What is the appeal or reason for the 300 Black Out...

seems putting the same twisted 30 Caliber barrel and using a 7.62 x 39 Case instead,
would give one a round a little faster and much easier to form and get load data for?

was someone just trying to reinvent the wheel?

You can convert a 5.56 rifle to .300 Blackout using the standard bolthead and magazines (and with the same number of rounds per mag). This would not be true of a round based on 7.62x39.

Something new for the civilian spec-ops warriors?

Subsonic hunting rounds with a suppressor.

the 300 blackout in supersonic version is not despite the claims to be so "as much" as a 30-30 but if you use good 110 grain bullets it will kill deer at close ranges just fine because I did it one year. At a dollar a shot for the factory barnes 110 tax-tx 300 bo ammo can put you in the ammo poor house only to get 2200 fps or so! I just let mine go, its not anything special for hunting and the 6.8spc is a much better hunting round which can be reloaded with up to 130 grain bullets. The M1 Carbine is the closest relative to the supersonic black out in my opinion.

I bought one....selling it...maybe in a AR it might make sense. I wanted it use it as a low recoil deer/caribou killer.

Then I realized I can just run H-4895 in my 308s and do the same thing and then step it up as the kiddos get older from there all in the same rifle. If I want subsonic trailboss in the .308 will get me there as well.

I have been shooting a 224Blackout for years. Great little round.

+1

I sold mine. I figure a hit in the noggin with a 75 grain AMAX will drop all home intruders.

The 300 BO is a solution looking for a problem.

The 300 blk out, is a turd that you can't make shine no matter how hard you rub it. even the spec ops people don't use it. Rio7

Cutting Edge Bullets 100 gr. Flat Base Raptor 2485-2500 fps with 20.3 gr. WW 296 in 16 1/2" barrel.... .50" at 100 yards.....6 northern whitetails bucks....2 -300 lbs. black bears....10'-8" gator.... DRT.....

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/308-100gr-flat-base-raptor

If you like Sub-Sonic with a suppresser .....Cutting Edge Bullets 190 gr. Subsonic 1020 fps with 10.4 gr. Accurate 1680 in 16 1/2" barrel.... .30" at 50 yards......

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/308-190gr-subsonic-raptor

Great for kids or recoil shy woman or anyone else....beats 30-30 everyday....

Correct.....that was my thought as wel until I realized I could run the same velocities with those bullets in a .308 win, but the 300 blackout can run full house 308 win loads or even come close. .308 just more versatile unless you are trying to fit it on the AR-15 platform I guess.

I like it, myself. It's a .30 carbine on steroids, which is hardly a bad thing. Runs well Super or subsonic. Same magazines and bolt heads as a 5.56.

Hodgdon has revised their data for Lil'Gun in the .300, and exceed 2400fps with 125's.

Because if there isn't a niche somebody will create one.

Mike

I have an acquaintance who will let me kill coyotes on his place if I use a suppressed .300 Blackout. He suggested this specifically. If I kill ten coyotes I can hunt big game there. So for me it is the only solution to this single problem.

Suppressed AR was the reason . but it does make a very low recoil short range deer killer . think youth rifle

I don't have a problem with it.

tag

It's been around a long time, was originally invented as the .300 Whisper, the .221 Fireball necked up, in Contenders. Eventually was adopted & renamed as the .300 blackout by AAC.

The 7.62x39 has a larger case head, which theoretically makes the bolt less strong in the AR. The case has a pronounced taper and needs special magazines. The Russian round has a .310 Groove barrel, and bullet selections are not as good, though it may work with some .308 bullets.

The .300BO uses the same mags, bolt head, and can be easily made from 5.56 cases Load data is plentiful, and many folks are making special bullets for it. The .30 Caliber supersonic bullets are readily available.

have two.........Ruger ARR bolt gun.........Aero Precision AR........

why not ? cheap brass........Nozler 2nds boolits................fun & accurate !

In the AR platform, same bolt, same mags, more thump. A modern 30-30 is what it is.

