Wilson Combat has introduced a new 30 caliber cartridge called .300 HAM’R. It is primarily marketed as a hunting cartridge designed to duplicate the performance of the iconic .30-30 Winchester in an AR-15 platform. In fact, Bill Wilson originally named this cartridge .30-30 AR, then later renamed it using their HAM’R trademark.

The .300 HAM’R is based on the 5.56x45mm NATO or .223 Remington case which makes it possible to use the cartridge with standard AR-15 bolts. Although technically it is possible to load these cartridges into standard 5.56 magazines, you won’t be able to load them to full capacity and that’s why the company recommends using magazines optimized for the .300 Blackout. This new cartridge is very similar to the 7.62x40mm Wilson Tactical except the .300 HAM’R’s case is .040 (about 1mm) longer which slightly increases the case capacity.

This cartridge may look similar to the .300 Blackout, however, the two cartridges pursue different goals and are designed for different applications. If the .300 Blackout is designed to allow loading and shooting long subsonic bullets, the .300 HAM’R is designed with the purpose of squeezing the largest possible case capacity and highest muzzle velocity from a 30 caliber .223/5.56 case-based AR-15 cartridge.

Apparently, this cartridge has been in development for quite a long time – since 2005. After making the final decision on the case dimensions, Bill Wilson found out that when loaded with Hodgdon CFE BLK powder and shot through barrels with 1:15″ twist rate, the cartridge even exceeds the accuracy and muzzle velocity expectations that he originally had. Here is how the performance of this new cartridge is described on the Wilson Combat website.

The 300 HAM’R® was developed for optimal terminal performance and offers near .308 Winchester effectiveness, amazing accuracy and low recoil in the lightweight and compact WC15 platform. Terminal performance testing on over 200 Texas feral hogs has proven it to kill much more effectively than the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 7.62×39 or 300 Blackout. Due to the optimization of bullet weight to barrel twist, accuracy has proven to be outstanding. Sub one-inch groups are the norm with multiple bullet choices for varying applications such as hunting, target shooting and tactical use. Undoubtedly the 300 HAM’R will be compared to the popular 300 BLACKOUT or 7.62×39 and as the comparison charts below indicate, ballistics of the 300 HAM’R far exceeds the 300 BLACKOUT and 7.62×39 in both velocity and energy when utilizing 110-150gr bullets.

Below you can also find a chart showing the performance of the .300 HAM’R cartridge loaded with Speer 125 grain TNT bullets.

Along with the new cartridge, Wilson Combat has also released several rifles chambered in .300 HAM’R. Although the brass can be formed from .223/5.56 cases, the company offers new unprimed .300 HAM’R brass at a price point of $30 for a bag of 100 cases or $140 for a 500-case package. Wilson Combat also sells loaded ammunition. Currently, seven loads with different bullets of 110, 125, 130 and 150 grain weights are available. The prices for loaded ammunition vary from $17.95 to $29.95 per box of 20 cartridges. There are also .300 HAM’R reloading die sets and gauges available on the company’s website.

For more information about this new cartridge and other Wilson Combat products based on it, watch the video embedded below.

Images from www.wilsoncombat.com