110 and 120 grain Barnes TAC-TX
Barnes TAC-TX is arguably the best self-defense supersonic ammo for a 300 Blackout rifle. But which kind to use?
Just got back from the range and chrono'd some 110 and 120 grain Barnes TAC-TX out of my 300BLK Sig MCX Rattler LT (6.75" barrel length) with a CAT RAT suppressor (Flow module attached). Thought I would share the results.
While a 6.75" 300BLK rifle is geared toward subsonic ammo use, supersonic ammo still kicks butt and it's interesting to see how it performs.
I tried out 110 and 120 grain Barnes TAC-TX ammo from Bone Frog and Phantom Defense, with the Phantom Defense ammo being NAS3, allowing slightly more gunpowder, and thus, increased muzzle velocity than standard cased ammo. I used a Garmin Xero C1 Pro measuring 10 shots of each ammo type.
| Ammo | Bone Frog 110gr | Bone Frog 120gr | Phantom Defense 110gr | Phantom Defense 120gr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. velocity | 1851.5 fps | 1791.6 fps | 2114.3 fps | 2059.6 fps |
| Spread | 83.2 fps | 51.0 fps | 48.7 fps | 30.0 fps |
| Standard dev | 24.4 fps | 13.4 fps | 15.3 fps | 8.4 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 837.3 ft-lbs | 855.2 ft-lbs | 1091.8 ft-lbs | 1130.1 ft-lbs |
The Phantom Defense performs quite well, achieving the velocity of what I would expect from a ~9" 300BLK rifle.
Both performed flawlessly and grouped quite well. I'll do an accuracy test at some point in the future.
Using the above muzzle velocities, a 50 yard zero, and my hight over bore of 3.81" (I'm using a 2.26" Unity mount + rail over bore for a Rattler LT is 1.55"), here are the bullet drop calculations if folks are interested:
It's interesting to note that the bullet drop for the 110 and 120 Phantom Defense is almost identical:
| Bullet drop | Phantom Defense 110gr | Phantom Defense 120gr |
|---|---|---|
| 50 yards | 0 | 0 |
| 100 yards | 1.56 | 1.5 |
| 150 yards | 0.58 | 0.45 |
| 200 yards | -3.31 | -3.43 |
| 250 yards | -10.56 | -10.50 |
| 300 yards | -21.66 | -21.13 |
As is typical with 110gr vs 120gr grain TAC-TX, inside ~100 yards the 110gr has a higher velocity, but outside ~100 yards the 120gr has a higher velocity.
My understanding is that while 120gr has slightly better barrier performance, the expansion and terminal performance of 110 and 120 is roughly similar:
- Minimum expansion: ~1350 fps
- Better terminal-effect floor: ~1500–1600 fps
- High-confidence strong expansion: ~1700–1800+ fps
- Excellent close-range 300 BLK supersonic performance: ~1900–2200+ fps
Beyond 150 yards, the Bone Frog's velocity out of 6.75" barrel is below 1500 fps, perhaps making it an option for pretty close work.
Phantom Defense 110gr doesn't drop to 1500 fps until 250 yards, and 120gr almost out to 300 yards.
Thus, if choosing a supersonic round for self-defense use in a ~7" 300BLK rifle, Phantom Defense (or Badlands also makes a NAS3 TAC-TX) seems like the better option than a standard casing ammo.
A lot of this is theoretical. Would be interesting to hear from folks with practical experience.
