300 blackout AR - interesting

B

bfskinnerpunk

New member
I was reading a debate, here, regarding the 6.8 and AR platforms. There was mention of the 300 blackout there.

Then, by coincidence that same day, heard Michael Baine referring to the Blackout on his Downrange podcast.

So, now the AR can use the same lower with yet another, very cool, caliber upper. I was thinking that the new Blackout uppers would be expensive, but they look to be similar to 5.56 offerings. ~$600

My search didn't turn up much Blackout chit chat in this forum.

Other than lack of easy availability, is there anything NOT to like about the Blackout?
 
Trying to keep up...

"a can" is a suppressor? (I noticed that over half of the available ammo appears to be subsonic... and in the description mentions the use of a suppressor)

Short barreled rifle: In poking around, it looks like longer barrels aren't a disadvantage, but they certainly don't appear to add much to the performance.

For myself, I'd stick to 14.5" to 16" just to keep life simple.

I sit here weighing the value of getting into the AR world. I'm loving the philosophy of the AK (tolerant of neglect), but the accuracy/lightness and modularity of the AR is certainly interesting.
 
The fragility of an AR is highly overblown. As for the 300 BLK, I will defer to rsilvers-- he knows what he is talking about.
 
Very interesting cartridge. With a 220 grain bullet it works great with a surpressor. Good punch for an AR plateform. I heard AAC is knocking down troublesome deer and pigs with this round.
 
I do not understand the physics or implications of ballistics stats.

So, does this round meet the "punch!" of a 7.62 x 39 round?

How does it compare to the 6.8 or 6.5?

I'm assuming that we all want a flat, fast flight with maximum damage at the point of impact (big round).... usable in a small AR form factor.
 
How does it compare to the 6.8 or 6.5?
Click to expand...


7.62 x 35:

125 gr, 2215 fps, 1360 lbf energy

6.5 mm Grendel:

123 gr., 2650 fps, 1917 lbf energy

There is no comparison. The 7.62 drops like a rock with range compared to the 6.5 as well.

As RT said, it was designed for subsonic applications. True- it would make a good dedicated hog killer at close range. But so would a lot of other calibers that perform much better downrange.

I believe that if the "marketers" had not given it a "tacticool" name like "Blackout", it would have a fraction of the interest it generates. In supersonic applications it's an entirely unimpressive offering.
 
It's made for subsonic with some capability of supersonic. It wasn't made to compete with 6.5g/6.8spc. If you want a supersonic .30 for the AR platform, look into the 7.62x40.
 
I'm assuming that we all want a flat, fast flight with maximum damage at the point of impact (big round).... usable in a small AR form factor.
Click to expand...

If that is the assumption, than I think you will be disappointed in the 300 BLK. It uses a relatively small case and, despite the efficiency of the cartridge, the velocity shows it.

What is does do is use all the same AR-15 parts as a standard AR-15, except the barrel, use cheap, abundant brass and has a wide range of bullets available. The gun will cycle through all the bullet weights, from 110 to 240.

There is no question that the suppressed aspect is what attracts me. As I wait for my Form 4 to be approved, I was trying to figure out if there was a way to have subsonic cartridges cycle my AR-10 pattern rifle...now I don't have to.

That being said, my 225gr subsonics, unsupressed, are great fun at the range. It sounds almost like a 22 and has more energy than a .45. I'm amazed at the attention it draws. At 200 yards, the supersonics are still within the performance range of the Nosler Ballistic Tips that I'm using. Personally, I'm not really a hunter, but I can realistically use this cartridge at the distances I would be hunting. But I can always pull out the big AR if I want to shoot longer.
 
Meh. You could just download the 6.8 to subsonic and get near the same results, possibly better.
Click to expand...

New bolt and new magazines. Need different bullets than I already have for loading 308. Bullet goes the same speed and weighs less. Also need an unusual high twist 6.8 barrel. Brass is more expensive. My 30 cal suppressor isn't really the right size for it.

I'm missing the better part with just downloading the 6.8...
 
It has a good punch for the AR platform but it's a short range rifle. The bullet drops allot. Leupold is making a scope with the bullet drop compensator lines for it. Spec ops guys are taking bad guys out with this round surpressed in a 700 action and only a 9inch barrel at 400 yards, but its a big bullet drop. The 6.8 & 6.5 shoot much flatter. The 300 blackout does offer something over the 7.62x39. The Russian round has a steep neck angle and it's why you get a big curved magazine with it. Also the Russian round is really a .311 caliber and you run into reloading problems. The 300 blackout has more bullet weight options for your needs, 110 grain up to 220 grain.
 
The 300 BLK has as much energy from a 16 inch barrel as 5.56mm has from a 24 inch. You get 8 inches of barrel for free.

It is a great "normal" round - so don't believe it is mostly for subsonic. I am the project lead at AAC. I know why I got the cartridge made. It is for people who want to shoot 30 caliber bullets from an AR-15 using normal magazines without giving up the 30 round capacity.

See this photo? That is at 300 yards. And even if the barrel were just *6 inches*, it would still do that at 200 yards!

Those 0.60 caliber holes are 20-24 inches deep at that range.

300blk300small.jpg


I put all the updates here: https://www.facebook.com/300aacblackout

There are 90 companies making products for it. The best part about it is that the ammo is much less expensive than other alternative cartridges.

The most info is here: http://www.300blktalk.com/forum/
 
The 300 Blackout is a little more than a year old right now. With appropriate industry support i.e. ammunition companies, rifle makers, bullet manufacturers, I think it has the ability to surpass all the other non-5.56 offerings for better or for worse.

American's love 30 calibers. Plain and simple. When you cram a .308 bullet into an limited AR magazine, you cannot get ballistic trajectories better than smaller calibers.

The subsonic suppressed use is a limited niche market for military or those rare folks who go through all the trouble to get a suppressor to shoot at short range.

I don't think the subsonic bullets are designed to expand. Its like a .308 caliber 220 grain handgun bullet with appropriate rainbow trajectory. Good for headshots to take out enemy sentries or kill guard dogs but not really practical for most users. I think it would be fun to try to take out hogs at night with this load but it would certainly require short range and a lot of finesse.

Even though the 300 Blackout only requires a new barrel, most folks would need a completely new upper for convenience. So in actuality the only cost savings over the picking another caliber like 6.5/6.8 would be a savings of magazines and maybe a bolt. But bolts are pretty cheap and most folks would probably have a dedicated bolt carrier group for each upper they owned.

I think if the 300 Blackout came out 7 years ago there probably would be no 6.8 mm SPC. It remains to be seem how well it will be received.
 
Last edited:
I think if the 300 Blackout came out 7 years ago there probably would be no 6.8 mm SPC. It remains to be seem how well it will be received.
Click to expand...

7 years ago the 300 Blackout was called the 300 Whisper.
 
300 Fireball was a wildcat with no SAAMI standard and the cheapest ammo that could work in it was $45 a box. Brass was $1 each.

Since 300 BLK was launched, it is now a SAAMI standard, ammo is $12 a box, and brass is 0.11 to 0.25 a case. That makes all the difference in the world.
 
It is for people who want to shoot 30 caliber bullets from an AR-15 using normal magazines without giving up the 30 round capacity.
Click to expand...

So, this round was designed for active duty and operators?

Who else would need 30 round capacity?
 
Who else would need 30 round capacity?
Click to expand...

I plan to shoot 100 yard or less 3 gun stages with mine using subsonic ammo and a suppressor. And since when did capacity matter. I'd love to slap a Beta-C mag on mine and enjoy not reloading at the range.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top