.300 (AAC) Blackout - A sleeper!

[Rumbler]

I made some .300 Blackout a couple of months ago for Talon2. I didn't do any real load development, I just found a recipe, verified it safe in his gun and cranked out a batch for him.

It was not a particularly impressive load, in my opinion. But I didn't have any of what is apparently the preferred powder (H-110).

Last week, the stars aligned - thanks to Marcus - and I got my grubby paws on a couple of pounds of H110. So I started doing some . . . experimenting.

My conclusion? Damned impressive little cartridge.

I only worked on the supersonic side this week but what it is capable of is nothing to sneeze at.

125gr Hornady SST pushed at just a smidgen over 2200 FPS.

Guarantee you that inside a couple of hundred yards or so ain't no beast in these parts, four legged or two, going to shrug off this little thumper. At 200 yards it rings a steel silhouette like a church bell. Makes it dance the hokey-pokey on its hanger.

There simply IS NO comparison to the "ting" the 5.56 causes on the same target.

All in all, it has me convinced it is about the perfect middle ground between the 5.56 poodle shooter cartridge and the .308.

So . . . . my mind is made up. I'm saying goodby to the 5.56 upper, and hello to a .300 Blackout. It is a win-win in my book for sure.

[Johnny]

Rumbler,for your info an everyone else Our head monkey in charge an his cornies in the EPA have now shut down the last lead smelter in the USA.thanks to them any lead based bullet will be very hard to get.I.e. pistol bullets,any lead any copper bullets will be extremely hard to come by just trying to give everyone a heads up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[FLT]

Rumbler look at Sotaarms.com they have great prices and their stuff is top shelf. They build aerospace stuff for a living and do the firearms stuff for fun. I have used several of their barrels with great results.

[Rumbler]

Thanks FLT. Jonny, one of the things I am liking the most about the .300 concept is that where there is a will (and willingness to do a little load development) virtually any .308 bullet any other .30 based gun uses, will feed and fly just fine.

I say "virtually" based on my personal lack of research on the VLD/Scenar profile bullets. Though - at this point I don't know - I suspect they would do Ok with the 'pointy' profile, but the overall bullet length could be an issue. There is just not a lot of room for powder in those cut down poodle shooter cases . It may be completely possible to negate that issue (if it really is one) by using a different powder.

This is why I love this load development stuff. It is all about learning and problem solving - you can get a pretty good feel for what will work. But ya never really know until you press the trigger the first time.

[BR549]

I really want a 300 BLK upper for my "extra" lower. Ammo is so pricey though. Rumbler, what's an approximate per-round cost for "plinking" 300 BLK?

[Rumbler]

Subsonic, probably about 18-25 cents a shot.
Supersonic, probably about 35-45 cents a shot.

With that said . . . it is extremely hard to estimate accurately because of the vast array of bullets that can be used. Virtually any bullet that measures .308-.309. And obviously, cast bullets work just fine for subsonics, so those could be "free" (except for your labor cost in casting them). For supersonics . . . the sky is the limit, but "basic" jacketed bullets are not very expensive at all.

[BR549]

The break-through cost is the bitch. I dont have a single reloading tool to get started. Its a lot like buying a fishing boat to bring home "free dinner" - that first grouper costs about $9,000 per pound!

[FLT]

If you buy your supplies ( powder bullets primers ) from DSH they will let you use their reloading room and it's well equipped . They also have a class you can take to learn the basics if you need help getting started. It's a great way to find out if it's something you want to do with out having to buy a reloading outfit.

[YankeeFingergasm]

If you buy your supplies ( powder bullets primers ) from DSH they will let you use their reloading room and it's well equipped . They also have a class you can take to learn the basics if you need help getting started. It's a great way to find out if it's something you want to do with out having to buy a reloading outfit.

Big plus for this method

[Airgator0470]

.30 HRT for the win... I'm getting 2450+ FPS out of the 125 Nosler BT's (16" Barrel) with JUST BEGINNING SIGNS of high pressure... I'm thinking I can get to 2500 FPS without losing a finger... lol.


For those unaware... the .30 Herrett Rimless Tactical, .30 HRT, is based on the 6.8 SPC case sized in a .30 Herrett die, then trimmed to length, and fire-formed. Sounds like a lot of work but really not. Uses standard 6.8 SPC mags, bolt, etc...

I've taken a couple nice bucks with this load... you would think the round would be more popular, but then again, getting a barrel chambered for it is difficult.