I've had a story quite some time in the making and thought I would share it here for everyone's entertainment. There's a massive text wall here, but there are also pics at the end too.
About 6 years ago I had a fairly generic 1911 for sale. A man contacted me and told me he was interested in the pistol but he didn't have cash and wondered if I would be interested in a trade - my 1911 for his Mossberg 500 AND his AR-15. I've never been much of an AR enthusiast, so his offer resulted in some reflection by me before I agreed to it.
I figured I could sell both guns and move on (which I did with the Mossberg easily). The only problem was that I didn't know squat about the AR platform, so I had to do some research to understand what I had. It turned out to be built from an Anderson lower and was chambered in .300 Blackout with a carbine-length gas system and 16" barrel. I hadn't heard much about Blackout to that point (likely due to my lack of association with ARs in general), so I contacted a friend. He immediately got excited and explained that Blackout was a near-ideal cartridge to pair with a suppressor and it was a great cartridge for a reloader, which we both are. A seed was planted and I decided to keep the gun and learn more about it and the Blackout cartridge.
As I learned more about the combo gun/cartridge I had reluctantly acquired, I got more and more interested until I ended up putting in paperwork for my first silencer. How exactly I ended up picking what I did - a SilencerCo Saker ASR - is fairly murky to me now, but I know several voices had a hand in it, to include members here on THR. I knew going into the NFA process that the Saker was far more can than I needed (it's rated for .300 Win Mag and it's 9 inches long) but when I found one semi-locally for ~$500 I jumped on it. Oddly, I used to be one of those guys who would say I'd buy a silencer, but I didn't want to be on a list. Clearly I got over that (I'm at 7 cans of various types now).
While I waited for the Saker to be approved, I set about finding a suitable load for the Blackout. This was hampered in part by a move that occurred during this time, but eventually I got started using 4227 and Lil Gun for powders and coated and plated bullets. Tons of experimentation followed with equal parts aggravation. The OAL given in my reloading manuals didn't allow loaded rounds to chamber, so I had to go (much) shorter. I also had issues with cast/coated bullets hanging up or deforming on the feedramp.
There were problems with the loads going supersonic too. I had read and heard plenty by this time about how the Blackout ran best with a pistol-length gas tube, but I eventually got my gun to run subsonic with a carbine-length gas system. The only problem was that my wife (courtesy of me) acquired an AR as did a shooting buddy of mine. Both were chambered in Blackout, and based on my admittedly limited experience, we decided that they should all be equipped with the same gas system as mine. In the end all the guns were switched to pistol gas systems, but the expense of doing so could have been avoided if I hadn't been so stubborn at the beginning.
As I've already said, I'm not much for the AR platform. I think it has far too many deficits. One that I hadn't previously considered until I got started on the Blackout project was the buffer spring and the noise it generates right next to the shooter's ear. Here I was trying to make a quiet rifle and there's an almighty racket in my ear every time I pull the trigger!
Right around this time the Ruger American Ranch was beginning to be offered with an AR mag-compatible magwell (or least I became aware of it for the first time). I had assembled quite a few rounds (not to mention a bunch of components) that didn't cut the mustard - coated bullet profiles that jammed on the AR feedramp, OALs that were too long, supersonic ammo that wasn't supposed to be and a host of other things. The options in front of me were quite simple: sell the components and break down the loaded ammo, or buy a bolt action that took mags the ammo was loaded into. As a bonus, either way I wouldn't have to deal with the noise of the AR buffer spring! I chose to buy the rifle.
The Ruger was and is a great rifle. With the can on the barrel it does get a bit front heavy, but the upside is that the gun is truly Hollywood quiet - the only things audible when firing are the action as it releases and the thump of the bullet on target a few moments later. There was (and is) only one problem - the American Ranch Blackout is only offered with a right hand bolt and I'm left handed. This made cycling the action a massive nuisance. Now I started looking for a left hand bolt action that also took AR mags and wasn't going to break the bank. This had really turned into a deep rabbit hole!
At first I found nothing that fit the bill, but eventually I stumbled across the Troy SAR (Side-Action Rifle). The SAR was a unique bit of machinery - the design is superficially similar to an AR but it's actually a straight pull rifle. Best of all, it was designed so that the bolt handle could be attached to either side of the receiver! It was only available in .223, but the guys at Troy informed me it used a standard AR barrel, so changing it out to Blackout would be easy. Unfortunately other financial priorities kept me from this fantastic gun and as of the last time I checked Troy no longer offers the SAR. However just like the other events that had occurred previously, a roadblock in my search for perfection led to another idea.
One of my many issues with the AR is the charging handle. I don't care for the placement at the rear of the receiver. From my prior research I knew about side-charging uppers. The only problem now was what to do with the gas vent in the barrel? The answer lay with my intended solution for the Troy (I would have used one of my carbine barrels on it, either with the hole welded shut or a gas block positioned to block it). I bought a Bear Creek left hand side-charging upper. Right away I removed the gas tube and reversed the gas block. Now I had another unanticipated problem - the charging handle was too small and grabbing it repeatedly with my trigger finger/hand was extremely uncomfortable.
This led to the final iteration of this saga (I certainly hope so!). I went to my gunsmith (actually a very talented machinist) and asked him to make me a custom charging handle. His solution, as usual, was better than what I was thinking. He left the original charging handle on my Bear Creek upper and fashioned an aluminum sleeve that fits over the charging handle and is held in place by two set screws. The result is shown below. I have to say I’m quite pleased. After 6 years of fooling around with ARs and the Blackout cartridge, I have found a comfortable place for both.
