300BLK in an SBR - practicality

[Eurodriver]

I exclusively own 5.56mm AR15s. I have a 5.56mm suppressor and a .30 cal suppressor. I do not reload. I have an SBR lower with nothing on it, and I'm debating making the shift to 300BLK. The issue, for me, seems to be availability of ammo and why it's worth the extra investment.

I can get a 5.56mm 11.5" BCM upper w/ KMR rail for $650. An AAC 300BLK Upper is $1100 - Noveskes are $1500. Building my own 300BLK with quality components isn't much cheaper, and ammo will always be much more expensive.

Those of you with 300BLK rifles - what do you do with it? It seems like a toy to me - albeit a very nice one. The idea of a functional semi auto firing subsonic suppressed .30cal rounds is very appealing, but mainly from a "Hey guys, check this out" standpoint. There is also the benefit of less gas blowback from supersonic suppressed ammo. With ammo at least $0.50 per round more expensive than 5.56mm, it seems a bit pricey to jump into for some kicks. At that rate, one weekend training class is going to run you $250 more just in ammo. If hunting with suppressors were legal here, I could see myself using it for hogs - but even then I wouldn't be using subsonic ammo. $1500 would almost buy a complete new Colt .308 AR10 variant.

With that said - tell me why I should spend a decent amount of money investing in an upper, ammo, etc in 300BLK. What does it bring to the table other than it's ability to function well while subsonic? This isn't written in negative tone - genuinely interested in hearing responses.

[Don Robison]

For me I wanted a slightly more compact gun than my 11.5" BCMs and the 9" AAC upper fit the requirement. I didn't want a 7.5" 5.56 so a 9" 30cal made sense and a decent compromise. I can't see me buying more than just this one mainly for the points you make about expense.


ETA: If you look around you can find the AAC uppers for just under $1000. I bought mine in June for $988.

[n517rv]

I will be deer hunting with mine this year, but I must admit the cost of ammo is a real drag and will be even more so if you don't reload.

I have two SBRs and run a Noveske 10.2 300 BLK on one and a BCM 11.5 5.56 on the other. The 5.56 BCM/KMR is my new favorite go to range gun - accurate, lightweight, fun and cheap to shoot.

My recommendation would be to get the BCM 5.56 and save up your money for an AR 10 variant for your 30 Cal suppressor.

[SkyLine1]

If you want to build...
http://www.bullseyeindoorrange.com/A...der_p_259.html

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

[themonk]

Blackout does a couple of things very well:

• It’s more efficient in a shorter barrel than a 556 SBR. A 9-inch long .300 BLK barrel gives the AR-15 nearly 25% more muzzle energy than a 9-inch barrel shooting the 5.56
• It uses all your existing 556 gear – mags, replacement parts, load outs, etc...
• It’s very quiet compared to a 556 when using subsonic ammo
• It hits harder than 556
• It’s an awesome round if you are within a 300 yard window
• It uses 556 brass and 308 projectiles so it is very easy to reload

So what’s all that mean? Some use cases:
If you live an urban environment it’s an awesome defense gun because most of the time your in the 300 yard window.
It's a good home defense gun as its short even with a can on the end
If you live in a somewhat rural environment it’s a great gun to shoot in the backyard with a can because it’s so quite.
Great for hunting deer and hogs.

I use mine for all the use cases listed above. Would I get rid of my 556 guns or uppers - hell no!

To answer your question why not have both. Get the BCM upper now and look for a used blk upper in the future. You already have the 30 cal can so your ahead of the game there. If you see a good deal on an upper snatch it up, see if you like it, and if not dump the upper on EE.

[1slow01Z71]

Id get the BCM first. If I didnt hunt with my 300blk I probably wouldnt have it or just build a cheap upper to plink subs with. I wouldnt have my 300blk if I didnt reload. The commercial ammo I tried was not very accurate.

