.308 vs 300 Blackout

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Not sure if this has been a debate here but I guess I’ll start it! I recently purchased a 300 Blackout from a TBHer and it’s been a great shooter. As I started doing more research I stumbled upon the .308. I only really use a rifle to shoot axis and my thoughts would be that maybe a 300 wouldn’t be enough for a big axis bull past 100 yards. Would the 308 be a better choice all around for big axis ?


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[ultrastealth]

Yes. you really should consider .308 for that purpose.

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Originally Posted by ultrastealth

Yes. you really should consider .308 for that purpose.

Is the recoil about the same? I also liked the 300 for my wife to shoot


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[PYBUCK]

308 vote here. Recoil is minimal.

[Chad C]

.308

[JDH875]

My kids shoot my 308s

[Walker]

They don't compare. .308 for sure.

[Maddox]

.308 is probably one of the best all-purpose rounds there is. It will take down darn near anything you want in North America and the Ammo is easy to find.

[AndyMane]

308 hands down especially at that range. Not saying it cant be done with a 300 BLK but it leaves a lot to be desired.

[SmTx]

Don't buy the .308. I've enjoyed the availability of ammo on all shelves lately.

[Leverhunter]

308 definitely

[TxBowHntr]

.308 for your purposes, hands down. As to the recoil, 300BO will have far less recoil though the .308 recoil is minimal. As others have said, many kids and women shoot them with no issue.

[Walker]

Bigger is not always better, but in this case it is.

[LHPanther]

.308 is hands down one of the best all around, easy shooting calibers. Both calibers are fun to shoot. I own several configurations of each.

[lost cajun]

My boys and I all shoot .308. I haven’t had anything walk away from it yet. I put a muzzle brake on theirs and it reduced the recoil greatly.


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[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

I guess I’m going to have a 300 Blackout for trade lol


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[Mike D]

308 and 300 BO are not even close in terms of terminal performance.

The recoil will be noticeably more in the .308 but not uncomfortable by any means.


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[jmiles95]

my daughter killed her big axis buck at age 11 with my AR-10 (308). She only complains that it is loud due to the brake i have on it, never the recoil. 3 large axis bucks taken with it and a 300# boar...and easily 50+ smaller pigs.

my 300BO is pretty new to me, so haven't killed nearly as many critters with it, but based on the 1 smallish WT doe i shot with it...you don't really have a decision to make here. 308 is by far the more preferable of these 2 options for what you want!

[bubba joe]

I'm a fan of both and reload for both, I would definitely leave a task like an Axis to the 308

[Chad C]

My at the time 10 year old took 2 great bucks last fall shooting an 18” suppressed .308. He made great shots on both shooting 178 grain eld-x Hornady precision hunter ammo. He shoots a 16” .300 blackout as well and has killed a handful with it. He lost a nice hill country buck with the blackout that was later recovered. It’s honestly a no brainer when attempting to compare these two rounds.




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[Passthrough]

Not even in same conversation….lol

[kyle1974]

I had my boys on a 308 pretty early. Using the managed recoil ammo tames it down a lot. 300 blackout is just marginal. Get a 308 and you can run anything from 125 grain light recoil to light magnum type rounds in 175 grain. Greta all purpose round.

[Mitchell8]

This has never been a debate nor ever will…

[jdg13]

The 300 BO is a niche round that exists because the military wanted a more potent round that fit in the m4/ar15 package. It serves that purpose well. 308 beats it handily for a hunting round. If recoil is an issue put a brake on it.

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

I guess I should’ve done more research! Thanks all for the replies!


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[BLACKFINTURKEY]

300blk will work. Ballistic is very similar to 30-30. 120-150gr bullet is pretty potent inside 150 yards.

.308 is definitely hands down more powerful.

[Javelin]

308 is one of the best North American rounds ever without getting into magnums

[Keg]

The 308 is a much better option…

[Tony Pic]

Originally Posted by FVR JR

The 300 BO is a niche round that exists because the military wanted a more potent round that fit in the m4/ar15 package. It serves that purpose well. 308 beats it handily for a hunting round. If recoil is an issue put a brake on it.

This right here. ^^^^ Excellent suppressed round in AR package with 308 bullet weights. 100-220 grs
I have always went by the adage of using a round that delivers at least 1000lbs of energy at 100 yds for deer size game. Any caliber. Except if you are head/neck shot guy.
The .308 is 7.62x51.
The 300BO is 7.62x35.
Which cartridge do you think holds more powder?
While the same size bullet/caliber is being used. The amount of propellant is much more voluminous in the 308.

[ColinR]

Originally Posted by FVR JR

The 300 BO is a niche round that exists because the military wanted a more potent round that fit in the m4/ar15 package. It serves that purpose well. 308 beats it handily for a hunting round. If recoil is an issue put a brake on it.

This! 300BO was designed for and is great for semi-close quarters combat round. 308win is a wonderful hunting round. The 308 will have significantly more recoil but still very manageable among other popular hunting rounds.

[Matt_C]

308 hands down. You can find ammo for it, you can handload subsonic loads for plinking for it and I saw a 300BO used to shoot a pig in the neck at about 60 yards and the ole sow just trotted off with her herd...

[Mike D]

Nothing has walked away after being shot with supersonic ammo from my 300 blackout SBR, but there is no denying that the .308 is much more powerful.


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[catslayer]

Originally Posted by Walker

Bigger is not always better, but in this case it is.

This... Not saying you CAN'T do it with the black out... but as Jeff Foxworthy said, "Takes a long time to get to England in a row boat"

[Jon B]

.308 by a large margin. Close thread!

