Berry’s 220 grain spire point .300 AAC Blackout bullets are one of my top five favorite bullets. I’ve loaded them in .300 Blackout, 7.62x39mm, and .308. What’s the trick to optimizing twist rate for better subsonic performance?
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About Berry’s 300 AAC 220 Grain (.308) Blackout Plated Spire Point Bullet
This versatile bullet is great for defensive practice and shooting steel at close distances with 7.62x39mm and .30 caliber cartridges.
We’ve previously published a TESTED story on Berry’s 220 grain .300 Blackout bullets featuring various consistency tests.
From Berry’s:
300 AAC Blackout is easily one of the most successful new caliber introductions of the past 20 years. This ammo was originally designed for military use in suppressed AR 15 rifles as a short, light, and hard-hitting round that covers up to 300 yards. However, it has also become a popular cartridge among civilians for hunting, self-defense, and target shooting.
This 220 gr 300 Blackout bullet is ideal for subsonic loads. Since it has a heavier bullet, it has a lower velocity (around 1000 fps), making it a great ammo option for home defense in a short barreled or suppressed rifle.
If you like reloading your own ammunition, we have the finest bonded copper-jacketed bullets available. Our bullets start with a swaged lead core and are then electroplated with copper to their final weight, leaving no lead exposure. Finally, they are re-stuck to precise specifications to ensure a solid bond and consistency across every round. Our 300 AAC BLK bullets are indoor range safe and unbelievably accurate. Find out today why shooters around the world love Berry’s Superior Plated Bullets®.
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- Bullet O.A.L.: 1.350″
- Cartridge Name: 300 AAC Blackout
- Cartridge O.A.L.: 2.150″
- 1:7″ Twist Rate Barrel Max Velocity: 1300 fps
- 1:5″ Twist Rate Barrel Max Velocity: 1000 fps
- Load data for our Superior Plated Bullets® can be found in any manual or on any powder manufacturer’s website.
- Cast or jacketed data with the same grain weight and profile will work with our bullets.
- You can use a taper or a roll crimp.
- Don’t over crimp the brass after seating. This causes bullet core separation, leading to increased copper fouling and accuracy issues.
- Don’t exceed the recommended maximum velocities listed. This creates bullet core separation and accuracy issues.
It is also incredibly affordable, making it ideal for those who shoot frequently.
While you can use the Ultimate Reloader Reloading Cost Calculator for any combination of components, we used Hodgdon H110, Federal small rifle primers, and the Berry’s 220 grain .308 spire point bullets in our “Can You Save Money Reloading?” video.
In short, reloading .300 Blackout with this combination cost approximately $415.38 per 1000 rounds compared with approximately $1,299.50 for the same quantity of equivalent factory ammunition, approximately a third of the cost.
Stability and Speed Requirements
Berger Bullets’ twist rate stability calculator returns a 1:10.5 minimum twist for the Berry’s 220 grain spire point bullet.
Plated bullets also come with maximum speeds to prevent bullet core separation and accuracy issues. Berry’s provides a maximum velocity of 1,300 fps for a 1:7 twist barrel and 1,000 fps for a 1:5 twist barrel.
.300 Blackout Data
We have previously tested Berry’s 220 grain spire point bullets in new .300 blackout cases with Wolf magnum small rifle primers and H110, my favorite powder for subsonic loads.
I loaded two different weights, 9.0 grains and 10.0 grains, all loaded to 2.230” COL. I fired both from a carbine with a 16” 1:8 twist barrel. The average velocity was 977.2 fps with 9.0 grains of H110. It jumped to 1,114 fps with 10.0 grains H110. The standard deviation also shrunk by nearly 50% with the extra grain, 15.6 fps with 9.0 grains and 8.5 fps with 10.0 grains. I also fired these rounds out of a 1:7 8.5” CMMG Banshee pistol.
7.62x39mm Data
It didn’t take long after loading .300 Blackout for me to think about using the Berry’s 220 grain bullets to load 7.62x39mm.
I paired them with new Starline cases, Wolf large rifle primers, 10.7 grains of H110, and loaded them to 2.190” COL.
I developed this load for my PSA KS-47 8.5″ AR hybrid pistol, knowing it would be more particular than my N-PAP AK variant 16” rifle.
Though two very different barrel lengths, both were 1:10 twist. Though the average velocities differed, 938.2 fps for the pistol and 1075.8 fps for the rifle, the standard deviations—18 fps and 18.7 fps—were almost identical.
.308 Data
He used 12.0 grains of Trail Boss and CCI 200 primers loaded to 2.80” COL in once-fired R-P cases.
His average velocity was 1107 fps with an 11.9 fps standard deviation from the 16” 1:8.5 twist barrel. Sadly, Trail Boss has since been discontinued, so we will have to find another load once we use up our supply.
Get the Gear
Berry’s 300 AAC .308 220 Grain Blackout Spire Point Bullets at Midsouth Shooters Supply
Hodgdon CFE BLK at Midsouth Shooters Supply
Hodgdon H110 at Midsouth Shooters Supply
A&D FX-120i Precision Balance (CE Products)
All KS-47 Models at Palmetto State Armory
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Thanks,
Gavin Gear
