300 AAC Blackout, or 6.8 Questions?

AR/M4 Beyond 5.56/.223
1

So, I am looking into starting a new AR build. I have my current 5.56 setup that is nearly complete (Save an optic.) I get my end of the year bonus soon, and was thinking that I would really to like to start a new build, or buy a new AR in a different caliber.

I have recently began looking into the 300 Blackout, reading things, watching videos etc. It seems like an incredibly interesting round. Performance-wise, it looks like it is directly in between the 5.56, and the 7.62X39, is that a fair statement? Also it would be nice to be able to use all of my current AR magazines, and spare part with the Blackout. I am also looking to into shooting with suppressors in the future so it seems like this might be a good direction. I am aware that advanced armament is behind the making of the round, but are their rifles up to par with other quality options such as Noveske? The rifle I recently saw that interested me is http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=F1AAC101997.

Now, I am less educated about the 6.8 and the benefits of that cartridge. I want something that hits harder but maintains the stability and accuracy of the 5.56. Something if in an emergency I could possibly take some game with such as deer, or elk. As of now I do not personally reload. I see quite a bit of 300 Blackout in my area, I have not began looking into the 6.8 as of yet.

What are your guys thoughts here? Are either of these calibers good options going forward?

2

I went back and forth between these two calibers for the better part of a year before I made my decision. Ultimately I ended up going with 300BLK.

Here were my reasons why.

  1. 300 BLK ammo is more readily available in stores, at least it is in my area.

  2. It is very easy to reload and supplies are plentiful.

  3. The only thing proprietary about the caliber is the barrel which makes for an easy platform to build and borrow from with my other 5.56 rifles.

  4. I wanted something that was light and short for easy transport and use.

  5. I wanted something that was very quiet when shot suppressed because I would be hunting with it the majority of the time.

  6. I wanted a show stopper within 250yds for hogs, coyotes, and white tail. Outside of 250yds would be a rare shot where I hunt and I already have big bore calibers for performance at 500+.

I ended up with a 9" AAC MPW and I couldn’t be happier. There are fans on both sides of the fence and both calibers have their weaknesses and strong suits, but for me the 300BLK out weighed those of the 6.8 and ultimately is a better performer for my needs. If I find room in the Gun Fund in the next few years to add another AR platform caliber I will strongly consider 6.8.

Best of luck with your decision.

3

Do you reload?

If you do 300blk is a no brainer. Im running a 16" noveske barrel and with my handloads Ive gotten it group 1" easily at 100yds. With factory ammo it was more like 2-3" which isn’t acceptable to me. Since youre going to run a can later Id go 300blk. Mine is a hoot with subs and is a pleasure to shoot supers through. Since it uses magnum pistol powders it really doesn’t get all that hot and is pretty darn quite with supers compared to 5.56 or 6.8 suppressed.

6.8 is a dang good caliber too. The biggest reasons I didn’t go with it is I wanted subsonics to play with and since 6.8 requires different mags, bolts and barrels, I figure if Im going to go to that trouble Ill just build an AR10 and have even better performance. Plus I will be able to share many components with my 308 bolt gun. My buddy has a 6.8 that hes about wore out clearing fields of hogs and deer with hornady SSTs and he loves it.

Theyre both great, if subs hold some allure to you go 300blk, if youre only going to shoot supers go 6.8. 300blk is right there with x39 ballistics wise, not behind, especially with the newer 300blk bullets.

4

This and the 300Blk work 100% in any AR mag.

5

I have both calibers, I like each for different reasons. 6.8 gives a little more supersonic performance. 300 Blackout has the advantages already listed.
I really don’t shoot the 6.8 stuff anymore, zero rounds so far this year, maybe 200 the year before. I’ve shot many thousands of 300 Blackout this year, same with the year before.
The 9" AAC gun with a SDN-6 is an awesome combo. Noveske makes a great 8.2" upper also.

6

My next AR will be a suppressed SBR in 300 black, that’s my vote.

7

I would have to agree that your usage will play the biggest role in deciding. I had no real desire to shoot subsonic. I was looking for longer range performance. I looked at ammo availability and realized that locally both were scarce. The benefits of the 6.8 matched my needs best.

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8

I’ve found 300 Blackout ammo and rifles at Walmart. Many LGS have it as well. 6.8 was almost never found around me.

