300 BLK...Maybe it’s finally time...

Another posting just mentioned these guys: https://www.masdefense.com/10-5-300-AAC-BLK-s/115.htm

marksman13 said:

I’ve always hated, and I mean HATED 300 BLK. No reason in particular other than I’ve never had much use for subsonic ammo and my 6.8 SPCs outperform 300 BLK all the way around when we start talking about supersonic ammo. I’ve just never had a good reason to add a 300 BLK to my safe.

Buuuuuut...I’ve got a complete lower hanging out in the safe with a Magpul UBR that’s just begging to become an SBR. I’ve also got a bunch of 300 BLK ammo hanging around that a buddy gave me when he sold his 300 BLK AR a year or so ago. Couple that with the fact that 300 BLK barrels seem to be the only chambering that’s not difficult to find in stock and maybe, just maybe, it’s time to put one into the stable.

10.5” or 12.5”? Anybody still have screaming deals on 300 BLK barrels or complete uppers?

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Just built a 10.5", straight up PP gun/truck gun. I don't hunt with 300 or shoot for distance, but it is one fine round for up close and personal. That being said, mine shoots 1.5" groups at 100 yards with a 2 moa red dot. That's with Hornady 125 SST handloads. Look at B. Kings for one of their Ballistic Advantage or Faxon barrels.

I, like you, never had an interest in it until I bought my first.

I bought a 10" barreled PSA pistol.
I primarily bought it because of the variety of reloading options and thought it would be fun to develop loads. bought a chop saw to convert 556 brass and started loading.

300 has become my favorite AR cartridge. The loading options seem endless. I shoot anything from 110 grain supersonic to 230 grain home cast subs.

I also like the fact I can buy pulled 150 fmj bullets pretty cheap and make some pretty darned accurate ammo.

It has become my home defense weapon of choice.

You probably won't stop with one.

Unlike most people, I was more interested in the subsonic properties of the round than the delivery system. Since I had a registered .30 suppressor, I decided to get a Ruger American ranch in 300 blk, since I found one at a gun show for $368 OTD. Also, due to the price of the ammo, I didn't want a gun that would make me want to rack up a high round count. I am 100% happy with my setup, which wears a 4x scope. With Remington 220 grain subs as well as the Hornady 190 grain sub-x, I get about 1" groups at 50 yards. I successfully killed a deer and several other critters with this using the sub-x, and Mrs. Fl-NC uses this rifle now as her deer rifle. It makes less noise than my Gamo pellet rifle.

marksman13 said:

...10.5” or 12.5”? Anybody still have screaming deals on 300 BLK barrels or complete uppers?

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Go shorter. PSA has uppers in the 7 & 8 inch range and there's no reason to not get one. I think mine is 7.5 inches. I haven't yet shot it much, but so far, I like it.

I built a 8.5" pistol. It's a complete hoot! Right now I'm in the "I wish it would quit raining" stage. I need to get to the range and wring it out for accuracy. It's been a really wet spring here in North Texas and it's driving me nuts.

I plan on shooting mostly cast boolits in mine. I've got an awesome mold from MP that casts a 125 gr hollow point.

I too never saw the need for a 300 Blackout, until I realized that I had no real basis for the hate. I see it as a better .30-30 in the AR platform.

I have two 300 BO's that I built, a 16-inch carbine and a 9 inch pistol. I built the 16 inch first and played with it a bit over two or three years, even hunted one year with it unsuccessful (no fault of the rifle or cartridge) but now that I have both a 30-cal suppressor and the 9-inch pistol the 16-inch gun does not get much use. The Supersonic are not all that interesting given the other rounds available. Since getting the suppressor I have shot nothing but sub-sonic ammo and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Shooting 220gr Berry's plated for cheap plinking ammo and 220gr Maker Rex for varmint control. I have a 5-inch barrel I am going to build into an upper when I find the suppressor mount I need and some money to finish it. The 16-inch might go away.



JMHO but 300 BO is far far more interesting as a suppressed subsonic gun than it is as a supersonic gun. If I knew I was never going to invest in a suppressor I think I would be more tempted by 300 Ham'r than 300 BO.

marksman13 said:

I’ve always hated, and I mean HATED 300 BLK. No reason in particular other than I’ve never had much use for subsonic ammo. .

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Pretty weak sauce there. I can't imagine how you must feel about .38Spl and .357Mag.

I justify .300 Blk for two reasons:
- a .300 pistol length barrel makes a civilized noise. A pistol length .223 is obscenely loud.
- .308 jacketed pulled bullets can be had for almost the same price as bulk .224 bullets.

I wanted a pistol, so it's a .300.

I was of the same opinion but I had often thought about building a whisper even though it wouldn’t do anything for me except fill the “have at least one of everything” category.

