300 black out ....I dont get it

Not sure about this, I have a 10.5 inch pistol that has been flawless with and without a can HOWEVER I have only shot paper with it.

Curious to know what you folks think.

No not trolling, just trying to get different perspectives before I sell my upper

it does nothing really well. get a 6.8. shoots the Barnes 95 grain TTSX at 2800fps from a 16 barrel, that's something usefull about 1650 ftlbs energy.

It's  very capable as a home defense, or truckgun or deer slayer.  Keep in mind it has 50% more energy than a .44 magnum but is very shootable in a gas powered AR.

We see posts and articles like this occasionally, and I'd always answer..."it depends".  I would find the 10.5" barrel 300BO to be a "little" out of the norm because 9" is the optimum length for a suppressed 300BO.  IMO...note, "IMO"...the 9" is absolutely awesome for compactness and effectiveness when talking about suppressed.  I have one, and I use it a lot.  However, I live in the country, and it is ideal for stepping outside and shooting the occasional varmint within 100 yards of the house when the dog stirs something up...and with a 700 lumen Streamlight attached and a red dot it is equally effective at night.

OP, you mention just punching paper.  Heck, if that is the only use, I wouldn't even use any AR15.  Trying to make holes that go through each other or make larger ragged holes might be better served with a precision bolt rifle...and more fun.  For just blasting satisfaction, that indeed can be achieved by an AR15.  Frankly, questions like these can be so user specific as to be impossible to answer.

That said, if you're not shooting suppressed, maybe a 16" 300BO is more optimum.  The ballistic performance between a 9" and 16" 300BO isn't huge, but it is there...and with the 16" you get a better rifle buttstock without pistol or SBR requirements.  I think that helps with accuracy and such.  But again, if we're talking about punching paper, then I'd agree that neither version may be worth keeping.

Question OP...what do you have for home defense outside of a pistol?  In this case a suppressed 9" 300BO will not blow your eardrums out before you can get to your ear-pro, and it's compact enough to handle indoors when necessary.

I don’t give two craps about the.300 BO either, I prefer something else, but if your rifle is functioning correctly and accuracy is good, and getting the job done, I’d say it’s a keeper and quit second guessing yourself based on what someone else says, especially when his criticism is based on a rifle that does not function correctly like yours does.

That article isn't very objective. The author explains how 300blk is bested by other calibers in configurations/scenarios that are better suited to other calibers. If you want a 16" hog slaying gun, then there are better options. If you want a cheap blaster, there are better options. If you want a deer-capable AR15 platform, there are better options. Ok.

He claims that "the only real way the 300blk excels is subsonic." One of the ways 300blk excels is subsonic. I wouldn't recommend subsonic for hunting or defense, though, personally. I mean, people use it. But why would you if you can have significantly better energy and lethality out of literally the same package? Subs are great for 1) fun or 2) trying to kill the huge raccoon that keeps getting into the animal feed on the semi-rural farm that still has neighborhoods within hearing distance without alarming the neighbors and having the police called on you, etc.

But lets say you wanted to run a suppressed 7-8" barreled compact package for palmetto/heavy brush hog hunting or for home defense that maintains effective ballistics and won't require a 21oz "no minimum barrel restriction" silencer.... 6.8? 6.5? both are going to require a heavy duty silencer at those lengths, assuming their ballistics were even significantly better enough for you to care. 223? 7.5" ballistics are poor compared to 300blk and they don't play well with most cans. 7.62x39? meh, you can keep your finicky mags and (depending on brand/design) fragile bolt faces. 9mm (or other pistol rounds)? pfff... give me my rifle ballistics all day (and night) long.

Don't get me wrong. I see people who constantly defend 300blk as the best choice for deer or hogs or whatever - even a guy at work who insists it is his favorite round for elk . Those people are stupid. I'm not saying 300blk is incapable of performing more or less adequately in some of those situations - it is similar in many ways to the venerable 30-30 - but it's true that there are simply better options.

Where the 300blk shines is in a very compact suppressed package where you want maximized lethality in the smallest package possible. Which... coincidentally... was what it was designed specifically to be. It isn't a 300 yard elk round, but if you want something extremely small for tight spaces/minimal storage footprint without sacrificing as much in effectiveness, then the 300blk is great.