About 6 years ago I had a fairly generic 1911 for sale. A man contacted me and told me he was interested in the pistol but he didn't have cash and wondered if I would be interested in a trade - my 1911 for his Mossberg 500 AND his AR-15. I've never been much of an AR enthusiast, so his offer resulted in some reflection by me before I agreed to it.
I figured I could sell both guns and move on (which I did with the Mossberg easily). The only problem was that I didn't know squat about the AR platform, so I had to do some research to understand what I had. It turned out to be built from an Anderson lower and was chambered in .300 Blackout with a carbine-length gas system and 16" barrel. I hadn't heard much about Blackout to that point (likely due to my lack of association with ARs in general), so I contacted a friend. He immediately got excited and explained that Blackout was a near-ideal cartridge to pair with a suppressor and it was a great cartridge for a reloader, which we both are. A seed was planted and I decided to keep the gun and learn more about it and the Blackout cartridge.
As I learned more about the combo gun/cartridge I had reluctantly acquired, I got more and more interested until I ended up putting in paperwork for my first silencer. How exactly I ended up picking what I did - a SilencerCo Saker ASR - is fairly murky to me now, but I know several voices had a hand in it, to include members here on THR. I knew going into the NFA process that the Saker was far more can than I needed (it's rated for .300 Win Mag and it's 9 inches long) but when I found one semi-locally for ~$500 I jumped on it. Oddly, I used to be one of those guys who would say I'd buy a silencer, but I didn't want to be on a list. Clearly I got over that (I'm at 7 cans of various types now).
While I waited for the Saker to be approved, I set about finding a suitable load for the Blackout. This was hampered in part by a move that occurred during this time, but eventually I got started using 4227 and Lil Gun for powders and coated and plated bullets. Tons of experimentation followed with equal parts aggravation. The OAL given in my reloading manuals didn't allow loaded rounds to chamber, so I had to go (much) shorter. I also had issues with cast/coated bullets hanging up or deforming on the feedramp.
There were problems with the loads going supersonic too. I had read and heard plenty by this time about how the Blackout ran best with a pistol-length gas tube, but I eventually got my gun to run subsonic with a carbine-length gas system. The only problem was that my wife (courtesy of me) acquired an AR as did a shooting buddy of mine. Both were chambered in Blackout, and based on my admittedly limited experience, we decided that they should all be equipped with the same gas system as mine. In the end all the guns were switched to pistol gas systems, but the expense of doing so could have been avoided if I hadn't been so stubborn at the beginning.
As I've already said, I'm not much for the AR platform. I think it has far too many deficits. One that I hadn't previously considered until I got started on the Blackout project was the buffer spring and the noise it generates right next to the shooter's ear. Here I was trying to make a quiet rifle and there's an almighty racket in my ear every time I pull the trigger!
Right around this time the Ruger American Ranch was beginning to be offered with an AR mag-compatible magwell (or least I became aware of it for the first time). I had assembled quite a few rounds (not to mention a bunch of components) that didn't cut the mustard - coated bullet profiles that jammed on the AR feedramp, OALs that were too long, supersonic ammo that wasn't supposed to be and a host of other things. The options in front of me were quite simple: sell the components and break down the loaded ammo, or buy a bolt action that took mags the ammo was loaded into. As a bonus, either way I wouldn't have to deal with the noise of the AR buffer spring! I chose to buy the rifle.
The Ruger was and is a great rifle. With the can on the barrel it does get a bit front heavy, but the upside is that the gun is truly Hollywood quiet - the only things audible when firing are the action as it releases and the thump of the bullet on target a few moments later. There was (and is) only one problem - the American Ranch Blackout is only offered with a right hand bolt and I'm left handed. This made cycling the action a massive nuisance. Now I started looking for a left hand bolt action that also took AR mags and wasn't going to break the bank. This had really turned into a deep rabbit hole!
At first I found nothing that fit the bill, but eventually I stumbled across the Troy SAR (Side-Action Rifle). The SAR was a unique bit of machinery - the design is superficially similar to an AR but it's actually a straight pull rifle. Best of all, it was designed so that the bolt handle could be attached to either side of the receiver! It was only available in .223, but the guys at Troy informed me it used a standard AR barrel, so changing it out to Blackout would be easy. Unfortunately other financial priorities kept me from this fantastic gun and as of the last time I checked Troy no longer offers the SAR. However just like the other events that had occurred previously, a roadblock in my search for perfection led to another idea.
One of my many issues with the AR is the charging handle. I don't care for the placement at the rear of the receiver. From my prior research I knew about side-charging uppers. The only problem now was what to do with the gas vent in the barrel? The answer lay with my intended solution for the Troy (I would have used one of my carbine barrels on it, either with the hole welded shut or a gas block positioned to block it). I bought a Bear Creek left hand side-charging upper. Right away I removed the gas tube and reversed the gas block. Now I had another unanticipated problem - the charging handle was too small and grabbing it repeatedly with my trigger finger/hand was extremely uncomfortable.
This led to the final iteration of this saga (I certainly hope so!). I went to my gunsmith (actually a very talented machinist) and asked him to make me a custom charging handle. His solution, as usual, was better than what I was thinking. He left the original charging handle on my Bear Creek upper and fashioned an aluminum sleeve that fits over the charging handle and is held in place by two set screws. The result is shown below. I have to say I’m quite pleased. After 6 years of fooling around with ARs and the Blackout cartridge, I have found a comfortable place for both.
