So who's going to convert their AR to 300 Ham'r?

[someguy2800]

You summarized why I am currently building an AR15 upper in 7.62x39 as a range plinker. Already reloaded for it with the cheap steel ammo as a cheap option for other rifles. Simply trying to cover myself for the next great ammo and reloading shortage so I can go to the range. I've settled on the 10 round C Products mags myself until I have time to experiment more with it.

Just out of curiosity, did you go with a mid length or carbine length gas system? I decided to go with a carbine length gas and barrel length with an adjustable gas block but haven't assembled it yet. Have a spare regular gas block also.

Mine is a carbine length gas and I do have an adjustable gas block that I carried over as I converted my 300 blackout upper to this. These are the barrels I would be looking at. I did a lot of reading and saw excellent accuracy results on all of these.

https://www.deltateamtactical.com/Famous-No-Fail-16-762X39-AR15-Melonite-Hbar-Barrel_p_4056.html

http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/gm-m10-16-7-62-x-39-mm-ar-barrel-1-10/

https://www.kakindustry.com/contract-76239-16-inch-carbine-melonite-barrel

https://faxonfirearms.com/16-gunner-7-62x39-mid-length-4150-qpq/

 

[boom boom]

pricey but that is really really cool

Compared with the Wilson cost for a .300 Ham'r complete rifle, they are within a couple of hundred of each other on list prices depending on options.

 

[boom boom]

Mine is a carbine length gas and I do have an adjustable gas block that I carried over as I converted my 300 blackout upper to this. These are the barrels I would be looking at. I did a lot of reading and saw excellent accuracy results on all of these.

https://www.deltateamtactical.com/Famous-No-Fail-16-762X39-AR15-Melonite-Hbar-Barrel_p_4056.html

http://www.gmriflebarrel.com/gm-m10-16-7-62-x-39-mm-ar-barrel-1-10/

https://www.kakindustry.com/contract-76239-16-inch-carbine-melonite-barrel

https://faxonfirearms.com/16-gunner-7-62x39-mid-length-4150-qpq/

Thanks for those links.

I went with the delta team tactical barrel above last week via purchase on sale so I'm glad it isn't junk. Also seen good things about the Faxon but when I bought it was a bit higher in price than I wanted to spend for firing steel cased ammo--got conflicting information about the 7.62x39 gas length reliability so figured I would buy an adjustable click detent gas block and a plain Brownell's gas block just in case and go with the carbine length initially.

What weight buffer do you use if you don't mind me asking?

 

[someguy2800]

Thanks for those links.

I went with the delta team tactical barrel above last week via purchase on sale so I'm glad it isn't junk. Also seen good things about the Faxon but when I bought it was a bit higher in price than I wanted to spend for firing steel cased ammo--got conflicting information about the 7.62x39 gas length reliability so figured I would buy an adjustable click detent gas block and a plain Brownell's gas block just in case and go with the carbine length initially.

Are you sure its the same one? They sell a couple different 7.62x39 barrels under a different brand name, davidson defense I think. I had one of those but it only shot about 1.5 to 2 moa.

What weight buffer do you use if you don't mind me asking?

I have an A2 rifle stock and buffer on mine and use the same lower for my 20" 223 upper. The 223 barrel is undergassed and would not lock back reliably so I have an inch cut off the buffer spring and took all the weights out of the rifle buffer. That fixed the 223 so the 7.62 is just gassed down another half turn to compensate for the reduced buffer.

 

[boom boom]

Are you sure its the same one? They sell a couple different 7.62x39 barrels under a different brand name, davidson defense I think. I had one of those but it only shot about 1.5 to 2 moa.



I have an A2 rifle stock and buffer on mine and use the same lower for my 20" 223 upper. The 223 barrel is undergassed and would not lock back reliably so I have an inch cut off the buffer spring and took all the weights out of the rifle buffer. That fixed the 223 so the 7.62 is just gassed down another half turn to compensate for the reduced buffer.

Thanks for the gas info--I have an old A2 Lower that I use as a trial bed and got a couple of decent lowers for permanent homes for some uppers as I get time and money.

I'm pretty sure that is what I have as it is melonited and a Hbar barrel but nothing on the barrel itself other than caliber and twist. I had never heard of Davidson Defense until I visited delta's website last week and was a bit apprehensive about buying that brand and it was phosphated versus the No Fail melonite. Checked invoice and this is what I was billed for "Famous No-Fail 16" 7.62X39 AR15 Melonite Hbar Barrel" @79.99. Checked your link and it appears to be the same barrel.

