View Full Version : 10.5 inch .300 blk AR pistol vs 16 inch 5.56 AR
Which of these 2 setups would be better for general use/ home defense/ plinking? I really like the .300 BLK and I think its real neat, but are its potential improved terminal ballistics and SBR friendliness worth the 50% more expensive ammo, less available ammo, increased recoil and range reduction over the 5.56 rifle? Also I'm pretty sure I wont have an NFA suppressor for a really long time. This will be my first real long gun and will probably be my only long gun for quite some time. 5.56 has been slaying bodies for the U.S. for quite some time so I guess its still a good round and .300 BLK has been around for 8 years and hasn't really picked up any major contracts with militaries or police.
Eurodriver
08-20-18, 08:06
I really like the .300 BLK and I think its real neat, but are its potential improved terminal ballistics and SBR friendliness worth the 50% more expensive ammo, less available ammo, increased recoil and range reduction over the 5.56 rifle?
You know, I think a CBR600rr is really neat. It’s fun. Chicks like it. It’s sexy. It’s cool to look at.
But when I needed daily transportation I bought a car.
I had an AAC 9” 300BLK. Formed my own brass from 5.56. Had a suppressor. Shot subs that I loaded. It was “neat” as you said, but I no longer have it.
Ammo was expensive - even when handloading. I’m also not really a “gun guy” and didn’t want two rifle calibers to deal with. At 300 yards the bullet’s trajectory was already as round as Moose-Knuckle’s belly. I was never confident with it at 400.
I don’t regret it. Plenty of people will soon reply with “but muh ballistics”, and “subsonic so quiet” and other claims.
Stick with a 5.56mm 16” AR. There is an inherent sexiness to simplicity.
Stick with a 16" 5.56 for your first/only general purpose AR.
16” 556. You can get a lot more trigger time with the same money and skills>gear, and 556 is a great round, especially if you buy decent ammo.
I've been going through the same thought process...
Hornady has some good 5.56 SBR ammo, but noise will be an issue, and you won't be plinking with it.
From what I've read, all the goals of a civilian home defense carbine can be achieved with 9MM.
Eurodriver
08-20-18, 10:24
I've been going through the same thought process...
Hornady has some good 5.56 SBR ammo, but noise will be an issue, and you won't be plinking with it.
From what I've read, all the goals of a civilian home defense carbine can be achieved with 9MM.
Where have you read that?
Daksquatch
08-20-18, 11:13
I currently own both a 9" 300Blk pistol and a 16" 5.56 rifle.
If you made me choose, I'd take the 16" 5.56 all day, everyday, and like 4x on Sunday.
I really really like the little .300blk, though. I shoot suppressed, and it's deer legal in it's current configuration in my state. With all that being said, if I could only own a single rifle, it would be a 16" AR in 5.56 because it's just a much more shootable gun from both an ergonomic and economic standpoint for me personally.
I'd go 16" 5.56 without a doubt.
Having a quiet .300 blk round for HD sounds nice until you realize how much it under performs with subs.. and that's really the only upside I think .300 blk has going for it is its db reduction with a can. If you don't own a suppressor then there is no reason to spend more money on a niche round.
Quality 16" rifle in 5.56 loaded with BH 77gr TMK (or similar quality ammo) and a good LPVO/RDS and you've got it covered.
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As another person who owns both, as a general purpose rifle I would also suggest a 16” 5.56. I love my .300 Blackout, but if I did not have 5.56 rifles and/or pistols I would not own a .300 Blackout.
Captains1911
08-20-18, 21:43
Having a quiet .300 blk round for HD sounds nice until you realize how much it under performs with subs.. and that's really the only upside I think .300 blk has going for it is its db reduction with a can. If you don't own a suppressor then there is no reason to spend more money on a niche round.
Not necessarily. A 300 BLK with a 10.5” barrel and can, shooting supersonic ammo, is about the same overall length and more powerful at close range than a 16” 5.56, but in a much quieter package.
Having said that, I’d also recommend the 16” 5.56 for a first rifle.
I ended up buying a ba hanson 16 inch with a generic a2 flash hider for $200 . 5.56 ammo is soooo much cheaper and its good enough for what I want. Plus I've seen that subsonics don't run so reliably an that's one of the big attractions of .300 BLK.
556BlackRifle
08-20-18, 22:50
My HD weapon is a 16" AR. IMO M193 all you need. If I want, I could run my 10.5" CQB pistol instead, however - I doubt I will.
A couple of my buddies have had the 300 blk for several years. I haven't seen them shoot them in the last couple of years. The cool factor is high with the 300 but in the end, they both shoot 556 regularly.
5.56 also. While I still have a couple .300's I just sold all of my powder and most of the brass I had made. I looked at how much I shoot them and decided reloading wasn't worth keeping the gear for it. Got tired of chasing brass around the range, limits training and doesn't offer me anything.
Eurodriver
08-21-18, 06:43
I looked at how much I shoot them and decided reloading wasn't worth keeping the gear for it. Got tired of chasing brass around the range, limits training and doesn't offer me anything.
I do not miss that, either.
From what I've read, all the goals of a civilian home defense carbine can be achieved with 9MM.
What? No.
