.300 Blackout Upper

Lineman73 · #1 07-08-2012, 09:45 PM

Last Thursday, July 5th, I picked up new S&W .300 Blackout upper to go with my M&P15 Sport! It has a 16" barrel, quadrail hand guard and a full length picatinny top rail. I added 3 rail covers and a sling swivel mount. Two pins out, off with the 5.56 NATO upper, two pins in, on with the .300 Blackout...it took about that long to snap in place. Perfect fit; perfect function, as expected.

As I will be using this upper about 90% for hunting (deer and coyotes) I mounted a Bushnell Trophy 1.5-5 x 20 scope on a see thru 3/4" riser (co-witness iron sights to be added later). I bore sighted it, then fine tuned it at the local indoor range (free advertisement: The Trading Place Pawn and Indoor Range in Monroe, GA--You're welcome Blake!) I'll check it out at 100+ yards soon. I fed it Remington 115 grain CTFB FMJ's to sight in. These were clean, reliable rounds. They left very little fouling and provided totally positive function. I had no problems at all.

Accuracy was excellent. Once hitting point of aim, all groups could have been covered with a dime. Not bad for an old retired coot with lousy eyes!! I also picked up some Hornady 110 grain V-Max ammo for hunting and plan to get some Hornady 125 grain Zombie Max loads...just in case!!

I got the upper for $70 under Smith & Wesson suggested price. Not a bad deal!! I checked into a few other brands that I could have gotten cheaper, but with shipping figured in, there was very little difference.....sooooo. I liked the idea of the new upper matching the lower. I have been a faithful customer of Smith & Wesson for over 40 years now and if it ain't broken, don't try to fix it!

This is a great addition to my toy collection and should be a whole lot of fun to use. I'm sure the coyotes and deer are not looking forward to what happens next!!

PainterlyShotgroup · #2 07-08-2012, 10:07 PM

We want Pictures!

Gunslinger808 · #3 07-08-2012, 10:18 PM

Now you need a suppressor.

Dragon88 · #4 07-08-2012, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lineman73

I got the upper for $70 under Smith & Wesson suggested price.

Sweet. Now put that toward a tax stamp, suppressor, and a few cases of subsonic ammo.

storeyteller · #5 07-09-2012, 08:10 AM

Lineman,
Did you ever consider the 6.5 grendel or did you just know you wanted the 300blackout? If so why/why not? I am looking into one or the other and just want some feedback.

Munsterf18 · #6 07-09-2012, 08:23 AM

Did you get the upper at Trading Place?

Munster

arizona98tj · #7 07-09-2012, 06:21 PM

I can see a possible use of the .300 for deer, especially if your state does not allow calibers below .243.

I'm trying to figure out why you would opt to use the .300 on coyotes given the plethora of .223 varmint bullets and their proven success on coyotes. What was the driving factor for this?

LbulletM · #8 07-09-2012, 09:57 PM

AR newbie. Ordering my m&p sometime this week, probably Thursday. Late birthday present to my self partially subsidized by the girlfriend. Super excited.
Anyways, I had come across the blackout when looking at other uppers and read something about being able to just switch out the barrel since the round is essentially crammed into a 223 casing. Is this sacrelige or fairly common?

flyer91 · #9 07-09-2012, 11:56 PM

Basically that's correct ....... resized .223 brass.

The good ...... you don't need new mags.
The bad .... you don't need new mags ......... which leads to a situation that can (and has) been a significant problem.

If you make a mistake and put a mag loaded with .300 Blk in your 5.56 upper, it gets nasty just right after you squeeze the trigger ........

Although the 300 is too big to fit in the 5.56 chamber in a static situation, in real life what has happened is ..... when the bolt release was pressed the bolt slammed the 300 round into the 5.56 chamber, the bullet was pushed back into the case, the neck was crimped by the 5.56 chamber, and when the trigger was squeezed the AR blew apart.

You can find the article and pictures by googling "300 black mistakenly in a 5.56 rifle" and then following the link posted in the second link on google's page under Sniper's Hide.

Typically I use all black mags, but before I order my 300 Blk upper, I'll be sure have different color Magpul mags delivered for use 'only' with the 300 Blk rounds/upper.

As I get older I find I need to do things like this with even the most benign things.

Enframe · #10 07-10-2012, 05:43 PM

I use p-mags only for the 300BLK, metal mags for 5.56. Easy to tell the difference by appearance and/or feel.

flyer91 · #11 07-10-2012, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enframe

I use p-mags only for the 300BLK, metal mags for 5.56. Easy to tell the difference by appearance and/or feel.

Thanks!! .....that's an even better idea!!

LbulletM · #12 07-10-2012, 11:07 PM

Is there a way to buy just the barrel from s&w? I only want to use it rarely for hunting, so i don't want to shell out for an entire upper. Any ideas as to price?

colt_saa · #13 07-11-2012, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lineman73

Last Thursday, July 5th, I picked up new S&W .300 Blackout upper to go with my M&P15 Sport!

I know this is nit picking, but I was unaware of S&W offering a 300 Blackout upper.

S&W does offer a few uppers and complete rifles in 300 Whisper.

I know this is like the difference between .223 Remington and 5.56x45 Nato rifles.

