So after having such an issue finding affordable ammo and reloading isn’t an option for me at this time I’m really considering going back to 5.56 for my ar pistol.
Here’s the catch. My .300 right now is used as a truck gun and sits next to my bed at night. It far exceeds 5.56 in that capacity.
But it’s so damn fun to shoot at the range and in classes. It’s just so unbelievably expensive. I just ordered 2500 rounds of 5.56 for under 400 bucks and that won’t ever happen with .300
Eventually I was going to build a 5.56 upper but I’d rather save that money for other things right now (like optics) but want to keep shooting it.
I am going with a 7.5 faxon 416r as barrel if I do which is 100 bucks.
Personally, a 7.5" 5.56 barrel is good for fun at the range and not much more. I’d go up to a 10.5" barrel since it sounds like you’d be depending on it for defensive use.
And I’d like to get in on this 5.56 for under 16 cents per round also. That’s about half the going price. If I could buy it that cheap, I’d buy a lot more than 2500 rds.
I have read a ton of threads and opinions on the 7.5" 556 barrel but I have a 7.5" pistol as a truck/backpack gun and it is THE SHIT! Personally I love the 7.5" 556 guns but I have different guns for different things and I know what they will be used for. This one is most likely never going to be shot at over 50-75 yards and I know its limits.
I have not had one single issue in my range trips. I’ve got approx 300 rounds of Hornady TAP FPD and another 200 of various types of 223/556 ammo through it without a single problem. I zeroed my aimpoint at 50 yards and shot a few 3 shot groups. All of those groups were sub 1" and 2 of them had all 3 rounds touching which is WAY better than I expected.
I highly recommend the Rainier select barrel if you’re not dead set on the Faxon barrel. It has been flawless so far! It is about $210 but well worth it.
What sort of comp to you have on it? I think when going shorter than a 10.3 this plays the greatest factor in reliability on such short guns. The only way I would do a build like the is with a linear comp such as a Noveske KX3, KX5 or a suppressor.
Just something to increase the back pressure into the receiver to help the function of the gun.
If the affordability of ammunition is the issue then I’d suggest just dropping a few hundred bucks on a similar upper to your .300blk, but in 5.56. Training with a similar platform is a big plus. The biggest cost of any firearm is the ammunition - unless you’re into safe queens.
If it’s really a truck/HD gun, isn’t it important for you to have an optimal caliber in that pistol?
In other news: I think OP is messing with us. Cheapest 5.56 on the internet right now is here.
Me and a lot of friends went in on a bulk order of steel case.
As for using the 5.56 for self defense I would not want to as .300 is optimal for that. But I’d rather be shooting it and not picturing myself throwing $20’s down range in perfectly shaped balls of paper. I’d lose out on a self defense weapon for a little while but I’ll be able to train with it more and shoot it more in general.
It seems to me like you’ve already answered your own question. Were you planning to keep the .300blk upper and build a new, separate upper for 5.56, or just a barrel/parts swap for 5.56?
It has the Noveske KX5 on the end. It is insanely awesome. Really directs the blast forward. I run it with a standard carbine spring and H2 buffer and it functions flawlessly. Rainier recommends an H buffer with their 7.5 barrel but I figured with the extra back pressure the KX5 is supposed to create I’d try it with the H2 and it worked great. Have a 9 inch rail so the KX5 pokes out the front about 1.25 inches. It looks pretty cool too
I think I’m going to end up keeping my 8" .300 as is since its been dead nuts reliable (enough for me to carry with me) and build a second upper already since I have a 7" KMR on the way and train with that. It will be lighter for sure but that is fine with me.
Good choice. I enjoy running a 14.5" Mega Maten (keymod) but the ammo is around .50 a shot. I built near-identical 14.5" Mega ar15 keymod for shooting on a regular basis.