 

[303 hunter]

I’ve got an ARP 16” melonite mid gas barrel in my 7.62x39 rifle. It gives 3/4” groups with my handloads, and 1” with Wolf soft points. I’ve gotten 2600 fps with Nosler 123gr tipped bullets, 30gr CFE BLK, CCI LRM primers, and Fiocchi cases. It’s a real thumper within 200 yards. Think I’ll just stick with it.

 

[CoalTrain49]

One of the things going for the 300 HAM'R is the ease of converting your 5.56 AR. You just need a new barrel. The 7.62x39 you will need a barrel, bolt and magazine. And then there is brass for reloading.

From Wilsons Website you can buy a barrel for $233. How does that compare with a barrel, bolt and mag? I don't know, just asking a question. The cost has to be pretty close, No?

The only advantage I can see with 7.63x39 is cheap factory steel cased ammo but a reloader can match or beat that easily. You can easily make your own brass from .223 range brass. I have so much of that stuff I sell it 2000 pieces at a pop.

 

[someguy2800]

From Wilsons Website you can buy a barrel for $233. How does that compare with a barrel, bolt and mag? I don't know, just asking a question. The cost has to be pretty close, No?

Its about a wash. If you intend to handload make your own brass the 300 hamr will be cheaper long term due to free brass but the dies will be custom and expensive unless this goes mainstream and gets sammi approved. If you want to buy ammo 7.62x39 will be much more economical.

 

[CoalTrain49]

What do you think the chances are that S&W may pick this cartridge up for their AR?

 

[SharpDog]

My reinvention of the wheel has stopped with 6.5G. Long-ish range, short range, cheap ammo, premium ammo, lots of choice and readily available parts.

That said I'm sure they will come up with some rounder wheels, I've just stopped chasin' them.

Back to my fire hydrant now

 

[someguy2800]

What do you think the chances are that S&W may pick this cartridge up for their AR?

Until its saami approved and a couple major ammunition manufactures start turning it out I would say between none and never.

 

[Godsgunman]

If I could find a 300 BLK rifle with a 1/10 or 1/12 twist I would be all over it. I don't think anyone even makes a barrel in that twist.

Voodoo Innovations makes a barrel with 1/12 twist, I have one. Very accurate with 110 and 125 grain.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

When a cartridge like the 300 HAM’R comes out and fills a small gap in the shooting world it could catch on or crash and burn. Just look back at the 300 Whisper it was said that it filled such a small gap in the shooting world. It almost caught on but two things killed it. First was that it didn’t have the backing of a large company. And second it was kept as a proprietary cartridge.
Then comes along the Advanced Armament Corporation with the 300 Blackout. Now for a cartridge that offered nothing new to the market, it was just a 300 Whisper with a slightly different shoulder. But Advanced Armament Corporation made it public. It still took a few years to catch on.
The 300 HAM’R is still a proprietary cartridge and that may keep it from growing.

A cartridge doesn’t have to be great to become popular, but it has to become popular to become great.​

 

[GBExpat]

I looked at Palmetto's website and found that an "AR10" can be readily purchased for $480; $300 for the complete Upper Assy (w/BCG & CH) and $180 for the matching Lower Assy (carbine config). Wow!

Good thing that I have never had an interest in the AR10 ... for s/a 7,62x51 fun I rely on CETME Variants, G3 Variant, StG58 Variants, M14 Variants and one fugly-but-accurate FrankenFAL.

 

[303 hunter]

Its about a wash. If you intend to handload make your own brass the 300 hamr will be cheaper long term due to free brass but the dies will be custom and expensive unless this goes mainstream and gets sammi approved. If you want to buy ammo 7.62x39 will be much more economical.

7.62x39 is very economical, and much more accurate in the AR platform than in the AK or SKS. My cousin has a Ruger American in x39, and it’ll drive nails with Russian ammo.

 

[<*(((><]

I’m with everyone else on an AR in 7.62x39. I don’t have any feeding issues, accuracy is good and the energies are great for deer and under as it has proven that with many SKS hunters.

Also one has a multitude of bullets as the barrels will digest .308 just fine. There are many reports of loads working great with .308 caliber bullets.

 

[BigBore44]

I looked at Palmetto's website and found that an "AR10" can be readily purchased for $480; $300 for the complete Upper Assy (w/BCG & CH) and $180 for the matching Lower Assy (carbine config). Wow!

That’s the one! And you can get it with black or stainless barrel. I wasn’t making it up.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

What do you think the chances are that S&W may pick this cartridge up for their AR?

Zero.

