9" 300 blackout pistol worth it?

[RobMa]

My HK has a match trigger, shoots faster then I can…

 

[nammac]

Short barreled Blackout is a worthwhile investment, but reloading is a must. Pushing 150gr boat tails at about 1,800 fps, that should do for domicile defense. Can is in ATF jail, should get paroled between Thanksgiving and Christmas…

 

[Member 34319]

Curious, what length do the Leo's carry in their vehicles nowadays? I know they're using an AR variant, I'm just curious to the types and lengths that are being used as opposed to the traditional guns that were used in the past. I know sub guns primarily are swat and other units and shotguns were wayback when but…

Varies by department. Mostly 16" carbines or 10-11" SBRs. Mostly if not always 556. Rarely select fire surprisingly. Seen a lot of them do qualifications on 16-18" semi autos.

 

[Bushman]

My experience has been 8" works just fine. And the .300blk achieves complete burn at 9" and was designed for such length barrel.

Edited, my info may be wrong.

My 9 inches burn if she's really tight.

 

[Caveman Jim]

I defend the homestead with my first build, a 10.5" AR In 300BLK. I trust my life with it.

 

[Mygrainman]

The most important thing to consider when looking into 300 blackout is that you can never truly appreciate the caliber and maximize its capabilities, unlesss you both run suppressed, and load your own Ammo. It's not a cheap or versatile cartridge… but man is it fun when you can unload without earpro, and without breaking the bank. Buying ammo off the shelf can get expensive.
During the trump slump you could get 200 grain subs for as low as $.60 per round, but during the worst of our most recent ammo shortage, I saw it at gun shows selling for well over $3 per round… it's still averaging $2.
but looks like it's finally coming back
The last couple times I went into my local Sportsmans they had 147 grain super sonic 300 BO Ammo in stock for $.75 per round which isn't any more than a lot of the 5.56. Granted the subsonic stuff is a bit more difficult still, but it'll settle down again…for about 3 years.
Part of my dive into 300 blackout a few years ago also included getting plenty of reloading components, and the tools to cut and reform .223 brass, So I didn't ever have to pay $3 per round.
My favorite fire arm that I have ever owned or shot is my 8.3" 300 BO AR pistol.
I got into the caliber pretty early on, and there wasn't a ton of good data yet. It has since been adopted and extensively used by the military so of course a ton of R&D has gone into it, but 4 or 5 years ago I had to summon some serious Google-fu while I saved to build it.. all my research pointed me to a 10.5" barrel.. data showed better powder burn, so less gas, less muzzle flash, less recoil, and better velocity, range, and of course accuracy… BUT
Luckily somebody posted an 8.3" Ballistics Advantage Hansen profile for $100 here in the classifieds and I couldn't pass it up. Thank God I didn't . She's lights out accurate, eats every Ammo I've ever fed her, suppressed or not…I have had no gassing issues thanks to good charge handles. A good H2 Buffer and strike flat wound spring makes for minimal recoil, and dammm is she beautiful?! I've built and shot every other configuration of 300 bo uppers from $30 Bear Creek barrels to $600 Noveske's ranging from 7" to 16"…. But still in my opinion nothing touches my Scarlett.
Back in the 1870's Oliver Winchester and Co. discovered that one out of every thousand barrels shot a little bit better than the others… maybe I just got lucky the first time and that 8.3 was a one in 1000.

 

[Mygrainman]

I used to keep one under my bed. Great HD setup with SD ammo. It cycled everything but subs reliably but I already knew that before I built it. Only thing that has pushed me away from .300blk is ammo price and availability.

Are you referring to the one I built the upper for? That was a BA premium SS 7.5" Hansen profile.. a rare barrel. they don't make anymore. I really liked that build..had a cool fortis rail if I remember correctly. the only reason to shoot subs is if you're running suppressed anyway, and with a can it probably would have had enough back pressure to run just fine. Did you get rid of it?

 

[TTSX]

To me, PERSONALLY, I don't think it's a worth while cartridge at all. Unless you're going for mouse fart quiet at the range, it doesn't do anything another cartridge doesn't do equally well or better for much less cost. I'd like to see 20 years into the future and I bet it's replaced by another whiz bang doodad

 

[GWS]

I have heard lots of good things about these type of pistols and some bad. Anywhere to reliability to upcoming possible legal constraints, I have a chance to get a real nice one but I am on the fence as to whether I should. I already have a PDW set up for home defense (9mm) but I thought it would be better to have something with a little more ooomph.

What are your thoughts guys?

Thanks

I vote YES! on .300 Blackout pistols
I have a few and they are a lot of fun to shoot suppressed. Ammo is a little scarce but can be found if you put in the effort.
Get one while the getting is good

 

[Mike7b]

Shooting my blackout pistols reminds me of when I was 12 or 13, with my 10-22 and a pocket full of cci mini mags. Fun. If you don't reload, you should, 300 blk is cheap to reload. And it's really fun to unload. My mindset is to get whatever I'm interested in and if I don't like it, I'll sell it. Just bought another safe, evidently I'm not good at selling.

