Awhile back I posted a thread called, 5.56 vs. 6.8 vs .300blackout.  I have it narrowed down to the 5.56 and the .300blackout, so leave the 6.8 out of this. I never told you guys what I would use it for, so here is my list.
1. Hunting deer and coyote out to 350yrds, but most shots under 250yrds
2. Informal target shooting out to 350yrds.
3. Plinking, I go shooting about 4-5 times a month, and I would shoot about 100-200 rounds each time I go.
4. Will get a suppressor in a year or two.
5. Teaching younger kids how to shoot.

I would like a good choice of bullets, because I reload.  Can you get 20 rounds of Remington UMC .300Blackout for less then $20 shipped.   My upper will be from PSA.

Edit.  Local gun store does not carry .300Blackout, that is why I asked about the UMC.  I would like to be able to get 100 rounds for less then $60 for the 5.56 or .300blk, if it is possible, but it doesn't matter.
Thanks.

I Would just build two uppers.  But that's me

I would to, but I don't have the money

Neither of those two will carry the energy or the velocity from a 16" barrel to reliably get the job done on deer at 350 yards, or 300 even.

With the 5.56 and a 77gr bullet

0 -2.6 *** 0.0 *** 2758.6 2.471 1300.9 0.000 0.0 ***
100 1.5 1.4 0.9 0.9 2507.5 2.246 1074.8 0.114 20.1 19.2
200 -0.0 -0.0 3.9 1.9 2269.9 2.033 880.8 0.240 42.2 20.2
300 -8.2 -2.6 9.3 3.0 2045.3 1.832 715.1 0.379 66.7 21.2
400 -24.8 -5.9 17.4 4.2 1834.4 1.643 575.3 0.534 94.0 22.4
500 -51.8 -9.9 28.8 5.5 1630.5 1.460 454.4 0.707 124.5 23.8


.300 BLK and the 110gr V max

(yd)(in)(MOA)(in)(MOA)(ft/s)(none)(ft•lbs)(s)(in)(MOA)
0 -2.6 *** 0.0 *** 2309.7 2.069 1302.8 0.000 0.0 ***
100 3.0 2.8 1.5 1.5 2028.6 1.817 1005.0 0.139 24.4 23.3
200 -0.0 -0.0 6.6 3.1 1769.0 1.585 764.2 0.297 52.3 25.0
300 -14.1 -4.5 15.8 5.0 1535.0 1.375 575.4 0.479 84.3 26.8
400 -43.1 -10.3 29.9 7.1 1333.0 1.194 434.0 0.689 121.3 29.0
500 -91.7 -17.5 49.3 9.4 1172.2 1.050 335.6 0.930 163.6 31.3

You pass that threshold at just about 200 yards with the BLK, and just over 200 with the 5.56.  So honestly neither would be good for the longer ranges of hunting you're talking about.

As far as the target shooting, I see the 5.56 as better , since the trajectory is more forgiving, especially to new shooters.

You won't get cheaper plinking ammo than 5.56/.223 so it wins there as well.

Supressed, 30 BLK has the edge for energy.

My decision on that, would be in regards to how much of my time with that rig I will be shooting suppressed.

I think your missing the boat for discounting the 6.8. 300 is a boutique round with a very small applicability for most people. Its the rage right now and has decent backing but for a all around cartridge, its not the best. I think most people only look at how cool it is being suppressed/subsonic and don't undestand what they will be giving up to the other rounds.



more fun/plinking=556,

hunting/ LR =6.8



 

I was talking to some of my friends, and they have not shot any of their deer past 200yrds, with most being taken at about 150yrds or less.  So both of these rounds would be good for hunting at these ranges, I do agree that you can't beat the price of 5.56 pliking ammo. I do like the minimal recoil of the 5.56, and faster sight recovery. But I have a lot of .30 cal bullets that I could load into the blackout, and have nothing for the 5.56.  Is there anything else that I am missing that I should know about these two rounds?? Thanks.
Edit: TaylorWSO, I just saw your post, and I will take it into consideration.  I'll update you guys on what I will be doing.

