9 Best 300 Blackout Ammo Loads (2026): Subsonic and Supersonic, Chronographed

Last updated October 24th 2026

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300 Blackout is two cartridges sharing one case. Load it with a light bullet and it’s a supersonic carbine round in the same class as 7.62×39. Load it with a heavy bullet under 1,100 feet per second and it’s a quiet suppressor round that hits harder than a .45. The problem is that the ammo aisle mixes the two together, and a lot of subsonic ammo sold for “defense” uses match bullets that won’t expand at subsonic speed.

So I sorted it by job. I ran nine loads through a 16 inch carbine and a 9 inch AR pistol over a chronograph, checked which subsonics actually cycled without a can, and priced every box across our 200+ retailers on October 24, 2026. Below are the best 300 Blackout loads for home defense, deer and hogs, suppressed range time and cheap practice, plus the three mistakes that cost 300 Blackout shooters the most.

Table of Contents

Best 300 Blackout Ammo at a Glance

Load	Type	Box speed	Best for	Price
Hornady Subsonic 190 gr Sub-X	Subsonic, expanding	1,050 fps	Suppressed home defense	Live price
Barnes VOR-TX 110 gr TAC-TX	Supersonic, copper	2,350 fps	Unsuppressed defense, hogs	Live price
Federal Fusion MSR 150 gr	Supersonic, bonded	1,900 fps	Deer	Live price
Federal Subsonic 190 gr Fusion Tipped	Subsonic, expanding	1,000 fps	Quiet hunting	Live price
Lehigh Defense 115 gr Controlled Chaos	Supersonic, fragmenting	2,350 fps	Hogs and short barrels	Live price
Sig Sauer Elite 125 gr OTM	Supersonic, match	2,200 fps	Accuracy	Live price
American Eagle Suppressor 220 gr OTM	Subsonic, match	1,000 fps	Suppressed practice	Live price
Winchester Super Suppressed 200 gr	Subsonic, open tip	1,060 fps	Cheap subsonic plinking	Live price
Hornady Frontier 125 gr FMJ	Supersonic, FMJ	2,175 fps	Cheap supersonic plinking	Live price

Subsonic or Supersonic? Pick the Job First

Speed of sound is about 1,116 fps at 59 degrees Fahrenheit, and it moves with air temperature, not altitude. A bullet below that line makes no sonic crack, so with a suppressor all you hear is the action cycling and the bullet hitting. Subsonic 300 Blackout runs 190 to 220 grain bullets at 1,000 to 1,060 fps. Supersonic loads push 110 to 150 grain bullets at 1,900 to 2,350 fps, and they shoot much flatter.

Here’s the short version. If you shoot suppressed and inside 100 yards, buy subsonic. If you shoot without a can, or out past 150 yards, buy supersonic. A subsonic round without a suppressor is just a slow, loud .30 caliber bullet with a rainbow trajectory, and it may not even run your gun, which I cover below.

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1. Hornady Subsonic 190 gr Sub-X: Best Subsonic 300 Blackout Ammo

• Bullet: 190 gr Sub-X, flex tip, designed to expand at low velocity
• Box speed: 1,050 fps from a 16 inch barrel (Hornady)
• Our average: 1,038 fps (16 in), 978 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $31 to $40 a box of 20

This is the load that makes subsonic 300 Blackout make sense for defense. Most subsonic ammo uses a heavy match bullet, and at 1,000 fps those punch a .30 caliber hole straight through and keep going. Hornady built the Sub-X with a soft flex tip and a grooved jacket so it opens up at the speed it actually travels, and Hornady says the line meets FBI protocol penetration requirements.

From my 16 inch carbine it averaged 1,038 fps over ten shots, comfortably under the sound barrier, and the 9 inch pistol ran it at 978 fps. Suppressed, it’s quiet enough that the bolt is the loudest part of the shot. One catch: the tip sits high, and a few polymer magazines don’t like it. Mine fed from GI aluminum mags and Magpul’s 300 Blackout PMAG without a stoppage.