[RackstackerG5]

I was debating the same thing and understand why your asking the question. After the research I did I will hands down be using the 308. You won't be disappointed.

[Colorado87]

I agree the 308 is a superior round in for supersonic, but honest question: If I’m shooting subs how is a 308 any different. Assuming the bullet is the same and I load both to be the subsonic, the speed will be the same. Is there something I’m missing?


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[DFWPI]

I’ve killed animals with both rounds. If you were to ask each dead animal which round would they have rather been shot well, well duh, kind of hard because they are dead.

Keep it within the intended effective range and do what you do. Carry on …


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[Mike D]

Originally Posted by RackstackerG5

I was debating the same thing and understand why your asking the question. After the research I did I will hands down be using the 308. You won't be disappointed.

For sub applications the 300 blackout is the better choice due to the limited case capacity.


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[Gunnyart]

Love my .308 and use it exclusively for anything that might need shot past 100, however most of my gun hunting is from my bow blind setups so I carry the little SBR in BLK with Barnes TTX (not subs) for tight confines of my bow blinds.

[JuDGe]

Originally Posted by DFWPI

I’ve killed animals with both rounds. If you were to ask each dead animal which round would they have rather been shot well, well duh, kind of hard because they are dead.

Keep it within the intended effective range and do what you do.

True.

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Originally Posted by Gunnyart

Love my .308 and use it exclusively for anything that might need shot past 100, however most of my gun hunting is from my bow blind setups so I carry the little SBR in BLK with Barnes TTX (not subs) for tight confines of my bow blinds.

Most of my shots would be from a bow blind or occasional spot and stalk maybe 100yards


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[Gunnyart]

Originally Posted by TexasTrophyBowhunter

Most of my shots would be from a bow blind or occasional spot and stalk maybe 100yards


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I run a can on both so the .308 gets long and limits the angles I can take without 10" of gun sticking out the window

[SaltwaterSlick]

Originally Posted by Colorado87

I agree the 308 is a superior round in for supersonic, but honest question: If I’m shooting subs how is a 308 any different. Assuming the bullet is the same and I load both to be the subsonic, the speed will be the same. Is there something I’m missing?


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One of the ways subs can retain their effectiveness is by shooting a heavier projectile... With a sub-.308, you can load a heavier projectile and put enough powder behind it to keep the speed up than you can the 300BO. If both are supersonic, there is no comparison for a short-action cartridge. Additionally, there's more doping data on the .308 than just about any cartridge around (except maybe the 5.56, but maybe even more than it).

[Mike D]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

One of the ways subs can retain their effectiveness is by shooting a heavier projectile... With a sub-.308, you can load a heavier projectile and put enough powder behind it to keep the speed up than you can the 300BO. If both are supersonic, there is no comparison for a short-action cartridge. Additionally, there's more doping data on the .308 than just about any cartridge around (except maybe the 5.56, but maybe even more than it).

Charlie I’m confused. A 220 grain bullet at 1050 fps makes no difference on the cartridge it’s launched from.

I can easily push a 220 grain bullet faster than supersonic with my 300BO even out of an 8” barrel.

Am I missing something?


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[bullets13]

Have a couple of .308s, never had a problem, and never had anything run very far.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Originally Posted by Mike D

Charlie I’m confused. A 220 grain bullet at 1050 fps makes no difference on the cartridge it’s launched from.

I can easily push a 220 grain bullet faster than supersonic with my 300BO even out of an 8” barrel.

Am I missing something?


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Mike, my post was a bit confusing... I didn't meant to reference only subsonic rounds... The capacity for propellant is just greater in a .308 cartridge than the 300BO giving you more flexibility to load heavier bullets with various powders that are slower burning. You are right in that identical projectiles traveling at the same speed upon exiting the barrel should perform the same regardless of the cartridge.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Heck Mike, good as I am at this, I may apply to be a press secretary!!

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Originally Posted by bullets13

Have a couple of .308s, never had a problem, and never had anything run very far.

Trade me one lol


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[trophy8]

Originally Posted by SaltwaterSlick

Mike, my post was a bit confusing... I didn't meant to reference only subsonic rounds... The capacity for propellant is just greater in a .308 cartridge than the 300BO giving you more flexibility to load heavier bullets with various powders that are slower burning. You are right in that identical projectiles traveling at the same speed upon exiting the barrel should perform the same regardless of the cartridge.

While I dislike the 300 blackout, it truly is better suited for loading subs. Excess case capacity and low powder charges to stay subsonic can be dangerous. That’s about the only way a blackout shines lol. I have a 9” SBR blackout. I had SOLGW build it long ago when it first came out. Super underwhelming performance on game. Head and neck shots only for me. I’ve actually been considering getting a 16-18” 308 for taking on my buggy. Sling some 125s fast AF and let it eat.

OP, just get the 308.

Better yet, get the Lords 308. A 300 win mag 🤣

[TexasTrophyBowhunter]

Originally Posted by trophy8

While I dislike the 300 blackout, it truly is better suited for loading subs. Excess case capacity and low powder charges to stay subsonic can be dangerous. That’s about the only way a blackout shines lol. I have a 9” SBR blackout. I had SOLGW build it long ago when it first came out. Super underwhelming performance on game. Head and neck shots only for me. I’ve actually been considering getting a 16-18” 308 for taking on my buggy. Sling some 125s fast AF and let it eat.

OP, just get the 308.

Better yet, get the Lords 308. A 300 win mag

I might as well go to the 300 win mag! Lol


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