 

[RobMa]

Shooting my blackout pistols reminds me of when I was 12 or 13, with my 10-22 and a pocket full of cci mini mags. Fun. If you don't reload, you should, 300 blk is cheap to reload. And it's really fun to unload. My mindset is to get whatever I'm interested in and if I don't like it, I'll sell it. Just bought another safe, evidently I'm not good at selling.

Please see above, selling stuff here can be hard…

 

[jblake00]

FRT trigger makes my 300Blk run pretty quick...

 

[titsonritz]

Well even still I edited my previous post. I swear I have read and heard many times that .300blk was DESIGNED to function and perform optimally in short barrels such as pistols. But when I'm wrong, I'm the first to admit it. Luckily it happens very rarely.

That was my understanding as well. A 9" barrel was supposed to be it.

 

[titsonritz]

My 5.56 pistol has a 12.5" barrel, the shortest I would consider is 11.5", for me to go shorter I'd be going with a 8-9" .300 BO.

 

[Member 34319]

This thread has me looking at this little guy again! Currently oos however! Some day I'll do it!

SPL 1:5 5R 300 Blackout 4.75" AR15 Barrel- Stainless

Unleash precision performance with our advanced stainless 4.75" 300 Blackout AR-15 barrel. Engineered for accuracy, this barrel features innovative 5R rifling, reducing bullet deformation and enhancing shot consistency. Elevate your shooting experience with this top-tier barrel, delivering...

www.kakindustry.com

 

[RobMa]

This thread has me looking at this little guy again! Currently oos however! Some day I'll do it!

SPL 1:5 5R 300 Blackout 4.75" AR15 Barrel- Stainless

Unleash precision performance with our advanced stainless 4.75" 300 Blackout AR-15 barrel. Engineered for accuracy, this barrel features innovative 5R rifling, reducing bullet deformation and enhancing shot consistency. Elevate your shooting experience with this top-tier barrel, delivering...

www.kakindustry.com

Wow that would certainly be a small barrel for that caliber..

 

[Member 34319]

Wow that would certainly be a small barrel for that caliber..

Just a wee bit shorter than the Sig Rattler at 5.5". KAK used to make a 6" barrel with the 1/5 twist. If they still had that, I'd prefer that one. This with the 5" can I'd put on it would still be quite short. It would be subsonic only if I did do.

The only other one I'd consider is by CVA. Their single shot. Though it is a 1/8 twist I would likely leave it at 16" or maybe go down to 10-12".

Both would only be for fun. Nothing like what your looking to do with them. Self defense.

 

[Flopsweat]

That was my understanding as well. A 9" barrel was supposed to be it.

A 9" barrel definitely is it if you want it for short range, especially suppressed. For the most flexibility, AAC (the developer of the 300 AAC/300 BLK cartridge) designed a 14.5" SBR. It's tuned to run everything from 110 gr to 220 gr without adjustment. I've shot one a lot and it's fantastic. It runs everything fine with or without a suppressor. 14.5 is the length where the returns on increased barrel length start to diminish rapidly. This why it is "optimal" for both subsonic and supersonic. For just subsonic, 8 to 10 inches should be fine. If you go any shorter than 8, you may need to tune it carefully and it may shorten the life of some suppressors. But to be clear, a 9" barrel can be a very good choice.

 

[titsonritz]

A 9" barrel definitely is it if you want it for short range, especially suppressed. For the most flexibility, AAC (the developer of the 300 AAC/300 BLK cartridge) designed a 14.5" SBR. It's tuned to run everything from 110 gr to 220 gr without adjustment. I've shot one a lot and it's fantastic. It runs everything fine with or without a suppressor. 14.5 is the length where the returns on increased barrel length start to diminish rapidly. This why it is "optimal" for both subsonic and supersonic. For just subsonic, 8 to 10 inches should be fine. If you go any shorter than 8, you may need to tune it carefully and it may shorten the life of some suppressors. But to be clear, a 9" barrel can be a very good choice.

All of my 14.5" are 5.56 and I don't see that changing, the only reason I'd do a .300 BO is for the 9" barrel. If I were to seek more horsepower that a 5.56 out of a 14.5-16" barrel it would not be .300 BO.

 

[RobMa]

A 9" barrel definitely is it if you want it for short range, especially suppressed. For the most flexibility, AAC (the developer of the 300 AAC/300 BLK cartridge) designed a 14.5" SBR. It's tuned to run everything from 110 gr to 220 gr without adjustment. I've shot one a lot and it's fantastic. It runs everything fine with or without a suppressor. 14.5 is the length where the returns on increased barrel length start to diminish rapidly. This why it is "optimal" for both subsonic and supersonic. For just subsonic, 8 to 10 inches should be fine. If you go any shorter than 8, you may need to tune it carefully and it may shorten the life of some suppressors. But to be clear, a 9" barrel can be a very good choice.

Since the other choice I have is 12.5 then I guess that would end up being the best overall one to get?