A look at ballistic data for the top 300 HAM’R loads available to American shooters and hunters.
- Ballistically, the 300 HAM’R is designed to deliver the most effective terminal performance for hunting medium game out of the AR platform.
- The 300 HAM’R superficially resembles the 300 AAC Blackout, and is also a .30 cal AR cartridge. It’s significantly more powerful, however.
- The 300 HAM’R bullet has a ballistically inefficient tangent profile – the reason why its effective range lands at approximately 400 yards.
- Modifying an AR-15 to fire 300 HAM’R only requires a barrel change. You can use any mag that is specifically designed for 300 BLK (a modified 5.56/223 mag will also work).
300 HAM’R Ballistic Table
| Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lbs) | Bullet Drop (inches) | Ballistic Coefficient | Sectional Density | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammo Name | Barrel Length | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 500 yds. | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 500 yds. | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 500 yds. | G1 | G7 | |
| Sig Sauer Elite 125 Gr. SP | 2450 | 2151 | 1874 | 1622 | 1401 | 1220 | 1666 | 1284 | 974 | 730 | 544 | 413 | -1.5 | 0 | -4.6 | -19.1 | -92.6 | .277 | ||||
| Sig Sauer Elite 130 Gr. SP | 2425 | 2094 | 1791 | 1522 | 1296 | 1127 | 1697 | 1266 | 926 | 668 | 485 | 367 | -1.5 | 0 | -5 | -20.9 | -52 | -103.8 | .248 | |||
| Wilson Combat 110 Gr. Hornady SP | 18" | 2600 | 1651 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 110 Gr. Hornady V-MAX | 18" | 2550 | 1589 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 110 Gr. Lehigh Defense | 18" | 2600 | 1651 | 0.157 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 110 Gr. Speer SP | 18" | 2600 | 1651 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 125 Gr. Hornady FMJ | 18" | 2440 | 1652 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 125 Gr. Lehigh Defense | 18" | 2440 | 1653 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 125 Gr. Sierra | 18" | 2500 | 1735 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat Speer 125 Gr. TNT | 18" | 2525 | 1770 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 130 Gr. Speer HOT-CORE | 18" | 2500 | 1804 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 135 Gr. Hornady FTX | 18" | 2380 | 1698 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 135 Gr. Sierra | 18" | 2380 | 1698 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat Speer 135 Gr. HAM'R Bonded | 18" | 2400 | 1727 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat Hornady 150 Gr. SST | 18" | 2300 | 1762 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat Speer HAM'R Boat-Tail SP | 18" | 2310 | 1778 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat 95 Gr. Lehigh Defense | 18" | 2800 | 1654 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Wilson Combat Speer 150 Gr. HAM'R Bonded | 18" | 2300 | 1762 |
More About 300 HAM’R’s Performance
300 AAC Blackout ammo is wonderful – if you want to fire subsonic ammo in a suppressed short-barreled rifle, which it was specifically designed for. But what if you want optimal terminal performance for hunting or self-defense out of an AR-style rifle instead? In that case, you’d probably love 300 HAM’R.
300 HAM’R is a relative newcomer: introduced to the commercial market by Wilson Combat, its developer, in 2018. Wilson Combat essentially took the 7.62x40WT (a .30 cal round of their own design which has not achieved commercial success) and altered its case to (A) seat a shorter 110-150 grain bullet, and (B) store a hotter propellant charge.
Wilson Combat’s end product was just small enough to fit in an AR mag, and compatible with a standard AR bolt and receiver as well. More importantly, their new round pushed its 110 grain bullet to a velocity of 2,650 fps. Compare that to the 300 AAC Blackout – which accelerates a bullet of the same weight to a velocity of only 2,350 fps – and it’s easy to appreciate the 300 HAM’R’s dominance at anchoring medium game.
Bullet Options for 300 HAM’R
The 300 HAM’R bullet has a tangent ogive. This profile helps the bullet align correctly with the rifling, although it is inherently less ballistically efficient than the secant ogive profile common to many other hunting rifle bullets. That’s part of the reason why the 300 HAM’R bullet doesn’t overcome frontal air resistance effectively enough to remain effective beyond a range of approximately 400 yards.
Within 400 yards, the 300 HAM’R rules. Although not a true thumper round like its predecessor the 458 HAM’R, the 300 HAM’R still thumps. Its heavier 125 grain bullet carries almost 1,000 ft lbs of kinetic energy to 200 yards. That’s an instant KO on a whitetail with competent shot placement. Naturally, the 300 HAM’R’s name nods to its other great application: teaching hogs the last lesson they will ever learn.
The 300 HAM’R has earned many fans, although it remains relatively niche in 2024. We carry a decent line-up of Wilson Combat 300 HAM’R ammo. Their Hot-Cor bullet, which features the same electrochemically bonded jacket as Speer’s Gold Dot, is excellent for thick-skinned hogs. Sig Sauer makes serviceable soft point hunting ammo as well.
Other Attributes
- The 300 HAM’R is also a capable solution to home defense, with recoil similar to the 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel.
- The 300 HAM’R features a very narrow free bore diameter. At 0.309”, the bullet does not have to travel very far to reach the rifling – a large reason why it’s so accurate at close-to-medium range.
- Comparing 300 BLK to 300 HAM’R is kind of like comparing 308 Win to 300 Win Mag: doable, but not the same ballpark.