If I am not planning on adding a suppressor or using a barrel under 16" what are the pro's and cons of .300 AAC Blackout vs 5.56 NATO?
If I am not planning on adding a suppressor or using a barrel under 16" what are the pro's and cons of .300 AAC Blackout vs 5.56 NATO?
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Totally depends on your intended application, but I would stick with 5.56 in a 16" if you want to stay with a 16" gun. It's cheaper to shoot, has better mid-long range capabilities, and is a lot cheaper to shoot. And you can still kill most game easily with a good bonded soft point, if you want to hunt with it.
.300BLK really shines as a suppressed short barrel weapon because it has better ballistics in barrels shorter than 10.5", so you can run a 7-9" barrel, and they are very quiet suppressed with subs. My HD gun is a 8" suppressed 300BLK and i love it.
If you want a .30 cal projectile in a 16" barrel, i would get an AR-10 before i got a 16" 300BLK. YMMV
Last edited by B Cart; 09-12-19 at 16:21.
Unsuppressed? - Hunting is the only pro for 300 blk in a 16" barrel. 300 blk is for short guns - 6" to 9". After about 12.5" it's not really worth it in any way other than you need the 30 cal bullet for hunting because of some specific state law. Personally I would argue it's not worth it over 10" but I know there are a lot who would disagree with me on that.
I dont see 300BLK outperforming 556 in any but the most niche of applications. Definately wouldnt purchase one if you dont already have a 16" 556.
Personally I skipped 300BLK and decided if I needed more 'power' than 556, I will be using 308.
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That MRGUNSNGEAR video is very good at splain' things. Can't wait to see the one on 300 vs 5.56. Everyone wants to compare Blk to 7.62 x 39 but it really is closer to 8 mm Kurtz, think of it as Stg 44 that is about 4 lbs lighter with better ergonomics. I am really liking the idea of a 12.5" pistol. Will it replace 5.56, no but it does have some definite advantages as a short barrel round.
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There are no advantages to 300Blk over 5.56 in your scenario. I only see 300BLK useful in CQB subsonic suppressed for killing folks indoors very quietly. Which I would choose my MP5 or MPX 9mm subsonic suprresed for that mission. YMMV
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I will disagree with much of the above. In addition to being great in short barrels and with suppressors, 300BLK has better terminal ballistics than 556 in any barrel length, but limited distance. I wouldn-t use it beyond 200yrds
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