 Grain A-MAX

• Product No. 80891
• Bullet Weight: 208 Grains
• Bullet Type: A-MAX
• Muzzle Velocity: 1,020 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 480 ft lbs

In general, subsonic ammo is more accurate over farther distances. That’s largely due to a physical phenomenon known as “transonic destabilization” (TD), wherein a projectile picks up a wobble as its velocity slows from supersonic to subsonic. If a bullet has a supersonic muzzle velocity, then TD will necessarily cause it to start wobbling slightly at some point downrange. Conversely, a bullet with a subsonic muzzle velocity cannot be affected by TD.

This BLACK series cartridge by Hornady isn’t just accurate because its bullet keeps its tip so reliably trained on its target. That bullet is the A-MAX, which combines an ultra low-drag polymer tip, sleek and concentric secant ogive profile Advanced Manufacturing Process jacket, swaged lead core, and boat tail to attain one of the highest G1 ballistic coefficients a factory-loaded 300 BLK projectile has ever had: 0.648! That’s the mark of a bullet which truly thumbs its nose at the frontal air resistance and wind deflection.

This isn’t magically accurate subsonic 300 BLK ammo, mind you. You’re signing up for high-arching trajectory parabolas when you go subsonic, so aim carefully.

Best Supersonic 300 AAC Blackout Ammo for Varmint Hunting

Nosler Varmageddon 110 Grain FB Tipped

• Product No. 69193
• Bullet Weight: 110 Grains
• Bullet Type: Flat Base (FB) Tipped
• Muzzle Velocity: 2,200 fps
• Muzzle Energy: 1,182 ft lbs

I’m not too interested in varmint hunting with subsonic 300 BLK. I’d love the whisper quietness of it, no doubt about it, but I’m just not keen on (or capable of) landing precise long-range shots with that rainbow-like trajectory.

That’s why I prefer Nosler Varmageddon for the time-honored pastime of wiping the smiles off varmints’ faces. This round’s bullet is very light and has a turbocharged muzzle velocity to show for it – almost Mach 2! The Varmageddon bullet sports a flat base, which increases short-to-mid-range accuracy by giving the propellant gasses a clean, uniform surface to push against (but which lacks the drag-reducing effect of a boat tail). Once the bullet’s tip stabs into varmint flesh, it rams inward to catalyze grenade-like fragmentation.

Use this ammo on nothing larger than a yote and you’ll be a legend.

The Takeaway

300 BLK ammo is divisible into two categories: supersonic, and subsonic. Either can be extremely effective at any application, but bear in mind that a subsonic round’s striking power is less than half that of a supersonic one’s.

Choose a cheap FMJ for casual target shooting. Make it a premium open tip match (OTM), hollow point boat tail (HPBT), or non-expanding polymer-tipped bullet when all you care about is accuracy. Find a bullet that’s designed for terminal expansion when you’re hunting or defending your life against a malevolent interloper.