Thread: Hunting with a subsonic (30Apache) rifle

It all started with an impulse buy off Trademe where I clicked buy now on a .30cal Trueflite barrel and a set of 30Apache dies. A phone call to a mate and I soon had a Weatherby .223cal donor rifle (that was completely shot out) to use for an action.


Donor Rifle


Parts all coming together


Custom stock

Fitted a rem700 trigger guard (Weatherby one was pugly)

I made a custom stock for it out of well seasoned walnut. It was a reject blank that my brother gifted me, it had a lot of faults and made for hard work trying to work around them. But I got there in the end.


Stock getting final fit and bedding.

Next was to develop a load for subsonic use. The subsonic idea was not new to me as I’ve dabbled with the 300 Whisper and .38spl subsonic rifles in the past so I had an idea of what to expect, but this cartridge appealed as it was a very simple process to form the brass. All you had to do was neck up a standard .223 cartridge...that’s it.


30Apache next to a .223

After a bit of google work, I settled on using the 240gr SMK as my subsonic projectile of choice. But after an outing looking for some goats I found the results to be very unspectacular. And that’s where it sat until last week when I had a brainwave idea about how to get some expansion – cut some longitudinal ‘’flutes’’ into the copper jacket?


Standard 240gr SMK, with longitudinal ‘’flutes’’ cut into jacket

Loaded round: 11gr of ADI 2205 behind the 240gr SMK giving a velocity of 1020fps

To test this new idea I had to find some game to shoot. I’ve tried various other ways of checking for expansion etc - but it only tells part of the story, so unfortunately this only left one option and this meant some animals had to die. I decided to take a day off work and check out one of my old stomping grounds to look for some goats.



After a bit of a slog to top of the bluffs I soon got that ‘’lovely’’ smell of goat wofting up from beneath.


View from the top of the bluffs

It took a look over the edge of a vertical bluff and saw a couple of goats tucked in tight. Instinctively I raised the rifle and popped a nanny in the head – bugger down she went....down....down....down! Okay, lets try that again, the second nanny got the same treatment, so did the third but with a quick neck shot.


Head shot nanny – entry hole through the eye, exited out bottom of jaw


I skinned the neck area to reveal the damage!

I was pretty happy with those results, so cut out of that area and head to the other side of the block for a change of scenery. Along the way I bumped into this fulla, a quick shot from the 30Apache and he was down.


A little bit of over kill perhaps?

I’d like to say I marched up the hill in no time flat - but that would be a lie. I huffed and puffed like a freight train, as my fitness is currently at an all time low after spending far too many days in the office of late. Anyway I managed to get my sorry arse up the other side and broke out onto this nice slip.



No goats here, very disappointing! Down but not out I continued on along the ridge and soon heard that funny ‘’sneeze’’ sound that an alarmed nanny will make. I snuck in to find a couple more goats tucked away in a shitty gut. I thought I’d try chest shots this time...and nocked over two more nanny's.


Exit hole – very small (skin removed by me to show wound)


No real damage to ribs, obviously no expansion!


And no shock to lungs, just a very small hole.

The other nanny didn’t fare much different, with minimal damage i.e. no shock value or expansion from projectile and a prolonged death which I ended up intervening (I used a knife to finish off) for humane reasons.




Thoroughly disheartened by that experience I continued on hoping that I would get better results next time. I got back on the ridge which was covered in stunted wind-blown head high crap bush that you have no other option than to just block out the pain and push through. It was shithouse, but at least the view was nice?



I soon spotted some more goats on a slip, so worked my way around to them. I had to get the wind right as the 30Apache is a close range weapon with a trajectory like a rainbow. Basically the trajectory is comparable to a .22lr, so you get the idea. After a wee stalk I knocked over this nanny with a high shoulder shot:



Minimal damage from high shoulder shot.

The internal damage wasn’t impressive at all, but she died cleanly and very quickly which was a blessing. I also managed to neck shoot a Large billy, but to my disbelief he ran off? I tracked him for a further 210m down hill into a dark gully before finally catching up with him and finished him quickly with a head shot.


Death was instant as you’d expect from anything hit in the head by 240 grains of lead!

I really enjoyed using the rifle, its a pleasure to shoot and soooooo quiet, but in conclusion IMO the 30Apache or any other 30 cal subsonic (30Blackout, 300Whisper, .308win etc etc....) is not an empathetic killer of game when using a 240gr SMK or modified 240gr SMK like I tried unless head shots only are taken. I would strongly advise not using this calibre (in subsonic) for hunting if you intend to take shoulder shots - unless you have a much better projectile to use?
The concept is way cool, but the reality is disappointing. I hope that with all the interest in the 30Blackout a better projectile comes about, but until then I’ll only use it for select uses where I’ll pick my (head) shots very carefully, or only use it with supersonic loads.

kj