300 Ham’r ... anyone?

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kimberkid

kimberkid

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A buddy at work was asking me about it, he was going to switch out an M4 ... it was slow so we googled it, it’s like the 300 Blackout except it uses a full length 223 case and the heaviest bullet it can use a 150 ... I think a 125 would only do a little over 2200 FPS.

We decided it was the answer to an unasked question

Edit to add, it’s an 18” barrel barrel so the hand guard and gas tube would have been too short to fit as M4 was an older carbine ... I’m not sure if it was set up to be a mid or rifle length gas system
 
It's basically 300 BO that sacrifices the ability to shoot heavy subsonic loads for a small boost in supersonic performance with mid to light bullets.
 
The 300 HAMR case is .23" longer than the 300 BO so not a full sized 223 case. It will take bullets up to 150 grs, but the 150s were doing 2,200 fps out of an 18" barrel in an article in Handloader ( Feb '19) It looks like 130s at 2,600 would be the ticket. The article tried to make it out as the "30-30 AR" but it seems more like the U.S. 7.62 x 39. Useful for piggies, I guess.
 
I think it’s a neat looking hunting cartridge but it’s vying for space with other that came before it and do the exact same thing. Since the introduction of CFE BLK powder and reliable magazines for 7.62x39 AR15’s this one really doesn’t have much room to make a niche for itself. If you really want more oomph than a 7.62x39 in a 30 caliber AR15 wildcat, I would look at a 30 Sabercat.
 
I'm all for companies and individuals trying out new cartridges, makes for good reading material. I read about this one, and having experience with 300 blackout, I suppose it has a small place - 30 Cal ar, minimal parts to change out (barrel only I think), easy to make brass from readily available 223, and relatively mild recoil. Should be all right for deer at reasonable range, but a bit pricey due to 30 Cal bullets for high volume plinking.

So as others have said, keep on innovating, but 30 Cal is a crowded space. I'd love to try one out, but don't see a place in my safe for one any time soon, barring a too good to pass up deal.
 
Don't forget the 30 cal AR-15 cartridge that fell by the wayside because of Remingtons idiocy...the 30 Rem AR. I have one and love it, definite step up from 300blk or 7.62x39 but rifles are impossible to find and so is ammo.

I find myself using the 7.62x39 more and more. Accurate, shoots cheap ammo, and my reloads for hunting are very effective in deer size game.
 
CarJunkieLS1 said:
Don't forget the 30 cal AR-15 cartridge that fell by the wayside because of Remingtons idiocy...the 30 Rem AR. I have one and love it, definite step up from 300blk or 7.62x39 but rifles are impossible to find and so is ammo.

I find myself using the 7.62x39 more and more. Accurate, shoots cheap ammo, and my reloads for hunting are very effective in deer size game.
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I would buy one in a second if it wasn’t a unicorn and if brass was easily made
 
someguy2800 said:
I would buy one in a second if it wasn’t a unicorn and if brass was easily made
Click to expand...

That's my criteria. Can I make a case using 223/5.56. I almost bought a 300 BLK but it's a tweener. The chamber throats are hellacious long and twist is way too fast for lighter bullets. Still waiting.
 
CoalTrain49 said:
That's my criteria. Can I make a case using 223/5.56. I almost bought a 300 BLK but it's a tweener. The chamber throats are hellacious long and twist is way too fast for lighter bullets. Still waiting.
Click to expand...

I have shot 10 shoot groups at 260 yards that where nearly 1 MOA. Using 110gr bullets in a 1: 7 twist 16 inch barrel. That same barrel does just fine with 220gr bullets at subsonic velocities.
 
CoalTrain49 said:
That's my criteria. Can I make a case using 223/5.56. I almost bought a 300 BLK but it's a tweener. The chamber throats are hellacious long and twist is way too fast for lighter bullets. Still waiting.
Click to expand...

If it still shoots 110 and 125 grain bullets sub MOA then is the twist really too fast and the throat too long? Mine does.
 