Best For: A suppressed 300 Blackout kept for home defense.

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2. Barnes VOR-TX 110 gr TAC-TX: Best Supersonic Ammo for Defense

• Bullet: 110 gr TAC-TX, solid copper, polymer tip
• Box speed: 2,350 fps
• Our average: 2,291 fps (16 in), 2,047 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $42 to $53 a box of 20

If your 300 Blackout isn’t suppressed, or you just want the most reliable expansion you can buy, this is the one. The TAC-TX is a solid copper bullet, so it opens into petals and keeps nearly all of its weight instead of shedding a jacket. That makes it a strong pick on hogs as well as for the house.

It’s also the fastest load I tested, 2,291 fps from the carbine. The bigger story is the pistol: even from 9 inches it held over 2,000 fps, which is where a lot of soft points stop expanding well. That matters because most 300 Blackout guns built for home defense are short.

Best For: Unsuppressed home defense and hogs.

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3. Federal Fusion MSR 150 gr: Best 300 Blackout Ammo for Deer

• Bullet: 150 gr bonded soft point
• Box speed: 1,900 fps
• Our average: 1,872 fps (16 in), 1,668 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $31 to $40 a box of 20

Federal built the Fusion MSR line for AR-pattern rifles, and the 150 gr 300 Blackout load is the one I’d hand a deer hunter. The jacket is bonded to the core, so the bullet holds together instead of blowing up on the shoulder, and the 150 gr weight carries more momentum than the light copper bullets.

Keep your shots honest. At 1,872 fps from my carbine it’s a 150 yard deer round, not a 300 yard one. Inside that range it does everything a .30-30 does from a far handier gun.

Best For: Whitetail inside 150 yards.

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4. Federal Subsonic 190 gr Fusion Tipped: Best Subsonic Hunting Load

• Bullet: 190 gr Fusion Tipped, built to expand at subsonic speed
• Box speed: 1,000 fps (Federal)
• Our average: 1,012 fps (16 in), 951 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $29 to $33 a box of 20

Federal says it reworked the Fusion bullet for low velocity and loaded it to 1,000 fps, which is about 50 fps slower than the Hornady. That gives it the most room under the sound barrier of any expanding load here, even on a hot day from a long barrel. My carbine ran it at 1,012 fps.

I’d hunt hogs at night with this out to about 100 yards. Past that the drop gets steep and the bullet slows toward the speed where expansion gets unreliable.

Best For: Quiet hog and predator hunting.

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5. Lehigh Defense 115 gr Controlled Chaos: Best for Hogs From Short Barrels

• Bullet: 115 gr solid copper Controlled Chaos, nose fragments and the base keeps going
• Box speed: 2,350 fps
• Our results: 2,146 fps at the gel from 16 in, 19 inches of penetration with a 1.75 inch wound neck
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $52 to $68 a box of 20

Controlled Chaos is designed to break apart on purpose. The front of the copper bullet sheds into fragments in the first few inches, and the solid base keeps driving. In our gel from a 16 inch AR it went 19 inches with a wide 1.75 inch neck, which you can read about in our full Lehigh Defense ammo review.

It’s pricey at over $2.50 a round, so don’t practice with it. Zero with it, confirm a few groups, then keep a magazine loaded for hogs or the house.

Best For: Hog hunters and short-barrel owners who want maximum damage.

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6. Sig Sauer Elite 125 gr OTM: Most Accurate Supersonic Ammo

• Bullet: 125 gr Sierra MatchKing open tip match
• Box speed: 2,200 fps
• Our average: 2,168 fps (16 in), 1,931 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $25 to $36 a box of 20

When I want to know what a 300 Blackout rifle can really shoot, this is the box I grab. The 125 gr Sierra MatchKing is a proven target bullet, and it shot the smallest supersonic groups in my test, about 1.3 inches for five shots at 100 yards from the 16 inch carbine with a 4x scope.

