300 Blackout barrel length?

Rhino20

New member
I will be getting an AR 223 shortly. (Yes, I was considering a 243 in a AR10 platform, but have made a slight turn in the road) But
I was also looking at getting a complete upper in 300 Blackout to switch out as needed. I was thinking that a 16" barrel may be a good option. I have been reading and watching videos and many talk about not needing a 16" barrel seemingly because of velocity ect. My use would be to hunt larger game such as hogs. I as not sure about a suppressor at this point, but is a 16" barrel logical for this? Or??

Thanks
 
Originally Posted By: Rhino20 Why does it seem like so many want to suppress the 300's??

Because that is a big part of what the original (30x221 aka 300 Whisper) was made for. Shooting heavy bullets at sub sonic speed. Dunno why the original didn’t make it, greed and marketing maybe. The 300 Blackout shows up and folks can’t get enough of it.

I played with one when they first came out. I saw little use for it myself, no matter what bullet. As a LEO entry gun I would think the 350 legend would have a lot more followers on the AR platform.
 
If you want to kill hogs I would probably look at something different than the 300 blackout. Likewise if you want to kill any critter in general over a hundred yards and shoot a factory cartridge I'd say the you need to look elsewhere. I'd be looking at the 6.8 SPC or a Grendel. The 6.8 SPC would probably be the best in a short barrel. 16 or 18-in works great and gets you most of your speed. I've heard good things about the 90 gold dots and the TNTs would be great for coyotes.
350 legend would be great too but probably just not quite as flat shooting.
 
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Originally Posted By: jshOriginally Posted By: Rhino20 Why does it seem like so many want to suppress the 300's??

Dunno why the original didn’t make it, greed and marketing maybe. The 300 Blackout shows up and folks can’t get enough of it.



the reason the blackout was a success was its a SAAMI cartridge and the whisper is was/is still a wildcat without broad ranging support.

reloaders are - generally speaking - a small segment of the firearm world. Wildcatters are an even SMALLER segment of reloading world.


you can blame it on greed, or marketing or whatever... but the market wants ease of access to buying ammo on the shelf, and industry support for firearms, barrels, magazines, etc etc etc etc.


Which are standard things that come with being a SAAMI caliber vs a wildcat.

people are lazy. plain and simple.


and while the blackout/whisper is a reloaders dream based on the commonality of components, as well as the affordability of such due to their common nature... another win.

add in the acceptance of suppressors being way more common, the pure giggle factor of being able to shoot suppressed, the ease of adaptability/reliability in the ar platform and you've got a winning combination.
 
I have a 9" and a 16", both pistol gas systems. The 16" gets me 2400 fps with 110 grain Vmax. The 9" with the same load gets 2150 fps. I haven't tried to shoot a hog with it. But the way it hits steel at 300 yards, I wouldn't hesitate with the 16" rifle.
 
Originally Posted By: MPFDI have a 9" and a 16", both pistol gas systems. The 16" gets me 2400 fps with 110 grain Vmax. The 9" with the same load gets 2150 fps. I haven't tried to shoot a hog with it. But the way it hits steel at 300 yards, I wouldn't hesitate with the 16" rifle.

if i recall correctly the 110 vmax has a minimum expansion velocity of 1600 fps - which is pretty much where that bullet is at approx 300 yds (1617 fps) when fired at 2400 fps MV.

so good chance its gonna ice pick at that range and not expand much, if at all.

if you hit something substantial (aka bone, etc) it should expand a little over caliber at that distance, but dont expect much when you're that close to the design minimum threshold.

point is make sure your shot hits something vital when you're pushing the limits of a bullets design parameters.

i would rate the effective range of that bullet to around 250 yds, but i tend to lean conservative on things like that to allow for margin of error and to stack the odds in my favor whenever possible.
 
"if i recall correctly the 110 vmax has a minimum expansion velocity of 1600 fps - which is pretty much where that bullet is at approx 300 yds (1617 fps) when fired at 2400 fps MV."

Have you shot it at 300 yards on soft targets or are you just on here spouting theories you've never tested, based off internet calculators?
 
Originally Posted By: MPFD"if i recall correctly the 110 vmax has a minimum expansion velocity of 1600 fps - which is pretty much where that bullet is at approx 300 yds (1617 fps) when fired at 2400 fps MV."

