School me on 300 Blackout

[Yondering]

The claim to fame for the 300 BO seem subsonic and the AR platform,

That's only half of it. It's real "claim to fame" is as a dual-use cartridge, that can duplicate 7.62x39 (AK) ballistics and also run quiet subsonic loads from the same platform. People who try to put it in a "subsonic only" category are missing its versatility.

[bknilvr00]

I appreciate all the responses. Good food for thought. I really like the AR platform. That's why I'm not really looking at bolt guns. 308 would be awesome, but that immediately takes the price over 1k. I'd like to build one or perhaps two myself, because it's more than just buying a gun. My wife is getting into hunting, and I figure if she is involved in building the weapon she uses, she will be more familiar, comfortable, and confident with it. 300 seemed to be a ringer on caliber, because it has the performance on paper, but also the swap is as easy as a barrel change. Provided you don't have cycling issues etc....  Now 6.8 is also an option. But now it requires more caliber specific parts. So cost changes a bit. Seems like I'm in a damned if you do damned if you don't position.

[carpsniperg2]

Cycling issues can be a real pain when getting a blackout up and running. You will have the best luck with a shorter gas tube. Some have even been even putting pistol length gas tubes on 16" barrels and have been having good luck with them. The 300 with a carbine tube is still ok but on some light loads they can be goofy.

I have put probably 1000 rounds through several guns, both semi auto and bolt guns. With subsonic, loads the action cycling in a semi auto is louder then the shot with a suppressor. In a bolt gun it is truly nearly silent. If you are running a semi auto and just look at the noise coming from the bullet going down range it's nearly silent as well. The clank of running a semi auto is not the factor you look at when it come to hearing protection and being able to run suppressed

[Fl0und3rz]

The claim to fame for the 300 BO seem subsonic and the AR platform,

That's only half of it. It's real "claim to fame" is as a dual-use cartridge, that can duplicate 7.62x39 (AK) ballistics and also run quiet subsonic loads from the same platform. People who try to put it in a "subsonic only" category are missing its versatility.

True. The point was that the 7.62x39 does 7.62x39, but cheaper.  It doesn't do subsonic (conventionally), and it doesn't do AR that well from many accounts.  That's where the 300 BO stands out, IMO.

[superdown]

I am somewhat interested in a 300 blackout in a single shot pistol platform. Does anyone have success stories and or pictures of game taken with the round?

[bknilvr00]

Ok so I have done more reading. Anyone rocking a 6.5 grendel AR? Thoughts?

[carpsniperg2]

Yes and its a better choice then the 300blk for hunting.

[h20hunter]

Done. Just have Carp get you an upper for your current shooter. Done.

[lamrith]

Yes and its a better choice then the 300blk for hunting.

Probably one of the best AR calibers imho.  You have a hunting legal caliber in most states, very mellow recoil, 6.5 bullets have phenominal BC so they fly farther and flatter than 308.  Fits in Std AR15, in fact it is only bolt (not full bcg), barrel and mags to convert.  You CAN get away with AR mags though some people have feeding issues, so just grab a few 6.5 mags and you are set.  People have taken elk to 400yrds with the caliber, but like anything you need to do the research and understand round limitations and make proper bullet/shot choice.  The 6.5 as a bullet has been taking large game for centuries, but you have to make sure it has energy on target.

This is not a subsonic oriented caliber though like 300blk is designed to do.

Could just make things easy on yourself, Just get both like I did!

[Goshawk]

Besides the energy, the other real trick is matching bullets that will expand at the 6.5 velocities.

What bullets have you found that give good expansion performance at these lower velocities?

[Biggerhammer]

Besides the energy, the other real trick is matching bullets that will expand at the 6.5 velocities.

What bullets have you found that give good expansion performance at these lower velocities?

Holes kill things period! At 496 yards with a 120gr Nosler Ballistic tip from a 6.5 Grendel 16" carbine. I have watched the bullet pass completely through a mature mule deer. Center punched the lungs, the buck walked backward for 4 or 5 steps after the hit and dropped. Done deal.

Same deal at 302 yards on another buck, bang Flop! He slightly raised his head after he dropped and got another through the throat.

[JDHasty]

I have three AR15s.  A Competition H-Bar, a Match H-Bar and a Remington R15 that is very light and very accurate.  The first two are misery to tote in the field and the third one is a bit better.  I hunt predators with it though because of double call ins.  I would not hunt deer with one by choice and that goes triple for an AR10.

As for the round, it is OK in the hands of an expert tracker.   

[lamrith]

Besides the energy, the other real trick is matching bullets that will expand at the 6.5 velocities.

What bullets have you found that give good expansion performance at these lower velocities?

Not that hard to figure out, know the velocity the rounds open at, many popular ones are 1800ish if I recall correctly (450yrds with my setup), the 129ABLR is 1300 (800yrds with my setup)..  Metal projectile hitting living flesh and bone at over 1000fps.
As Biggerhammer said, put it where it belongs and go fill your freezer.
Pretty much every firearm has significantly more energy than archery gear at impact.  MODERN archery equipment is only putting out KE in the 70-80ft/# range.  And the old traditional gear that produces significantly less energy has been taking game for centuries.  placement placement placement.  Take out both lungs and you have a dead animal that will not go far if at all.

As for AR hunting, not as bad as some make it seem.  They are no heavier than a bolt gun depending on set-up.  My AR with HEAVY glass and mount is 9.75#.  The gun itself with just iron sights though is 7.4# which is right in line with many bolt guns.

[JDHasty]

"As for AR hunting, not as bad as some make it seem.  They are no heavier than a bolt gun depending on set-up.  My AR with HEAVY glass and mount is 9.75#.  The gun itself with just iron sights though is 7.4# which is right in line with many bolt guns."

They are miserable to carry in the field compared to a bolt action, lever action or a single shot. It is due to how they are configured and sometimes the weight.  "Not as bad..." kind of sums it up for me, they are tolerable IF I am getting value added and only when I am getting value added by choosing an AR.  For the most part, unless I am predator calling a I just simply don't care to use an AR because they are not as easy to pack around in the field all day at the ready as is a conventional rifle or carbine.  If I am hauling it in and setting up that makes an AR a good choice for me, but for my purposes that is the only situation that I can think of where I would not MUCH rather be using a good bolt gun in the field. 

As for the effectiveness of the round?  It is marginal at best, IF you are an expert tracker it is probably OK.  It is not going to ever be a round that delivers reliable massive internal organ destruction and as a person who has seen blacktails shot through both lungs with a 12 ga slug go a hundred yards I would not recommend it for hunting in western Washington where heavy brush and heavy rain make a good HEAVY blood trail a necessity.  A deer with a 30 caliber entrance wound and no exit wound that goes a few hundred yards has a pretty good chance of not being tracked and this round simply does not have much energy and therefore terminal performance of the bullet is going to be very dependent on what range you shoot the game at.   

[Biggerhammer]

There's 20 plus AR chamberings other than .223/5.56 plenty capable of taking game at distance?