300 AAC Blackout fad over?

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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 22 Jul 2019, 9:05 pm

bladeracer wrote:I just use the Hornady rubber balls that press onto the bolt knob.

Ha, did not know about those Blade - probably shoulda asked you blokes before spending that money :lol: certainly would have solved my problem with a lot less fuss
Last edited by in2anity on 23 Jul 2019, 8:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 22 Jul 2019, 9:09 pm

JimTom wrote:I am surprised that the 125SST didn’t perform for you mate. I am loading 17.5 AR2205 from memory and they go really well. Let us know what you come up with.

Conditions weren't great - dead-perpendicular gusts anywhere from 1 to 20km/h - so that was surely contributing to some poor shooting. My refined lilgun+Speer loads did shoot better however - it’s funny, my sling groups were basically as good as my bench-rest groups that day - go figure :lol:

A bit of ladder testing should do the trick I reckon - the nodes seem to be there, just gotta find em!
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 28 Jul 2019, 9:42 pm

SCJ429 wrote:My experience with the Speer TNT is that they are very effective, at least as good as the SST. The TNT has accuracy potential way beyond its price point. I am betting the TNT works well for you too.


Now that I found my node, the Speers indeed do group pretty consistently. They just don’t feed well in that Ruger. In contrast they feed faultlessly in the Tikka 308 - but I prefer the little blackout for a stack of other reasons.

I also picked up a box of Noslers to try - they are notably more expensive than the Speers and Hornadys.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 29 Jul 2019, 11:59 am

Have you varied the length mate to see if it helps feeding? I had mine originally just off the lands and they wouldn’t feed period. I then loaded them at advertised length in ADI loading data and they go well with the exception being the very last round sometimes plays up.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 29 Jul 2019, 12:40 pm

JimTom wrote:Have you varied the length mate to see if it helps feeding? I had mine originally just off the lands and they wouldn’t feed period. I then loaded them at advertised length in ADI loading data and they go well with the exception being the very last round sometimes plays up.


Loading to spec JT. I think it may be related to the hollow point - both the nosler and hornady with their ballistic tips seem to feed fine.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 30 Jul 2019, 8:41 am

mixed.jpg
mixed bag of 125gr pills at 50m over AR2205
mixed.jpg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 6733 times


JimTom you were on the money with your suggested 17.5gr load under the Hornady SST!

And SCJ429, I think you are onto something with your observations that the Speer Bullet shoots way above its price-point. Given my overall experiences with the 300aac, I think the Speer bullet does group fractionally better than the Hornady. Nevertheless, the Hornady bullet feeds very reliably, so I guess I'll stick to the Hornadys when reliability really matters (like during a comp or when hunting).

I've only shot that one (arbitrary) Nosler load. I'm sure it would also have some sweet spots, but compared to the others it's just so darned expensive, so I'll doubt I'll pursue that line of enquiry. I'll back-burner that one for a rainy day.

At this point, I'm going to say the little RARR-300aac is a true one-minute gun. The cartridge is certainly a lot finickier than say a 223, but using the collet die, it's a superb handloader's cartridge. Neck tension with this cartridge seems particularly pertinent. The 300aac is economical, low recoiling, has excellent case life and runs cool.

:drinks:
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 30 Jul 2019, 9:31 am

Yep like you mate I love it. Great bit of kit. :drinks:
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by SCJ429 » 30 Jul 2019, 8:17 pm

Nice work, heaps of options there. You have a good load for all three projectiles right there.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by jovialjosie2002 » 24 Aug 2019, 7:50 pm

i still plan on buying a CZ 527 carbine in 7.62X39, to me the 300 offers an alternative but the only advantage it has is 308 bullets

Firstly....your cz527 in 7.62x39 WILL SHOOT .308 PROJECTILES JUST FINE.....mine does.....
Secondly.....buy anything but a cz527 in 7.62x39...it just wont feed properly....get a Howa or Ruger in 7.62x39....and shoot Hornady steel case sst....they're only 90 cents a round....it aint worth reloading...
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by SCJ429 » 24 Aug 2019, 8:49 pm

If you want good results Josie, it is always worth reloading.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by Blr243 » 25 Aug 2019, 6:04 am

No, the blackout fad is not over , mine has just been cased and bore sighted and it’s headed for the bush tonight
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 25 Aug 2019, 6:06 am

Enjoy it mate. Great little round.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 25 Aug 2019, 9:17 am

jovialjosie2002 wrote:i still plan on buying a CZ 527 carbine in 7.62X39, to me the 300 offers an alternative but the only advantage it has is 308 bullets

Firstly....your cz527 in 7.62x39 WILL SHOOT .308 PROJECTILES JUST FINE.....mine does.....
Secondly.....buy anything but a cz527 in 7.62x39...it just wont feed properly....get a Howa or Ruger in 7.62x39....and shoot Hornady steel case sst....they're only 90 cents a round....it aint worth reloading...


