is the 300blk passing fad or permanent trend??

[sixgunner455]

It's been around a while. Certainly has gone beyond "flash-in-the-pan" status.

Putting .30-30 ballistics (as far as hunting rounds are concerned) in an AR is interesting, but not enough to make me build an upper for it. It's not just a new barrel- it's a whole upper, if you want to actually be able to use your AR as a swap-top. If you want to just convert over to .300, that's a different story, I guess. I don't.

Suppressor use - that's more interesting, but certainly not a money-saver! lol. I'm not ready to pop for one.

Trajectory and velocity of .300 hunting loads made me look elsewhere when I considered getting a dedicated hunting upper for my AR. Yeah, I got a 6.8. It was either that or a 6.5 Grendel. Neither of them are going anywhere anytime soon, either.

 

[arizona_cards_11]

I'm not a huge AR fan, but I owned a couple of AR15's in the standard 223/5.56. I now own only one and it's in 300blk.

 

[fireside44]

It's here to stay because the 5.56/.223 in an AR is lacking. It's like a doggy version of a 7.62x39, when I am supposed to get excited? Flamesuit on, fire away.

 

[Lj1941]

Maybe I have been living in a vaccum,but what makes anyone so sure that it will even approach the 223 Remington/556x45 in popularity. The only way that could happen if the US Military & Nato should decide to abandon the 556 and convert 100% to this caliber.The chances of this happening are ZERO.Many good things have been failures. I thought the Edsel was a good car. I thought the 225 Winchester was a winner and bought one.I was just finding out what a good pistol caliber the 10 MM was when I stopped hearing or reading about it. Put another post about this subject in 10 years and see if anyone remembers it.

 

[greyling22]

and that right there is the true beauty of the 300. if it fades, you can still easily make brass. I'm drowning in 223 brass. I can't give it away. I can't say that about anything else but 9mm.

Most other oddball calibers or gun specific calibers leave you high and dry when they fade. 30 carb dried up and now I spend way more time looking for brass than I do shooting. I thought my 257AI was going to always have a source of 257 bob brass laying around, then that phenomenal cartridge faded. (as did the parent 7x57. I hear maybe you can make it from a 270 case trimmed and run through a 308 sizing die without the expander) So I figured, hey, garand, there will be 30-06 forever, and that's actually been getting scarce at the range........

I've been eyeballing the dsa uppers, but from the comments I see over on ar15.com, wait time can be close to a year, and if you call them they say "2 weeks". A few months of that can get real old real fast.

 

[taliv]

it won't approach 223 in popularity. but it will be very popular in places where you can SBR and suppress it.

I am in the process of building two 300blk now. one a bolt gun, the other an AR

 

[68wj]

OP, bet you own a 6.8 SPC. That's the one that is going to be a passing fad. Ammo is expensive, buyer at Walmart accidentally ordered some; that mistake will be corrected.

Cute. The OP asks a question and this nonsense boils up.

To topic, there is no reason the 300 BO would go away. The Whisper was already popular among select shooters but industry acceptance kept it out of the general public eye. Remington/AAC's submission to SAAMI makes it easy for both ammo or firearms manufacturers to get in the game with the common case head. It has also created new hoopla in marketable optics with schnazi dual reticles for the big arched subs and less arched supersonic loads. I think the industry loves the fresh opportunities it has created and will continue to release products.

 

[WardenWolf]

I honestly think .300 Blackout is a fad. Its primary purpose is to offer 7.62x39 performance in a package that's more suited to the AR, since the AR's stupidly over-long magwell causes problems if you need a curved mag. It's honestly cheaper in the long run to just buy a VEPR in 7.62x39, though. That gives you cheap ammo and cheap mags.

 

[blue32]

It will be as popular and underrated as the .260 Rem, which is another great but less adaptable cartridge for the AR.

 

[Nikdfish]

It really shines as an AR SBR or pistol. The efficient powder use helps keep velocities up in the usable territory without the flash & pressure wave associated with 5.56 rounds from the same length. That plus the easily formed brass will keep it around a long time, even if suppressors are not factored in to the equation.

I've had a 5.56/.223 AR for a few years, the 300BLK for much less time. I find myself loading for & shooting the 300BLK in both carbine & pistol form much more than I ever did the 5.56/.223. It is a fun round to shoot.

Nick

 

[Warp]

It's honestly cheaper in the long run to just buy a VEPR in 7.62x39, though. That gives you cheap ammo and cheap mags.

Which means different (inferior) ergonomics, controls, and aftermarket support/accessories/options (or lack thereof).

 

[WardenWolf]

Actually, in terms of accessories they're about equal. You can have AR-style handguards, stocks, and more nowadays, giving you largely the same ergonomics if you so desire. The controls are different, but not really inferior. And, like everything else, are customizable.

 

[wally]

Does the .45 ACP fit into a pistol the size of which will fit .45 GAP? (grip size mostly)

Yes, unless the gun is made by Glock. I knew the .45GAP was essentially dead as soon as I handled the Springfield XD .45GAP vs. .45ACP. In reality the .45GAP is a rip-off of the European .45HP which was made to work around bans on civilians owning military calibers over there.


The others I've no idea what you are talking about. I've never disagreed that the .300Blk fills a niche, especially for suppressed SBRs. Being a fan of suppressed SBRs I suspect I'll build one someday if the reloading component situation ever returns to "normal".


