.300BLK - Poised to win or doomed to fail?

For subsonic always it makes sense but if you like the 5.56 baseline the WT provides a little edge...
http://www.wilsoncombat.com/762x40WT.htm

If subsonic is not in the menu another one that you might want to consider is the 6x45 that it is super easy and ballisticaly very accurate and versatile.

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The 7.62x40mm offers very limited gain over the 7.62x35 (300 AAC Blackout) and requires custom modified mags to do so. Last I checked only Wilson was loading factory ammo for it. It's not a bad idea, but is less versatile and far less widely available, for very limited gain.

BY FAR the most exciting AR-15 option I've read about is the 6.5 MPC, which is a .223 case necked up to 6.5mm. Ballistics with light to medium weight bullets are nipping at the heels of 6.5 Grendel, without requiring special mags or bolts (and the weaker bolt-head dimensions that brings). But it's another one where factory offerings are all but nonexistent. I don't mind reloading and mail ordering some parts (like the barrel), but I do mind relying on either custom gunsmithing or only a single manufacturer for anything related to a cartridge.

http://sskindustries.com/6-5-mpc

The 300BLK is not the end-all be-all, but it offers a useful and versatile option, and in a somewhat circular fashion its increasing availability makes it more attractive, and vice versa.

I think the blackout offers a nice subsonic alternative to shoot 220grainers.
Now I am working on the 6.5BR. At some point I thought about necking down the 30RAR but in the end the BR performs very well, it is super accurate and it is way easier. I do not need 30 rounds. Even I can put 19 to 20 in the longer mags but my normal use is 10 or 5rds rounds. 10 for the bench and 5+1 for hunting.

This is a modest load tested out of a 20"!! krieger barrel so from a longer poly or 5R barrel might even get better. It makes an awesome hunting upper but also a nice 1000 yards target system.

6.5BR AR - 130gr Berger VLD 20"Krieger

Range (Yds) 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Speed (fps) 2675 2506 2345 2190 2042 1901 1766 1638 1516 1399 1289
Energy (ft.lb) 2065 1813 1587 1384 1204 1043 900 774 663 565 480
Drop (in) 0.00 2.54 10.61 25.02 46.69 76.73 116.42 167.32 231.31 310.62 407.99
Path (in) -1.50 2.02 0.00 -8.35 -23.97 -47.94 -81.58 -126.43 -184.35 -257.61 -348.92
Elevn(MOA) -1.92 0.00 2.65 5.71 9.13 12.95 17.20 21.95 27.26 33.23
Windage(MOA) 0.31 0.64 0.99 1.37 1.77 2.20 2.66 3.15 3.69 4.26
Time(Sec) 0.00 0.12 0.24 0.37 0.51 0.67 0.83 1.01 1.20 1.40 1.63

IMO it doesn't get any better than this. I have not tried the 160gr subsonics. I need to research that one in the future.

I liked it enough to do a new build based around it.

Noveske stainless 8 inch barrel. Ordering my can here soon.

My answer to the Honey badger.

kwelz said:

I liked it enough to do a new build based around it.

Noveske stainless 8 inch barrel. Ordering my can here soon.

My answer to the Honey badger.

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WOW! That is a sexy little rifle you got there. I was planning an A4 for my next rifle but this 300 BLK has really got me intrigued.

Thanks C-Grunt. I like nice and simple builds. I got a heck of a deal on the barrel and rail from a friend so this build started off on whim and just went from there. I just got it assembled this week and don't even have any ammo yet. You can bet that I am ordering some ASAP though.

I need to get a new scale to weigh it, but even with the Stainless barrel it can't weigh 6 pounds as you see it.

Eventually it will wear an AAC 762-SDN-6

armoredman said:

Gotta interject - reloading ROCKS! That's what a cartridge like this is to me, wide open territory, time to play. Maybe if the Good Lord smiles on me, I can try. What is that AAC Model 7 rifle? Looks like an excellent camp carbine - detachable or fixed mag? Make it like the CZ 527M with a 5 or ten round detachable, and that's a heck o' winner! Even better, convince CZ-UB to make the 527M in that caliber standard.

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I have a CZ 527 action out at McGowen Precision right now being rebarreled for 300 BLK. I've got a stack of magazines here I need to modify before the rifle comes back, though.

My ongoing build -> http://www.cz527.com/527-variants-and-wildcats/about-to-get-started-on-a-300blk-conversion!/msg77/

Here is a deal for 300 Blackout prefit Savage barrels:

http://www.gunshack.com/groupbuy?product_id=164

I got a chance to take my to the range today. All I can say about the caliber is this:
To shoot it is to love it. 220 Grain Remington Express rounds grouped pretty much under my thumb at 50 yards. Recoil is nothing, and even in my 8 inch barrel they were quiet as a .22...


I can't wait for my Can.

I just got mine put together, I'm heading to the hunting camp to get it sighted & try to kill things. It's a 9.5" Core15 upper. It has the Blackout mount, I just have to save to put some thing on it. I'm anxious to see how the 125 gr. Atlanta Arms pink tips perform.

I just got my Delta Company Arms 10.3" Blackout barrel yesterday. There will be a new SBR'd AR born this holiday season!

