Best .300 Blackout BLK Ammo: Self Defense, Hunting, Target

It is no secret that .300 Blackout has been one of the most successful new cartridge designs of the last 15 years.

It seems like every year we get a new round that is supposed to be the latest and greatest, but most of them fail to catch on.

Between being able to use standard AR-15 magazines and bolt-carrier groups, its excellent performance out of short barrels, and its impressive suppression capability, the .300 Blackout is here to stay.

With .300 Blackout guns being used for everything from home-defense to hunting to suppressed plinking, finding and buying the right ammo will help you get the most out of your gun.

But with so many ammo choices, it can be a bit daunting. But don't fret, we sifted through some of the best ammo so you don't have to. So check out some of our favorite .300 Blackout rounds below!

Best .300 Blackout Ammo Comparison Chart

How We Chose the Best .300 BLK Ammo

The entire team at Pew Pew Tactical contributed to this post. Most of us have .300 BLK rifles or pistols on tap for various roles and uses. We know a thing or two about what kind of ammo you need to achieve your goals -- be it for training, home defense, or hunting.

Our picks for best .300 BLK ammo were based on the following criteria: Reliability, accuracy, consistency, bullet construction, price, and use case.

Best .300 Blackout Ammo

1. Magtech First Defense 123 GR FMJ - Best Plinking Ammo

Best Plinking Ammo

Magtech First Defense Tactical .300 BLK 123 GR FMJ

$33

at Brownells

Prices accurate at time of writing

$33 at Brownells

Firearms Depot (see price)

Bereli (see price)

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Bullet Weight: 123 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2230 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 50

Although .300 BLK has become a bit more affordable at the range, it’s still not as inexpensive as 5.56 NATO.

Plinking with .300 BLK isn't cheap, but it's certainly fun. Even if you are just tooling around, you still want something that performs reasonably well and cycles reliably.

For that, we recommend the Magtech First Defense 123-grain FMJ ammo. These rounds are new-manufacturered brass-case ammo.

It’s basic FMJ range ammo, but with solid quality control and pretty consistent velocities. You are looking at around 2230 FPS on these guys.

Magtech has a solid following of people who enjoy their ammo for both pistols and rifles. In addition to their .300 BLK offerings, we are big fans of their 9mm and .308 ammo for plinking due to their affordable pricing, consistency, and reliability.

2. Sellier & Bellot 200 GR FMJ Subsonic - Best Subsonic Plinking Round

Best Subsonic Plinking Round

Sellier & Bellot .300 BLK 200 GR FMJ Subsonic

$14

at Firearms Depot

Prices accurate at time of writing

$14 at Firearms Depot

OpticsPlanet (see price)

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Bullet Weight: 200 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 1060 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

One of the best things about the .300 BLK round is the fact that it's extremely versatile. The rounds can range greatly in weight from light 90-grain supersonic loads to 220-grain subsonic sledgehammers.

When it comes to shooting suppressed, slower is better. Subsonic rounds don't break the sound barrier, and thus lack that distinctive supersonic "crack."

Subsonic .300 Blackout loads through a quality suppressor are nice and quiet. Nowhere near movie quiet, but quiet enough to be hearing safe.

The gold standard round for subsonic plinking with a suppressor is the Sellier and Bellot 200-grain FMJ ammo.

While they are on the lighter side of subsonic loads (200 grains instead of the normal 220), that translates into a little extra energy. These rounds chug along at around 1,060 feet per second.

The quality control on these rounds is great, and the at-ear sound when suppressed is amazing. They are widely available and almost universally well-liked by .300 Blackout users regardless of what platform they are using.

3. Hornady Black 110 GR V-MAX - Best for Home Defense

Best for Home Defense

Hornady Black .300 BLK 110 GR V-MAX

$23

at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore

Prices accurate at time of writing

$23 at Sportsman's Outdoor Superstore

GrabAGun (see price)

Classic Firearms (see price)

Palmetto State Armory (see price)

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: V-MAX Ballistic Tip
• Bullet Weight: 110 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2375 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

Hornady brought the shooting world a true gem of a bullet design with their V-MAX projectiles.

Originally intended for varmint use, people soon found out that the V-MAX offers great velocity, crazy good expansion, and excellent accuracy.

Naturally, Hornady took their existing .30 caliber 110-grain V-MAX rounds and stuffed them in a .300 BLK case. The end result? Controlled chaos.

Like I said, the expansion on soft tissue for these rounds is quick and devastating. And since they expand so quickly, they really help cut down on overpenetration as well. This makes them an excellent choice for home defense.

The Hornady Black line is one of their more premium lines, so expect consistent velocities and great quality control.

4. Federal Premium Power-Shok 150 GR JSP - Best Supersonic Hunting Round

Best Supersonic Hunting Round

Federal Power-Shok .300 Blackout 150 GR JSP

$25

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$25 at Palmetto State Armory

Firearms Depot (see price)

GrabAGun (see price)

Sportsman's Warehouse (see price)

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: Jacketed Soft Point
• Bullet Weight: 150 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 1900 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

One of the most popular .300 BLK hunting rounds is the 150-grain Federal Power-Shok.

These use a proven, classic jacketed soft-point design that offers great expansion upon impact, even at the lower supersonic velocities seen with blackout.

More importantly, the expansion is consistent, and consistency is everything when it comes to hunting.

