By Terry Houin
We found the rams we were looking for. Unfortunately, they found us as well and were now on top of the mountain about 1,000 feet above us, and I’m pretty sure I could see them laughing at us through the spotting scope. Now it was personal. I can’t have these sheep making me look dumb with two camera guys in tow, so I made a plan that was going to include a suck-ass climb on the backside of a ridge. But if it worked out we’d be right on top of the band of rams. About an hour later, with plenty of stops to “glass,” aka suck wind, we worked our way gingerly around the cliff face and found our sheep. They were still looking downhill for us, and it was our turn to snicker since we now had the upper hand.
As I set up for the shot, 210 yards slightly downhill with a 12-mph left-to-right crosswind, I thought this would be easy with a 300 WM, but I wasn’t here for easy. This is what attracted me to the 8.6 Blackout subsonic for hunting. Now my experience and the ballistics come together to give me a shooting solution, up 7.2 Mil with a 1.2 Mil left-wind hold to account for wind and spin drift and the .7-second time of flight (about 600-yard equivalent for a 300 WM). As I squeezed off the shot, the impact of the round on the ram’s shoulder was louder than the gun. This was reflected in the other rams just watching their buddy nose dive down the mountain while they stood and watched.
The beautiful mix of complex shooting solutions and the sophisticated challenge of getting close to your quarry is what I was seeking for the 2025 season, and this is what drew me into subsonic hunting as my focus for this year.
Q Fix SD: The Quiet Solution
With the goal of running 8.6 Blackout subsonic for a few of my big hunts this fall, the next step was obvious—getting a rifle setup to fit the round’s unique capabilities. This made my choice very simple. Q literally wrote the book on 8.6 BLK, so selecting The Fix rifle for this build was a no-brainer. I topped the rifle with a Leupold MK5 HD 2-10, one of my favorite optics for shooting inside 500 yards, locked into the Reptilia AUS mount for a rock solid, worry-free package.
I just happened to be in New Hampshire this summer visiting my friends at Q and convinced Amy to take time to teach me how to build my Fix rifle. Side note: customers will soon have the option to do build classes with Amy’s team in the very near future.
I went with an 8-inch barrel, since this length hits the sweet spot for subsonic performance while still giving me enough barrel to send supersonics when needed. I also had an SD kit on hand to cover the Porkchop silencer and give the rifle the badass look it deserves. With a few final touches like a B5 grip, Burnproof Gear rail cover, and a sweet Stingray cheekpiece, my 8.6 BO Fix SD was ready to hit the range for zeroing and testing.
Uncle T’s take
Subsonic hunting is not for everyone, but if you’re up for a new challenge this might be worth looking at. The Fix as a hunting rifle might just be one of the most efficient and practical designs. With a one-piece receiver, 45-degree bolt throw, folding stock that is fully adjustable, and Q-sert handguard for unparalleled strength, my little setup started at about 5 pounds. With all the bells and whistles, it’s probably sitting around 7 pounds in hunting mode. While hiking and climbing mountains, this rifle slings and rides comfortable under my arm, out of the way, but ready to respond.
Build List
- Q The Fix – 8-inch, 8.6 Blackout – $3,475
- Q Porkchop Silencer – $850
- Leupold Mk5 HD 2-10x – $1,999
- Reptilia AUS, 39mm height – $275
- B5 systems P-Grip 22 – $29
- Burnproof Gear rail wrap – $90
- Lycan Precision Sling – $120
