.300 AAC Blackout

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Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Sub sonic 200 Gr bullets make it really quite with a suppressor.


Hog hunting (with suppressor).

You can just lay the hogs over with very little sound.

Otherwise, one loud band and the whole group scatters.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
What is the reason behind the popularity of this round, other than it fitting on an AR platform?


The whole .300 AAC Blackout craze was built around suppressed weapons. It works much better in that capacity than the .223 / 5.56 MM standard AR-15 chambering's, because it is a subsonic round. Or can be with the right load. Yet it still contains some downrange punch because of the much heavier .30 caliber bullets it utilizes. If you try to reduce the velocity of the .223 / 5.56 MM to subsonic levels, the round loses far too much ballistic effectiveness.

That, along with the fact it can utilize standard 5.56 MM, AR-15 bolt carrier groups and magazines, make it very adaptable to anyone who is already shooting a standard .22 caliber centerfire AR-15. Basically change the barrel and you're good to go. But if you are not interested in shooting suppressed, there really isn't much advantage in going to it over a 7.62 X 39 MM AK-47, or AR-15 weapon. Some will argue it feeds better in a AR platform weapon than the 7.62 X 39 MM does. And as I mentioned it doesn't require separate magazines. But 7.62 X 39 MM ammo is much cheaper, and far more available. And ballistically if you are already shooting a AK-47, there isn't enough difference between the two, that would bring any advantage to going to the .300 AAC Blackout. Some might argue it has better accuracy than a AK. But it's really not a long range round in the first place.
 
Billt460 has said it all and said it well.
I pretty much think it's a gimmicky round myself.
Ballistically same as a AK-47 round which most AR shooters consider obsolete then build a cartridge the same and it's all the rave.
 
I have 2 300 Blackouts in the AR platform and another in an Encore single shot pistol. 1 set up as an AR pistol (registered as a pistol) with an 8.5 inch barrel and another set up for hunting with a 16 inch barrel and I absolutely love both. The pistol, since it's registered as such is legal to carry loaded with a 30 round mag in my vehicle at all times. Very handy for impromptu varmint control. The pistol is also very quick for clearing a home being so short. The 16 inch rifle, like I said is set up for hunting and is good out to 200 yards on deer sized game with 110 or 120 grain Barnes TAC-TX ammo and very little recoil.


Bilt460 is mainly on point but I would like to add a couple points.
1. 300 BLK round can be much more accurate than the 7.62x39. An inch or less groups at 100 yards is not uncommon with quality ammo.
2. As a rule you can get higher quality ammo in 300 BLK than what is normally available in 7.62x39.
3. 300 BLK is very efficient in short barrels. I don't lose tons of velocity in my 8.5 inch barrel.
4. When suppressed, the 300 is a dream to shoot. It's so quiet that you can often hear the bullets impact the game you are hunting. Even better in a bolt action rifle.

It doesn't have the power of a 30-06 or the low cost ammo of an AK but it does some things that other rounds can't do.
 
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To me the absolute biggest drawback to this round is cost. It's phenomenally expensive for what it is. This place is just down the road from me, and they're charging $542.00 and $592.00 a case of 1,000 rounds for S&B and Magtech. (Pull the scroll bar on the right about 2" down). That's almost DOUBLE for what most 5.56 MM is going for. And close to what you can buy bulk .308 for. And when you consider it's basically just a modified cut down .223 case with a larger bullet, and about the same amount of powder, the cost makes even less sense.

https://www.unammo.com/

Sure you can get around that by handloading. But the cases are still a PITA to make in the kind of quantity you'll need to do the same amount of shooting with as you would with a 5.56 MM. Not to mention it's time consuming to cut and trim them to length. You can buy .300 AAC Blackout brass ready to go. But again it's cost prohibitive when compared to 5.56MM.

When you compare this added cost, and it's ballistics to the AK round, it's just too expensive. At least to do any kind of high volume shooting with.
 
I have one and am looking forward to getting it all together soon. I have been cleaning Wal-Mart out of the Remington .300 Blackout every-time I go. I also have a .458 SOCOM upper to try out also. Just need to wait for all the ranges to open, they are all closed due to fire danger.

The downside that I have seen is people brain [censored] and load a magazine of .300 Blackout into an AR with a .223/5.56 upper. I have different color magazines that I know are for certain calibers.
 
Originally Posted By: bigj_16
What is the reason behind the popularity of this round, other than it fitting on an AR platform?


Have you shot it? Suppressed? Do so and you'll see why.
 
Yrs back I used to go regularly to the Knob Creek MG shoot in Kentucky, right next to Fort Knox!

They shoot a lot of suppressed stuff. They have a separate range in the back so you can really
enjoy suppressors with ear plugs out. My pal had a pre-'86 2-stamp MP5SD we used to run on the
"jungle walk" course in the back - nice!
smile.gif


Key issue: It's the hi volume hi speed gas at the muzzle that make the suppressor less
effective in .223, etc. Flight noise from a supersonic round doesn't carry that far, more like
a fast whizzing sound, not a bang. Any bang you hear is the unsuppressed portion of the blast,
not the sound of the actual bullet.

The heavy .300 blackout round delivers decent energy with way less chamber pressure acting on a
larger sectional area of the bullet then the much smaller .223!

Locally up here a few weeks back, cops where at the range using small muzzle cans on ARs, reduced
the .223 blast to a light .45 report, looks like their guns were set up for CQB use. Compact cans
(suppressors) only do so much, I'd rather have the MP5SD, way quieter, the action sound you hear
thru your cheek bone (cheek weld to the stock) is a bolt 'clunk' rather then a "skretchy screen
door" sound of an AR bolt carrier and buffer spring cycling! LOL (But I'll still keep the AR!)
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory

1. 300 BLK round can be much more accurate than the 7.62x39. An inch or less groups at 100 yards is not uncommon with quality ammo.