Keep in mind that .300 BLK does have its limitations as a cartridge overall. While we don't recommend any .300 BLK for large game, the Federal Power-Shok rounds will serve you well for everything from reasonably-sized white-tail deer and down.

5. AAC 150 GR FMJ - Most Affordable

Most Affordable

AAC .300 Blackout 150 GR FMJ

$12

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$12 at Palmetto State Armory

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Bullet Weight: 150 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 1900 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

Palmetto State Armory is well-known for making extremely affordable firearms, but a few years back, they got into the business of making affordable ammo through the America's Ammo Company (AAC) brand.

Saving a few cents per round here and there can really add up, especially the more you shoot. The AAC 150-grain FMJ does exactly that - shaves a few pennies off something like the Magtech ammo.

These rounds cruise at around 1,900 FPS and will provide a safe, quality shooting experience while saving you some dough.

We have run a ton of the AAC .300 150-grain .300 BLK and have yet to have an ammo-related failure with this particular round.

6. Hornady 190 GR SUB-X Subsonic - Best Subsonic for Hunting & Defense

Best Subsonic for Hunting & Defense

Hornady Subsonic .300 Blackout 190 gr Sub-X

$24

at GunMag Warehouse

Prices accurate at time of writing

$24 at GunMag Warehouse

Sportsman's Warehouse (see price)

GrabAGun (see price)

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: SUB-X Flex Tip hollow point
• Bullet Weight: 150 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 1050 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

For those in the know, it should be no shocker that Hornady makes this list twice.

This time around, we are looking at their subsonic 190-grain SUB-X rounds.

Plinking with subsonic is fun and all, but some people want to take advantage of that hearing-safe experience when they are hunting or setting up a gun for home defense.

Getting good expansion at lower velocities, especially when subsonic, can be problematic. Luckily, Hornady solved that issue with the SUB-X projectile.

These offer consistent and reliable expansion, and sound absolutely amazing when suppressed. One of our editors routinely gets sub-MOA grouping out his 10.5" suppressed AR-15 with the SUB-X rounds.

If you are looking for an ultra-quiet hunting or defensive .300 BLK round, these are your guys.

7. AAC Sabre Blade Black Tip 125 GR - Best All-Purpose Round

Best All-Purpose Round

AAC .300 BLK 125 GR Sabre Blade Black Tip

$13

at Palmetto State Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$13 at Palmetto State Armory

Specs:

• Caliber: .300 BLK
• Bullet Type: Sabre Blade Black Tip
• Bullet Weight: 125 gr
• Casing Material: Brass
• Muzzle Velocity: 2175 fps
• Rounds Per Box: 20

Last but certainly not least, we are taking a look at a second round from AAC.

Their Sabre Blade Black Tip is a 125-grain round designed with self-defense in mind.

The Sabre Blade Black Tip projectiles were developed by Hornady and are built to offer maximum expansion and weight retention. These are very similar to the SST rounds offered by Hornady.

Velocity-wise, these rounds come in around 2,175 FPS. In our testing, we found these rounds to feed reliably and perform well.

And the best part? Well, the Sabre Blade Black Tips don't cost much more than the standard AAC 150-grain FMJ rounds. The Black Tips typically sit around $0.65 - $0.75 per round, making them some of the most cost-effective .300 BLK hunting and defensive rounds on the market.

Meet the Experts

The lead writer for this article is Pew Pew Tactical CEO and Founder Eric Hung. As founder of PPT, he has researched and written over 250 articles on firearms and gear and fired thousands of rounds through a variety of weapons platforms. Eric is also an NRA-certified pistol instructor and a USPSA/3-Gun/NRL22 competitor.

Editing and adding picks to this article is Wyatt Sloan, Editor. Wyatt is an NRA-certified instructor, former competitive shooter, and avid hunter. Wyatt personally owns over 200 firearms and has 10 years of home-based FFL firearm sales. He has used his extensive experience with firearms at large to test guns for Pew Pew Tactical — evaluating them based on our standards and metrics.

Editor-in-Chief Jacki Billings runs our experienced team of reviewers. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, ACES: Society for Editing, and the Professional Outdoor Media Association. Jacki has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and has worked as a media professional for close to 20 years, specializing in gun media for almost 10 years. She uses her professional journalism and editing experience to set testing protocols and editorial standards for Pew Pew Tactical. She also owns a handful of AR-15s in her collection that she enjoys taking to the range.

Additional testing and content was provided by various members of the Pew Pew Tactical staff and contributing writing team.

Final Thoughts

The .300 Blackout is a modern little cartridge that absolutely rules the 0-300-yard range. It’s potent, powerful, versatile, and popular enough to give you a wide selection of rifles to choose from.

You can accomplish a lot with a .300 BLK rifle, and the task you choose will determine the type of ammo you need.

Let us know in the comments what your favorite .300 BLK ammo is and why! If you're looking to build a .300 BLK rifle for yourself, take a look at our top picks for .300 BLK Uppers!

Latest Updates

July 2025: Removed US Cartridge 147 gr, Hornady .300 BLK 125 gr HP, Barnes VOR-TX TAC-TX 110 gr, Fiocchi 125 gr Extrema. Added: Magtech First Defense 123 gr, Hornady Black 110 gr V-MAX, Hornady 190 gr SUB-X. Added comparison chart.

February 2024: Added US Cartridge FMJ, AAC Ammunition Black Tip & FMJ