Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Discussion about rifles in 300 AAC BLACKOUT (7.62x35mm), hosted by the creator of the cartridge.

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Predator257
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Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by Predator257 »

Hey guys, first post here. I got an invite from Svh off of one of my Predator Masters posts.
So here the quick down and dirty because I could talk for a long time about all this. My favorite rifles are all customs and shoot wonderfully, a custom Ar10 308, AR15 .223, and a full blown custom .257 Wby Mag in a Remmy 700 action. I'm a decent shot, wife says I'm a sniper, but I know there's a lot more to it than making good shots, plus I don't get to shoot as much as I'd like.
I have been a doubter of the 300 blackout thinking of it as a fad round. With all the political unrest and my desire to support the AR15 industry I have opened my eyes and educated myself a bit, becoming somewhat obsessed with my options and figuring out the best choices, problem is, I know nothing about the .300blk round.
I am determined to get another rifle and have a few choices as to how to do that, and even more choices with the component to get me there. I started off thinking on buying a 16" rifle, which is definitely an option. The rifle would definitely be in the hands of myself as well as my wife and hopefully my young daughter. Main purpose is home defense and coyote or hog hunting and remaining compact and lighter that the heavyweights I already own. Then I got to thinking, which rifle does better in a SBR configuration, 5.56 or 300. What I found was the .300blk is the better choice in a SBR. That kind of sucks because I have a 10.5 SBR in 5.56 and just ordered a thunderbeast suppressor to complete the build. My mind was actually smoking this afternoon thinking on the best thing to do now since money doesn't grow on trees. I am a precision shooter, I want this rife to group as good as anything else I have, but I'm not sure if that is something to expect from what I'm doing with this new rifle.
Here is what I have figured my choices to be:
1-Buy another complete rifle in 300
2-Buy a complete SBR rifle in 300 +$200 and wait
3-Buy a SBR upper 300 and put on my existing lower, remove 10" .223 barrel from it and build a 14.5" SBR upper in .5.56, buy and designate a lower for SBR. +$200 and wait
4-Same as above, just build it 16" instead, but they don't look as cool, and it is for wife and daughter too.
5- I wish I could take possession of a full 300 SBR rifle now and separate them, put the upper on my current SBR lower be ready to go and wait for the lower paperwork and money to build the 14.5" .223 which would both take a little time.
- all options would eventually get a Thunderbeast Ultra 5 muffler on the end, $$$
-I also have a stripped upper and lower which could be thrown in to help with a build, but was wanting to use them for a decked out 6.5 Grendel build later.
-I do reload

Maybe I'm overthinking this, maybe I'm not thinking enough and have forgotten something. One thing I thought of is the home defense aspect. It will not stay locked up, just hidden and easily accessible, so the SBR may not be a good idea? I've got it bad guys, and need another evil "weapon of war". What do I do?
Hopefully I didn't ramble too bad, this was the abbreviated version. Just looking for the best option without breaking the bank (not opposed to registering another SBR though). Thanks for input!
This was the post at PM that got me the invite from Svh to come over here.
http://www.predatormastersforums.com/fo ... ost1178274
Last edited by Predator257 on Thu Jun 23, 2016 7:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
realtreehunter
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by realtreehunter »

Let me be the first to say welcome aboard. You've come to the right place for all things blackout. There are a bunch of great guys here with tons of knowledge about the blackout and other toys also.

As far as the decision you have to make, I would in your shoes
1-Send in your Form 1 for the extra lower you have before the 41F deadline next month. There will surely be time later to replace with another non-SBR lower later.
2- Build the short 300BLK upper of your choice, since you have the SBR lower already you can start working up loads if you reload or finding what the upper likes while waiting on the stamp for the lower, and you don't have to start as a pistol.
3- Forget the 14.5" upper and save your money because after you put your can on your 300 BLK and do a mag dump with subs you will need a handi rifle and a bolt action in 300 BLK for stupid quiet fun, and most likely a 16" blackout also. The only thing worse than the AR bug is the Blackout bug. I started with a 16" gun, joined this site to study up on the round and now have a pistol that I am waiting on a stamp for, 3 cans with another in jail, and am currently trying to decide what caliber to register on another lower before July 1. :cry:
4- Stay away from picture threads here, your check book will suffer.
Predator257
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by Predator257 »

Thanks Realtreehunter, thanks along the line of what I was thinking. Only problem is that the transfer paperwork for my .223 can from mfg to dealer is already in, so too late to change my mind there. I was thinking the barrel change down the road to a 14" would give me better performance in the .223 and I'd go for a "patrol rifle" look. I chose the Thunderbeast.223A.
As far as keeping an SBR handy and not locked.......not a problem?
When do the new rules take effect? I need to get this trust in, I'd have it back in 2 days from NFAlawyers.com. Then I can register the stripped lower that I have. I'm working out of town a lot right now, with the current rules I don't need to see anyone or go anywhere, correct? Just send money and paperwork and passport style photo? I've only done form 4's
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Sithlord
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by Sithlord »