I personally own several 300blk builds, but they are all between 7.0 and 8.5", suppressed. I also have a 12" 6.5 grendel, a 10.5" 7.62x39 Mutant, several 556 SBRs between 10 and 14.5". If I want the smallest package, it's the 300blk. In fact, the only 16" barreled AR15 I own is a 6.5 Grendel (other than a few 14.5 pinned rifles... and a 16" Aero 308 build). Everything is either longer or shorter depending on the caliber and intended use.

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That article is probably the single most famous example of stupid writing about the .300 in existence.

That said - these are the main reasons for .300:

- Works well with *really* short barrels, with or without a can
- Works with subs and supers without changing parts
- Uses 5.56 bolts
- Fits well with what some people already reload (cutting down 5.56 brass and using .308 projos)

If you don't care about any of those and/or want to shoot past 250 or so, get a 5.56 or a 6.5G.   Those are a ton cheaper to shoot.

Otherwise - you are not going to get anything else that does as good a job shooting 110gr projectiles at 2000+ fps in that small of a package.

I really like mine
ammo is expensive
reloading ammo is expensive and time consuming (compared to 223) 30 cal bullets are pricy, making brass is a PITA

shooting the 300bo convinved me to try a 7.62x39 AR, I now have 4 of them and can shoot them all day long for just a few bucks in cheap russian ammo.

I haven't shot the 300bo since 2016

If you dont like it, just get a decent 5.56 barrel, take 15 minutes to swap them out, and GTG.  Thats what I intend to do with my 300BLK if we dont get movement on supressors here soon.  There are plenty pf really great, but cheap, 5.56 barrels out there now.

I own 2 300BO’s. One 16 inch barrel, the other is 10 inch waiting on a suppressor. Also own a 12.5 inch barreled 308. Will be trying the suppressor on both to see how it goes. If Hornady would get off their ass and ship the 190 grain sub, things will look up. Reloading costs are almost the same as commercial ammo but reloaders can tweak the round. Overal it’s a fair caliber. Has its place for certain applications. Easy to buy uppers to swap out with other uppers of different calibers. What’s not to like about it.

All I have is an AAC Handi Rifle and I have to say it is one of the most fun guns I own.

I got rid of my SBR AR barrel and switched to 9mm. Does the same thing for me (punching paper, goofing off, home defense) and loading ammo is roughly 1/4 the cost.

That said, I'm with the above poster. If you want to hunt medium game with it where distance is a consideration 6.8 whips the BLK.

I have a 8.5" that I keep as a truck gun, unsupressed, works well for killing yotes (supersonic) it's very compact and fits easily almost anywhere. It's great for personal protection when I want more than a handgun on the way home from work. I have taken deer with at under 50yds (supersonic) and it has worked well for that too. That 300blk is not for everyone there are better calibers out there. I only have one now, I used to have 3. My Deer gun is 14.5" 450 Bushmaster, and I have a 6.5 12.5" Grendel that replaced my 14.5" and 10.5" 300blk.

If it works fine why would you dump it over an article?  Who cares what the 'paper commandos' wrote.  Nothing wrong with shooting 300 BO on paper, or 308, or 5.7x28, IMO.  The 300 BO has its own niche just like any wild cat cartridge out there.  The next big deal is the Valkyrie so I bet some paper commando is going to write an article as to why he/she doesn't get it just because 6.5 Grendel is already out there doing its things within the similar cartridge envelope.

Sell it if you don't want to play with it anymore, but don't sell it just because someone wrote they don't get it

This x1000.

I find that 300 blk is a toy. Great for having expensive fun shooting. If you want to effectively kill things go with 6.8.

.300 works well for my needs, I don’t shoot beyond 100 yards, and I like the performance vs cost out of both 8” and 16” barrels.
I don’t reload anymore so I like the wide variety of ammo available, and it’s gotten a lot cheaper.

If cost is your biggest concern then it’s hard to beat .223, steel cased 7.62x39 or 6.5 Grendel. Or 9mm.

