Anyone out there hunting with a subsonic load?

[-Savage-]

... I'd save the low velocity stuff for small game.

I agree with you.

But my father (if he was still alive) probably wouldn't.
He was a professional hunting guide before and after WWII.
The only rifle he ever used was the Winchester 92 in .44-40 that his dad bought for the homestead back in 1908.
Dad, and granddad before him, dropped anything and everything with that ol' .44-40 ..
but they had to sneak up on moose and deer to within very close range.
And I can still hear him say "out past 150 yds, you could stop this round with a catcher's mitt".

Me? I shoot with a scoped bolt chambered in 7mm-08.
And even with that, I would prefer to be sneaky and try to get close.
=)

 

[SHELL SHUCKER]

I'm curious if any of you have had success developing and hunting with a subsonic load, ex: the 300 Blackout, or maybe some other .30 cal with a reduced load.

Would a typical .30 cal bullet even expand properly at say 900fps?

First off, in a .30 caliber sub-sonic load, you would be best served with hard cast lead boolits pushed out at 1050 fps. in the 220-240 gr. range. These have shown excellent results on both medium & heavy game at ranges inside 100 yds. with well placed shots. IE: Junction of the base of the skull & spinal column for a quick dump.

Secondly, expansion is not wanted or needed in low velocity loads. You want the the boolit to penetrate completely through the game on a heart/lung zone placed shot, and with a boolit of a round nosed, flat point profile to ensure the critters' gonna leave a healthy blood trail. The heavy LRNFP hardcast boolits of a hardness of 22-25 BHN are ideal for this as well as spinal shots.

I don't recommend .30 cal. pointed jacketed or cast bullets for subsonic use on game due to the small entry & exit wounds left on game shot in the heart/lung zone. On a spinal shot, the pointed boolits sometimes go off the bone on heavier critters such as black bear & the like.

Shoot straight & have fun.

 

[Papaclaude]

subs on squirrels only.

I have had less luck with sub 22LR but great success with 32 Cal 98-110 grain pistol rounds going 800-1100 fps. My all time favourite sub-sonic cartridge is 32-20 loaded with 3.5 grains of Trail Boss pushing a deep seated 100 grain soft lead wadcutter. Its a real "hammer of thor" on small game at ranges under 65 yards.

Odd thing - my son's CZ loves Remmy subsonic, and my Savage loves the Winnie Subsonic. Both rifles are more accurate with those than most match ammo. However, I can't interchange those brands.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

i shot a whitetail with a 215 grain bullet from a 44-40 at 900fps. Close range, 50 feet. One entry, two exits. took a chunk of rib out the back. The deer made two hops and leaned against a tree dead. I think if i hadn't hit the rib the end would have been the same. Large wound channel even without expansion when using a 44-40. Penetration is great.

I was having trouble with load development for the rifle, it was the only load that would shoot straight. So i used it when dogging deer, where chances are few, fast, and close.

I was near the half way point of the run, and had scaled a short cliff, when I saw the doe coming up the same hill towards me. i just waited for her to get nice and close. That and i wanted her to save me some uphill dragging.

I've used hard cast bullets in the 30-30 on deer to great effect, but always near 1900fps, so i can't say how they would turn out at low speeds.

 

[Tikka223]

All these lead cast bullets that keep getting mentioned, are they easy to find or are you folks making them yourselves? I know next to nothing about cast bullets. My idea would have been to take a normal hunting round like a Nosler partition and fire it over a reduced charge and a chronograph. If not, maybe a Marlin 336 30/30 and some reloading dies will be in order.

 

[Papaclaude]

All these lead cast bullets that keep getting mentioned, are they easy to find or are you folks making them yourselves? I know next to nothing about cast bullets. My idea would have been to take a normal hunting round like a Nosler partition and fire it over a reduced charge and a chronograph. If not, maybe a Marlin 336 30/30 and some reloading dies will be in order.

If you check your local gun club or gun shop, there may be someone selling them locally. If you want to casting them yourself, you can bet a lee mould and melting pot for under $100. Pure lead is a little hard to find, but there is still some out there. One of the best sources, if you can get them, is lead pipe or roof flashing.

 

[John Y Cannuck]

All these lead cast bullets that keep getting mentioned, are they easy to find or are you folks making them yourselves? I know next to nothing about cast bullets. My idea would have been to take a normal hunting round like a Nosler partition and fire it over a reduced charge and a chronograph. If not, maybe a Marlin 336 30/30 and some reloading dies will be in order.

Check out the CGN bullet making forum http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/forumdisplay.php/357-Bullet-Making

Yes, i make my own.