Have you shot it at 300 yards on soft targets or are you just on here spouting theories you've never tested, based off internet calculators?

have you shot that bullet at soft targets at 300 yards? or are you spouting theories you've never tested based on the fact that you're p!ssed off i gave my opinion on the subject to help people make informed decisions on their projectile and caliber choice for hunting?

i dont always post to only to give feedback to the OP - its as much as helping the next guy who may google this thread as it is about giving my opinion about what you're directly discussing.

on that note we're discussing hunting, which needs to be done responsibly. just lobbing bullets out there hoping they're gonna be effective without some info to back that up ISNT responsible. just because it makes metal go "ding" doesnt mean its the right bullet for the job or that special considerations may be needed to make an ethical kill with it.

and yes - im here spouting theories based on my experience with OTHER projectiles that were used very close to their minimum expansion velocity and the poor results from said experiences. after learning from those mistakes the hard way (one such experience ended with me being unable to recover a deer for the first time in 20+ years of hunting) i tend to trust the bullet manufacturer's when they say "our product is designed to do this". its a humbling lesson to have to learn as a hunter, especially the hard way.

and yes i have no problem using internet calculators - especially when its the hornady ballistic calculator - to get data so that i can make an informed decision as to the likely hood of something happening the way its supposed to.


the 300 blackout is not a long range hunting cartridge by ANYONES definition - including the folks who produce firearms and ammo for it. 300 yards is definitely at the responsible hunting limit of the caliber with *ANY* projectile.

Quote:point is make sure your shot hits something vital when you're pushing the limits of a bullets design parameters.

i'm not saying - nor DID I say that you cant kill with it - just that you had to be very cautious to ensure you get a good vitals hit at the ranges you're discussing (300 yds) because of the limitations of both the projectile choice (the 110 vmax) and the caliber (300 blk) its gonna be fired out of.

if i were trying to hunt at those ranges with the blackout i would choose the barnes 110gr Tac-Tx blacktip. that bullet is specifically engineered to expand down to 1400 fps - which at 300 yards leaves you some margin for error for them to actually open like they're supposed to and give you the best chance of getting a clean, ethical kill at the distances being discussed.

so that said - feel free to take the info, do what you want with it, based on what i charged you for it.

here's to hoping you have a successful hunt and a beautiful labor day weekend.
 
I've shot watermelons and canteloupe at 300+ and the Vmax do just fine. I'd expect as much from someone who makes a ballistics post using the velocity off the box...
 
Originally Posted By: MPFDI've shot watermelons and canteloupe at 300+ and the Vmax do just fine. I'd expect as much from someone who makes a ballistics post using the velocity off the box...

making a balistic decision with the best data available while plinking on PAPER targets and water jugs is not the same as making a WAG when attempting to take game.

there's ZERO chance of an unethical kill of a sticker or a refilled milk jug.

two entirely different discussions.

have a great weekend.
 
Originally Posted By: Rhino20I do not have interest in a pistol. Why does it seem like so many want to suppress the 300's??

Then you need file a form 1 ($200) for an SBR if you don't want a pistol.
My 300 Blackouts with subsonic ammo make no noise.
My CZ 527 with 208 or 220-grain subsonic ammo.
All I hear is my firing pin fall with my 7,62 specwar.
My AR has just bolt noise.
I have 10.5 and 16 inch barrels in 300 Blackout.
Here is my Blackout SBR with my 7,62 Specwar.
Ready for night hunting.

jcJ5bck.jpg
 

16 inch barrel is good for 300 BLK. If you have a need to shoot close range with subsonic ammo then 300 BLK is the best choice.

If you want to kill hogs with the AR15 platform then go to a 6.8SPC. I have run the 6.5 Grendel also and it's a valid hog round also but better suited for reloaders as the commercial ammo choices are limited.

There are plenty of ammo choices for the 6.8SPC and after using both I prefer it over the Grendel for hogs.
 
If you want to hunt hogs I would prefer 6.5 with 24` barrel length this BL can able to shoot nearly from 1000 yards with good accuracy..dont try 16' for hunting hogs it reduces the velocity, 16 inch is probably a AR pistol,
 
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