300 AAC Blackout

[Dave]

Depends...is it from Alpha Shooting Sports? There have been chamber issues reported with those. Their 5.56 barrels are good to go, but I have seen more than a few posts regarding their .300 BLK chambers.

Says ESS Barrels as the manufacturer.

[osok-308]

Not trying to hijack the thread, but how does the .300 blk compare to 6.8 for HUNTING purposes? I'm not talking ballistics past 300 yards, because I really won't be taking shots past that. How is ammo availability for hunting for both?

[thvigil11]

So I got an email for a .300 HBAR barrel, 16" and 1:7 twist for $109. Would it be worth it to grab?

Who's giving this deal?

[XC700116]

For that I'd probably lean toward the 6.8 as 300 BLK if not loaded pretty hot doesn't have the snoot to make the legality requirements for CO. That said, it can be done. 125 Nosler BT's are probably the best bet for a good hunting bullet.

[osok-308]

For that I'd probably lean toward the 6.8 as 300 BLK if not loaded pretty hot doesn't have the snoot to make the legality requirements for CO. That said, it can be done. 125 Nosler BT's are probably the best bet for a good hunting bullet.

Thanks, that's good to know

[RonMexico]

For that I'd probably lean toward the 6.8 as 300 BLK if not loaded pretty hot doesn't have the snoot to make the legality requirements for CO. That said, it can be done. 125 Nosler BT's are probably the best bet for a good hunting bullet.

Not true. Light stuff like 115gr or heavy slow 220gr stuff doesn't but I was going to takeout 147gr and 150gr stuff this year. Both are factory listed at 1200+ I think in my ballistic cal I had a not too "hot" load at 1400.

[Dave]

Who's giving this deal?

ShadowOps sent me an email for it since I've bought lowers from them.

[XC700116]

__www.hornady.com_ballistics-resource_ballistics-calculato.pdf__www.hornady.com_ballistics-resource_ballistics-calculato.pdf

Not true. Light stuff like 115gr or heavy slow 220gr stuff doesn't but I was going to takeout 147gr and 150gr stuff this year. Both are factory listed at 1200+ I think in my ballistic cal I had a not too "hot" load at 1400.

What kind of 147 or 150 grain bullets are you finding that will expand approriately to consistently and ethically take game at those speeds? IMO there's more important things to considder on hunting bullets than if it delivers 1K@100 Not to mention to hit that 1400 ft/lb mark with a 150 it'd have to have a muzzle velocity of 2250 and that is 200 fps faster than any published data I've seen for 300blk

Here's a quick ballistics chart (link above) from Hornady's online calculator of a 150 grain bullet leaving the muzzle at 2012 which is a max load of 5744 (one of the powders that produces the highest speed out of 300 BLK) While it does produce 1100 ft lbs of energy at 100 yds that meets the bare minimum requirement for CO law for (quoted below). Then when you take into consideration it's only moving at 1800 fps at 100 yds and the expansion question comes into play. 1800 fps is the minimum speed required for decent expansion on Nosler Ballistic tips which is a VERY fast expanding hunting bullet. Point being 100 yds is absolute maximum range for 300 blk with 150's hence my reccomendation for the 125 if you're going that route. Also all said and done, there's actually factory loaded 6.8SPC hunting ammo available. That for the specific purpose of hunting is a far better choice.

Basically to my first asserted point, 300 blk has to be loaded pretty hot to meet the requirement, ie my example is the MAX load for 150's with a powder that produces some of the fastest moving 300 blk loads barely meeting the requirements. So I ask what part of my statement wasn't true???? I have a 300 blk and love it for what it is and what I built it for, but I'm not taking it big game hunting anywhere that I may have to shoot more than 100 yards either. I have much more appropriate firearms for that. If I was building up a rifle and deciding between 300 blk and 6.8 SPC with hunting in mind, 6.8 all day every day, no doubt about it. The round simply has more velocity and energy at short to medium hunting ranges than 300 blk.

That said I have a round of hunting loads in the 125 BT's and it will be with me when I go back to MN for whitetails next weekend, along with other rifles. The load is HOT and moving at just under 2400 and delivers about 1300 ft/lbs @100 yds and still moving over 2100 fps, but the brass lasts about 2 loadings before th primer pocket is loose too.

Rifles using center fire cartridges of .24 caliber or larger, having expanding bullets of at least seventy (70) grains in weight, except for elk and moose where the minimum bullet weight is eighty-five (85) grains, and with a rated impact energy one hundred (100) yards from the muzzle of at least one thousand (1000) foot pounds as determined by the manufacturer's rating providing that any semiautomatic rifle used shall not hold more than six (6) rounds in the magazine and chamber combined.

[Dave]

I pretty much have put the .300 Blk in the same boat as 7.62x39, it's a good defense round best used against people in a short to medium range. If I was going for an AR platform for hunting I'd go with a long barreled 6.8 SPC or .308 AR-10. Or now that I have my .458 upper I can slam some hogs with a big bore round. I am thinking if I jump into the .300 world I'd get it in my first NFA items like a SBR and a can for it to shoot heavy slow movers.

[XC700116]

I pretty much have put the .300 Blk in the same boat as 7.62x39, it's a good defense round best used against people in a short to medium range. If I was going for an AR platform for hunting I'd go with a long barreled 6.8 SPC or .308 AR-10. Or now that I have my .458 upper I can slam some hogs with a big bore round. I am thinking if I jump into the .300 world I'd get it in my first NFA items like a SBR and a can for it to shoot heavy slow movers.

That is the exact application where the 300 blk REALLY shines. Short range, short barrels, and quiet. The efficiency of the cartridge in a short barrel makes it SBR magic.