 

[someguy2800]

Also one has a multitude of bullets as the barrels will digest .308 just fine. There are many reports of loads working great with .308 caliber bullets.

I shoot 308 bullets all the time in my nagant, 30-40 Krag, and 7.7 Arisaka, which have bores ranging from .312 to .314”. They shoot the same with .308 bullets as they do with .312” bullets. I’ve shot one box of 7.62x39 with 308 bullets my father in law had left over and they shot the same as factory ammo as well.

 

[bowyer19]

Just got through testing some 7.62X 40 WT loads with fire formed cases using 110gr Speer Hot core for fire forming. (A1680,26.5gr,2466 fps).This actually would make a good hunting load.
Tested Barnes 110gr TTSX ,( two different loads,2400 fps and 2500fps), 110 gr TACX,,2500 fps and 130 gr Speer HCFN, 2400 fps. Beat 7.62X39 handily..< than 2"@ 200yds with all but the faster TTSX. (4"group). Anxious to try new .H223BLK but is not yet available in my area. These were all in a MDWS 16" BBL. The HAM'R has a 1mm longer case to the shoulder and 0.005 longer neck.

 

[mcb]

I am shooting Barnes 110gr TAC-TX from my 16 inch 300 BO at nearly 2400 fps (2378 5-shot average) and I still have another 1.2 grain to get to the publish max load of H110... and I can still launch 220gr bullets at subsonic velocities.

 

[jmorris]

The 30 AR interested me (125gn @ 2800fps) and I always thought one in 7mm BR would be a good one too.

I haven’t found my 300blk to be useful enough to pursue others although I did entertain the idea of getting a 7.62x39 upper “just because”, despite its utility or not just because I have a ton of the ammunition.

 

[Dima Prok]

Gimmick. Fad. Ploy. All to get someone to buy the latest and greatest. I find it funny that in many discussions, the 30-30 is such a weak cartridge. It’s old and past it’s usefulness. Except to those old fogies who don’t know better. But bring out similar performance in an AR and it’s suddenly new and exciting. I’m all for new and exciting. But give me a reason to be excited. It won’t perform as well as the 300BO for subsonic. And won’t perform as well as the 308 in supersonic. And looks like the 6.8 gets the nod at distance. So....it’s new. Just come out with a 6.5-08 and be done with it all.
trimed

300 HAMR - it was never intended to perform subsonic! For subsonic you want the smallest cartridge, heck I can load 9mm 165gr bullets subsonic and I won't need much powder either. If you're punching paper, it doesn't matter whatever the bullet is 165gr or 230gr. I don't really understand the whole obsession with "let's launch rifle bullets at pistol velocities because it's quiet." For hunting I've read a lot of reports where subsonic bullet would just go through a deer and left them running. I don't know about hogs but I would rather shoot it supersonic. It's a medium cartridge, it won't shoot as fast as 308 but it's a lot more economical (half powder needed) to reload too and lesser recoil and women and children can shoot it in lighter AR15 and still capable for hunting deer. The closest cartridge would be 7.62x39 but the advantage with 300 HAMR and 7.62x40WT is free brass for me (forming is easier than 300 BO) and cast boolits making this really cheap to reload. I got 7.62x40WT and 300BO is great but I prefer lighter bullets which are shorter and those cannot be seated close to the lands in 300 blackout. I am shooting 136gr cast boolit at 2330fps with zero pressure signs with middle of the road load, it might be only 150 more fps but why not? I shot supersonic suppressed too and I didn't have to use ear protection, very manageable sound from bolt action.

 

[someguy2800]

Just got through testing some 7.62X 40 WT loads with fire formed cases using 110gr Speer Hot core for fire forming. (A1680,26.5gr,2466 fps).This actually would make a good hunting load.
Tested Barnes 110gr TTSX ,( two different loads,2400 fps and 2500fps), 110 gr TACX,,2500 fps and 130 gr Speer HCFN, 2400 fps. Beat 7.62X39 handily..< than 2"@ 200yds with all but the faster TTSX. (4"group). Anxious to try new .H223BLK but is not yet available in my area. These were all in a MDWS 16" BBL. The HAM'R has a 1mm longer case to the shoulder and 0.005 longer neck.

Not even close. My 16” 7.62x39 does 2620 with a 125gr accubond and CFE BLK.

 

[<*(((><]

Not even close. My 16” 7.62x39 does 2620 with a 125gr accubond and CFE BLK.

New powders and .308 bullets have really made the 7.62x39 come alive in the velocity, energy and terminal performance front. And now with great platforms such as the AR, Ruger American, CZ, and Howa rifles it is really performing.