9

I had an 8" LWRC PSD upper in 6.8 and currently have a 9" AAC upper in 300 Blackout.

For my intended use and these length barrels, the 300 is a better option for me. It’s soft shooting, fast, accurate and doesn’t have the concussion or blast of the 6.8 or the 5.56.

Using 110gr Black Tip, this round hits hard. The two calibers actually have similar trajectories in these barrel lengths, though 300 still drops more. At 150 yards, I have pretty much POA/POI, maybe to 175 depending on ammo. That’s all I really ever need from a 9" rifle.

If I’m using a magnified optic and know my distances, I can easily make accurate hits. It’s just not something I need beyond 200 yards.

Mine is very accurate. I shot a sub MOA 10 shot group at 100 yards with VMAX. I shot a huge jackrabbit at about 120 yards with VMAX and he did a backflip about a foot or two in the air and it completely opened him up.

I’m not really into the subsonics, though I do see a place. I’m also not much into suppressing it because the key feature for me is the length. I’m sure at some point I will pick up a Surefire 762 mini. While it doesn’t really fit my needs, it certainly fits into my wants.

I would have been happy with the 300 9" upper even if it only hit as hard as an 11.5" 5.56 with the same reliability. Fortunately we have great ammo that performs well at longer distances.

The one thing I’m hoping for is a lighter bonded bullet on the shallower end of accepted penetration standards. Not a big deal, but it would be a nice addition like the 6.8 got with the 90gr Gold Dot.

If we were talking 16" guns, the 6.8 does have some nice advantages and I’d really have to consider that if choosing between the two. The 300 still has the parts interchangeability and still is a great performer. It’s that at 16" the 6.8 gains a lot of velocity while the 300 only gains a couple hundred fps over the 9" barrel.

If I wanted a good hunting rifle that I might use out to 400 yards or so, I’d go with the 16" 6.8. It’s not that the 300 won’t perform, it’s just that with the trajectory and my inability to read distances, is be less effective with it. But when I start looking at 16" guns for longer range performance, if the 5.56 won’t work for me, I’m more likely to use a 308.

10

Agree with above. The 300BLK hits hard and if you need more range it is best just to go to a larger hotter caliber such as the .308 or even 300 win mag. The 6.8 would be great but it’s kind of on it’s way out with not many folks picking it up in favor of the now mainstream and easy to source, easy to convert over to 300BLK.

I can only see availability of the 6.8 becoming harder to obtain in the future but I’m sure there will be a few die hard hold outs that have invested in the platform that they will continue to roll their own but most didn’t wish for it to be that way.

11

I was there this past year as well. Ended up with both. I set a PSA 6.8 up as a general hunting rifle and left it all “stock”. I did this during the “black rifle scare” … Mostly just to say “so there is a hunting use for the AR”… IT shoots well… 8)

12

LOL, thats great, funniest thing Ive read all day…

6.8 ammo is available at wally-world and academy,
I have yet to see 300 at any of my local stores.
more and more 6.8 ammo options are becoming availably.

you know the 6.8 has been picked up by a couple of .mil branches around the world, Federal is loading a very nice round for it.

Ammo will always be available, due to that and its overall popularity as the 2nd most common round in the AR platform.

your talking points makes you look like you’re parroting silver’s propaganda and looking silly.

watching the market closely, Id say the 300 was the one not as popular as advertised.
Heck, the reason 300 ammo was hard to find for the last 10 months was because no one was loading it.not even remington.

That doesnt look like the 2nd coming of the 30.06 to me.

OP, if you’re running subs, 300 all the way.
16" barrels w/supers,its no contest. 6.8 is the better choice.
its a comfortable 500 yard round.

13

I’ve not seen any 6.8 at walmart… But this is Dallas so we are probably just deprived then… And southwest ammunition company has been rolling 300BLK for most of this year and it is usually in stock for $0.70/round as have other manufacturers not sure about Remington but don’t care. It’s not like someone can’t just take any old LC brass and open them up to stuff a 7.62 in there.

And it’s better than my 30.06 as the couple 300Blk I have are 10.5" and 8.2" which make it very suited for my suppressor.