UMC Ammo in stock:

http://shop.bullseyeindoorrange.com...LK-200rd-Case-Rem-UMC-115gr-300BLK-200rds.htm

Awesome!

armoredman said:

If I can squeak a question in sideways? Are bullets and brass available for reloaders? Is it designed for a total copper bullet only - the test bullets shown look like it.Can this round run cast lead?

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I've cast some bullets for this round using NOE #311. There is another group buy going on in the cast boolits forum. LINK HERE. These are big heavy slugs suited for subsonic use. Especially handy if you have yourself a user serviceable suppressor, like the Liberty Mystic.

I admit I'm interested.

Are 125 gr. bullets the most practical for supersonic applications such as hunting deer sized game? How about a home defense situation?

I have a lot of 150 gr. .308 cal bullets. Do the heavier 150 gr bullets perform well or is the velocity so low that it becomes impractical to use?

My shots are less than 200 yards. Think trees. Lots of trees

Depends on what you want it to do. The problem you may encounter with the heavier bullets is that they may not have enough velocity at impact to mushroom much, if at all. There are some heavy, expanding bullets out there now that have been designed around expanding at subsonic velocities specifically for use with the BLK. Something like that would certainly be the best option for hunting at any kind of range. The heavy efficient bullets that start out subsonic lose very little energy as they go down range. They drop a good bit, but that is easy to account for if you have a good rangefinder and a good dope card or a doped ballistic reticule.

The goal is 12-18 inches of bare gel penetration for bad guys, or a little more for medium game hunting.

In 300 BLK, that tends to mean 110-125 grain bullets, depending on the jacket thickness.

Heavier bullets going this slowly will over penetrate. For example a Hornady 155 may be perfect in 308, but over penetrate in 300 BLK.

The first bullet tuned for 300 BLK velocities is the Remington AccuTip 125 - it is for sale as loaded ammo now. The Barnes 110 grain will be out pretty soon and is also custom.

The 7.62x40mm offers very limited gain over the 7.62x35 (300 AAC Blackout) and requires custom modified mags to do so. Last I checked only Wilson was loading factory ammo for it. It's not a bad idea, but is less versatile and far less widely available, for very limited gain.

BY FAR the most exciting AR-15 option I've read about is the 6.5 MPC, which is a .223 case necked up to 6.5mm. Ballistics with light to medium weight bullets are nipping at the heels of 6.5 Grendel, without requiring special mags or bolts (and the weaker bolt-head dimensions that brings). But it's another one where factory offerings are all but nonexistent. I don't mind reloading and mail ordering some parts (like the barrel), but I do mind relying on either custom gunsmithing or only a single manufacturer for anything related to a cartridge.

http://sskindustries.com/6-5-mpc

The 300BLK is not the end-all be-all, but it offers a useful and versatile option, and in a somewhat circular fashion its increasing availability makes it more attractive, and vice versa.

Click to expand...

Yeay but ANYTHING slower than the Grendel or 6.8 is not exciting to me.

I want the most power also, but the most power I can get with normal magazines at full capacity. That is 300 BLK. That is for an AR15.

When I want more, I will move to a 308.

If the goal is the most power in an AR15 with special mags, then that is 30 RAR - at least for 30 cal or smaller. There is the SOCOM and other big bores.

So I should stick to 110 to 125 gr. then?

Hell, I'll bite. If the cartridge flops, I'll swap out the barrel for a poodle-shooter round.

I guess it is possible I have not found it in a search... is there a thread out there anywhere discussing the specific performance tradoffs between the various barrel lengths; specifically between the 9" and 12.5"? Why did AAC bother to make these two lengths, this close together?

Ragsdale 30 cal said:

So I should stick to 110 to 125 gr. then?

Hell, I'll bite. If the cartridge flops, I'll swap out the barrel for a poodle-shooter round.

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If it works for you and you have a set of dies, who cares what happens to the round in the market? It's not like .223 brass or .308cal projectiles are going anywhere.

just ordered a barrel to convert one of my 5.56 AR's. Starting the process to get a suppressor next spring. I'm always skeptical about all these new cartridges coming out but this looks like a lot of fun. Minimum changes to a 5.56 AR, same mags, and tons of bullets to choose from for loading.

if a saiga gets chambered in 300 blk and if its price falls inbetween the 7.62/5.56/5.45 saigas and 308 saiga itll stay around

helotaxi said:

If it works for you and you have a set of dies, who cares what happens to the round in the market? It's not like .223 brass or .308cal projectiles are going anywhere.

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"Suppressor Freaks" have been running the 300 Whisper since what, the Early 90's? This is just going to bring the wildcat concept into the main stream. It will be very popular, and the other bonus is that it will help bring suppressor use into the main stream.

The benefits are going to be "purpose built" bullets for expansion at the lower velocities of the 300 Whisper, and more "user serviceable" suppressors in 308 or larger.

This is a good thing for all of us in the hobby to whatever extent you currently are in it.

JHenry said:

if a saiga gets chambered in 300 blk and if its price falls inbetween the 7.62/5.56/5.45 saigas and 308 saiga itll stay around

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It makes precious little difference if the Kalashnikov faithful get behind it or not. Kel-Tech has already announced a "lower priced" semi-auto. I believe there will be others soon too. The fact that the AK's run on "NATO ADOPTED" rounds, I don't think the 300 BLACKOUT will make it into an AK Chambering any time soon. Just an opinion.