AAC/REMINGTON 300 BLACKOUT
What started as the Whisper is sure to be a roar among snipers!
The 300 Blackout handload with a Sierra 220-grain Match King bullet produced this impressive 5-shot group of 0.753” from 100 yards.
Shooting Impressions
When I asked Silvers about the longer throat in the 300 BLK he said, “The people that don’t like the longer throat seem to always bring that up. We get good results from a test barrel. We shot ten, 5-round groups that came in under 0.85 of an inch.”
The 300 Blackout is a short-range round. When it is zeroed at 100 yards the 300 Blackout—loaded with a sub-sonic 220-grain Sierra Match King—drops nearly three feet when it passes the 200-yard mark. The same zero with a 125-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullet traveling at 2,200 fps will drop approximately 7.3 inches at 200 yards.
The basic difference between the 300 BLK chamber and the .300 Whisper or .300 Fireball is the length of the throat. The 300 BLK is slightly longer. One of the quirks of the .300 Whisper is the variation in brass thickness among the many makes of 5.56mm ammunition. The 300 BLK’s longer throat mitigates the issue.
My initial loads were educated guesses to determine velocities. Serious accuracy loading would come later. Cases were primed with either CCI 400, Federal Small Rifle Benchrest, or Winchester Small Rifle primers. I loaded H110, Accurate 1680, or Reloader No. 7 powder for initial testing. An AAC .30 caliber Cyclone suppressor was used for all testing.
To learn more about the 300 BLK, I tested three AR different platforms. I got in touch with AAC and received one of the first barrels available, along with a low-profile carbine-length gas block and gas tube. To build a complete upper receiver, I had Anderson Manufacturing, mate the AAC barrel with one of their upper receivers and handguards.
AAC’s 300 Blackout AR-15 barrels are 4159 chrome moly vanadium steel with a 1-in-8-inch twist. They utilize a standard M4 barrel extension, and have a high-reliability self-loading specific chamber. The chamber dimensions are slightly larger than found on bolt guns to increase reliability. Their barrels are treated with proprietary nitride surface treatment on the barrel and extension assembly to give up to a 60 longer barrel life than chrome plating the barrel. The treatment improves corrosion resistance, reduces friction, and improves accuracy issues, like hard chroming the barrel and creating coating thickness variations. The muzzle is threaded 5/8×24 tpi (threads per inch) and comes with a thread protector.
Range Time
At the range, I attached the AAC/Anderson Manufacturing upper to a Bushmaster lower with an AR Gold trigger, and was ready to send rounds down range. Using a Leupold 8-20x Mark 4 scope, I was able to shoot several 5-shot subsonic 100-yard groups. The average for 12 groups fired was a hair under 2 inches, with two groups measuring sub MOA. Hornady’s 208-grain AMax, Sierra’s 210- and 220-grain Match Kings and Berger’s 210-grain VLD all hold promise as load tuning continues.
The next upper receiver in 300 BLK came from Delta Company Arms, which is comprised of their upper, a Samson forend, a Young Manufacturing National Match bolt carrier assembly and an adjustable pistol-length gas block. This one was mated with a Stag Arms lower with a Timney trigger. This rig performed in like manner, with some groups approaching 2 MOA and a few sub-MOA.
The third weapon was a Loki Weapons System Patrol Rifle. In short, this rig is comprised of Loki’s billet upper and lower, an Ergo F93 Pro adjustable stock and Loki’s forend and adjustable gas block set at the carbine position on a 16-inch Satern barrel. I fired a hodge-podge of reloads trying to find the performers, just as I had done with the two other rigs. I even tried two CorBon .300 Whisper factory loads. No matter what I threw at it, this rig performed well, too. The average of all 5-shot groups measured 1.7 MOA. I shot one 0.75 of an inch group with a 220-grain Sierra Match King on top of 10.8 grains of A1680. CorBon’s 220-grain SMK subsonic load also shot a 0.78 of an inch group. CorBon’s 125-grain .300 Whisper load averaged less that MOA, with the smallest measuring 0.81 of an inch.
Since I have evidence that all three of these setups can shoot sub-MOA, it’s up to me to narrow down their individual preference in handloads.
Final Notes
“By the end of the year, there should be about 25 different loads on the market,” according to Silvers. “Bullet and powder companies are working on load development. This could be the 40 S&W of the rifle world.” Although I’ve always enjoyed shooting the .300 Whisper, or the .300 Fireball, the new 300 BLK designation is sure to shine some new light on this interesting cartridge. It certainly has some valid military and law enforcement applications, and should garner significant consumer acceptance.
April 8th, 2012 at 11:26 am
How much does it cost for this gun and where can I get one
April 2nd, 2012 at 8:44 am
Have run just over 2000 rounds thru my upper, and these are my observations. Unsuppressed, the 300 is really a 20 or 30 round 30-30 with pointed bullets. Supressed, with 220-240gr bullets, it is unlike anything else in AR platform. Quiet, unbeliveably accurate and lethal/powerful on target.
Handloading is easy. Supersonic loads, just use the info in books(hornady, sierra). Hornady V-max and Sierra Varmiter 110gr’s are my fav’s. H110, A1680, Lil Gun work well. Subsonic loads are pickier, you want enough gas to eject/feed, without too much speed. A1680 works best for me.
You’d have to work at it to create an inaccurate load.
I don’t think with comparing 6.5G or 6.8 to the 300BLK, that it’s about “either, or”, think “both”. They have different niches.
December 23rd, 2011 at 11:50 pm
My Delta Company arms 16 inch Blackout shoots good with both the 110gr Vmax, and Barnes bullets. It’s not bad for energy out of the 5.56 case.
I got good brass from Bradswarehouse.com, and 145gr FMJ bullets from Wideners.com, so it loads cheap too.
6.5G sure is nice for long range, and fighting the wind. The Blackout is starting to come on strong and 2012 should be nice to it.
October 3rd, 2011 at 6:58 pm
I second the BADDFROGG and what’s wrong with 6.5 Grendel!!! I’ve got the rifle barrel made from Satern Custom Machining and put together an excellent rifle. Double check the comparison and save!
October 3rd, 2011 at 4:47 pm
It is a great cartridge, but without a suppressor ,it is just another new round,,,and the .45 acp will do almost the same under 100 yards,,,the high B.C. of the bullets carries energy farther..jd has shot his out to 600 yards with a lot of hold over..
October 1st, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Sounds like a great round. Now we will need it in a Remington ACR/ Bushmaster ACR. But knowing how US corporations think. They will never build it. What a shame. I personally I prefer the 6.5 round.