[bzdog]

8.2" barrel + Barnes 110gr black tip = ultimate PDW.

-john

[darr3239]

You obviously understand that without reloading, the 300 BLK is a more expensive round. For training I would use my 5.56 upper and cheap ammo.

Concerning suppression, there is no comparison between 5.56 and 300 BLK, even when shooting the 300 BLK with supersonic ammo. It's an excellent choice, with the right bullets, for home defense. For hunting, I would classify it as a 250 yard gun max., with supersonic ammo, and especially with 110 gr. TAC-TX bullets. That bullet seems to be the best for hunting and defense to date.

I have an 8.2" Noveske barreled upper, and get very good accuracy. Not super precision, but right at 1 MOA. As far as overall build cost goes I put mine together, piece by piece, and total cost was approaching half the cost of buying a complete upper from a manufacturer.

[TehLlama]

I exclusively own 5.56mm AR15s. I have a 5.56mm suppressor and a .30 cal suppressor. I do not reload. I have an SBR lower with nothing on it, and I'm debating making the shift to 300BLK. The issue, for me, seems to be availability of ammo and why it's worth the extra investment.

I can get a 5.56mm 11.5" BCM upper w/ KMR rail for $650. An AAC 300BLK Upper is $1100 - Noveskes are $1500. Building my own 300BLK with quality components isn't much cheaper, and ammo will always be much more expensive.

Those of you with 300BLK rifles - what do you do with it? It seems like a toy to me - albeit a very nice one. The idea of a functional semi auto firing subsonic suppressed .30cal rounds is very appealing, but mainly from a "Hey guys, check this out" standpoint. There is also the benefit of less gas blowback from supersonic suppressed ammo. With ammo at least $0.50 per round more expensive than 5.56mm, it seems a bit pricey to jump into for some kicks. At that rate, one weekend training class is going to run you $250 more just in ammo. If hunting with suppressors were legal here, I could see myself using it for hogs - but even then I wouldn't be using subsonic ammo. $1500 would almost buy a complete new Colt .308 AR10 variant.

With that said - tell me why I should spend a decent amount of money investing in an upper, ammo, etc in 300BLK. What does it bring to the table other than it's ability to function well while subsonic? This isn't written in negative tone - genuinely interested in hearing responses.

From the sounds of it, you're in my boat with wanting a solid LR.308 setup that'll have a can on it, so this would be a second home for that 30cal suppressor. That would basically mean it's a full time suppressed dual-stamp unit.

In that range (8-10") double stamp 300BLK has the ability to bring slightly larger supersonic projectiles if you can either handload or find a smart factory load. The AAC upper is probably the best value, unless you can get one put together off a Rainier barrel. My interest in BLK for subsonic use is the novelty, anything where I care about terminal effects it's going to be supersonic all the time.

Until you're reloading (and probably have yourself sorted on reloading solid 77grSMK and Mk318 Clone type stuff for 5.56 comfortably, and have the real functional role for your LR308 finalized, I'd just wait on BLK stuff to become more common and sorted out; that's what I'm doing, even though the AAC upper perfectly matches my existing 10.5" Mk18 upper setup.

[domestique]

You could buy a LMT CQB upper and rock both.


I have a 9" AAC upper and use it for home defense and range plinking. I can't hunt with AR rifles in my state, but would also use it for hunting if I could. I was actually planning on using it on hogs last month in Tennessee, but the ATF didn't get my approval back in time (still haven't got it back, going on 8 weeks!).

Honestly, unless you plan on reloading, get ammo for free because you are a secret squirrel, or wealthy enough to buy factory ammo.... then pass on 300 blackout. I reload, and can do so for the same price I can for 5.56. Shooting subsonic is fun at the range, and can be used for hunting (buddy took a 275 pound hog with a 208 gr. AMAX, but the exotic Lehigh bullets would be better). The Supers (110 black tip TSX) are amazing, but the 70 gr. 5.56 TSX aren't far behind.