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Hello all! I recently went all in adding the 300 Ham’r to my lineup. Got a ton of great insight from this thread in particular. Started with a 16” Recon barrel and it’s been snowballing since. Bought a few FTX 135’s today.

Quick question; does one require the special Hornady FTX plunger with the Lee dies to seat these without damaging the gummy tip?
Thanks for the help!

No sir. Unless I got a set of Lee dies with it already installed. I've loaded 300 or so of the 135gr FTX and haven't had any deformed tips

That's good news to me. Thank you sir!

X2

I envy you guys that actually have something to shoot at! Seems my neighbor went on a rampage and there hasn't been a pig on my place in over a week. I'm just about desperate enough to see how the Ham'r works on an armadillo or racoon...LOL

I meant to put in my two cents worth on the question posed a couple pages ago about handloading a longer than standard bullet for a single shot type setup. I had a relative who will remain nameless that did that sort of experiment only he forgot to take into consideration the ability to extract a loaded round so basically once he stuffed the overlength round in the chamber he was committed to shooting it as it was too long to extract without taking the gun apart.

Got a hamr, got a thermal, got a suppressor but also have a business and twin 2 year old monkeys. My wife would kill me if I committed to this unfortunately I would even get the freaking gate like DJ said but my life is too busy right now.

Son presented me with a .300 HAM'R barrel for Christmas. Have put the rest of the parts on order to complete the upper.

Soon to be a .300 HAM'R shooter!!

Well, it was worth a shot. Some people have the Kartrashians for celebrity hero worship and we HAM’R aficionados have DJones and crew.

I have 2 extra HAM’Rs and thermals when those twins put some meat on and momma will let them out

Merry Christmas Y'all!
I made it out to a the range today, I got to test some of the Nosler 155gr Custom Competition loads I mentioned..
The data presented here, is in no way claimed to be safe in your firearm(s) Every gun is different..
All chrono data is from a Caldwell Ballistics (Standard/Not G2) from ~10ft

The reason there's only 5 of ea. charge is, I initially intended to use CFE BLK for reduced velocity loads to simulate long range (high velocity) W296 loads. I decided to try a few high end loads to see what CFE BLk could do.

My minimum charge of CFE BLK (Chrono @ ~10ft, water jugs @ 20yd.)

21.0 -1911,1931,1917
1904 (Passed through ALL 3gal. Jugs, hard to tell if there was any expansion Jugs were obliterated!),
1878 (passed through ALL 4gal. Big exit 1st, Large entry second, no fragments recovered)
SD 19.5 Avg. 1908

CCI #450, WIN Brass 4x firing 1.603", 30.4gr H2O, COL 2.393" (in modified 10rd mag)
Hodgdon CFE BLK LOT #10 70°F

25.8 - 2336,2339,2320,2318,2302 SD 15 Avg. 2323
26.2 - 2363,2394,2397,2349,2357 SD 22 Avg. 2372
26.6 - 2361,2394,2397,2349,2357 SD 22.2 Avg. 2371
27.0 - 2393,2399,2402,2356,2400,2401 SD 17.8 AVG. 2391
27.4 - 2401 (the other 4 failed to chamber) I knew there was a high probability of these NOT chambering due to case bulge from the 115% fill.

None of the loads blew out or pierced primers, 26.6 & 27 both showed mild primer flattening & mild to heavy cratering.. 1 case had a faint ejector mark and 1 case had a mild extractor mark..
I'll have to do some more testing after I move, I think that may have been the last LOT 10 1lb'er I had left I have around 20lb, I'll have to see.. I've only tried out a few loads with CFE BLK, I built my guns around using W296. After seeing these results, I think I'll be trying a lot more IIRC I have10lb of one lot #.

I'm Not trying to throw gas on the tumble weed fire I seem to have started.. but 1,980ft lbs. is .243 WIN power. I'll have to try other ranges/velocities to see what exactly the Nosler CC does upon impact.. Whether it expands, or fragments and loses a lot weight. However. based on initial results of 3 & 4 gal. having full pass throughs under 1900fps without a single sign of fragments.. I'd say they should be acceptable for larger game..

I know the following will ruffle some feathers but I need to know.

Is there any information on subsonic use in 300ham'r (specifically in 11.3" barrel)?

I am asking because I realized that I am keeping 300blk for a single scenario: Suppressed CQB inside the house without hearing protection (aka response to bump in the night).
And I am really want to minimize number of calibers I deal with...

I understand that:
1. This is not what the cartridge was designed for
2. We can't expect great accuracy in that scenario (though it's OK since we are talking about distances of 25y or less)
3. There might be no subsonic projectile optimized for 300hamr
4. Some believe that only supersonic is viable for all scenarios

But still, if it's even theoretically possible and there is enough interest we might convince small manufacturer to make a batch of projectiles for the task.
Here are my thoughts:
1. There are 308 subsonic loads and most 308 barrels are in 1-12 range which is very close to 300hamr
2. It is possible to machine a bullet with ogive suitable for 300hamr which will function at subsonic speeds.
3. Resulting solution doesn't have to perfect but only work inside 25y distance.