I think it would be a fun little pig gun when suppressed with heavy for caliber sub-sonics, but some of the load data I see for the lighter bullet weights looks a lot like 30-30 data so i don't really see the point in that part of it.

I have an upper on order from Primary Arms.....will let you know

I thought I wanted a Remington Model Seven in 300 Black Out, but never pursued it.

It's for the 'kiddies' who envision being a wannabe sniper or SEAL!!

Also.....SALES!!

Why not? I've got no use for it, but as Old Jack once said, shooting is all about fun and games. Personally, I'm pretty sure a 5.6x45 or .223 is the best route to cheap and easy fun, but everybody has their own notions about stuff. Not my job to discourage them.

That's kinda the way I think and i've been thinking about one for a while.

The 300 Whisper was designed for the AR platform, that is why it is the 221 fireball necked up for 220-250 gr bullets subsonic. Yes plenty of contender barrels have been chambered in 300 whisper, but it wasn't the original platform for the round.

As far as the appeal, if you want a suppressed semi auto platform for subsonic rounds, there aren't that many options out there. 9mm and 45 being the primary ones, but they really aren't great rounds for extended ranges. The 300 whisper/Blackout is an option for trying to maximize what can be done with a suppressed subsonic round.

I tried it and found it interesting, but it didn't trip my trigger. I'll be posting a complete HM Defense upper to the classifieds later today if anyone is interested.

Old70

300 Black Out? Why?

I have no idea whatsoever!

Trystan

I see it as a great deal for someone that's short on money. If you already have a AR15 your just a Christmas present away from having a possibly better deer or hog round. A CZ 455, AR15 and a shotgun is a pretty good 3 gun battery for the south. You add a spare barrel to each and you have a lot of options with not a lot of money tied up only having to buy two scopes.

It has never appealed to me.

I was out shooting my Fireball today. It is a great one.

Seafire, I asked the same question in a Facebook reloading group and was nearly crucified for my heresy of even questioning the point.

The 300 Blackout really only shines in a very small specialized area. That would be one none of us could realize. If the RRA LAR-PDS fitted with a shoulder stock and made full auto were considered it would make one hell of a sub gun. Beyond that I don't know.

At one point I saw a bunch of folks wanting them for whitetail deer. The idea is that 300 Blackout is like a 30-30 only better. It isn't. 30-30 has bigger case capacity, so it is always going to have better potential. It's funny. There's a lot of confusion at that end of the spectrum. You see all sorts rounds being favorably compared to 30 WCF:

7.62X39
357 Magnum
300 Blackout
etc.

No. I'm not a big fan of 30 WCF to begin with. These other rounds are something less. I'm not saying they're bad rounds, and you can kill a whitetail deer with them. You just are not going to have the same performance as a 30-30.

Some folks here hunt hogs with suppressed .300 Blackouts in the AR's so they can kill more hogs out of a big group.

That said, it has a rainbow trajectory and everyone I've known who's owned one has sold it fairly quickly.

The 7.62x39 is far superior in all respects except one...

The BLK uses the far better range of .308 calibre bullets. Other than that I can't see why you'd pick the BLK, unless you're shooting suppressed.

The basic cartridge was designed for the military. The goal was to create a subsonic cartridge that would feed from a suppressed AR and be lethal out to 100 yards. The original .300 Whisper used a 200-grain pointed soft point bullet. It was never originally intended to be either a hunting round or for civilian use. However, it was unique enough that neither rifle loonies nor the tacti-cool crowd could bear to leave it alone.

Case capacity isn't everything. The 30-30 may be a larger case, but the SAAMI max pressure is 42 kpsi for the 30-30, and 55 kpsi for the 300 BO. Also assuming a lever action with tube magazine, pointy bullets are a no no for the 30-30, not so for the 300 BO.

I'm not claiming the 300 BO is a wonder round, it is what it is, essentially a pointy bullet 30-30 in a more accurate platform that gives up ~200 fps for same length barrels. It's allowing a new generation to re-discover what a lower power 30 caliber centerfire will and won't do against big game.

