300 blackout load data

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chad8369

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I was thinking actual loads that people are using in their ruger ranch 300 blackout
 

Coyote Hunter

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Don't have a Ranch but I do have a S&W M&P 15 in .300 Blackout.

Hornady brass, CCI 400 primer for all loads.

110g Barnes TAC-TX, 20.2g H110, ~2400fps per Barnes
110g Hornady V-MAX, 20.2g H110, ~2382fps per Hornady
125g Nosler Ballistic Tip, 21.5g AA1680, ~1900fps per Hodgdon
.208 A-MAX, 11g AA1680, 1040fps, chrono'd
 

22/45 Fan

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chad8369 said:
I was thinking actual loads that people are using in their ruger ranch 300 blackout
I hope if people are sensible, they are using the loads given in the various loading manuals. Why would there be anything special about loads for the Ruger Ranch that wouldn't work in any other 300 Blackout rifle?
 

Coyote Hunter

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22/45 Fan said:
chad8369 said:
I was thinking actual loads that people are using in their ruger ranch 300 blackout
I hope if people are sensible, they are using the loads given in the various loading manuals. Why would there be anything special about loads for the Ruger Ranch that wouldn't work in any other 300 Blackout rifle?


The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto. Some loads may not cycle the action as reliably as others.
 

22/45 Fan

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Coyote Hunter said:
The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto. Some loads may not cycle the action as reliably as others.
Not really. The majority of the rifles chambered in 300 Blackout are AR-15 variants so the reloads are intended for a semi-auto. The only ones I've seen that are reported to be marginal are the sub-sonic, heavy bullet loads that may require a suppressor to function properly.
 

Coyote Hunter

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22/45 Fan said:
Coyote Hunter said:
The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto. Some loads may not cycle the action as reliably as others.
Not really. The majority of the rifles chambered in 300 Blackout are AR-15 variants so the reloads are intended for a semi-auto. The only ones I've seen that are reported to be marginal are the sub-sonic, heavy bullet loads that may require a suppressor to function properly.

So on one hand you say "not really" to my statement that "The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto", then you admit you've "seen" some loads reported to be marginal and may "require a suppressor to function properly".

That is self contradictory.

A data sheet provided to me in an email from Scott at Ramshot, dated 8/2/2012, states "Only the loads with heavy >210 grain bullets will cycle semi-auto weapons at subsonic levels. However this threshold is extremely marginal and the weapon gas system must be configured for such an operation." The only powders listed in the data sheet for sub-sonic data loads are 5744 and 1680. In other words, NONE of the loads listed may be reliable in semi-auto weapons. The loads listed in that datasheet include 8 of the 11 subsonic .300BLK loads listed in Western Powder's current "Reloading and Load Data Guide 6.0", including all the 5744 and 1680 loads. All that is missing is the 3 loads currently listed for LT-30.

But it isn't just sub-sonics that can have problems. Western Powder's "Reloading and Load Data Guide 6.0" has nine super-sonic loads for A-4100. The same data sheet referenced above also states "A-4100 will not cycle semi auto weapons reliably with bullets heavier than 155 gr". The only difference between the two datasheets is the addition of Barnes 110g TAC-TC and 130g TTSX. I suspect these loads, which only go to 155g, may also be marginal with barrels under the specified 16" length.

Manufacturers of bolt or single-shot rifles in .300 BLK include Ruger, Remington, Kimber and H&R. Loads that work very well in these rifles may or may not work reliably or at all in semi-autos.

To your question " Why would there be anything special about loads for the Ruger Ranch that wouldn't work in any other 300 Blackout rifle?" it is as exactly as I said - "The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto."

Yes, "really".
 

41-44-45-48

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I've never tried the mini-14 in 300 blk, but I will share my experience with the cartridge in a 16" AR. First, any and every full pressure load I've tried using any reasonable choice of powder cycles it reliably. 110 gr to 208 gr it doesn't matter - load it to the 60k psi pressure the cartridge is rated for and the gun will cycle. The problems come when you reduce charges do keep velocity under the ~1050 fps subsonic threshold. Even with a 200+ gr bullet you're only using enough powder to barely crack 25k psi - It's not surprising that cycling is marginal at those low pressures.

As for the mini, if the 300blk version is anywhere near as over-gassed as the 5.56 versions are, I'd say the chances of it cycling any given subsonic load are better than your average AR.

Hopefully that's at least a little helpful. Btw, my pet load in my AR is the 147 gr fmj m80 bullet crimped in the canelure over about 17 gr of WW296 with a WSR primer in converted commercial 223 brass.
 

22/45 Fan

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Coyote Hunter said:
[To your question " Why would there be anything special about loads for the Ruger Ranch that wouldn't work in any other 300 Blackout rifle?" it is as exactly as I said - "The main difference is the Mini-14 is a semi-auto."
OK, you are correct and I was too broad in my answer. I guess what I should have said was that 300 Blackout loads that works in an AR-15 should work in an Mini-14 and in that regard the Mini isn't unique. Yes semi-autos are less tolerant of load variations than bolt or single shot rifles but this applies to nearly all cartridges they are chambered for.
 

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