OP, you know I've been 100% straight with you , and for the most part, have provided you with factual information , and my opinions based on that info. I suggest that you cool down with it, and take your time and research some more.

I won't tell you what to buy, but just to research, and use real numbers and be objective about it.

You have stated reasons why certain calibers aren't for you.

Make a list, just an old fashioned list.

And good luck.

Well in my honest opinion, the AR15 was and is designed for 5.56 so that's what it should shoot. You can suppress the 5.56 pretty well, plus its cheaper to shoot. As for a deer gun its possible to get them at 200 with it but it's going to take a lot of patience. I say get the 5.56 and don't look back

I primary run 5.56mm and 300BLK for my AR-15 right now. I shoot mainly suppressed which is why I really like the 300BLK for being really quiet. If you want to hunt under 100 yards and not wear hearing protection then 300BLK subsonic suppressed is great. If you want to hunt over 100 yards then you'll have to move to supersonic ammo, although 300 yards would be really pushing it for this round. With 5.56mm I have shot man sized targets out to 500 yards no problem. I don't hunt very much though. But my friends that do hunt say 5.56mm can get the job done with a well placed shot, but prefer the AK-47 in 7.62x39mm which has about the same ballistics as the 300BLK supersonic. One thing is I really like my 5.56mm for shooting a lot since ammo is cheap and plentiful. While 300BLK ammo is still expensive to shoot and harder to find. If this is your first AR-15 then go 5.56mm for sure so you can shoot a lot, and then pick up a 300BLK later on.

Thanks for all of your input, I will rethink my choices, and make a list of what I want and go from there. I'll keep everyone updated on what I will be doing.

Kinda bummed...I love my 6.8. I use it for whitetail and pig.

6.8 is what your shooting for with your list. Very accurate with the right barrel out to distances past the 5.56 and way past the 300 blk. I loved mine, just got tired of the prices of ammo and having to reload all the time. The 6.8 will take down any of the game in north america for the most part. I still don't see why the military gave up on that round. I mean when you shoot it you feel like your shooting a 5.56 on steriods because of the small recoil is has but you can tell it packs more of a punch. I put down a deer last year with mine that was riddled. I shot it twice real quick to make sure it didn't run down a big mountian off our property and it dropped in it's tracks. When I cut it open I had never seen that much damage with my .270 before. Yep same caliber bullet but different balistics. The 270 punches right on through and doesn't give the bullet time to do it's job. The 6.8 dumps all it's energy in the deer and does major damage. It's kind of like a 45 to a 9mm. A 45 flies a much slower speed but dumps all it's energy in whatever it hits causing much more damage. Of course the type or bullets you choose will also have a factor but in my case I used the exact same type bullet in 270 as I did in 6.8 exact one was a 110 grain pro hunter and one was a 130 grain in the 270.

I am thinking about getting a 6.8 now.  It looks like it would do better then the other two rounds.  I'll keep everyone updated

I would get a 5.56 if I where you. You want to teach people how to shoot, plink, and deer hunt. You can do all that with the cheaper 5.56 round.

Go spend some time over on 68forums and read up.

That is a 100% no nonsense site. I have seen several people be told that the 6.8 was not the best thing for them after answering their questions since it didn't really suit their needs.

They won't try and push you into one if it looks like it won't be a good fit.

The .300 Blackout with heavy subsonic loads is popular for use with suppressors.  If you reload couldn't the 6.8 with heavy for caliber bullets, say 160gr, loaded down to subsonic velocity be used the same way?  The load data might be a little difficult to find but I'm sure it could be found somewhere.  It seems that would be a more all around caliber but still be useful with a suppressor.

Pavlovwolf, Just joined the 68forum, and posted my questions over there.  Thanks for the advice.

The issues would be (in my mind) getting the heavy bullet to stabilize properly (depends on barrel twist rate obviously) and getting the AR15 platform to cycle properly with subs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's futile to try to suppress a supersonic round as the bullet makes a "crack" sound when it breaks the sound barrier. My cousin has a suppressed .22 handgun that he brought to the house to shoot. Much to his chagrine, he has to buy the expensive sub-sonic ammunition for the suppressor to be effective. Almost anything else makes the "crack".

  GG