Any input is welcome.

Any opposition to a surpressor? I have a 300 HAM’R pistol with a can on it and the 130gr hot cors aren’t bad without hearing protection. Surely not as quiet as subsonic but not OMG loud either. It is my bedside gun.

I tried a few bullets in 120-135 range and it is way too loud to my ears with suppressor and 16" barrel.
My guess is that 11.3" is even louder.

What barrel do use for your bedside gun?

First off, I had to check Wilson's website as to the twist of the ll.3".. It's a 1:13, same as my 16.2" Rangers. Second, most modern .308 barrels aren't 1:12, they're typically 1:10.. Thirdly, I haven't actually tested these loads (I have the powders, just never ordered the bullets). I have little to no doubt that they will fit the chamber & case,,

But here's what I came up with a while ago for a Subsonic 300 HAM'R Load.

Powders: Hodgdon Clays or Hodgdon (IMR) Trailboss (Both of these powders are especially hard to come right now) Clays still occasionally comes around.. $40-$50lb.. Do a gunbroker search for Trailboss and you'll realize just how long it's been since it's been readily available. Clays will most likely require some Dacron (pillow stuffing) I recommend some .308 subsonic reading to understand Dacrons use in large cases for subsonic loads.


Bullet: Notice it's not plural.. After looking at every single readily and semi readily available heavier .308 bullet that might be possible for a 300 HAM'R Subsonic bullet.. I decided, If I were to ever try this it would be this one.
Lapua 185rgr Mega Soft Point Hunting Bullet 1.126" BC .319
https://www.lapua.com/bullets/mega/
https://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/9572
https://www.eurooptic.com/Lapua-LU4PL7213-LAPUA-30-308--185gr-SP-BULLET-MEGA------100-.aspx
I got notified only once in the last ~18 months that they were available. They're not cheap, ~78¢ a bullet (after tax and shipping)

The real reason for choosing this bullet is, overall length vs. weight for stabilization in a 1:13" Both Berger's & QuickTarget's stability calculator shows 1.50 @ 985fps and above.

I even tried all 8 of my .308 (.309,.310,.311) cast bullet molds, none of them will work in the least bit (Cast Bullets must be seated too far inside the case due to profile or they're way too small to be worth it)
Furthermore, I tried 3 different companies (Maker, Lehigh, Hammer) 300blk Fancy Subsonic Copper bullets, once again they WILL NOT work.
(test fitting only, I got free hands on them from loading Blackout subs for friends)

Performance: Now it being only 185gr, you're not going to get the same Ft. Lbs. that you would from 300blk's 220-240gr options.
Next thing to consider/understand is..
SPEED OF SOUND DEG F
12 - 1064FPS
32 - 1086FPS
52 - 1108FPS
72 - 1130FPS
92 - 1151FPS
SPREAD OF 65FPS

Also remember if you load these up near let's say 1,080fps for a decent year round Subsonic level in your 11.3" pistol/sbr.. As soon as you put them in a 16" gun you're probably not gonna be subsonic.
To compensate for this most factory subsonics are loaded down around ~980fps.

Maximum Point Blank Range
985fps -111yd
1120fps - 123yd

Ft. Lbs. Energy @ Muzzle
985fps - 399
1120fps - 515







That's about all I can offer..The HAM'R wasn't designed or intended for subsonic, therefore it's cartridge length and barrel twist rates are very hard to find something suitable. The 8" 1:11.25" twist helps a little, but not enough to justify having one setup for it.
I'll probably order some of the MEGA's when they pop back up.. I like unorthodox handloads EDIT* I just realized they are in-stock at Euro-optic.. I'll get some to try

Best of luck in your pursuit, let us know if you come up with something that works, and I'll do the same,

Thanks for so much data.
It will take me some time to process it all but for now here are my thoughts:

1. I am lucky to have a bottle of Trailboss laying around but from my experience with it in 223 and theoretical calculations for 300blk, I don't think Trailboss will cycle the action.
My guess VV N120 and maybe CFEBLK are better candidates.

2. Do you know where the ogive of MEGA SP 185gr starts?
My search for bullets got stuck when I realized we need to know if we can seat the bullet deep enough.
Did you try Maker 180gr REX? I have only 200gr REX but if they scale like I thing they do, it might work.
I wish manufacturers would post bullet drawings...

3. I wonder if longer bullets are easier to stabilize?
I am asking because it is more realistic to ask for a custom machined bullet than conventional one.

4. Regarding performance, I must say that numbers for 185gr look more than sufficient.

I'll be eagerly waiting for results of your experiment.
Fingers cross your proof of concept works

Also, I wonder if anybody else is interested in subsonic loads for 300hamr?

I understand that:
1. This is not what the cartridge was designed for
2. We can't expect great accuracy in that scenario (though it's OK since we are talking about distances of 25y or less)
3. There might be no subsonic projectile optimized for 300hamr
4. Some believe that only supersonic is viable for all scenarios

All of the above is correct, plus in order to get reliable function you will need a pistol length gas system. Theoretically it's possible, but why bother when you can use a suppressor on supersonic or a Blackout which is designed for subs???