Predator257 wrote:Thanks Realtreehunter, thanks along the line of what I was thinking. Only problem is that the transfer paperwork for my .223 can from mfg to dealer is already in, so too late to change my mind there. I was thinking the barrel change down the road to a 14" would give me better performance in the .223 and I'd go for a "patrol rifle" look. I chose the Thunderbeast.223A.
As far as keeping an SBR handy and not locked.......not a problem?
When do the new rules take effect? I need to get this trust in, I'd have it back in 2 days from NFAlawyers.com. Then I can register the stripped lower that I have. I'm working out of town a lot right now, with the current rules I don't need to see anyone or go anywhere, correct? Just send money and paperwork and passport style photo? I've only done form 4's
41f goes into effect July 13. Anything postmarked before that (and not kicked back due to error) is grandfathered.

With a trust, up until July 13th, there is no need to do photos. After July 13, you need photos, fingerprints and Leo notification.

You will need to get your trust documents notarized if you go that route, which requires seeing someone and/or going anywhere.

As far as the suppressor.... I doubt that you will be as happy with a suppressed 223 sbr as you will with a suppressed 300 Bo sbr. But that's me. If you're in for a penny with nfa (you've got an sbr and a can...) then you're in for a pound. You'll get a 762 can eventually...
Predator257
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by Predator257 »

With that being said, do I go the build or buy route? I've never built an AR before, so I'm clueless with that but think doing it would be fun as long as I'm able to do it right. Who makes a good upper? Who do I stay away from? I was looking at Noveske, AAC and a few others.
What is involved in building one, put it together like Legos or what? Parts list?
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rebel
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by rebel »

Welcome sir. Couple of things, 300 BLK is a very efficient cartridge, in my mind a 14" is kind of a waste when you are sure to get a 16" in addition to a short barrel. I lose very little speed from my 16 to my 9 " compared to other calibers. Do as you wish though as I have built several rifles with a look in mind. Just so you know what to expect here,not only is the forum a great place to talk to like minded individuals, it's a tool. Before you ask a specific question, do a Google search ( the search feature here is whacky), more than likely it's been asked at some point.

The handloading stickies are a great source of info. As far as your expectations of precision, with careful handloading and a good barrel one can expect MOA or less with supersonic loads at 100 yards. Subsonic precision is being worked on right now by some of us at distance. The term " precision shooter" is used fairly loosely, I don't know if you compete or just enjoy hitting where your aiming. In any case, most of us fall in to the latter group so in that sense, we are all striving toward being accomplished precision shooters 8)

In reading through the handloading section you will find a list of good/bad brass if you intend to form your own. I would suggest buying some brass first so you can have some immediate gratification. You will also see several tools listed that I find valuable. The Hornady LNL comparator and headspace gauge sets ( if you don't have those yet ), a Sheridan slotted gauge and a what dies are better for forming brass, just to name a few.
By jumping into this caliber you come to realize just how many different applications this round has, how much can be done with it, and how fun it is.
Being a fan of it doesn't mean we think it is end all, do all - many of us reload for many calibers. But I don't think we have seen all of what the 300 BLK can do yet. Happy to have you along -enjoy and hope for some contributions from you soon.
You can't beat the mountain, pilgrim. Mountains got its own way.
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rebel
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by rebel »

Putting together an AR is pretty straight forward. Some specific tools are helpful. YouTube is your friend. If you go this route, I would suggest and upgraded trigger over Mil Spec.
You can't beat the mountain, pilgrim. Mountains got its own way.
Predator257
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by Predator257 »

Thanks! Just for clarification, the 14" would be in .223 as I have a can on the way and would serve as a better compact hunting platform than the 10.5". I saw on a ballistics chart comparing the .223 to the .300blk that the velocities on the 300 don't take as much of a hit in a SBR as the .223 does and even that the round is moving slower, the energy is higher.
I tend to be a bit extreme when I get into something. I haven't had the time I need to do all the research, but I was planning on checking out YouTube, everything is there, and reading as much as I can to learn and ask questions about.
rimshaker
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Re: Hello from a newbie with lots of questions

Post by rimshaker »

Welcome!
Unless your local class 3 dealer has NFA items in stock, it's now too late to buy NFA toys, have them F3 transferred to your dealer, and submit your F1/F4 form before July 13.

At least you already have an existing SBR lower to play with.
But it's still not too late to establish a Trust and SBR the stripped lower. Remember you have to engrave it afterwards.

A great compromise for a short barrel in 556 is the 11.5" length. Lots of benefits over the 10.5 and 10.3
The gold standard for 300 SBR uppers is the AAC 9" upper. If you have the patience to find one, it's definitely worth it.

300 BLK is all about using short barrels and silencers. Might as well think of it as an "NFA caliber." Otherwise you might as well choose 556 or 308.
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