I’m seeing more platforms in .300bo, so that seems to be good for ammo availability. And it’s probably the cheapest variant to try since you only need a .300 barrel.

I’ve also had good results with some hand loaded .300bo using cast bullets. So if I start reloading again I’d probably cast my own bullets as well.

I enjoy .300 BLK but it is a range toy for me or small critter getter. I like how it excels in short barrels and has a nice subsonic selection. It’s more enjoyable to shoot than a blowback pistol AR. It’s not something that I’m going to put a ton of rounds through but it really shines in the fun department of short and quiet.

I originally got my 300 for a compact home defense and discreet bug out weapon. At the time I was
Living deep behind enemy lines (Seattle) Do in a dense urban environment it makes sense. To clarify: punching paper is not the only intended purpose.

My concern is terminal ballistics atone hundred meters. I
Love shooting this thing suppressed but the suppressed handgun works well for in the house. As a truck gun it’s compact and easy to conceal in The right bag.

That being said my 566 upper has cheaper ammonia is very loud - think urban suburban areas-

I appreciate the well thought out reply’s

Replied with phone apologies for autocorrect

I’ve shot a lot of hogs that didn’t react as if the 300 is a toy. What a load of bullshit.

To me, it serves one purpose....Home defense.

Running the heavy, subsonic pills, suppressed, makes it a pretty cool round.

For anything else you would want to do with an AR15, there is a better round to do it, IMO.

If you switch to 7.62x39 you should be able to use the same suppressor. Ammo is $10/40rnds at Walmart. Only thing is there aren't factory subs.

I've never gotten into .300. just never impressed me. Not saying it's a bad round, but ammo is to expensive for me. I don't know why wolf or tula haven't started selling ammo for it yet?

I built up a cheap 16inch 300blk to serve as a short range hunting rifle and that is it.  I am considering replacing the barrel with a 6.5g or 224 and turning it into a long range rifle

I can't bring myself to do a 16" upper in 300 BO because 6.5 G is just superior at every distance and the recoil feels the same to me.

Just no reason to have one 16" long when the extra length doesn't get you better ballistics.

well I would just dump the 300 blackout and move on . I think I will keep mine . I kill deer with subs and I kill deer with supers and several varmints around the farm . the odd thing is when I shoot something in the vitals with the 300 blackout they die just like when I shoot them with any other gun I own . bizzare huh?

Like others said, don't sell it because of a single article from a person that says they don't get it.... others get it.

If it does what you want, keep it. If not, find something else.

I'm keeping mine because it's compact and it's not expensive to shoot if you reload. I also have 223, 6.8 and 7.62x39, but the 300blk seems to be our favorite range toy.

I couldn't find a complete 6.5g upper I liked at the time in my price range and I didn't want to deal with a pistol.

The Bear creek barrels are so cheap I'm tempted to buy one but I want it to be moa at least and not positive bca offers that

Save yourself a headache and don't buy that.  It's cheap for a reason, from my experience.

For MOA + affordable, I strongly recommend Ballistic Advantage.  If you want a complete upper, check out the packages over at Aero Precision, who now own Ballistic Advantage.

I run Toolcraft BCGs on my 6.5G builds and have been picking them up at Monmouth Reloading for about $89.

Feel free to IM if you have any questions about building or just buying a 6.5G upper.  I have built 12.5", 14.5" P&W, 16" & 20" over the past year and have become pretty familiar with the platform.

I really like 300 BO, for the record.  I just can't see building anything other than a short pistol length in that offering since running the barrel past 10.5" provides negligible benefits.

The article isn’t objective at all. Constantly coming off as a ssk fanboy that was butthurt over aac getting it standardized and non proprietary. Constantly complaining about cycling issues unless using a “wierd” pistol length gas system. Etc etc.

300 blk is a niche round. It has a definate purpose with pro’s and cons like every caliber. Until someone develops a phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range, we are going to have to decide what caliber is the best hammer for the intended nail.  As far as punching paper, anything can do that. Use what you like.  I had a .50ae desert eagle once, just because!  Did it serve any purpose other than making salad bowls out of flat sheets of 1/4” mild steel, nope, but it made me smile with every trigger pull. If you like your 300 blk, enjoy it. If you have it because it was an impulse buy or you don’t have a purpose for it, trade it for something you want.

