416 hushpuppy

[bwaites]

Haven't tried the LeHigh projies, only because they will not cycle in my system.

My systems subsonic window of available projectiles is 210-225gr. LeHigh produces two designs of subsonic 30cal projies and they are both too light for my gun. They make the Controlled Fracturing in two 30cal weights; 170gr and 174gr. The other one is their ME (maximum expansion), however this is also too light at 200gr.

The Blackout is inherently under-gassed with the large diameter barrel dropping the chamber pressure quicker than smaller calibres (.223 and 6.5). In its early days barrel manufacturers were pretty much making all barrels with carbine-length gas ports (including the one I have). By the time the bullet passes the 7" mark there's not a lot of pressure left to cycle the action. This is especially evident when using subsonics which are loaded to only 3/5 the SAAMI peak chamber pressure. If I load anything under 210gr it will either be too fast/supersonic and cycle, or be subsonic but with not enough pressure to cycle. At the top end anything more than 225gr and you risk not having enough case capacity with the length of pointy projies (the COAL is fixed at 57mm due to the internal length of an AR mag), or being too heavy for the 1:8twist and so being unstable. Barrel manufacturers are now selling Blackouts with pistol-length gas ports and slightly faster twists 1:7.

Getting back to LeHigh. Even if I could load their rounds I doubt they will be any different to a .45cal handgun hollow-point. Probably the wider 45cal diameter will slow quicker in flesh than the 30cal Blackout.

Both LeHigh and Outlaw State subsonic bullets are expensive at about $2 each.

My thoughts...I like the pointy projies with plenty of mass at the back of the bullet. On hitting flesh when subsonic they want to quickly reverse and that causes the tumble.

I forgot on the previous post to include the 200gr Lapua subsonic. Again, this does not cycle in my gun but in pistol-length gas systems you could get it to. Regardless it does not do anything except laser-beam through flesh.

I like those Twang-n-bang clips. I find he is very fair and reasonable with his reviews.

I helped a friend with his Blackout, and we had these same issues. He had the gas port opened, and then ran an adjustable gas block, so that he could shoot both super and sub-sonic. It seems like most rifles will do one or the other well, but not both, unless you have an adjustable gas block.

It seems like finding a good balance to run light supersonic bullets and heavy subs is very difficult. No surprise when you are looking at bullet weights where the subs approach being twice the weight of the supers, I guess!