For a big game hunting round I can't think of any reason to take the 300 BO over a .308. For a cast bullet plinker or for suppressed use the 300 BO offers a pretty good platform and if you shoot a lot of .223/556 and need another use for some of that pile of brass the BO is an option worth exploring.

I bought it in the Ruger American platform to have a low recoil deer rifle based off of the 223 cartridge. I hunt small properties, and like the idea of a lower sound and lower power rifle. It still has enough pop for deer at woods ranges and uses very little powder. It will never replace my 308, but is all I need for deer in a very compact and easy handling package.

.308 bullets are far superior to 7.62 bullets??

Who knew.

.308 vs .311 there is a difference.

How many component bullets are available in .308" and how many in .311"?

I can't see where I said that Smoky.

Right you are Bob.

I'm building one now, just waiting on my guard to come in. Will be for night hunting (hogs) without all the noise. Reloads pretty cheap.

Is it not funny how folks compare lesser rounds to the 30-30, but would not be caught dead shooting a 30-30.

Sort of a mind that trying to make something do what it was never intended for is a silly pursuit. There are applications for the BO that are useful, but it isn't magic and never will be. One decides they want to go down the subsonic/suppressed trail it's a dandy in the proper platform. Given the choices out there in the marketplace these days it makes little sense to me to run one supersonic. There are many alternatives far better, and that includes the .30-30 in a wide variety of platforms. Basic purpose of subs is quiet and to have any usefulness they need to be very accurate, whether the target is big game or the most dangerous game. Fella that has another agenda has been feeding on the hype and put his brain in neutral.

You could not run fast enough to give me a 300 blackout.

I am however tickled pink about the Hodgdon CFE BLK powder that came out.

20.6 grains behind a 40 grain V max is just right in the 224 Blackout. 3500 or so FPS and under an inch, usually .75.

Its like 300 fps faster than the Reloader 7 load I use.

Sometimes the new things that come out have benefits for us.

OK, this is a good reason to have it....otherwise I will stick to my 30-30

Hey Jim,

thanks for that tip... I'll have to pick up some and give it a whirl.

I like it so far.

The only trouble I have is how fine granulated it is. Its probably finer than table salt! Maybe finer than Ramshot Tac.

I had to modify the .17 caliber adapter on my Uniflow to get it into the cases without making a mess. The new updated quick change adapters with the o rings for the Uniflow are oversize it seems. The old screw in types were better.


I use a lot of 322 and 335, as well as Reloader 7 and 8208, they seem just big enough to bridge the gap.


I have not tried CFE BLK in my .17 Blackout, there did not seem to be a big enough gain to try it.

I like my Noveske AR in 300 blackout. Started fooling with the 300 whisper on a contender in 1999. Bought a suppressor in 2001. Always reloaded. Sold the 300 barrel from the Contender buy will never sell the AR. I hunt on my small farm in VA. I hunt suppressed all the time as to not bother the neighbors. I don't keep count but surely the family and I have taken over 100 deer with my or their rifles in 300 blackout. So far no cripples or Run Offs. Hit em in the chest with the right bullet and they usually die on the spot or within 50 yds. I have a lab that tracks better than me. I do shoot my .308 suppressed when I hunt my brother's farm as he has quite a few Black Bear that seem to elude me every year.

To sell more black rifles....it has its place I'm sure but I hav to found it yet...

The BO is a good cartridge to suppress, other than that its of very little use in the hunting or shooting world.

I have one in a Ruger American Ranch. It fits the bill nicely for an all-around rifle for Indiana. Deer, coyotes, groundhogs, and it's easy on the shoulder and the steel targets. A pinch of H110 or Lil Gun underneath a 125gr SST and you can kill just about anything that needs killin' around here at reasonable distances. I have a 30-30 and a 300 Savage as well, but the 300 BLK is just a fun little rifle.

With a 900 fps sub followed by a 1800 fps super a half second later you can hit 'em twice at once at 300 yds.