#300AACBLACKOUT

Welcome back to another edition of  TFB’s Round Table sponsored by  Ammunition To Go! For those who are first joining us, this is a multi-part series where TFB will discuss the characteristics of great ammunition  for specific applications. This could vary from big game hunting, plinking, precision rifle matches, small game hunting, or even pistol competitions. Chances are there is someone here at TFB who can offer you advice on buying the right round for your task at hand. This week I will offer up some tips on picking the BEST .300 AAC Blackout Hunting Ammunition! The popularity of AR pistols, larger capacity magazines, the interchangeable parts and commonality with 5.56mm/.223 Rem firearms, and the sheer fun of the .300 AAC Blackout cartridge has propelled its growth to new heights. So as we near more and more hunting seasons throughout the US we will examine what all goes into making the BEST .300 AAC Blackout Hunting Ammunition!

Alexander Arms has introduced a NEW family of AR-15 pistols dubbed the Highlander Series with each pistol in a unique caliber and you get to choose your own special colored finish. These new offerings can be bought in 6.5 Grendel, .300 AAC Blackout or .50 Beowulf depending on the application you intend to use it for. Let’s take a look at each one and see their subtle differences.

With the recent official news that the new AK-12 and AK-15 rifles have been adopted by the Russian Ministry of Defense it’s with interest we with Kalashnikov’s help can take a deeper look into how the rifles were developed and engineered.

Many AR-15 enthusiasts and hunters have a strong appreciation for .300 AAC Blackout because of its versatility and available grain weight range. It has very similar ballistics to a traditional AK-47 chambered for 7.62x39mm ( .300 AAC Blackout is 7.62x35mm metrically), but you have the popular American platform of an AR-15.

If we can make a round that is significantly better than the existing 5.56mm or 7.62mm ammunition, shouldn’t the military just bite the bullet and switch, to the benefit of the servicemen and women in harm’s way? What’s stopping the powers that be from making the incremental improvements that everyone knows are possible?

Discreet Ballistics has introduced new subsonic .300 AAC Blackout loads for hunting and defensive use. The cartridges are loaded with 188 gr expanding machined copper projectiles called Selous. The bullets are specifically designed to expand at subsonic velocities (750 fps and higher). They also load these cartridges differently depending on the barrel length of the customer’s rifle. They call it Two Load System.

With the recent push for small arms ammunition with increased range, power and capability, are military customers in danger of being taken for a ride by industry marketeers working to sell rifles in new calibers? Is the primary driving force behind new infantry calibers not in fact a need to be addressed, but a desire to sell weapons in a stagnant small arms market?

This post was written as a companion to an upcoming Gun Guy Radio podcast, hosted by Ryan Michad. The discussion below will be expanded upon in the show when it’s released later this month, but for now, read on to learn more about the past, present, and future of infantry weapon calibers!

The 300 Blackout caliber has become the second most popular caliber for the AR-15, after the 5.56mm/.223 Remington caliber. What the 300 Blackout caliber especially excels in is firing subsonic ammunition to use in conjunction with a suppressor. However, subsonic 300 Blackout ammo is expensive and due to it’s slow subsonic velocity, most loads have rather unimpressive terminal ballistic performance. The most popular projectile used in subsonic 300 Blackout ammo is the 220 gr Sierra Matchking OTM. While it’s a good bullet but it costs 55 cents each in bulk and it doesn’t expand.

SIG is rounding out its .300 Blackout lineup with the introduction of SIG-branded Elite Performance Ammunition in the caliber. From the press release:

Good news for hunters who want to stay quiet and don’t want to handload. SilencerCo, who achieved e-fame with the “Wizard Staff”, “Johnny Dronehunter”, and “The Silencing” promotional videos (and who also make silencers) have announced their own line of subsonic hunting ammunition, called simply “Harvester”. From the press release:

Few months prior to the 2013 SHOT Show, Hi-Lux Leatherwood launched the new CMR-AK762 model in their popular Close Medium Range (CMR) 1-4x24mm series of tactical scope with a ballistic reticle made for the 7.62x39mm and 300 Blackout calibers. I had the opportunity to used the CMR-AK762 for my 16-inch barrel 300 Blackout AR-15 uppers from Noveske Rifleworks and Faxon Firearms. Since I don’t own an AK rifle in 7.62x39mm, this review will be focus on using the CMR-AK762 as a 300 Blackout/300 Whisper optic for the AR-15 platform. ( Click here for my review of the standard Hi-Lux Leatherwood CMR model for the .223 and .308 calibers).

DPMS is now making their Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) in .300 BLK.

Nikon is the latest company to roll out a specific bit of gear designed around the .300 AAC Blackout cartridge.  The P-300 is a rifle scope that is specifically designed for AR-style rifles chambered for the 300 BLK round.

Not sure if it’s a recurring theme yet, but there have been a few companies at SHOT here talking about their single-shot break-action rifles. There’s nothing super new for AAC, but they talked to me about their “Handi-Rifle” which comes in 300 AAC BLACKOUT.