Also as a FYI on sound, the report of CFEBLK loads is noticeably quieter than most other suitable powders. A1680 is particularly loud in some applications.

a couple things to consider.

A, You'd be hard pressed to find someone who has shot another man and then voluntarily chooses to use a subsonic round for the next go round when he has the whole world at his disposal.

B, Maybe consider an independent thread on Wildcatting the 300HAM'R

C, Make Djones HAM'R Videos Great Again.


In all seriousness, Thanks Bill for bringing the powder differences up.

I may have to pull the 11.3" out of retirement and try it with some of my CC hand loads I used CFEBLK on. Even with a can it was pretty abusive to my ears when I was running 110gr & 130gr factory loads through the chronograph for a baseline so it's been idle since. I'm sure the 130 & 135gr WC loads were using CFEBLK but maybe it was an environmental condition that made it so irritating that day.

@Wilson Combat and @Dzhitshard

Thanks for the input.

My assumption was that 300hamr is as loud or louder than 5.56 (both suppressed).
I never attempted shooting suppressed 300hamr without ear pro but I did try suppressed 10.5" 5.56 and I am never going to repeat that, it felt like someone stuck awls in my ears ;-(

Maybe my assumptions are incorrect and 300hamr suppressed is not that bad?

Are there any numbers of noise levels or maybe someone can share personal experience with 11.3"?

It is an 8” barrel. With the suppressor it is still loud enough that I wouldn’t want to shoot it all day at the range without hearing protection but if the SHTF I wouldn’t worry about blowing my ear drums out with it. I really don’t think it would be much different then a 5.56 sound wise.

Maybe you are more sensitive to sounds than I am? I wear ear plugs when I am target shooting but never when hunting. I think repeated loud noises are bad for your ears as likely are super loud isolated noises but the noise from a suppressed rifle in the rare event I need it in an defensive situation isn’t even a concern for me. It definitely is quieter than my 9mm handgun I carry. What do you do regarding the noise from your CCW?

I think I've posted this before, but I hunt almost daily here on the ranch for deer (in season), hogs (679 YTD), predators and typically shoot around 900-1000 rds a year at animals. All are with either a 16" bbl 300 HAM'R (95%) or a .350 Legend (5%) with one of our Quell Ti suppressors with no ear pro and I don't think I'm getting any appreciable additional hearing damage. To my ears I'd equate the blast from a semi-auto with a unsuppressed .22 Mag rifle, from a bolt gun it's closer to a high velocity .22LR Stinger.

That being said, my bedside carbine is a unsuppressed 9mm with illuminated reticle 1-4 scope and white light shooting 147gr subsonic ammo.

"What do you do regarding the noise from your CCW?"

People laugh at me when I tell them but my EDC and bedside gun is a 9MM with Sig match ammo. It's the slowest subsonic round I could find and not much faster than my plinking handloads. My theory is with my luck the only time I'll be forced to use it is when I'm in a very confined space such as a vehicle or a room. Any round in a small space like that will probably give you instant permanent hearing damage but my thought is a subsonic rounds damage might be slightly less. As soon as the BATFE gets around to my application my bedside gun will be suppressed.

The wind finally died down enough that I got to test some handloads and I'm really liking those Speer 125gr TNTs. My accuracy node was a full grain under max load but the difference was one hole groups vs 1.5 in groups. I only lost 75fps as my MagnetoSpeed clocked them at around 2400 with an extreme spread of 9fps. Surprisingly the max load sprayed lead everywhere and clocked at 2490 plus or minus 30 and showed signs of overpressure. I've never really been a speed freak and since most of my shots are inside of 200yds (unless I'm showing off hitting a milk jug at 500 paces) I'll take the accuracy and not lose any sleep over the 75fps.

Too many variables for reliable numbers. load, humidity . . .
I will say forever that 300HAM'R suppresses the best out of any of the AR super sonic cartridges I've ever tried or hunted next to. Grendal, 6.8, x39, etc

in just the last year I can't count with my fingers the amount of times I've shot multiple single pigs within 50yds of the same spot over the course of a few minutes.

Shoot one of the group, bang flop, 2 minutes later the pigs are back rooting the same spot, shoot another bang flop, hogs trot off a few yards and come back. . . repeat. I got to 4 one night before I clipped a limb and the last one went down squealing and needed finished off. Those were not even pigs on bait.
I just shot 2 adult boars that refused to get stand up out of bed for over 2 minutes when my partner shot another one less than 40yds away facing away at a 90degree angle. Full disclosure they were camped a couple yards off of a corn pile I feel they were being protective of but I'm sure the shot would have at least made them shuffle if it was from my old 6.8 or a 5.56.

Thanks.

Regarding the CCW,
My main defensive round is subsonic 9mm 147gr subsonic (regular pressure).
Looks like this what most people settle on as a balance between effectiveness and safety.

If my data is correct, those rounds should be ~141dB.
A few of those should not cause any severe permanent damage.

My current secondary (suppressed subsonic 300blk 200gr) should be around ~130dB and I was hoping to retire it in favor of 300hamr while keeping it at least as "hearing safe" as 9mm.