.300 AAC BLK. build questions

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Nyet

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OK, I want to build a DI carbine AR chambered in .300 BLK. I plan on this being a super sonic build, I have no interest in a suppressor or other ATF-BS. I would be privy to using an SBR barrel and manufacturing my own custom muzzle break to extend the barrel to 16" and silver soldering it in place if that would help accuracy and or performance. (Someone told me it would, I am skeptical at best. Maybe that applies specifically to suppressed rifles...what do you guys think.)

My questions would be;
1. What barrel length should I go with for the best accuracy and performance?

2. since I am relatively unfamiliar with this particular round, should I go with a pistol or carbine length gas system (I already have the handgaurd so midlength or longer is out of the question). I like the idea of the handguard covering the gasblock, however I don't want to go that route if the performance or durability will suffer to any significant degree. 1 or two MOA wouldn't bother me, so long as I stayed within 3" MOA capability at 100 yards, though I would much prefer better.

3. I find all sorts of info for suppressed carbines and pistols, but what twist rate would be most effective for a super sonic carbine of this caliber?

Thanks in advance for all replies! ;)
 
I had considered x39. IT would make sense, since I have an AK. However, I've heard and read A LOT about the AR having reliability problems with the AK round. If I went that route I'd want a lower specifically designed to take AK mags. Those do not come easily or cheaply. Also, the main reason I wanted to try .300 BLK was parts compatibility with Standard ARs, as well as the ability to cut down .223 brass for reloading.
 
I built mine with a Wilson Combat 16" fluted barrel. I get .2725" groups at 100 yards with 125 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips and Varget. That is not a misprint.
 
I get .2725" groups at 100 yards with 125 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips and Varget. That is not a misprint.
Every group measures .2725? Or one did? Or multiple strings measured .2725? Or that's an average of multiple strings, with some better and some worse?

Help me out - I'm not sure what to think of that statement.
 
That is the best group, and if I am shooting really well that is how the day goes. However, I am not that good a shooter and know pretty quickly if I am shooting well or just making smoke and noise!
 
^^^^
That, and the need for more firing pin protrusion to reliably light off ComBloc steel cased rounds. Just sayin'. :)

But yes, the point being made above is absolutely valid - issues shooting 7.62x39 in an AR platform can be addressed, and have been successfully addressed for some time now. There is no reason to be afraid of a 7.62x39 AR.

Back to the OP - I use 16" barrels for both my 300BLK and 7.62x39 AR's because either round doesn't respond dramatically to longer barrels. For both, I use carbine gas systems because the larger bore diameter will bleed off pressure faster (greater swept volume) than a 5.56 barrel of equal length.

In the FWIW department, I retired my 7.62x39 AR uppers some time back and moved to 300BLK specifically for the magazine/bolt commonality and brass availability. Both rounds are close enough in performance (for supersonic use) that I don't really think that the deer, paper, or zombies really care much about the differences.
 
...moved to 300BLK specifically for the magazine/bolt commonality and brass availability. Both rounds are close enough in performance (for supersonic use) that I don't really think that the deer, paper, or zombies really care

Yeah the 300 only looses a few hundred FPS and a few hundred Ft/lb of energy and if you already reload for .223, it's just a small step to cut and reform to 300 blk.

If you don't reload there is a significant advantage for the 7.62x39.

The only 300 blk I have is a 8.5" SBR with a pistol length gas system under a rifle length tube (tube extends over the barrel) so quite a bit of the suppressor is actually inside the FF tube.
 
Blackout isn't worth messing with if you're not going to suppress it. In the face of limiting yourself to supersonics, I'd recommend that you look at other more widely and available calibers.
If not Blackout runs best on 8-10" barrels with pistol gas (preferred) or carbine gas. I'd stay in that window. When you venture shorter or longer is where guys get in trouble getting them to cycle reliably.
 
issues shooting 7.62x39 in an AR platform can be addressed, and have been successfully addressed for some time now. There is no reason to be afraid of a 7.62x39 AR.
+ 7.62x39 bolt is known to break early!
 
Absolutely true - the larger rim of the 7.62X39 definitely thins the bolt log area of the AR bolt. The good news is that it takes a fair number of rounds to suffer a true failure, and the failure generally doesn't hurt the gun or cause a safety issue. In my hunting ARs, I replaced the bolt every 2K and never had a failure. Then again, they are generally shot more like bolt guns than bullet hoses. I also recently moved away from Carpenter-158 bolts in my 7.62x39 ARs; that is supposed to help but I've not accumulated enough rounds thru them to say definitively.

If you're looking to do mucho mag dumps, YMMV.
 
To the point of reloading, all points made are both valid and mute...let me explain, lol. I am saving up for reloading equip. I saved all my brass from the last two years. I do not yet reload, but I will be reloading by the end of the year. I plan on reloading for every caliber I shoot, including X39, I have no issues reloading steel casings either. I know a lot of people consider it a no no. I know that a lot of people have also done it successfully, safely, and repetitively. I will be cautious, I just don't like the idea of expending ammunition, lol. If I can find a cheap source for lead I am even thinking about getting in to casting. As for going with the X39 AR, I am seriously considering it...again...after hearing what you guys are saying. The debate between these two rounds has kept me from going forward with my next build for quite some time. Every time I settle on Blackout some very good points get brought up about the AK-AR variant. I do like the idea of commonality of the AR controls, which I would get with either build, and the idea of cheap ammo is alluring, and so is the prospect of not adding yet another caliber to my repertoire. I do not like the idea of investing in another bunch of magazines, however. Then I also think about doing a 5.45 build... <Facepalm>

So on the AK-AR, which part of the bolt is known to break? The extractor? the bolt face? the ejector? How easy is it to find the longer firing pins for the AK-AR bolt, and do these break easier since they are longer? What about tactical pouches for the funny shaped half-banana mags? I can't find any.
 
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Every time I settle on Blackout some very good points get brought up about the AK-AR variant. I

I think one of the biggest potential problems with the 300 blk is that they can chamber in a .223 with pretty bad results.

The x39 would just have helped save folks from themselves.

As for the bolt problem, just get a good bolt instead of the least expensive. There are quite a few rounds that use a larger case head than .223 in AR's, 50 beo, 450 bm, 458 socom, 6.5 Grendel, 375 reaper just to name a few.
 
that was another concern of mine. I was planning on either painting or hydro dipping mags in different patterns to designate them as either .223 or blk. Was alos thinking of using different mags all together...
 
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