The Rifle Dynamics AK-47 with a Sharps Bros. milled receiver printed 0.5-0.7" groups at 100 yards (with steel-cased Brown Bear ammo, 124gr HPs). I'm pretty sure most off the shelf 300 BLKs can't do 0.5" groups. Don't compare Eastern Bloc mass-produced AKs to precision 300 BLK rifles made in the USA... compare apples to apples.

AK's are not long-range tactical weapons. I saw a recent report that said over 96% of ALL shooting encounters happen inside of 150 yards, whether police snipers, personal protection, or even hunters. Inside this 150-yard window, an AK is just as lethal as any other long gun in 30 cal range. "Deader than dead" doesn't get you any extra points. AKs make great Stuff Hits The Fan weapons because they are plenty accurate to stop people-sized targets, and they don't care about abuse or lack of cleaning. You pull the trigger, it goes BANG. To me that's more important than subsonic performance or anything else.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
AK's are not long-range tactical weapons. I saw a recent report that said over 96% of ALL shooting encounters happen inside of 150 yards, whether police snipers, personal protection, or even hunters. Inside this 150-yard window, an AK is just as lethal as any other long gun in 30 cal range.


Agree 100%. There is far too much made over accuracy in regards to battle and hunting rifles. None of these weapons when used in the field are required to be anymore accurate than the shooter can fire them from field positions. These suppressed .300 Blackout rifles are CQB battle weapons, not National Match target rifles on the 600 yard firing line at Camp Perry.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
AK's are not long-range tactical weapons. I saw a recent report that said over 96% of ALL shooting encounters happen inside of 150 yards, whether police snipers, personal protection, or even hunters. Inside this 150-yard window, an AK is just as lethal as any other long gun in 30 cal range.


Agree 100%. There is far too much made over accuracy in regards to battle and hunting rifles. None of these weapons when used in the field are required to be anymore accurate than the shooter can fire them from field positions. These suppressed .300 Blackout rifles are CQB battle weapons, not National Match target rifles on the 600 yard firing line at Camp Perry.


I would disagree. When taking game a hunter wants the best shot placement available. Battlefield "Pray and Spray" idea is not ethical in any way shape or form while hunting game. Hunters want to be able to retrieve the animal and at the same time make an ethical kill quick and clean. An accurate rifle is a must when killing game. In my humble opinion anyone that tells you different has to rethink their hunting ethics and has hunted game at any range beyond 75 yards. Again, in my humble opinion.
 
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A rifle dynamics AK will cost you $2,000 or more with no optics. I can't find a guarantee of accuracy that states .5 to .7 MOA on their website. Subie, can you find that info for us?
 
I know it’s also popular with the AR pistol crowd, especially now with the fairly new ruling regarding brace usage. Also as was mentioned the Numbers I’ve seen show not much loss in velocity when used in a shorter bbl. Going down to a 10.5” bbl from 16” you’ll lose 150-200fps. That gives you pretty good power in a small package.
 
300 blackout and .458 x (1.5"???) are getting popular amongst the hog shooters down here (non supressed, $10,000 fine, and/or two years in jail)...they are having great results versus their traditional 30-30s and .308s (and yes 7.62x30 in cheapy Norinco bolt actions after their SKS' were confiscated in 1996).

Slightly off topic One pig shooter who was at the range before Christmas when I was messing with the B92 in .44Mag, getting 10 shot 2-1/2" groups (with factory sight) at 55 yards commented that he might have found his new answer...if only he bought mine
 
How many rifle shooters can hold and shoot 3 MOA from field positions? I'll go way out on a limb and say very few. All this worry, want, and "need" over accuracy is moot, unless the shooter / hunter / soldier / cop, who is holding that weapon can deliver said accuracy to the target. The bottom line is most any AK platform rifle is capable of delivering accuracy beyond what the person pulling the trigger is capable of. If you don't believe that, take a trip to Arlington National Cemetery. Far too many occupants were put there because they were hit in the field of battle with AK-47 rifles.

Go to most any public shooting range on any given day, and look at the groups most guys are getting with their AR-15's. Most all AK's are capable of delivering accuracy beyond that. Again, I'm talking field positions here. Civilian hunters / soldiers / and cops clearing houses don't shoot from bench rests, at targets in the next county. As was mentioned in a previous post, over 90% of all shooting happens within 150 yards.

No one "needs" a sub MOA hunting / self defense rifle, anymore than they need a 650 H.P. V-12 Ferrari to get to work. If someone simply likes and wants it, that's fine. Most guns and high performance automobiles are purchased under those simple parameters. It's when we start bringing "need" into the conversation, that things start going south in a hurry.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
How many rifle shooters can hold and shoot 3 MOA from field positions? I'll go way out on a limb and say very few. All this worry, want, and "need" over accuracy is moot, unless the shooter / hunter / soldier / cop, who is holding that weapon can deliver said accuracy to the target.


Don't get your logic here.

a 3MOA shooter with a 3MOA gun is clearly worse in delivery than a 3MOA shooter with a 1MOA gun.

It's nonsensical to say that if you aren't the most accurate shooter, then the accuracy of the tool is irrelevant.

(then the AK Arlington cemetary brings another logical fallacy to the discussion...how many of those deaths were due to deliberately aimed shots...I'd guarantee that if you engaged the services of a time machine, and travelled to the location, there would be a lot of spray and pray. Do you have the number of rounds fired per fatal wound at your disposal ???)
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Don't get your logic here.


Then let me simplify it for you. Take away most any field shooters AK-47, and hand them a custom built .300 AAC Blackout. Nothing will improve.
 
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