300 BO or Blackout, What do you think?

[wanneroo]

I remember when I first heard about this round, maybe 2012 or so. I thought man that sounds like a great idea, take a 5.56 case, cut it down, stick in a 7.62 bullet and you've got "the next big thing". I thought it would be awesomeness all in one cartridge. Also a lot of the AR 5.56 stuff could carry over, such as being able to use the same mags.

But so far I find it finicky to deal with and for the cost, I don't see a huge advantage. Off the shelf ammo is very pricey and hard to find. You can form your own cases out of 5.56 but that doesn't always work well. You can buy converted brass but that's pricey. You can reload it but so far compared to 308 I find it a major PITA to work with and to get it to work right. For supersonic ammo, it seems to be a tough ask to push these bullets fast and with some kick.

It reminds me of the saying "something might be able to do a lot of things, but probably not one thing really well".

So I was open minded but I've been left scratching my head, what's the point of this 300 BO? Is it just me? So I wouldn't mind hearing what others might think of 300 BO and their experiences.

[daschnoz]

AK external ballistics out of an AR with super sonic ammo (125gr class pill @ 2400ish fps).

Sub sonic - 45ACP power out of a rifle. Need to switch between the 2 during an engagement, simply switch the magazine and burn the round in the chamber into the ground (or send it).

[sixstrings101]

My mileage so far is that it is simply a master of nothing. Everything from a 110gr vmax up to a 247gr lead cast is a wide variety of different things. The ability to cycle an AR suppressed and delivering a 30 caliber bullet was to original goal. Kinda of funny to me considering the military got away from a 30 cal bullet when the m14 was mostly retired. I think the issue was also with the 556 not having the knock down power of a 30 cal round. Mimicking at 7.62x39 round was the goal.

[dkf]

Only advantage I see (other than AR mag friendly) to it is subsonic with a suppressor and from short barrels. Not enough case capacity to get the mid weight (std 30-30 or 30-06 weights) fast enough to have good expansion. Best suited for lightweight 110-125gr bullets for super sonic. For hunting I'll take a 6.8, 6.5, .458socom, .50 beo, .450 bush and etc. For hunting the 200+ gr subsonic .30 cal rifle bullet loads suck IMO. The wound channel looks like one an ice pick would make. Though there are some companies making some nice expanding .300BO purpose bullets. Though they are expensive as hell.

I have considered a .300BO upper for shooting cast however from the guys that cast for it over in the CB forum, accuracy is nothing to brag about regardless of bullet weight. I want to build a .458 socom next. Though I will say a .25-223 does interest me.

[theunrulychef]

Not an expert by any means, but I've read a bunch about the caliber & have reloaded / shot it for a little over a year. It's not really meant to compete with the 308, but it's meant to give a good 30 caliber round to the AR platform & compete with the 7.62 AK round for stopping power. It can shoot subsonic while retaining a good deal of energy through short barrels & suppresses very well. And it does all of that while being able to use regular old AR mags & a barrel swap. It doesn't have the velocity of the 5.56, but it has a lot of energy from the heavy projectile. If only we could hunt deer with semis...

I have found it to be an accurate & fun caliber to shoot. Once I get some stamps back, it will be super-duper fun. Reloading hasn't been a problem for me, but I was already set up with gear & a shop. Forming cases takes extra time of course, but they're easy enough once you get into the rhythm.

On edit: what everyone else above said lol.

[RaggedEdge]

I just got into it myself. You definitely have to reload for it. As this is my first time doing so, the extra steps of case forming and bullet work up have been a bit overwhelming. But I managed to make some good rounds and it made me smile. Truly I think the advantage is if you want an AR in a SBR platform or pistol build, it's the perfect round for it. The 5.56 is a wasted format in anything under a 14.5" barrel. It was designed as a a 20" rifle originally as many of you know.

I like to think of 300 blackout as a very cool and capable PDW round. A compact packaged gun with good range and knockdown capability. A better home defense gun than 5.56.

[noylj]

If you want a 100 yard cartridge that is a bit weaker than the .30-30, then it is a fun cartridge--though I still think the 7mm TCU could be more fun.

[animalmother85]

300 AAC Blackout; You can have it good, you can have it fast, and you can have it cheap. Pick any two.

Terminal performance and accuracy in supersonic format;

http://www.lehighdefense.com/index.p...d-chaos-detail





Terminal performance and accuracy in subsonic format;

http://www.lehighdefense.com/index.p...ng-ammo-detail




http://www.lehighdefense.com/index.p...on-ammo-detail

[dkf]

You have any of the gel block pics with their .458socom bullets?

[aubie515]

I don't get why so many forums try to compare X caliber to Y caliber and think it's going to be apples to apples.

The reason I got into 300BO is because it's a great caliber to load subsonic and you can hunt with suppressor in PA. I didn't get to hunt with my Savage 300BO last season since my form 4 wasn't approved until earlier this year.

I'll be hunting with it suppressed this season. With my subsonic load, it's pretty darn quiet in a bolt action.

I also built a pistol AR15 upper as well.

The 300BO is just like every caliber out there...some will swear by it, while others will swear at it.

I think some people just aren't open minded and they cannot see outside of that "box."

If you want to hunt with a suppressor in PA and you can reload...the 300BO is a great choice.

I haven't loaded my Lehigh 194 ME or CF bullets yet, but I still have some time before hunting season.

I'm just enjoying the 208 gr Amax loaded subsonic.