And what happens if your cheap ammo doesn't shoot well? Besides, with the Speer bullet I can reload the BLK for 53c each...

When it comes to proper diameter - call me old fashioned, but I like shooting a 308 pill in a 308 barrel, and a 311 pill in a 311 barrel - this has nothing to do with safety, I just think you will suffer a pretty wild std dev if you use undersized bullets.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 25 Aug 2019, 9:55 am

jovialjosie2002 wrote:i still plan on buying a CZ 527 carbine in 7.62X39, to me the 300 offers an alternative but the only advantage it has is 308 bullets

Firstly....your cz527 in 7.62x39 WILL SHOOT .308 PROJECTILES JUST FINE.....mine does.....
Secondly.....buy anything but a cz527 in 7.62x39...it just wont feed properly....get a Howa or Ruger in 7.62x39....and shoot Hornady steel case sst....they're only 90 cents a round....it aint worth reloading...


Mate I have seen that Hornady steel case 7.62x39 perform quite well out of the Ruger American Ranch and also quite good from the CZ527. It does shoot well. Not sure about the feed problems you’ve had in the CZ527, I have never experienced the same.
As for cost, I can reload the 300AAC for a lot less than 0.90c a shot, and with exceptional accuracy.
I was considering both of these cartridges at the time of purchase however went with the blackout as I had plenty of suitable .308 projectiles, and I liked the fact that brass can be formed easily from .223.
As for using .308 projectiles in a .311 barrel, probably not something that’s i would try. Glad to hear it works ok for you. Each to their own.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by meawls » 25 Aug 2019, 3:36 pm

in2anity wrote:[attachment=0]mixed.jpg[/attachment

At this point, I'm going to say the little RARR-300aac is a true one-minute gun. The cartridge is certainly a lot finickier than say a 223, but using the collet die, it's a superb handloader's cartridge. Neck tension with this cartridge seems particularly pertinent. The 300aac is economical, low recoiling, has excellent case life and runs cool.

:drinks:



My RARR shot 1.125” with the 125Gn TNT’s @ 100M using 5.5Gns of TB and Federal BR primers. 14.9Gns of 296 behind 165Gn Ballistic Tips got me 24mm and 1770FPS. So you’re right on the money with the MOA thing. I hadn’t bothered to set up the chrony for the TNT load, but an identical load with the 130Gn varmints showed 980FPS.

Whether I record imperial or metric seems to revolve around whether I remember to take the calliper with me!!

Does anybody else have feeding issues with the Lucky 13 mags?? I realise the combo is still quite new/bedding in ... but I have yet to have a single 10 rounds go through without a problem of some darned type ...
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 25 Aug 2019, 4:39 pm

meawls wrote:
in2anity wrote:[attachment=0]mixed.jpg[/attachment

At this point, I'm going to say the little RARR-300aac is a true one-minute gun. The cartridge is certainly a lot finickier than say a 223, but using the collet die, it's a superb handloader's cartridge. Neck tension with this cartridge seems particularly pertinent. The 300aac is economical, low recoiling, has excellent case life and runs cool.

:drinks:



My RARR shot 1.125” with the 125Gn TNT’s @ 100M using 5.5Gns of TB and Federal BR primers. 14.9Gns of 296 behind 165Gn Ballistic Tips got me 24mm and 1770FPS. So you’re right on the money with the MOA thing. I hadn’t bothered to set up the chrony for the TNT load, but an identical load with the 130Gn varmints showed 980FPS.

Whether I record imperial or metric seems to revolve around whether I remember to take the calliper with me!!

Does anybody else have feeding issues with the Lucky 13 mags?? I realise the combo is still quite new/bedding in ... but I have yet to have a single 10 rounds go through without a problem of some darned type ...


The l13 mag I have only feeds the tnts if I close the bolt fast, and even then it’s hard on my brass. And my l13 doesn’t feed the ssts at all - but the ssts feed well out of the rotary mag.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 25 Aug 2019, 5:53 pm

jovialjosie2002 wrote:i still plan on buying a CZ 527 carbine in 7.62X39, to me the 300 offers an alternative but the only advantage it has is 308 bullets

Firstly....your cz527 in 7.62x39 WILL SHOOT .308 PROJECTILES JUST FINE.....mine does.....
Secondly.....buy anything but a cz527 in 7.62x39...it just wont feed properly....get a Howa or Ruger in 7.62x39....and shoot Hornady steel case sst....they're only 90 cents a round....it aint worth reloading...


The main benefit of the 7.62x39 is see is case capacity- I think it's something like 50% larger than the blackout. The blackout is a little susceptible to windage... just can’t fit enough powder in
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 23 Sep 2019, 8:26 am

Using the little 16" Ruger blackout, I shot this group from the 300m line at ANZAC on the weekend. We had a 15-20km/h 8-oclock crosswind:

300m.jpg
300m, 9-shot group, 15-20km/h 8-oclock crosswind
300m.jpg (1.75 MiB) Viewed 5793 times


I've shot a fair few different bullets through her now, and the Speer TNT is the clear favorite. Overall it groups better than the Hornady bullets. A 125gr projectile with at least -0.003" of neck tension and a moderate crimp seems optimal for this barrel+action.

