As a suppressor guy, I am an unashamed fan and early cheerleader of the .300 AAC Blackout. Major Pandemic at All Outdoor is not convinced …

OK, so I feel like the guy in the room who doesn’t get the joke. Why was that funny, or, in this case, why is everyone so nuts over .300 AAC Blackout? I am really really quite confused by the widespread infatuation with the cartridge, and I really don’t get it even after owning and shooting the round.

First let me say I do get the idea of the cartridge, and in fact I used to shoot the original JD Jone’s SSK 300 Whisper that… well, AAC allegedly copied as the 300 Blackout. The SSK design cut down a piece of .223 brass and opened it up to load a .308 round in it, and powered it with about as much powder as I put pepper on my salad.

The .300 Whisper concept was proceeded by wildcat cartridges and by subsonic 7.62x39mm loads. It was not an original idea, but SSK deserves recognition of helping mainstream the concept of subsonic large caliber rifle loads. While .300 Whisper loads can be formed from .223/5.56mm cases, it is actually based on the  .221 Fireball. The main advantage of the .300 AAC Blackout is that it is SAAMI specced and so anyone can commercially manufacture ammunition bearing its name.