14

It really looks like 300 BLK is the correct way for me to go here. 200 yards would be the maximum range I would need to engage anything , but I have a .308 bolt rifle with a decent scope for that range and beyond. Looking for that mid-range sledgehammer. Also, it seems like when I do get into reloading that the Blackout and the 5.56 share casings so it’d be an easier swing. Thank you guys for all your input so far, and keep more opinions and benefits coming!

15

I will not be running a sub-gun in the near future, nor will I have the proper silencer licenses in the near future. What is the energy delivery/ft lbs that the 6.8 delivers over the 300 in a 16 inch barrel setup?

16

Actually, that LWRC 6.8 and the Gold Dot 90gr bullet (not really available to the public unfortunately) is a contract for the Saudis.

There are currently no US units using 6.8, though they did try. The 300 blackout was a specific request to AAC by a unit within the US.

Here in south Texas, 300 is much more common than 6.8. Doesn’t matter either way to me, I order it online.

17

With the 16" barrel, that 6.8 will be hitting hard. I’ll check it out and see. The main advantage though is the flatter trajectory. That doesn’t really come into play until 200 yards or so.

Personally, I just don’t see a point in a 16" 6.8 for my personal needs. I hunt with the 5.56 all the time, including large hogs at good distances. If I need something to plink with at longer distances, I’ll run the 5.56 or 308.

Also keep in mind, you can find ammo for $10 a box of 20 for 300. When I had my 6.8 rifles, it’s was about $20 for 20.

If you reload, 300 will be considerably cheaper. You’ll use your 5.56 brass and primers and you can load pulled 147gr 308’s for plinking.

Personally, my 9" 300 is making the transition to my work rifle here very soon and may completely replace my 11.5" for that role. I had a 6.8 that I considered moving to this role, but it was not the most reliable rifle and the blast was considerable.

18

I haven’t been able to source pulled 147gr for a while. I bought 2k of 147 ball a few years ago cheap and have been using that… If you know of some pulled please pm me… :slight_smile:

19

Me and two buddies at work went through this over the past year.
One wanted a little more velocity and went 6.8,
one wanted the best SBR/suppressor platform and went 300AAC.
I wanted most compatibility and went 300AAC.

My decision points were:
Same build components except barrel, unlike my .308 AR, which is a heavy and expensive way to go in comparison

Same reloading components (if you already do 5.56 and .308 and have that stuff on hand, basically just need dies, trimming stuff)

Same mags. I am new to 300, and have not found the sweet spot of totally compatible mags. I do not plan to grind ribs, separate mags, etc. so time will tell if I am going to continue with this experiement.

Replicate 7.63x39 ballistics. I was a little mislead. My goal was to use the 154 grain/2100 fps hunting load, not the 125 grain type most others go for. The 300 is not quite up to the same velocities for bullet weight. Close though.

Range- little 0-250 or so with one zero.

I think 300AAC wins out if you are looking at:
SBR
Suppressor
components compatibility
reloader

I think 6.8 wins out if:
top priority is best hunting ballistics
no subsonic or compatibility desires

20

My experience with that has been that 110gr and 125gr bullets feed perfectly from PMAGs. The 147gr seemed to feed slow when holding the mag in hand and unloading it, but in the gun it’s proven reliable. Since it’s not a hunting or defensive bullet, I’ll tolerate it for now.

I don’t run subs much, but have run the 200gr open tip looking bullets and the 220gr cast. Both of those acted the same in the PMAGs as the 147gr.

When I loaded the 147gr into the GI mags with magpul followers, they felt and ran normal.

So, I have no problem loading Black Tip, Pink tip, VMAX, etc., into any of my mags, but I stick to GI mags for the heavier stuff.

Having said that, I’m starting to move away from PMAGs and back to GI mags anyway. I primarily shoot 5.56, so the feeding of 300 isn’t really a part of it. It’s because I’m noticing more and more PMAG related issues lately.

A buddy that’s SWAT and a member here called me recently because a couple PMAGs wouldn’t seat on a closed bolt occasionally. I’ve seen this before and while most don’t notice it, often the second round in the mag will tilt upwards and on occasion can act as a locking bar and the mag will fail to seat on a closed bolt, even when forced hard.

It’s a small thing and not all that common, but it can result in bad things happening. I’ve also seen a good bit of cracking at the spine recently that is not noticeable unless when loaded the ammo puts pressure on the sides and separates very slightly…