.300BLK rifle

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skizzums

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okay, I know the mention of 300blk brings out disgust in some and the excitement of others, but what about 300blk in rifles. I am talking about 18-20" barrels for hunting purposes in bolt action. obviously not meant for sub-sonic type loads, but full power 125-165gr loads. are they any good for hunting? do the trajectories fare significantly better than from a 8" AR type rifle? in other words, do they serve a valuable purpose, especially to someone who already owns it's AR counterpart and reloads for such.

also, who owns any of these? I hear of people owning the handi-rifles, but is anyone running a ruger American or a Remington 700 in blackout? I am sure there are other that I do not know about.

and if you were to buy a 300blk bolt, what model would you choose? talking for deer/hog under 200 yards
 
I built 3 300BOs over the course of about a month to test loads and such; a 10" and 16" AR and a re barreled Savage .223. The last 2 have since been sold.

In longer barrels with slower powders, the 300BO is just not very efficient and at best, you are looking at the "modern 30-30." Even though I reload, I saw little use for it in the longer barreled bolt rifles. The velocities are slower than even anemic .30 caliber centerfire rifle calibers, so bullets had to be carefully selected. A bolt .308 is a simpler and much more versatile firearm than a bolt .300BO. The whole beauty of the .300BO is that it runs in the AR15 platform. But, there are other cartridges even in the AR15 platform that are better for deer and hogs.

That said, if you want one, get one. I now use a .450BM on Hogs inside about 300 and past that, actual rifle calibers.
 
I don't have a bolt gun but I have a 1:8 twist 16" Encore barrel for my frame. I have to get around to shooting it one of these days. I'm interested in the round and will play with it one of these days, that said the Ruger American Ranch is looking pretty tempting.

Mark how did the Savage work out for you? I heard there could be some ejection issues due to the short .300 brass. I read that it would just wind out falling back on top the magazine and not eject.
 
What MarkCo said... way back when JD Jones first conceived the cartridge (yes I know the small differences between the Whisper and the Blackout, and to me it's still JDJ's idea), it was purpose built for suppressed ARs.

IMO, outside of that platform it's utility diminishes pretty quick.
 
I don't know if I want one or not. it would really need to do a good job. I don't own AN bolt rifles except an old finnish nagant and need to take my next purchase seriously as I probably won't be buying another one for a long time. I am pretty sold on getting a .308 bolt gun, but just thought I would investigate other avenues before making a rigid decision. and since I already shoot and form brass and reload for .300, just wondering how it does in reality. I didn't know if using a long 20" barrel would afford the shooter to use slower powders like 4198 or h322 and get a decent mid-range rifle with low recoil. 300blk already has a place in my collection due to its versatility and effectiveness from a short barrel, but was just wondering if the proficiencies stopped there. I understand there is no way for a smaller cartridge to stand up to the very capable .308, but can it get close with load development and rifle powders?
 
Remington has a neat Model 700 SPS out with a short bbl, threaded muzzle, and set in a cool looking gray stock. Its sort of "tactical" style and it looks very cool. I would definetaly get that if I were going to get a bolt action .300 BLK. My local Wal-Mart had/still has one.
 
I have one of the Rem 700 sps in 300blk. It makes a handy, short package with light recoil. Its much better then the above comparison to a 30-30. Better bullet profiles then a tubular magazine would allow.

Its not a 308 but it will do Deer/Pig size game just fine. Screw a can on the end and it suppresses just fine with supersonic ammo. Load some subsonic ammo with suitable powder and its silly quiet
 
I have one of the 700 sps and like it , knew I was going to buy it when I first picked it up . Been shooting factorys in it reloading starts as soon as I round up powder and primers .
 
Again, I recommend the Remington 700 SPS tactical .300 BLK rifle. I believe that rifle was developed with police marksman use in mind, and I would MUCH rather have it than a .308. Too much power for close in LE sniper work, and tremendous noise plus long and bulky.
 
well thanks guys, very insightful. I figured that would be the allure, light recoil and less boom. how accurate is it at 100 yards. my 8" is accurate, but I only have it set up for close range, so I have never really been able to study ranged groups. wht kind of velocity to expect from an 18" barrel? enough to make use of expanding bullets available for the .308? I know I have some 165gr a-max that I loaded as hot as I could in my pistol, but fails to expand reliably. I would like to be able to take advantage of most bullets if I were to go the 300 route
 
how accurate is it at 100 yards
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I regularly get 1-1.5" groups at 100yds. The stock that it comes with is not great. Mine is off getting a piller bedding job into a Boyds stock. Hopefully that tightens groups up even more.

I combined the stock with a detachable mag set up and this should be a handy little tactical bolt gun when i dont want to drag the heavy ass FN out.
 
When using propellant such as H110 or IMR 4227 velocity of a supersonic round in the 90-125 gr weights peak in a 14" barrel.
The same round from a 16" barrel looses an average of 15 fps. You can counter this a bit with slower propellant.
This is not much velocity loss at all but to me it shows the efficiency of the round in short barrels.
I have measured velocities from 7.5" to 16" barrels with subsonic and supersonic rounds.
With subsonic velocity loss is more with the 16" barrels.
 
okay, I know the mention of 300blk brings out disgust in some and the excitement of others
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I don't think that's an accurate statement- some of us simply "call out" the overhype...and suggest, as you should, that the decision be based on ballistic performance- and not a tacticool name.

