The 300 Blackout, what's not to like?

[wild_wild_wes]

What makes the 300 better for CQB?

[SomeOtherGuy]

I understand the draw of the 300 blackout if one plans to suppress it and shoot subs. But for those only interested in supersonic loads, wouldn't something like the 7.62x40 WT make more sense?

I don't own either and don't plan on it in the foreseeable future, but I have wondered about this for a while. Is it just because the popularity of the blackout exceeds that of the WT and there are more options available, or are there issues with the WT?

If you're only interested in supersonic loads, here's the comparison:

300BLK:
-use most any standard AR15 magazine
-decent supply chain and multiple ammo companies loading ammo (Remington, Hornady, and now Federal among the big boys; Nosler introducing ammo soon; smaller companies loading include PNW Arms, Southwest Ammunition, Gunn (are they still around? can't get their website to load), others I'm not familiar with)
-relatively easy to convert .223 brass if you reload

7.62x40 WT:
-only one company selling uppers, barrels, or ammo, last I knew
-need lightly modified magazines for reliable feeding (you can buy them from Wilson or attempt to modify them yourself)
-I'm not sure if you can convert .223 brass for this cartridge

Performance - looking at loads with the 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, Wilson sells a 7.62x40 WT load rated at 2350fps in a 16" barrel, while PNW Arms sells a 300BLK load rated at 2200fps in a 16" barrel, Nosler has announced a 300BLK load rated at 2250fps, and Remington sells a similar Accutip load rated at 2215fps. An extra 100-150fps is useful, but not huge. There are descriptions of 300BLK handloads at or exceeding 2350fps with that bullet, but I don't know what pressures they are running.

In my analysis, the 7.62x40 WT offers a very small performance bump at the expense of being proprietary rather than a standard with increasing adoption. If someone's looking at supersonic only and doesn't mind needing special magazines, I would probably go with 6.8 SPC rather than 7.62x40 WT.

[Agnostic]

If you're only interested in supersonic loads, here's the comparison:

300BLK:
-use most any standard AR15 magazine
-decent supply chain and multiple ammo companies loading ammo (Remington, Hornady, and now Federal among the big boys; Nosler introducing ammo soon; smaller companies loading include PNW Arms, Southwest Ammunition, Gunn (are they still around? can't get their website to load), others I'm not familiar with)
-relatively easy to convert .223 brass if you reload

7.62x40 WT:
-only one company selling uppers, barrels, or ammo, last I knew
-need lightly modified magazines for reliable feeding (you can buy them from Wilson or attempt to modify them yourself)
-I'm not sure if you can convert .223 brass for this cartridge

Performance - looking at loads with the 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tip, Wilson sells a 7.62x40 WT load rated at 2350fps in a 16" barrel, while PNW Arms sells a 300BLK load rated at 2200fps in a 16" barrel, Nosler has announced a 300BLK load rated at 2250fps, and Remington sells a similar Accutip load rated at 2215fps. An extra 100-150fps is useful, but not huge. There are descriptions of 300BLK handloads at or exceeding 2350fps with that bullet, but I don't know what pressures they are running.

In my analysis, the 7.62x40 WT offers a very small performance bump at the expense of being proprietary rather than a standard with increasing adoption. If someone's looking at supersonic only and doesn't mind needing special magazines, I would probably go with 6.8 SPC rather than 7.62x40 WT.

Thanks, makes perfect sense to me. It has been a question of mine for a while and seemed like a good time to ask.

[Quiet Riot]

What makes the 300 better for CQB?

Subsonic on par with suppressed MP5, but full power AK47-ish ballistics available with nothing more than a mag change.

[JusticeM4]

I will hopefully get back on the 300BLK bandwagon later this year. Commercial ammo was the achilles heel of this round.

I remember last year CTD (those bastards!) had Remington 115's for $12/box which I though was still too much; that is cheap in today's standards. I did find 300BLK ammo in stock right now but for $30/box. Hopefully when I get into reloading this will not be an issue.

[Nightvisionary]

What barrel length and loads are you using to get those velocities?

I have a 16 inch barrel with carbine gas system. I use 20 grains of H110 with CCI 450 primers to get those numbers with Sierra Pro Hunter 125's and the Barnes 110 TTSX. However when I used that load with Nosler 125 BT's I get excessive pressure signs so I stepped it down to 18.5 for those bullets.

[Nightvisionary]

I understand the draw of the 300 blackout if one plans to suppress it and shoot subs. But for those only interested in supersonic loads, wouldn't something like the 7.62x40 WT make more sense?

I don't own either and don't plan on it in the foreseeable future, but I have wondered about this for a while. Is it just because the popularity of the blackout exceeds that of the WT and there are more options available, or are there issues with the WT?

The issue I see with the 7.62x40 WT is the lack of widespread support among manufacturers. I reminds me of the time over 20 years ago when the 40 Action Express was competing with the 40 S&W.

[themissinglink]

Now if only the factory ammo was available and didn't cost so much, the winning trifecta would be there.

Subsonic on par with suppressed MP5, but full power AK47-ish ballistics available with nothing more than a mag change.

[matemike]

Commercial ammo was the achilles heel of this round.

Now if only the factory ammo was available and didn't cost so much, the winning trifecta would be there.

That's it exactly.

I love the 300BLK round. I jumped on the bandwagon early 2012.

Put a 9" AAC 300blk barrel on my DD SBR; sold my 5.56 noveske barrel. I applied for a 762-SDN-6 suppressor tax stamp. While waiting for the can stamp to come in, I had a blast shooting my new round. Shot supers and subs without problems other than feeling a rubber o-ring on my extractor spring made my gun 100% reliable rather than 95% reliable. I shot a 250-300lb hog with 300 whisper and the round performed beautifully. Even found a store in Houston who claimed they were THE 300 blackout store in the area. All is well. Although I only had a mere 1000 rounds through the gun.

Then bam, madness hits, and I've been sitting on 500 rounds since. can't find any ammo that I'm willing to buy. Haven't been able to shoot suppressed yet and am considering making another 5.56 upper to sit on my DD SBR lower just so I get to use it. I hope things straighten back out because I was singing gloriously about the 300 blackout otherwise.

[markm]

The 300 Blackout, what's not to like?

Lack of ammo. Marginal Accuracy. Price of ammo if you can find it.

Are you posting from rsilvers kitchen?