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Posted: 1/31/2026 10:37:31 PM EDT
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I often read where people say the .300 BLK is very flexible, as you can shoot supersonic, subsonic, suppressed, or loud. However, I find the practical application of this statement is a bit more difficult to achieve. While one can expect some POI shift when switching loads or suppressors, the shift seems exaggerated with this cartridge. I wanted to see just how much, so I went out today with the intention of shooting groups at 25, 50, and 100 yds. with both supers and subs, suppressed and unsuppressed. I was shooting an 8.5” PSA upper with a TRS-25 red dot on one gun and a 16” Noveske barrel and a Millet 1-4X scope on the other gun. It was 17°F today, but sunny with no wind. While the pistol bays the range were getting some use, the snow on the 100 yd. range was undisturbed, with the exception of a few rabbit tracks. It looked like this after I had traipsed back and forth a few times:  I brought a tarp with the intention of shooting prone at 50 yards, but I was running out of daylight. So I only shot at 25 and 100 yards. Ammo consisted of my handloads using 110 gr. VMAX and 220 gr. SMK bullets. Both were loaded with an appropriate charge of Win 296 and a Win#41 primer. I first sighted in both rifles at 25 yards unsuppressed with the supersonic loads. I don’t usually like 3-round groups for accuracy testing, but for what I’m doing here they provide an adequate illustration. After sighting in, I fired groups at 25 yds. with the sub load, and repeated shooting both loads with a Liberty Cosmic installed. I did this on separate targets for each rifle. I then moved to the 100 yard range and repeated the process. |
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As expected, I had four groups from the 25 yard line, all relatively close. The subsonic / suppressed group had shifted a bit out of the black. At 100 yards, things opened up quite a bit. The unsuppressed supersonic load shifted up around 8”. And the subsonic load dropped almost as far in the other direction. The suppressed groups moved almost completely off the target, up and to the right. I get that some suppressors are somewhat tunable, and some exhibit more or less POI shift. But it seems with my current setup I would really need to pick one mode and stick with it. Or get really good at remembering how many clicks which way, depending on how I’m set up. 
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The real head scratcher was the rifle with the 16” Noveske barrel. While the groups shifted around a bit, depending on load and whether suppressed or not, all were in the black circle. All except one group. My subsonic / suppressed load dropped off the bottom of the page, with only one round just hitting the paper. Everything else was great. Enough so that it was getting difficult to tell which group was which, even though I was marking them between groups. (BTW, a black sharpie is not the tool to use here. Very difficult to see against the black circle). So why no POI shift on my 100 yard suppressed / supersonic load, when it’s excessive with the sub load, or any load on the 8.5” gun? I’ll have to get out and mess with this some more. 
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USA
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I have two 300 BLKs -- a 10.5" AR SBR and a M700 SPS. I sight in at 50 yds with the AR and play at 100 yards with the M700. There's roughly a 12 MOA vertical change in POA with the 700 between 110s and 220s and that's to be expected -- the 110s are running nearly 2400 fps at the muzzle compared to 1050-ish fps with the 220s. Groups with supers are generally good -- 1.5 MOA all day with many 5 shot groups at or slightly below 1.0 MOA. Subs... well, that's a different story. They can approach 1 MOA when the stars align, but can open vertically to 3 or 4 MOA if I haven't sweated the details when selecting reloading components. Mediocre ES and SDs will hurt your feelings with subsonic loads. |
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I've used the same zero setup for 8.5" Noveske for a long time. It works for basic shooting on steel pretty well. Subs are close enough out to 70 yards. Supers are good to 200 yards. Hunting level accuracy inside 250yrds and no need to change zero between ammo. I do tend to aim low to compensate the ~4" offset at 100yds with the hunting load, but otherwise just shoot to point of aim. (Disclaimer, I live at ~5000ft and the main sight is always mounted at 1.93"). Good luck with your setup, this took a little while to work out. 25 yards (A) 190gr Sub-X, Reload @ 1035fps or 194gr Powder Coat @ 1000fps = 1.4" Low, 0.5" Left (B) 110gr Varmeggedon, Reload @ 2132fps = 0.0" Zero (This is my "zero" check when switching optics) (C) 110gr Tax-TX (Hunt/Defensive), Reload @ 2209fps = -0.3" Low 50 yards (A Sub) = 1.8" Low, 1" Left (B Super) = 0.9" High (C Hunt) = 1.5" High 100 yards (B Super) = 2.7" High (C Hunt) = 3.9" High 200 yards (B Super) = 2" Low (This is my "zero" confirmation when switching optics) (C Hunt) = 2" High 225 yards (C Hunt) = 0.25" Low 250 yards (C Hunt) = -3.0" |
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TX, USA
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I zeroed it for 25 yards, although my likely use case is 3-7 yards maximum. I've tested it out to 100 yards and I feel really good about it after getting a relatively tight group with my home defense supersonics (Gorilla ammo, Barnes tac-tx 110g). I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer or hog with my current zero and ammo. |
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11.5" 300 BLK shooting 110 Barnes TAC-TX at 2200 fps. 190 SubX for subs. LPVO is cowitness height. For supers, zeroed at 50y suppressed supersonic on a Leupold DBC scope dial. Drops are marked at 150y, 200y, 250y, and 300y. Like all ARs shooting supers zeroed at 50y, Hold 2" over out to 20y and 1"over out to 40y. That keeps you within a half inch of POA. The rise over zero poa at 50y to secondary zero at 130y is less than an inch max out to the 130y secondary zero. For subs on elevation, they are suppressed starting at 40y, then 50y, 60y, 75y, 100y, and 125y marks with turret stickers. This covers the whole first turn and is the limit of what a 300 BLK is useful for IMO. Dials for 30y are same as 50y, 25y same as 60y, 20y same as 75y. If set on 40y zero, hold 2" for height over bore inside 10y and 1" inside 20. Hold dead on for 20-40 or dial 25 or 30 for extreme precision up close. Windage is zeroed for suppressed supers with turret stickers marking unsuppressed supers and suppressed subs windage. No sense in marking unsuppressed subs for elevation IMO. Unsuppressed supers is for emergency CQB use for me, so I don't mark it as it matters little at 30y and in. |
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NV, USA
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50 yards for my 10.3" 300blk hd ar pistol. I only shoot supers. 110gr underwood varmageddon and magtech 123gr fmj. Switched back to 10.3" from a 12" barrel because the 12" was disgustingly overgassed and the only low profile adjustable gas block i could find that fit under my handguard broke. Edit to add, optic is an original model vortex spitfire 1x prism. |
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everything is 50yd zero. I'm not shooting varmints or competitions. fun at the range, and for hd/coyote use. so hd will be under 20yd most likely and I'm not concerned with shooting an inch or two low. I'm more interested in NOT hitting my dogs if/when I need to hit a coyote, that will be 75-100yd. the 300blk "stop something" load for me is Hornady Black 110gr Vmax. at these short ranges, it's essentially the same ballistics for 5.56 since the bullet will be somewhere close to the top of its arc above point of aim at around 100yds. maybe .5 to 1" higher poi than 300blk which will not be an issue. |
The deuce you say.
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