Better get ready for the usual.
“Where can I get some?”
“How much does it run per box?”
“What kind of ballistics?”
Looking forward to the release of this new product!
$12.99 MSRP a box.
Crimped.
Waterproof primer.
Double-struck (NATO hardness) brass.
Open Tip match (nose struck closed).
About a 0.300 BC at 2250 fps.
Annealed with visible mark for verification.
Full-out-awesome, and I am very proud of the ammunition engineers for taking the dream-approach on this.
There will be no shortage of this. If the market wants a million rounds a month, it will get it. It has its own machines.
Gun makers - make guns.
Please note - this bullet is probably as long as a 150 grain 308 but is lighter due to having a hollow nose cavity. What that means is - it uses as much copper as a typical 308, and it was very hard to make this come at the price it is. It has way more than twice the copper of a 55 grain 223, and for that reason, it can never be as cheap as 223. More is more and costs more. This is no poodle-shooter.
Are we still on track for a release of this ammo next month?
Yes.
.
I’m looking forward to it.
Thanks for all the hard work you’ve put into this.
This is awesome! Almost sounds like it is similar to the Russian 7n6 for the 5.45 guns. Can’t wait to get my hands on a case or two. Sounds like higher end fodder than the typical UMC ammo we see from Remington.
Lapua 123 grain 7.62x39mm - 712 Joules at 300 meters (16.5 inch barrel).
http://www.lapua.com/en/products/special-purpose/centerfire-rifle/19
Remington UMC 115 grain 300 AAC Blackout - 755 Joules at 300 meters (16.0 inch barrel (0.300 BC, 2250 fps muzzle velocity)).
Advantage - 300 AAC Blackout by 5.8%, even with slightly shorter barrel.
Remington Match 125 grain 300 AAC Blackout - 842 Joules at 300 meters (16.0 inch barrel (0.320 BC, 2220 fps muzzle velocity)).
Advantage - 300 AAC Blackout by 16.7%, even with slightly shorter barrel.
Thanks again Robert
Rob
Thanks Robert for all the ballistic info and the baseline with 7.62x39
I see a .300blk upper more and more in my future…
What I’m about to ask is not meant as an attack, but is a “what happened?” type question. For some time after the AK-style 123gr FMJ bullet was cancelled you were talking about a 125gr OTM design for the cheap UMC ammo. In the post linked below, you said “this 125 grain flat-base bullet has the same BC as a 135 grain Sierra MatchKing Boat Tail.”
https://www.m4carbine.net/showpost.php?p=980484&postcount=451
When I look up Sierra bullets, they report the 135gr HPBT as having a BC of .370 between 1900 and 3250fps:
http://www.sierrabullets.com/index.cfm?section=bullets&page=bc&stock_num=2123&bullettype=0
I had thought the claimed .370 BC was entirely plausible given that Nosler lists a 125gr Ballistic Tip .308 with a .366 BC:
http://www.nosler.com/Bullets/Ballistic-Tip.aspx
I also remember reading a statement that the 125gr UMC ammo would be at 2320fps or so, but I can’t locate that in print at the moment.
So, I had been expecting the UMC ammo to have a 125gr bullet with a .370 BC and a muzzle velocity slightly over 2300fps, which produces fairly good retained velocity and energy in the 100-300 yard range, and not awful out to 500+ yards. The UMC ammo introduced above is 115gr at apparently lower velocity and with a mediocre .300 BC. I’m just wondering - what caused this change? Hornady’s 110gr loading is claiming 2375fps with a .290 BC, and since it’s advertised as a 300 Whisper I assume they have to limit its pressure a bit more due to the chamber variations.
You are trying to compare claimed BCs to actual BCs. Sierra rates the 125 grain 300 BLK BC as 0.349. That is pretty close to 0.370 - but yes, it did not end up as high. It happened because the first BCs back in April were computer predicted, and the final BC was radar measured of actual projectiles. If you measure the Sierra 125 BC at the actual velocities in question, it is more like a 0.320.
It is not a good idea to compare BCs from one maker to another - especially when the Nosler is tested at 3200 fps and the Remington at 2200 fps. Even at the same velocity, they may measure with different methods.
0.300 is actually an exceptional BC for a 115 grain 30 caliber bullet if we are talking true/measured BC and not inflated claimed BCs - and that is a result of the unusually long length. If you compare it to the a measured BC of the Hornady 110 V-MAX (not the claimed BC), it should be significantly higher.
I don’t remember making claims about the UMC velocity, but the fact that this outperforms Lapua 7.62x39mm ammo at longer ranges, while using a much smaller case capacity, should be evidence that this is quite an accomplishment for the Remington ammo engineers.
Well, I for one am very excited! I just submitted my paperwork for my first SBR, which will have a 9" bbl 300blk upper, then a can. Thanks for all the hard work RSilvers.
Thanks for the clarifications. As I said before, it was not meant as an attack. And the velocity I remembered may have been someone else’s speculation, since I can’t find it written anywhere.
EDIT: I found where I got the velocity claim from - the official 300 AAC Blackout website and detailed PDF. The website has since been updated, but the PDF I downloaded late last year, which was apparently made on 10/13/10, lists on page 15 a velocity of 2315fps for the 123gr MC cartridge in a 16" barrel. Obviously specs changed as the bullet type changed, but I did have a basis for expecting that velocity.
I had the opportunity to shoot this round a couple of weeks ago. It is very soft shooting and the report is not obnoxious. It is very quiet in fact. I will be looking for reloading dies, and if readily available I may pick up an upper.
I hope this hits store shelves soon.
I may start some paper work on a new SBR if it does.
To the OP: It’s awesome to see some serious options starting to come out in .300 AAC. Having using military grade brass, sealed primers and a good crimp is a big deal to me. It shows attention to detail on your and the engineers part. If I were to buy a few thousand rounds of this stuff for a rainy day I wouldn’t want it to be plinker ammo. It’s obvious that a lot of hard work is going into the caliber. My next upper will definitely be a .300 AAC and sooner rather than later. Thanks for your efforts and for keeping us updated on the developments.
You know, the 6.8 guys aren’t going to like this!
I want I want I want. I have to wait until after tax time to get the upper, so I am converting all my GI mags to Magpul followers. By the time I am done more companies will have uppers and the price may come down on a 16" AAC upper, gotta throw them some love for developing this round commercially.
Why is that? I’m a 6.8 guy…and a 5.56 guy…and so on. Having more calibers to choose for (a) particular application(s) with the AR is great. Even better if they’re more affordable.