I was commissioned to build a machine to cut pallets of military brass to length so they could be formed and final trimmed into 300 Blk by a manufacturer and in my R&D/proof of concept machines I wound up with a lifetime supply of cases. So I got a barrel and put one together. It’s and 8.5” but with the can on it, it’s about the same length as a 16” carbine. It’s still as useless of a caliber to me as it was before but like my wife’s shoes, I don’t have to have a good reason to own something.

The final machine was paid for so I don’t have any videos of it posted but this was the “test and tune” one.

FL-NC said:

Unlike most people, I was more interested in the subsonic properties of the round than the delivery system. Since I had a registered .30 suppressor, I decided to get a Ruger American ranch in 300 blk, since I found one at a gun show for $368 OTD. Also, due to the price of the ammo, I didn't want a gun that would make me want to rack up a high round count. I am 100% happy with my setup, which wears a 4x scope. With Remington 220 grain subs as well as the Hornady 190 grain sub-x, I get about 1" groups at 50 yards. I successfully killed a deer and several other critters with this using the sub-x, and Mrs. Fl-NC uses this rifle now as her deer rifle. It makes less noise than my Gamo pellet rifle.

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What ammo do you use for deer and is it subsonic?

i have a remington md 7 aac with a 16" barrel and shoot 125gr nosler BT,s at 2400 fps with little-gun and 2200 fps with a 150 gr speer also with little gun and 1-1.5" groups at 100 yards. i have killed deer with the 125 gr bullets. i,m going to try 150 hornady 30-30 bullets.

Aim1 said:

What ammo do you use for deer and is it subsonic?

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Hornady 190 grain sub-x, which is subsonic. It is also about $26 a box. I zero the rifle at 50 yards, and I consider 100 yards to be the max effective range due to velocity loss. The guys at Hornady advised this, and said that the bullet may not expand at further distances. Between 50 and 100 yards there is about 7" of drop. The 220 grain Remington subs (about $14 a box) are "close enough" at 50 yards to the sub-x to not require a sight adjustment, but they do not expand, so you wouldn't want to shoot big game with them. The deer I shot was about 40 yards away, and she ran a short distance (maybe 30 yards) before she dropped. I did get an exit hole. There is an interesting video by Hornady on youtube about the sub-x.

I have a: AR, Remington bolt, and a Match Grade Machine T/C barrel....why?

because...why not

An easy rationalization...220 gr at 1000 fps = 45 acp.

remember, a loaded AR mag full of 220 gr subs is heavy...

enjoy

Why not just just go 762x39?

I’m not saying a well placed 300 BLK won’t kill a pig or deer. That’s obviously not the case. I’m saying that the 6.8 and 6.5 do so more emphatically and leave nastier wound channels.

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I have killed them with the 300 and even 223, the 450 and 458 are better choices IMO.

JDGray said:

Why not just just go 762x39?

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Different bolt and mags. Doesn’t sound as cool? Think about how many versions of a 30 cal in a 223 or 221 case that languished...

I never liked 300AAC at first. My desire to make a 10.5” rifle did however creat a big interest because of the more efficient burn at that barrel length for better performance and less concussion at that length. I now view it as a round that nips on the heels of 7.62x39 that is an easy AR build

So with that being said, this new 10.5” ar will be my new HD gun. I also never plan to run subs through it. I have no interest

JDGray said:

Why not just just go 762x39?

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I'd agree if not wanting to shoot suppressed subsonic loads in a pistol or SBR.

Yeah, you would have to hand load to get subsonic. I am surprised just how accurate even Wolf ammo is in the right platform.

DukeConnor said:

I, like you, never had an interest in it until I bought my first.

I bought a 10" barreled PSA pistol.
I primarily bought it because of the variety of reloading options and thought it would be fun to develop loads. bought a chop saw to convert 556 brass and started loading.

300 has become my favorite AR cartridge. The loading options seem endless. I shoot anything from 110 grain supersonic to 230 grain home cast subs.

I also like the fact I can buy pulled 150 fmj bullets pretty cheap and make some pretty darned accurate ammo.

It has become my home defense weapon of choice.

You probably won't stop with one.

Click to expand...

Agree wholeheartedly. Try some Speer TNT 125 rounds, great bullets and affordable.

I can't imagine hating anything just because I don't have a use for it.

The 7.62x39 is a different tool for a different job. The .300 runs through the AR platform like corn through pigs. The Russian yields slightly higher velocity with supers but lacks the twist rate for heavy subs. The BLK does both well.

marksman13 said:

I’ve watched a lot of pigs eat 300 BLK (subs & supers, but especially subs) and keep on keeping on.

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It's not the cartridge's fault people use the wrong bullets. Anything 200gr and heavier that is not explicitly designed for the BLK is not going to expand at subsonic velocities. Use the right bullet and it kills them deader than fried chicken.