If RRA's AR that takes AK mags becomes widely available it effectively will kill .300BLK for non-reloaders as it solves the "ergonomics, controls, and aftermarket support/accessories/options" problem of 7.62x39. IMHO there would be little interest or need for .300 BLK if someone could make truely reliable 7.62x39 AR mags.

 

[Warp]

Actually, in terms of accessories they're about equal. You can have AR-style handguards, stocks, and more nowadays, giving you largely the same ergonomics if you so desire. The controls are different, but not really inferior. And, like everything else, are customizable.

I don't really think so.

As for controls...what do you need to do in order to make a VEPR ambidextrous, for example?

 

[WardenWolf]

What do you have to do? Nothing. They work just fine for lefties as it is, in some ways better than right-handed. I'm a lefty myself and have never had a problem. I've seen some "adaptations" such as the Lightning Bolt which put a charging handle on the opposite side, but I've never felt a need for one. The safety works very well; just use your right thumb to operate it. AK actions also typically eject forwards at a 45-degree angle, so ejection is not a problem. To charge it, just use your right hand and ram the bolt rearwards, or reach over with your left.

 

[taliv]

let's not derail this thread by getting into a ridiculous discussion about ARs versus whatever.

 

[444]

I am almost certainly going to buy one or more.

I have been meaning to get into the .300 Whisper for years. I even bought a few hundred brass for it. I also bought a Remington 788 in .223 with the intention of rebarreling it for .300 Whisper.

However, now that .300 BLK has come on the scene, things look even easier. I have a number of AR uppers lying around that I haven't touched for years. And, rebarreling an AR is something I can do myself. At that point, I might as well also get the 788 rebarreled for the same cartridge. FWIW: I reload, I have several registered AR SBRs as well as a .308 can.

As to whether it is a passing fad, I don't know or really have any idea. And, once I get this whole process in operation, I really don't care.

I haven't really done any reading about this cartridge and only know the most basic information, but based on what little I do know about it; I sounds like it is sort of a no-brainer for me. I don't have any actual use for it, other than as something else to play with.

 

[greyling22]

I guess another way of asking this is Or measuring popularity is "has anybody sold theirs blackout upper or know anyone who has" with the understanding that we had a massive panic buy in the middle the the 300's launch year.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Does the .45 ACP fit into a pistol the size of which will fit .45 GAP? (grip size mostly)

What 50+ year old cartridge can be fired in a rifle that was a standard AR15 chambered in 5.56 with nothing more than a barrel swap, same everything else?

What cartridge out of an AR will do what .300 does suppressed with a short barrel?

What semi auto cartridge fits into a .45 ACP size pistol and provides full-house .357 magnum power levels?

I don't have an answer for questions #1,2, and 4. But for 3...

7.62x39. 300 Whisper (at cqb ranges).

 

[Well Now]

The downside right now for the 300 Blk, is the lack of ammo. It's out there you just have to hunt real hard to find it. Even the reloaders are having a hard time getting powder and primers

I started buying when they first came out and I bought ammo when available so I'm set for a while. I am also stocking up on reloading components and plan to start reloading within the end of the year, and I still buy available ammo when I find it. Takes quite a bit to feed four of them.

 

[444]

I don't believe the 7.62x39 can shoot as heavy a bullet as the .300 BLK and that round also doesn't use a standard 5.56 magazine.

If I am handloading subsonic rounds, I want to use the heaviest bullet possible. As has been mentioned before, the beauty of the .300 BLK is that you can put one together from a standard 5.56 AR15 by simply changing the barrel: which appeals to me greatly.


FWIW: I realize this probably doesn't mean much, but it is an interesting comparison: at least to me.
US Military .45 ACP Ball Ammo uses a 230 grain FMJ bullet at somewhere around 850 fps.
The .300 Blackout uses a 220 grain jacketed bullet at just below the speed of sound (around 1080 fps).
Neither bullet will probably give you any expansion, but the .300 is using a more streamlined rifle bullet that will give you longer range accuracy. The only real point being that even at subsonic velocity, the .300 isn't a pea shooter.

 

[allaroundhunter]

If anyone is in the Houston area and needs some .300 BLK ammo, Freedom Munitions typically has some in stock. Their website is not representative of what they have in their retail store. Give them a call and/or swing by and you can probably grab some.

 

[Warp]

I don't have an answer for questions #1,2, and 4. But for 3...

7.62x39. 300 Whisper (at cqb ranges).

Can you shoot 7.62x39 out of an AR with nothing special but a new barrel? Same upper receiver, same bolt carrier group, and same magazines?

 

[allaroundhunter]

Can you shoot 7.62x39 out of an AR with nothing special but a new barrel? Same upper receiver, same bolt carrier group, and same magazines?

Nope, have to change bolts and use different magazines.

 

[meanmrmustard]

Can you shoot 7.62x39 out of an AR with nothing special but a new barrel? Same upper receiver, same bolt carrier group, and same magazines?

You said "can do what the BLK does with short barrel/suppressed".

No specifics were given.

To answer your subsequent question, no. You'd need bolt, barrel, mag. Or cheat; swap uppers. That's what I'd do anyway. Pain in the ass to change a barrel, check headspace, and line up gas tubes in the field/at range anyway.

But, as stated, the two examples I gave will do what you originally asked.