I too wish the 30 Rem AR was mainstream it is a potent round. Chalk another one up to Remingtons inability to market.
 
cat_IT_guy said:
I'm all for companies and individuals trying out new cartridges, makes for good reading material. I read about this one, and having experience with 300 blackout, I suppose it has a small place - 30 Cal ar, minimal parts to change out (barrel only I think), easy to make brass from readily available 223, and relatively mild recoil. Should be all right for deer at reasonable range, but a bit pricey due to 30 Cal bullets for high volume plinking.

So as others have said, keep on innovating, but 30 Cal is a crowded space. I'd love to try one out, but don't see a place in my safe for one any time soon, barring a too good to pass up deal.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
And call me lame, but the market has more like me, I want something with a little broader ability.
So by all means keep making weird stuff...one of them might be the magical unicorn that farts rainbows...oh wait, that’s the .308 Win...
Grrg
 
<*(((>< said:
I too wish the 30 Rem AR was mainstream it is a potent round. Chalk another one up to Remingtons inability to market.
Click to expand...
No doubt Remington is to blame to some degree for the early demise of 30 Rem AR. But at the same time that is one bastard of an AR upper. It's a unique upper, unique barrel extension, unique bolt, unique magazine. Other than working on an AR lower it's nearly all new parts in the upper. Unlike 300 BO, 300 Ham'r that only require a new barrel
 
mcb said:
No doubt Remington is to blame to some degree for the early demise of 30 Rem AR. But at the same time that is one bastard of an AR upper. It's a unique upper, unique barrel extension, unique bolt, unique magazine. Other than working on an AR lower it's nearly all new parts in the upper. Unlike 300 BO, 300 Ham'r that only require a new barrel
Click to expand...

Specialty upper doesn’t bother me in the least if the performance is there. Maintain compatibility with a serialized AR15 lower is the key.
 
<*(((>< said:
Specialty upper doesn’t bother me in the least if the performance is there. Maintain compatibility with a serialized AR15 lower is the key.
Click to expand...
I agree, it doesn't bother me either but for allot of people it is a negative not a positive feature and hurt it's market acceptance. Personally I wish they would have used the oversized bolt and barrel extension of 30 Rem AR with it's parent case, 450 Bushmaster. Imagine 450 Bushmaster at 55 ksi like 30 Rem AR instead of 38.5ksi.
 
I have a review from another forum I frequent, pretty much tells me all I need to know;

Originally posted by fritz:
I've seen articles stating that Bill Wilson is an avid feral hog hunter in Texas. He has done a fair share of tweaking AR-15 calibers, so the AR-15 will become more effective hog rifle. His 7.62x40 WT is an earlier variation -- and where has it gone....

I regularly visit the Wilson Combat website, as I have my share of Wilson AR uppers, lowers, and components. And I have reviewed the HAM'Rs -- that's right, there are two of them. IMO the published numbers for the 300 Ham'r must be verified independently. Although I respect Wilson, I think there's some healthy sales pitch going on. They quote MVs with 18" barrels on the Ham'r, but hint to velocities from 16" barrels on other calibers. I hate to say it, but it sounds a bit too similar to what certain people at AAC touted when 300 blackout hit the market.

Kinetic energy comes down to a combination of powder capacity, chamber design, powder type, and barrel length. These are well known concepts to many. If someone truly wants to build the most energetic .30 cal in an AR-15, they need to start with a bigger case -- like a Grendel or SPC

It appears that Wilson tweaked the 300 Ham'r for a little more energy. Emphasis on little. I doubt the cartridge will go anywhere, as it's just not enough better than 300 blackout to warrant more than niche support from rifle manufacturers or ammo manufacturers.
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Also

Originally posted by sigfreund:
People are always asking how they can get better ballistic performance from existing guns. Sometimes the answer (such as the 357 SIG) isn’t to many shooters’ taste and it never goes anywhere, but the 300 Ham’r delivers more kinetic energy than other cartridges suitable for shooting from unmodified ARs (except for the barrel, of course). I wouldn’t bet my house or even my 308 AR-type rifle that it will excite many people and become the next 6.5 Creedmoor, but if one is looking for a specific set of criteria to satisfy, it could do it.

A good discussion here.
Click to expand...
 
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