There is a tendency for some to defend whatever they have- be it a scope, rifle, or particular chambering- as "the best", and recommend it to other forum members with no consideration whatsoever to whether it meets their particular needs.

Fact is, the .30 cal rounds from the 5.56/2.23 are limited by boiler room- and as such have limited performance akin to the 7.62 x 39 in supersonic applications. When you think .300 Blk, think AK-47...but with better platform (not ballistic) accuracy.

They were designed for the mag limitations of the AR-15 platform, and consequently there are "better" selections from a ballistic standpoint-from a bolt gun- for most applications. Will it work? Sure...but without the design constraints of the AR you should probably consider "something else".

That said, I saw the same 700 SPS tactical at Wally World a few weeks ago on closeout- with a 16-1/2" barrel, and for only five bills- it IS a good value IF it fits your needs. For a big boar at 200 yards, I'd want more knockdown power akin to a .308.
 
Mark how did the Savage work out for you? I heard there could be some ejection issues due to the short .300 brass. I read that it would just wind out falling back on top the magazine and not eject.
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Worked fine, but it was not a stock rifle either.

The recoil is not all that different than a .243 or a low recoil .308, and the noise is not significantly different. People 10 feet away can't even tell which is which. I know there are fanboys both pro and con, and I really wanted the .300BO to be that all-around cartridge, it just isn't.

FWIW, I am now playing with the 6.5PCC and it is as close as I have found to the all-around cartridge, but it is a wildcat.
 
I'm an avid fan of the .300BO but I will say if you don't plan on getting a suppressor then you will be sadly disappointed. Supersonic rounds are on par with 7.62x39 but at a much higher cost for ammo unless you reload. Subsonic is where its at for this cartridge and even then if shooting unsuppressed its just as loud as standard ammo.
Besides my .300BO's I have a Savage Hoghunter chambered in .308 that I load subsonic ammo for. With suppressed subsonic loads you can hear the firing pin strike the primer and the bullet thump its target. When I load standard .308 ammo this gun will shoot sub MOA all day long. To me this is a more versatile option over the .300bo if you plan on doing any hunting with it.
 
I'm looking at getting into the 300blk caliber.

Yes, mainly because I have a suppressor on the way, and because I already have guns in the AR platform.

The Ruger American Ranch in 300blk intrigues me though! Street prices are under $400, and it comes with a threaded 16" barrel. From what I've read so far, you don't want to go longer than 16". Supersonic out to 100 yards can often be sub-MOA with the right loads, and subsonic tends to suffer a bit - 1.5-2 MOA again from what I've read. Purely for fun, a suppressed bolt gun in 300blk would be awesome.
 
IMO, outside of that platform it's utility diminishes pretty quick.
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Yes, this. Kinda like a 5.7x28 in turnbolt.

In a turnbolt,
1. If you want a "full-powered" round or even a "mid-powered" round (i.e. not subsonic), then there are a million choices, from 7.62x39 to .223 rem, to younameit, with far more and far cheaper ammo choices - and more power to boot, even among "mid-range" powered rounds.
2. If, on the other hand, you want something dedicated to a suppressed round, although the .300 BLK is not a terrible choice by any means, in my view there are a few better ones. Since the bullet of necessity starts out between 1075 and 1150 fps, you need WEIGHT and DIAMETER to achieve better terminal effects on bad guys or game. That means .338 spectre or .500 phantom, if you must have the crazy high BC bullets. Or .357 mag, .357 max, or .38-55 if you want something with a big bore, easy to reload, and packs a wallop even at subsonic vels.

FWIW, I'm "working on" building my ultimate SBR'ed & suppressed hunter - it will be a T/C Encore (rifle) with 8 to 10" bbl (Bulberry, 1 in 12", threaded), chambered in .357 max and dedicated to the 230 gr "soup can" or "bowling pin" cast bullets:

https://www.pennbullets.com/38/38230tndrhd.html

Which of course, being a T/C, is not a turnbolt, but it would be a great setup/chambering in a turnbolt as well. The BC sucks, so it's not gonna be a 200 yard rifle in the wind, but out to 100-110 yards or so, it will be PBR, and with that weight and ultra-wide meplat, it will likely put a whompin on all but the largest game, even under 1000 fps.

Building a .500 Phantom would of course be THE ultimate suppressed buttstomper round, whether you put it into an AR10 or into a turnbolt or whatever. But it's very very expensive to shoot. My .357 max project is a poor-man's 2nd best alternative to a .500 Phantom or .338 Spectre - and talk about a reloader's dream.

Having said that, if one did do .300 BLK in turnbolt, it would still be cool and makes sense as a dedicated-subsonic (and suppressed of course), with the twist to match for up to 220s. But NOT as a supersonic rifle.

.500 Phantom and .338 Spectre info here:

http://www.teppojutsu.com/500_Phantom.htm

Can you imagine an AR10, select fire (or Slide-Fire), SBR'ed, suppressed, in .500 Phantom, shooting subsonic 750s? You could whomp bad guys through hard barriers to 300 yards with a little holdover, quietly, with not too much recoil. If I was a 1%er, I'd already have one! :)
 
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