It’s not a defense or hunting bullet, so think of it as your zeroing and practice load if you also run Barnes or Federal hunting ammo. The point of impact was close enough to the 110 gr Barnes to confirm a zero with a few rounds of each.

Best For: Accuracy testing, zeroing and precision practice.

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7. American Eagle Suppressor 220 gr OTM: Best Subsonic for Suppressed Practice

• Bullet: 220 gr open tip match
• Box speed: 1,000 fps
• Our average: 1,004 fps (16 in), 947 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $29 to $33 a box of 20

This is the subsonic I’d stock for suppressed range days when I care about where the rounds land. The 220 gr bullet gives the most momentum of any sub here, which helps cycle a suppressed gun, and our American Eagle ammo review found the line consistent shot to shot.

Don’t mistake it for a defense load. At 1,000 fps the open tip match bullet won’t expand, so it zips straight through. Use the Hornady or Federal expanding subs for anything that matters.

Best For: Suppressed practice that matches your defense load’s speed.

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8. Winchester Super Suppressed 200 gr: Best Cheap Subsonic Ammo

• Bullet: 200 gr open tip range
• Box speed: 1,060 fps
• Our average: 1,051 fps (16 in), 992 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $16 to $26 a box of 20

At about 80 cents a round, Winchester’s Super Suppressed is the subsonic to buy by the case. It ran every suppressed gun I tried it in, and the 200 gr bullet sits at a speed that cycles most rifles with a can on.

It is the fastest subsonic in this test, though. At 1,060 fps on the box it has less room under the sound barrier than the Federal loads, which matters on a cold morning. More on that below.

Best For: High-volume suppressed plinking.

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9. Hornady Frontier 125 gr FMJ: Best Cheap Supersonic Ammo

• Bullet: 125 gr full metal jacket
• Box speed: 2,175 fps from a 16 inch barrel
• Our average: 2,139 fps (16 in), 1,904 fps (9 in)
• Price on October 24, 2026: About $15 to $27 a box of 20

For unsuppressed range time, Frontier is the box I buy. It’s brass cased and boxer primed, so you can keep the brass if you reload 300 Blackout, and it ran 2,139 fps from my carbine, close to the 2,175 fps Hornady prints on the box.

Price is the one to watch. The lowest box in our feeds on October 24, 2026 was $14.99, but the same box ran up to $27 elsewhere, so check the card before you buy.

Best For: Cheap supersonic practice.

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Our Chronograph Numbers: Box Speed vs Real Barrels

Every box prints a velocity, but it’s measured from a test barrel that may not match your gun. I shot ten-round strings of each load over a radar chronograph from a 16 inch carbine and a 9 inch AR pistol, at 72 degrees.

Load	Box speed	Our 16 in	Our 9 in
Hornady Subsonic 190 gr Sub-X	1,050 fps	1,038 fps	978 fps
Barnes VOR-TX 110 gr TAC-TX	2,350 fps	2,291 fps	2,047 fps
Federal Fusion MSR 150 gr	1,900 fps	1,872 fps	1,668 fps
Federal Subsonic 190 gr Fusion Tipped	1,000 fps	1,012 fps	951 fps
Lehigh 115 gr Controlled Chaos	2,350 fps	2,146 fps (at the gel)	1,902 fps
Sig Sauer Elite 125 gr OTM	2,200 fps	2,168 fps	1,931 fps
American Eagle 220 gr OTM	1,000 fps	1,004 fps	947 fps
Winchester Super Suppressed 200 gr	1,060 fps	1,051 fps	992 fps
Hornady Frontier 125 gr FMJ	2,175 fps	2,139 fps	1,904 fps

Two things stand out. Supersonic loads lost 200 to 250 fps going from 16 to 9 inches, about 10 percent. Subsonic loads lost only 50 to 60 fps, because a 300 Blackout burns nearly all of its powder in the first few inches. That’s why a short barrel costs you little with subs and quite a lot with supers.

Will Your Subsonic Ammo Go Supersonic?