Best way to put it. don't like it, move on to something you like! It is a niche caliber. Close range and suppressed it what its made for. Am trying myself to make my 16 inch barreled setup good at 200 yards. Once my suppressor comes in, my 10 inch will be tested. don't expect much more!

Switching to 7.62x39 in the shorter barrel lengths gets you a rifle that isn't practical without a can, though.    And if you're going to go with a ~12" barrel instead... might as well go Grendel.

There just isn't much range toy factor with .300 unless you have absurdly deep pockets.   People buying them for that reason are mostly going to be disappointed.

How is a 762x39 rifle in shorter barrel lengths any less practical than 300 without a can?

This is correct.

300 BO is optimal in a barrel between 7.5" & 10.5", suppressed, with subsonic pills.

Given the above, for engagements within 25 yards with 2 legged threats, it's pretty compelling.

Otherwise, get a Grendel!

Here's my 300BO story.

I first built a 9" 300BO pistol as a PDW, SBR'd it later, it won out over a 9mm of the equivalent barrel length in the terms of terminal ballistics.  I run a 6" F1 Ti can on it using 110gr supersonic handloads, I have even killed a couple of deer with it with impressive results.  Out of curiosity, or boredom, I built a 16" version in an attempt to get more velocity using CMMG Multi-role barrel for small field deer hunting.  I only killed one deer with it this past year, a shot I could have made with the SBR.  Both uppers shoot around 1 MOA and sometimes a little less.

Load:
Converted LC 5.56 brass.
19.5 Gr of H110
110 Gr Hornady VMax.

MV 9" SBR: 2150 FPS (avg)
MV 16" carbine: 2348 FPS (avg)

I've considered breaking down the 16" upper and converting it to a 6.5 Grendel or a 224 Valkyrie, because I'm curious or just bored.  Hey, deer season will be here again before you know it.

If you handload its not even expensive to shoot in my opinion.

Its fun to shoot if you own a supressor.

It uses regular AR parts besides barrel.

110-125gr bullets are a great defensive round.

Did I say subs are fun?

I would never get rid of my 300 BO pistol build.

It's a very niche round, but it does fill it's niche very well.

300 BO will continue to be my HD gun.

I own a 10.5" and an 8".

I don't hunt, so I'll probably end up selling the 10.5" upper.

I cant see anything taking the place of my 8" for HD anytime soon though.

I almost went .300 BLK. I used to reload a ton of .308 and had a few thousand appropriate projectiles for the .300, plus 8lb of an appropriate powder that I had fdom magnum handguns.

Still, I ended up going .277 Wolverine because it does everything better except it is slightly less effective with subs (just a smaller, slightly lighter pill at the same subsonic velocity).

I've had a great run with the Blackout, I even sold converted brass for a couple of years.

Pigs North of Austin,  Most shooting at night, cheap converted brass and 2nds 125 gr Ballistic tips shot supersonic, suppressed out of a 9 inch barrel killed them great with good shot placement.

Self loaded ammo was cheap enough, and I wasn't loosing SSA 6.8 brass or the coveted 6.5G Lapua Brass!!

I think the 277 Wolverine would work great with the 2nds gold dots or even a the 90 TnTs.  Maybe some day.

Pigs get 6.5 now.

Prime reason for me switching is Wolf ammo in the Grendel.  SBR with a can checks all the boxes, #1 cheap ammo and I don't have to reload for it.  Wolf is accurate enough, and no good brass loss.

My kids shoot lots of hogs too, so I don't have to load them ammo either, lol    HD ARs are 6.8s with Pmags and 85gr TSX ammo, I'm bailing on the Blackout, part due to subs suck on pigs.

In the future I'd like to try a 30 cal in a 6.8 case with a 1'7 twist barrel, 8 inch :)  only if it works in a six8 setup, supers will be superb, and subs are fun to play with.  Might not happen, Wolf 6.5G for the win!!