"Statements are made that the shotgun or pistol should be used because of the over-penetration problem with 5.56 carbine ammunition. This could not be further from the truth. If you conduct a little research you will find that numerous law enforcement departments, to include the FBI, have proven this to be false in most cases. The fact of the matter is that many of these bullets will penetrate numerous walls, but standard 5.56 loadings are the least of your worries when compared to pistol and shotgun fodder, which continue to take top honors in the category of over-penetration." US Army Sergeant Major Lamb (former Delta/CAG)
https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2015/5/26/the-ar-for-home-defense-one-experts-opinion
"Common pistol rounds easily penetrated all 4 walls spaced out at room distances. This is a critical issue. Think about the inside of your house and imagine if you shot through 4 walls. Could you hit a loved one? Know your target and what is behind it....The 5.56 rounds deviated greatly from the original flight path once they started tumbling. This occurred after the second wall." Old_Painless (certified Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Personal Firearms Defense, and Home Firearms Safety Instructor)
http://www.theboxotruth.com/the-box-o-truth-12-insulated-walls/
"Proponents of the pistol for home defense like to think that because it’s 'just' a pistol round, overpenetration really won’t be an issue. Such is not the case. Drywall sheets and hollow-core doors (which are what you’ll find in the majority of homes and apartments in this country) offer almost no resistance to bullets....For years many people just assumed they knew what would happen to a rifle bullet fired indoors—it would go through every wall available and then exit the building. While armor-piercing and FMJ ammunition is specifically designed to do this, extensive testing has shown that light, extremely fast-moving .223 projectiles (including FMJs) often fragment when they hit a barrier as soft as thin plywood." James Tarr (former police officer; contributing editor for Guns and Ammo)
http://www.gunsandammo.com/ammo/long-guns-short-yardage-is-223-the-best-home-defense-caliber/
"The .223/5.56 is moving at around 3,000 feet per second, and while it isn’t magic bullet, it’s a far cry better than any pistol round. Another advantage of the .223/5.56 is its limited penetration. The shape and velocity of the round cause it to immediately expend or dissipate its energy once it strikes something." Tiger McKee (adjunct instructor at Thunder Ranch)
https://gundigest.com/reviews/ar-15-ideal-home-defense-guns
"The pistol rounds were seemingly unaffected by the drywall and/or wood barriers. There was no observable deviation or fragmentation of the 9mm projectiles. You’d be safe counting on a pistol round to keep going, and going, and going. After all, premium pistol ammunition is designed to expand, and lose energy, when striking liquid-based targets—not walls. The full metal jacket .223 rounds tended to tumble rather than break apart when they encountered barriers." Tom McHale (contributor at AmmoLand and OutdoorHub)
http://www.outdoorhub.com/stories/2013/11/04/ar-15-appropriate-home-defense-part-one-penetration-issues/
"FBI and Independent Testing Has Consistently Shown .223/5.56 NATO Fired From AR-15’s Do Not Over Penetrate More Than Pistol/Shotgun." Caleb Lee (NRA Certified Basic Pistol & Personal Protection Inside The Home Instructor)
http://preparedgunowners.com/2016/07/14/why-high-powered-5-56-nato-223-ar-15-ammo-is-safer-for-home-defense-fbi-overpenetration-testing/
"Since all of the 5.56 mm/.223 bullets fired through the interior wall had significantly less penetration than 9 mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 12 ga. shotgun projectiles which were fired through an interior wall, stray 5.56 mm/.223 bullets seem to offer a reduced risk of injuring innocent bystanders and an inherent reduced risk of civil litigation in situations where bullets miss their intended target and enter or exit structures. As such, 5.56mm/.223 caliber weapons may be safer to use in CQB situations and crowded urban environments than service caliber handguns or 12 ga. weapons." Dr. Gary Williams (ballistics expert)
http://www.recoilweb.com/ar-vs-shotgun-for-home-defense-again-2-of-2-39203.html#ixzz4zCOCPykZ
I've been going through the same thought process...
Hornady has some good 5.56 SBR ammo, but noise will be an issue, and you won't be plinking with it.
From what I've read, all the goals of a civilian home defense carbine can be achieved with 9MM.
There's a long thread about that and general consensus is no, 9mm carbine is a subpar choice for various reasons. I have read nothing that convinces otherwise.
As others have said, stick with a 16" 5.56 for your first or only general purpose AR. That being said, with the right ammo, a *lightweight* 9" inch and under suppressed barreled 300 BO definately has a place in more of a PDW/ house clearing role like SOCOM is using it for, and where the range of use is *mostly* under 150-200yds. In this more limited application it does it's intended job very well vs a comparable suppressed short barreled 5.56 rifle. But again as others have also said, for most people the price of feeding a 300BO is a little to high for them to justify having it, just so they can stroke their fantasy.
Id choose a 16 inch 5.56 any day over 300 Blk. Longer practical range, cheaper ammo, more available ammo, and is still an effective round.
Ive talked with a few legit bearded secret squirrels who confirmed that 300 Blk is being used for certain tasks in SOCOM. That being said, none of them would choose it over 5.56 for their main rifle.
While this story (fact, 1st hand) is referencing 9mm ball, we generally know how pistol rounds react to wallboard. Sided house was hit by a stray bullet in a drive by, distance from street to house-25-30 yards. Single round, entered house in front and the is what it did INSIDE.
Through siding, insulation, one layer sheet rock, hollow core closet door, 2 layers of sheet rock, hit large round solid wood bed post(right rear) approx. 6" diameter. Deflected 90 to right, 2 layers of sheetrock, two more layers of sheet rock, embedded in rear of dresser.
First room was kids bedroom, next was master, traversed stairway, last room was bedroom. All occupied and first room, bullet passed over sleeping child, master-lucky as strike was body level, third room was sleeping baby.
So that's siding, insulation, door and 7 layers of wallboard and a chuck of wood. Everyone should be careful of shots.
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