I've always poo-pooed the idea of an AR-15 pistol as kinda useless. But just recently I got looking at some chambered in .300 Blackout. I sorta doubt I'll get one but wondered if anybody had tried the AR pistols, and the .300 Blackout in particular.

I've shot a few 300 Blackout rounds and I was suitably impressed Punkin...to the point where I'm seriously thinking of getting a 300 BO barrel for my .223 Savage.

I think Gelandangan is the best one to talk to though, he has played with the 300 Whisper for a few years now.

Not only Gelandangan, I would also suggest to talk with Elvis and compare the .300 Blackout with Elvis's Kalashnikov's caliber. You see: Elvis can easely go down to Geland's level but what would happen when Geland goes to Elvis's velocity (and energy)?
And have a look at ammo cost...

its a neither here nor there cartridge
there has been quite a few writeups on it lately
origonal concept was subsonic capable with supersonics aswell
the main guys using it are professional cullers who use indicating dogs....they shooting unalarmed animals up close,usually head or neck shots.....whoopdefriggindoo you can do that with anything.
some guys go all out and dial up and are headshooting out to 300 yards with subsonic load....I have to ask WTF for????
just because you can doesnt cut it for me,the chance of wounding is way higher with subsonic load as you have zero room for error. I hit sheep in head but not brain 3 times before getting it right..it stayed on its feet and that was at 40ish yards.
the leheigh subsonic projectiles seem to be really good but really expensive.
supersonic this round does nothing my x39mm cant do or your garden variety .308 cant do better.
its main advantage is fast twist barrel allowing it to stabalise very heavy projectile at slow speed.

no Im not a fan and wont be buying one

there are a few turning up 2nd hand already and horror stories of animals getting away lightly wounded as it just doesnt have the grunt if shot has piss poor angle etc.

vince.....you far better off with the .223 cheaper to run and will kill the same animals just as dead....

Hm...definitely some good food for thought here.

I have been thinking about this and my choise: the 45-70!
Besides the difference in weight there is also that argument of 9 mm versus 45 ACP: a 9 mm MIGHT expand, but a .45 will NEVER shrink!

Aloysius wrote:

I have been thinking about this and my choise: the 45-70! Besides the difference in weight there is also that argument of 9 mm versus 45 ACP: a 9 mm MIGHT expand, but a .45 will NEVER shrink!

That is a very good analogy Aloys...I like it mate.

Elvis wrote:

you far better off with the .223 cheaper to run and will kill the same animals just as dead....

I built a 300 BO 16" so I could test .30-cal bullets at low speeds with the correct RPM/stability as if the impacts were 600 to 800+ yards. I have been completely unimpressed with the 300 BO's supersonic capability. You are better off with a .223 as Elvis suggested plus you have more hunting bullet selections. Example - I was out with some guys shooting steel at 250 yards. They had .308s and I had my 300 BO with 124gr FMJs (2200 fps mv). The hold over at 250 yards was significant and the bullet trajectory was already in the banana mode. Two shots for hold-over adjustment and the dirt wasn't kicking up on the berm but I couldn't hear the steel ring. Then I noticed a puff of lead on the plate but it didn't move along with a very faint "dink". Anemic. Good for subsonic.

Oh, another thing to consider. I don't take my 300 BO to the range at the same time with my 5.56s. .223 bullets will load in the 300 BO. 300 BO will load in the .223/5.56! I don't want to join the growing ranks of guys that have dropped the hammer on an AR with a 300 BO round in a 5.56 chamber!

OK, you have convinced me that it isn't really worth the trouble, work or expense. I suppose I'll have to look around for a 308 now.

Vince wrote:

OK, you have convinced me that it isn't really worth the trouble, work or expense. I suppose I'll have to look around for a 308 now.

308 Win or a 30/30 Win, both are doing not so bad with home-cooked lead pills at +/- the velocity of sound. I would say the .308 is better, unless you love a lever action (and even then you can have a look at a Browning lever action in .308 Win, or is that still in my dreams because I never got the chance to hug it?)
Do you know that (I think) Walther is selling in Germany adaptors to shoot a .32 ACP or a .30 Carbine in a .308 Win chamber? Brass for the .30 M1 is still available and cheap, so such an adaptor for .30 Carbine could give you .300 BO performance in a .308 rifle even when using factory .30 M1 feed.

Good topic! I've shot all the AR pistols. I was all, meh...why. Way unimpressed.

Then there's this one.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl4_PEbXd8s

It's small, light, very controllable....and goes BIG at the same time. Only AR pistol I'd entertain owning! And I've shot them all!

Guaranteed to cure what ails ya!

stovepipe wrote:

Then there's this one. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl4_PEbXd8s It's small, light, very controllable....and goes BIG at the same time.

stovey, is that the correct link? I see BIG but small, light, and very controllable? He is using it as a SBR.

stovepipe wrote:

I've shot all the AR pistols. I was all, meh...why. Way unimpressed.

Ok, have you shot the 6.8mm pistol?





I have one.