.300 Blackout-Sell me or Don't

[oezer35]

Going to be doing a pistol build and not too sure if I want to do 5.56 or .300 Blackout.
I have a lot of 5.56/.223 but that's not making up my mind. What are your guys opinions?

 

[Mgderf]

The beauty of the .300blk vs .223/5.56 is there is only one difference, that being the barrel.
Since the .300blk uses the .223 as the parent case, the bolt/carrier and mags are identical.
Then again, that doesn't help you much does it?

If you hunt deer, the .300blk pistol is legal for deer, while the .223/5.56 is not.

 

[HamsterStyle]

300aac. Is a legal deer round in pistol or >16" barrel rifle.

 

[Double T]

It is easily suppressed, bullets are plentiful as it's a .308. It's hella fun to shoot. Ammo is becoming more readily available.

 

[oezer35]

Not so much concerned about the hunting but it's something for me to think about. I'm going to turn the pistol into an SBR before the July shenanigans with the trust. My future thinking is for home defense and taking a couple carbine classes.

 

[jd4320t]

I love mine. I enjoy shooting it suppressed but I also want to mess around and see what it can do with supersonic ammo.

 

[padawan]

I'll second the 'its a hell-of-lot-of-fun' to shoot...

Reloading it is the fun part too. You can dial up different loads easily.

 

[bmbutch]

Love mine (both of them), very fun to shoot, super quiet suppressed, & reloading recipes are fun to mess with! I really enjoy running them thru the chrono, comparing accuracy, etc.

 

[Dog1]

Well....let me put it this way.

I have a 7.5" and a 12.5" SBR. I have a 18" SPR. I have a Liberty Torch QA can.

I also have a 8.2" 300blk SBR. Since it and my Liberty Mystic can was approved I have shot my other SBR's just once.

When I want to shoot a rifle, I shoot the 300. It's just plain fun. Accurate and quiet with 208gr subs of my own recipe.

 

[masterdekoy]

Not so much concerned about the hunting but it's something for me to think about. I'm going to turn the pistol into an SBR before the July shenanigans with the trust. My future thinking is for home defense and taking a couple carbine classes.

The .300 blk really shines as an SBR. If that's what you area going to do, go for it. You get full power out of an 8"(correct me if I'm wrong) barrel and it's amazing suppressed.

the other awesome thing about 300 is parts compatibility. It might be worth your while to build a 5.56 upper to pin on your SBR lower, especially if you plan to use it for classes. 300blk isn't readily available and the cost of ammo can add up quickly.

 

[romad7]

For me it's pointless for other than fun use in a standard length barrel. It works great out of a really short barrel which, to me, is its biggest strength. Allows for a suppressor on rifle that isn't ridiculously long. My 300 BLK SBR with suppressor is slightly shorter than my 16" 5.56 rifle. If I couldn't have an SBR/suppressor combo then I would stick with 5.56 rifles.

I'm coming from a purely defensive use point of view but 300 isn't any more fun to me than 5.56 even subsonic. But fun guns don't need a good reason, they just need to make you smile.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Aside from better performance out of shorter barrels, even unsuppressed the 300BLK is quieter than a .223 for the same barrel length. It's a reloader's dream and cheap to shoot as you can easily cast for it.

 

[Bfish]

You gotta go with a 300blk! I run one suppressed and it really is my favorite gun to shoot!

I think the video below won't imbed because it's instagram, but there is a video of my 300 running full auto. Check it out!

[video]https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjcP3yDYwP/?taken-by=thefuninlife[/video]

 

[oezer35]

That looks crazy fun Bfish. Not sure if I'll run a suppressor in the near future bc of funds. But say I did go with an 8'5 upper 5.56 over the .300. How much "stopping power" am I giving up. I've read some articles online and it says the 5.56 just isn't good at all at that length of a barrel.

 

[Rookie]

I can't answer the stopping power, but I can tell you my 10.5 inch barrel is obnoxious. I couldn't imagine going shorter.

 

[AngryRooster]

That looks crazy fun Bfish. Not sure if I'll run a suppressor in the near future bc of funds. But say I did go with an 8'5 upper 5.56 over the .300. How much "stopping power" am I giving up. I've read some articles online and it says the 5.56 just isn't good at all at that length of a barrel.

Tons to read here:
The AR15.com Ammo Oracle

 

[Bfish]

If it were me I wouldn't go under 10" on a 5.56, I'm not saying you can't but at the length you want I'd stick with 300blk.

 

[bulletsmith]

You gotta go with a 300blk! I run one suppressed and it really is my favorite gun to shoot!

I think the video below won't imbed because it's instagram, but there is a video of my 300 running full auto. Check it out!

[video]https://www.instagram.com/p/BEjcP3yDYwP/?taken-by=thefuninlife[/video]

 

[throttletony]

If you're thinking SBR, then 300BLK is your better bet.
Full powder burn in about 8.5 inches of barrel, less flash, less concussion, and more power than a similar-barrel-length 5.56.

IF you reload, you'll like it and it's pretty reasonable - I can reload for about $0.25-.33/rd with fmj bullets for supersonic, currently dialing in some Barnes varmint grenades. If you cast lead, that price really drops and would be great for subsonics. If you *don't* reload, then the cost is a bit of a beast and ammo is not nearly as widely available.

 

[Broom_jm]

Lots of love for the 300, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. I shot a 300 Whisper, from a Contender action, over 20 years ago...didn't see what was so interesting back then, either.

I guess it's fun to just shoot them, and somehow it's more fun to shoot guns that are suppressed? I've shot everything from BB guns to a 50 BMG...I kinda like guns that make noise.

The final thought, for me, is the 5.56 is a very good varmint round, while the 300 BO/AAC/Whisper is a poor compromise on just about everything you would ask a gun to do...other than be quiet.