0
Best .300 Blackout Ammo in 2025: Subsonic and Supersonic
.300 Blackout is a relatively new caliber compared to other popular modern calibers, but it excels at its job. It was created to give Special Forces and other personnel the knockdown power they needed for close-quarters engagements while remaining suppressible.
It was meant to replace the 5.56×45 as well, but failed there. Nowadays, you can find it primarily used on the civilian side for home defense, as it still hits super hard while remaining quiet enough for indoor shooting.
Built for home defense. Source
And just like any other caliber, some will make your build run like a dream, and others you should avoid like the plague. .300 Blackout is an expensive caliber, as it is, and worrying about bad loads should be the least of your worries.
Which is why we’re going to go over the best loads on the market. Subsonic and supersonic alike, and what makes them stand out over other brands.
Hornady Black VMAX 110g
Hornady Black VMAX is a lighter grain cartridge that uses Hornady Black bullets, the “budget” ammo (if it can be called that), and in-house primers, propellants, and powders. It is touted by .300 Blackout owners as great for taking down white-tailed deer and hogs all day long.
Fast, reliable, and ready for action.
It flies out of a 16” barrel at 2,375 FPS, or two times the speed of sound, so it’s not the quietest load on the list, but it does help you get rid of any unwelcomed guests running around your property.
We would call this a training round, although VMAX 110g isn’t the cheapest for that purpose. It wouldn’t be the best for home defense due to how loud and fast flying it is (and when there are much quieter rounds on our list), but it’s definitely got the makings of an all-arounder.
Hornady Sub-X 190g
Up the grain weight we have the Hornady Sub-X 190g – Subsonic. Great for home defense and running in a suppressor, owing to its subsonic decibel range. It has a great spread, even with the subsonic capabilities, and delivers a devastating blow to your target and your target alone.
A hard to beat subsonic load.
This round is, of course, made with Hornady’s in-house powders, primers, caps, you name it. The red tip in the hollowed-out area is a dead giveaway of what you’re running as well. Hornady calls it the Flex Tip, which allows for easier expansion with these slower speeds.
It’s easier to find than some of these other rounds on the list, especially when smaller FFLs are not easier to come by. I’ve seen these everywhere, from Sportsman’s Warehouse to Bass Pro Shops so that you won’t run into a shortage anytime soon.
It’s still not the quietest, but if you’re looking to stock subs at a decent price, this will help.
Discreet Ballistics 188g
If you’re into hunting with .300 Blackout, you’ve found the best round that can be used for the job. The Discreet Ballistics 188g is not like something you’ve seen before, either. The spread pattern and consistency are unmatched by any other hunting round and have won awards for quality and performance.
An ungodly amount of spread. Source
Discreet uses Jagemann brass and are fine-tuned with .01-grain powder charges (whereas they are typically done in fives for generalization), and use what they call a Selous Bullet, which utilizes a Selous Bullet Expander that expands to three times its original size.
Three times its original size is enormous. I’ve seen some shooters use them as hunting rounds, but I’ve seen more use them as defensive rounds owing to their consistency and the fact that they spread to three times their original size.
That’s a fantastic spread, if you’re wondering.
Sellier & Bellot 200g
For those who like to train with their suppressor frequently and don’t want to spend a ton of money on ammo, the S&B 200g is considered the best training round on the market. This is thanks to the low cost per round and quality of ammo. Whenever I shoot 200g at my local FFL, this is the ammo they provide.
It has reliable performance; I’ve yet to suffer any jams, and within home-defense ranges, it’s just as accurate as I am. I’ve shot rounds through the same hole on two occasions, which I at first thought were misses, and was surprised by how consistent the rounds were.
Not to be taken out to a distance, though. I recommend no more than 100 yards.
S&B uses in-house brass, powders, primers, etc., to make their ammo, and it is spotless compared to other training ammunition on the market.
Yes, even when you’re using a suppressor.
Lehigh Defense 194g ME3
Similar to the spread you’d find on the Discreet Ballistics 188g hunting load, the 194g ME3 from Lehigh Defense produces a three-petal spread pattern that expands three times its original size and leaves a nasty wound cavity on the target.
Lehigh ammunition is manufactured and tested in-house, and the quality is exceptional. Using mathematical and scientific equations, this ammo only expands on fluid-based targets via hydraulic energy (soft tissue), not on dry targets (things not made of fluid).
Look at that expansion. Source
The ME3 is clean-burning, making it better for suppressor use and those who don’t like cleaning their firearms. Heathens. And they aim to ensure you don’t get blinded while you’re running night vision on account of the faster-burning powders used in the making of the ammo.
The cost per round is pretty high, but thankfully, it’s home-defense ammo.
What Do You Think?
Of course, there are plenty of other rounds on the .300 Blackout market that deserve a place up here. The round has come a long way from being just another failed attempt to replace 5.56×45, and it has found a sturdy place among the best home defense cartridges on the market.
And the rounds on this list have been tested to ensure you have something when you want to run your build suppressed, without worrying about fouling, quality, or malfunctions.
I’m sure you may have your own favorite for .300 Blackout, so let us know what that is so we can get to testing if we haven’t shot it already.
Be good and take care.