Speed of sound drops as the air cools: about 1,160 fps at 100 degrees, 1,130 at 72, 1,087 at freezing and about 1,051 at zero. A subsonic load rated at 1,060 fps can be faster than sound on a below-zero morning. Cold slows powder too, so a load won’t always cross the line, but the margin gets thin.

If you shoot in winter, buy the slower subs. The Federal 190 gr and American Eagle 220 gr, both rated at 1,000 fps, give you the most room. RECOIL’s 300 Blackout buyer’s guide found that several loads sold as subsonic actually went supersonic from a 16 inch barrel, so don’t take the box’s word for it. A chronograph session will tell you what your own barrel does.

Will Subsonic Ammo Cycle Without a Suppressor?

Often it won’t. Subsonic loads make far less gas pressure, and most 300 Blackout rifles are tuned to run supersonic ammo. A suppressor adds back pressure that makes up the difference, so a gun that cycles subs perfectly with a can on may short stroke the moment you take it off.

In my test, the 9 inch pistol ran every subsonic load without a can because its pistol-length gas system taps the barrel early. The 16 inch carbine with a carbine-length gas system short stroked about one round in three with the Winchester and American Eagle loads unsuppressed, and ran them fine suppressed. If you want one gun to run both, an adjustable gas block fixes it. See our best 300 Blackout rifles and best 300 Blackout pistols for guns built to run both.

Don’t Mix Subs and Supers in One Magazine

A 220 gr subsonic and a 125 gr supersonic don’t land in the same place. Zeroed for supersonic at 50 yards, my subsonic loads hit about a foot low at 100 yards. Mixing them means your first shot and your fifth shot go to different spots.

Pick one load per magazine and mark the mags. Plenty of shooters use a strip of colored tape or a different magazine color for subsonic. Keep a written note of your zero for each load, or run a quick-detach optic mount with two zeros.

The 5.56 Chamber Mistake

A 300 Blackout round fits in a 5.56 magazine and can chamber in a 5.56 rifle. If you fire it, the .30 caliber bullet is forced into a .22 caliber bore, and the rifle can blow apart. It happens most to people who own both calibers, because the magazines and the rifles look the same.

Keep 300 Blackout in dedicated, marked magazines, mark the upper, and never store the two cartridges in the same ammo can. Our 300 Blackout vs 5.56 guide covers the difference between the two rounds in detail.

What 300 Blackout Ammo Costs Per Round

Lowest box-of-20 price we found for each load across our retailers on October 24, 2026. Prices change daily, so the cards above show today’s numbers.

Load	Lowest box	Per round
Hornady Frontier 125 gr FMJ	$14.99	$0.75
Winchester Super Suppressed 200 gr	$15.99	$0.80
Sig Sauer Elite 125 gr OTM	$25.32	$1.27
American Eagle 220 gr OTM	$28.99	$1.45
Federal Subsonic 190 gr Fusion Tipped	$29.19	$1.46
Hornady Subsonic 190 gr Sub-X	$31.00	$1.55
Federal Fusion MSR 150 gr	$31.48	$1.57
Barnes VOR-TX 110 gr TAC-TX	$42.49	$2.12
Lehigh 115 gr Controlled Chaos	$51.99	$2.60

Plan on twice the price of 5.56 for range ammo and about $1.50 a round for good expanding loads. For more savings, our ammo deals page tracks the current markdowns.

Which Load for Which Gun

• Suppressed home defense: Hornady Sub-X 190 gr, with American Eagle 220 gr for practice. Our best 300 Blackout for home defense guide covers the guns.
• Unsuppressed home defense: Barnes VOR-TX 110 gr, practice with Hornady Frontier.
• Deer: Federal Fusion MSR 150 gr inside 150 yards.
• Hogs: Lehigh Controlled Chaos 115 gr supersonic, or Federal Subsonic 190 gr with a suppressor at night.
• Range day: Winchester Super Suppressed with a can, Hornady Frontier without.

Comparing calibers for the house? Our best home defense ammo guide ranks the best loads in every caliber.

Frequently Asked Questions