TangoFoxtrot · #14 07-11-2012, 05:46 AM

Lineman, Congrats on your new build. I have been considering 300BLK myself down the road.

Lineman73 · #15 07-11-2012, 01:04 PM

Colt SAA,

The S&W barrel is stamped: .300 Whisper/.300 Blackout. Call it what you will.

Lineman73 · #16 07-11-2012, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PainterlyShotgroup

We want Pictures!

Here ya go:

300 BLK Upper.jpg

Lineman73 · #17 07-11-2012, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by storeyteller

Lineman,
Did you ever consider the 6.5 grendel or did you just know you wanted the 300blackout? If so why/why not? I am looking into one or the other and just want some feedback.

I did a lot of research before I committed to the .300 Whisper/.300 Blackout. I considered 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 7.62x39 Russian, .30 RAR and the .450 Bushmaster. I checked bullet/velocity stats, performance in AR platform info, available bullet weights, number of manufacturers producing the cartridge and last of all popularity of the cartridge. I did not want to get an upper that the ammo would disappear after a short time as I no longer reload (Crawling around on the ground to harvest brass is not for fat, 60 year old guys!).

I have two primary rifles for deer hunting: a Ruger M-77 Ultralight in .308 Winchester and a Savage M-116 in 7mm Remington Magnum. The .300 Blackout is just for those days when I feel like using the M&P. It's just kind of a knock around gun. Call it a whim!!

After the research, I eliminated the 7.62x39 because it does not usually perform all that well in an AR platform. Others were eliminated due to ammo availability or lack of bullet weight variety. Finally I checked into ammo popularity with two gun shops that I trust their knowledge and advice and the winner was the .300 AAC Blackout!

I tossed up the cost of the various uppers in that chambering and although it was a bit more than some, I liked the idea of an S&W upper and lower. So there you have it.

Lineman73 · #18 07-11-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munsterf18

Did you get the upper at Trading Place?

Munster

Nope, I got it at Deaton's Gun Shop in Loganville (Free Advertisement John!!

Lineman73 · #19 07-11-2012, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arizona98tj

I can see a possible use of the .300 for deer, especially if your state does not allow calibers below .243.

I'm trying to figure out why you would opt to use the .300 on coyotes given the plethora of .223 varmint bullets and their proven success on coyotes. What was the driving factor for this?

If I plan on coyote hunting, I will use the 5.56 NATO upper. If I'm out deer hunting or just off season bumming around the woods where the target of opportunity could be a hog or a coyote, I'll opt for the .300 Blackout. I'm not proud about what I shoot coyotes with!! If it goes bang and makes them dead, it's a good coyote gun!! I have used .22 LR, .357 magnums, .44 Specials, .44 magnums, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 12 gauge, 7mm08, .308 Winchester and 7mm Remington Magnum. If I see 'em, I kill 'em!!

BTW, Georgia allows any caliber .22 centerfire and up for deer. I may also opt to whack Bambi with Hornady .223 75 grain TAP load.

Such infinite variety!! Everywhere I go I'm getting choices!!! What a wonderful country!!

Lineman73 · #20 07-11-2012, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enframe

I use p-mags only for the 300BLK, metal mags for 5.56. Easy to tell the difference by appearance and/or feel.

I use 5 round metal mags for the .300 Blackout and 20 or 30 round PMags for the 5.56 Nato. NO PROBLEMO!

Lineman73 · #21 07-11-2012, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LbulletM

Is there a way to buy just the barrel from s&w? I only want to use it rarely for hunting, so i don't want to shell out for an entire upper. Any ideas as to price?

S&W sells either complete rifles or complete uppers. There are other manufacturers of just barrels. Check with Midway USA. They have them, they ship quickly, they have reasonable prices and Larry Potterfield is just a good guy to deal with!!

LbulletM · #22 07-11-2012, 08:34 PM

Thanks Lineman. I'll have to think about it for a while. I liked the idea of keeping it all S&W, but I don't really want to shell out for the full upper.

Enframe · #23 07-16-2012, 06:10 PM

Just a heads up, Midway has 115gr FMJ 300BLK for 11.99/20. Good range ammo price. I don't work there, and my last name isn't Potterfield. Just a good deal.

Shop Shooting Supplies | Reloading | Gunsmithing | Hunting gear — MidwayUSA

oneyeopn · #24 07-16-2012, 08:58 PM

So now you guys have me thinking that I need to take the FrankenSport and turn it into a 300 whatever the name is this week!!! LOL

SGT45 · #25 07-18-2012, 10:15 PM

After looking at this thread and doing some research, Looks like this maybe the way to go instead of the .308 as I asked about in another Thread. This may fit my bill as a self defense/LE patrol rifle.
I was exploring the idea of getting some type of .308 AR or a AR in 7.62x39. The .308 is a big rifle with quite a bit more recoil and does not have the interchangeability of parts etc. with the .223. The 7.62x39 would have been ideal as it could have teamed up with my Mini30 (which I really like!).
The .300 ACC Blk out sounds like the larger AR rifle caliber I have been looking for(How did I miss it for so long???). Larger caliber, easier recoil than .308, appears to be accurate, Ammo availability (which kept me from looking at the 6.* calibers etc), and interchangeability of parts and mags. I will continue my research before I pull the pin on buying one. So far, so good. Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!