I have an 8" suppressed 300BLK SBR that I really, really like. Ibuilt it several years ago but it's mostly on HD duty these days. I figured after it had been out for a while there would be more, cheaper options for factory ammo. The cost of the ammo is the only downside, IMO.

I bought and sold 2 uppers before I build my most recent in 300BO. I wanted something short, not a pistol round, and not crazy loud. For me, that's an 8" upper in 300BO. I will get a can for it eventually, too. but really for punching paper or plinking steel a 22 upper is just as fun and way cheaper. I don't care about loading for it since I don't load for rifle, and the price difference won't be crazy since I see using under 200 rounds a year on it.

short 223 uppers suck hard, and I imagine even harder indoors with no plugs. not interested in that game.

I have downed quite a few hogs with 300blk. It is one of my favorite rounds right now. Keep in mind, this round was designed to use in close quarters, and out of a compact design. Most hogs I have downed have been within 100 yards and I have no intentions of shooting it past 100. For that purpose, it is great. If I wanted to get more range out of an AR, I would use a different round.

What grain of bullet are you using for hogs? Wouldn’t mide going down south for a hog shoot with my 300BO. After seeing the video of the hog charging that guy after the 1st shot, would want to make sure I have the right round. I like the Barnes 110 Tac bullet so far.

200gn maker bullets.  Subsonic from 70yds.  7.5" 300bo suppressed.

Looks completely fake! We all know that a subsonic 300BLK is only capable of wounding chipmunks at less than 20 yards.

That was obviously a 50BMG or maybe something a little more powerful like a 6.5 grendel because there is no way that video is a 300BLK as we all have read on the internet that anything shot with a 300BLK will barely bleed and run at least another 2 kilometers before getting tired and dying of exhaustion.

Of course the truth is I have shot many hogs that size with the 300BLK both supers and subs. Most of the supers (110gr black tips) will pass through 200lb hogs after full expansion so I started using subs. I have been using the Lehigh defense 194gr subsonic and getting similar results to what you got on the video. I will have to take a closer look at those maker bullets as they seem to be almost half the cost and for hogs spending $70 to shoot 50 of them doesn't seem worth it. Then again spending 8k in night vision/thermal to find and hunt them seems a little ridiculous but I have yet to hear anyone complain about that.

Not asked of me but yes 110 Black tip is best.   110 Vmax are also good killers.   There are times when you shoot a large boar with 5.56 or 300 in the neck and they drop right there......and other times you shoot a mid size or smaller hog with 6.8 or .308 and they just absorb hit after hit after hit.   Shot placement is key but they are tenacious, strong, animals.

Those were the controlled fracturing bullets.  He only does a few runs per year.  But I am sure the expanding pills will do just as well.

And the other 2.

Son and I fire simultaneously.



I shot this one, a little miscommunication. She barely twitched.



All same guns and bullets.

Nice!

Now that I have a thermal that can record as soon as the temps warm up I will be taking and recording the same thing.

This ^^^^

Before the 300BLK it was the .308 and I gut shot a 150lb pig that split his belly yet continued to run and dump for over 150 yards. I have hit them with the .308 where it rolls them over then they get up and I have to put 2 more into it. I have also DRT many with the .308 and the 300BLK as you said shot placement usually works pretty good but sometimes bullets do weird things and even a nice neck, ear shot won't drop them right away.

My suppressed .300 SBR is a SUPER fun machine to shoot all day in my yard and not offend the few neighbors nearby. I just adore the damn thing.
So, I built a .300 pistol for commonality of ammo. I keep it bedside. ALSO a ton of fun in the yard, but a bit louder.

But nowhere near as loud as my 5.56's, which my wife hates when I shoot. So those are all going to the kids.

That said, I knew that reloading would be necessary to keep the costs in line with 5.56
The high cost is the pills. But if you keep an eye out, you can shoot cheap. Just bought 4000 Lapua 220gr. Scenar-L's for less than 0.25 apiece. 110gr Varmageddons for a little less than those.

I'm a big fan. YMMV.

I've been putting down deer (at work) with my suppressed 300blk sbr and supersonics.

I just built a new 7.5" 300blk sbr pdw that will go with my new Sandman-K as my be all short suppressed rifle.