I was also shooting my 308 Tikka CTR with the exact same bullet over a safe amount of AR2207 (38gr). At 300m, the little blackout was grouping only marginally worse than the 308 spitting them out 800fps faster.

This particular group was better than some of the "tacti-cool" setups on the line shooting factory 6.5cm :lol: moral of the story, don't bash based on other people's heresay.

One thing I might add, the listed BC for the Speer bullet is a fair way off out of the blackout. I'm (currently) extrapolating 0.27 instead of the listed 0.341. I can only presume Speer averages this based on significantly faster muzzle velocities.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by vmaxaust » 15 Oct 2019, 3:35 pm

Not over for me. I have a Ruger Ranch rifle in 300BLK and a Warwick with several barrels...14" 300BLK and a 223 version. The AR mags are wonderful on the Warwick for both calibres. Accuracy? plenty accurate for all but the nuts who need to put 10 rounds into a 5 cent piece at 200 meters. The Ruger by the way with its 16" barrel is amazingly accurate for such a "fad" cartridge and low cost rifle.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 15 Oct 2019, 5:36 pm

vmaxaust wrote:Not over for me. I have a Ruger Ranch rifle in 300BLK and a Warwick with several barrels...14" 300BLK and a 223 version. The AR mags are wonderful on the Warwick for both calibres. Accuracy? plenty accurate for all but the nuts who need to put 10 rounds into a 5 cent piece at 200 meters. The Ruger by the way with its 16" barrel is amazingly accurate for such a "fad" cartridge and low cost rifle.


Agreed. The River American Ranch in 300 AAC exceeded my expectations for sure mate.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by gunnnie » 15 Oct 2019, 9:56 pm

It still has a place in my safe. That little Ruger performs well outside what you would expect.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by Bill » 16 Oct 2019, 7:33 am

ahhh the hard core gang of silenter hunters is still alive :lol: , I know one of the first rifles I'll always grab for a hunt is the 30 30 or the little old Ruski .......NOT :sarcasm:
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 17 Oct 2019, 6:23 am

:lol: Ahhhh good to see the haters are still about too. The 300AAC has its place, as does just about every other cartridge.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by bladeracer » 17 Oct 2019, 6:30 am

JimTom wrote::lol: Ahhhh good to see the haters are still about too. The 300AAC has its place, as does just about every other cartridge.


Except the .350 Legend, although it is an excuse to get another Ruger American :-)
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by Bill » 17 Oct 2019, 6:54 am

JimTom wrote::lol: Ahhhh good to see the haters are still about too. The 300AAC has its place, as does just about every other cartridge.


Just like the Mardi Gra, the 300 BK also has its place, you keep convincing yourself mate :lol:
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 17 Oct 2019, 6:58 am

bladeracer wrote:
JimTom wrote::lol: Ahhhh good to see the haters are still about too. The 300AAC has its place, as does just about every other cartridge.


Except the .350 Legend, although it is an excuse to get another Ruger American :-)


:lol: :lol: :lol: very true mate. I did think of that actual round when typing my last reply. Can’t say I’d go out and buy one, nevertheless someone might rate it, and like you say, any excuse for a new rifle. :drinks: :drinks:
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by in2anity » 17 Oct 2019, 8:06 am

TIL many states allowed straight-walled cartidridges during their shotgun or muzzleloader deer seasons. And (unlike the 357 max) the 350 legend will flow into the AR market.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by JimTom » 17 Oct 2019, 8:17 am

Bill wrote:
JimTom wrote::lol: Ahhhh good to see the haters are still about too. The 300AAC has its place, as does just about every other cartridge.


Just like the Mardi Gra, the 300 BK also has its place, you keep convincing yourself mate :lol:



I don’t know why I am even entertaining this however here goes. For close range pig hunting off a bike it serves its purpose, it’s effective, cheap to run, easy to shoot all day long. Obviously it’s not something you use for long range moose hunting. Horses for courses. By the way, do you have one? Just because you don’t personally see the need for it doesn’t necessarily mean it is useless to other people either.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by bladeracer » 17 Oct 2019, 8:45 am

in2anity wrote:TIL many states allowed straight-walled cartidridges during their shotgun or muzzleloader deer seasons. And (unlike the 357 max) the 350 legend will flow into the AR market.


Which is fine in those few localities, but doesn't apply down here where we don't need straight-wall cartridges or have AR15's.
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Re: 300 AAC Blackout fad over?

Post by Bill » 17 Oct 2019, 9:06 am

JimTom I see no need for a 300BLKT when I already have a 256 win and 357 magnum..... :lol:
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