scooter123
Member
And I must say that I am pleased as punch with how it turned out. I was looking to build an AR with less weight than my 20 inch, 10+ lbs. Match AR and at 7 lbs. 5 ounces I hit that goal pretty well.
The barrel used iss a 16 inch Stainless, 1:8 rifling with a Pistol length Gas system. While it sounds odd the Blackout can run such a wide variety of ammunition that a lot of folks are recommending a Pistol Gas System even for the Carbine lengths. One problem with this approach is that with hotter supersonic loads you could be "overgassing" the rifle a LOT.
So, the first special item was a Syrac Ordinance Adjustable Gas Block. Note, at 115 dollars for the clamp on 0.750 diameter stainless version these are not cheap. However it works well and it's got very positive detents for each position that make it simple to dial into a specific setting by counting the clicks.
Second special item was a 3 lbs. Timney drop in trigger. Another pricey item but when you shoot with one of these triggers you'll understand why I believe they are worth the cost. There is no detectable pre-travel, a very clean break, and a minimal after travel. Basically a really excellent single stage trigger.
The third special item is the Gibbz Arms Handguard. Because they have the finest mounting system for a full float handguard I've ever used. On this rifle the handguard chosen was the Mid Length Ultra Light, which is a 13 3/8 inch long aluminum handguard that is swiss cheesed to minimize the weight. It's a hex shape and features a full length rail on top and positions for accessory rails on the sides and bottom. Note, some may find the length an odd choice for a carbine length barrel and my answer for that is SIGHT RADIUS.
The fourth special item is a Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron Bolt Carrier group. Because they clean up easily and they are so slick you could run your rifle without any lube. However, being a belt and suspenders type when it comes to firearms I run my AR's with loats of lube.
The balance of the build is pretty typical for an AR15 except in my case I used a Detroit Gun Works matched upper and lower receiver. Being from the area I figured it would be good to support the local good guys.
So, for the actual shooting.
Before I headed to the range I made up an adjusting tool that would reach the gas block way down under that long handguard and all those holes made it easy to hit the setscrew that has the detents for adjusting it. Picture a 8 inch piece of 3/16 inch drill rod with the end of a 5/64 ball end hex key pressed in one end. Started out with the gas turned way down and kept opening up the gas one click at a time until the bolt was locking back on an empty magazine with 100% reliability. By doing this I'm providing enough gas to cycle the bolt carrier fully but no more gas than needed. According to the "experts" doing this will minimize recoil and minimize the amount of gas dumped into the receiver. I am now so impressed with how cleanly this rifle shot that I am considering putting an adjustable gas block on my Match AR. Because after 30 rounds downrange the bolt carrier looks like it just came out of the packaging, meaning not one visible speck of powder residue.
Load used. Today's load was a 125 grain Hornady SST over 15.6 grains of H110, a load the should produce something in the range of 1800 fps. Primer used was a CCI400 Small Rifle. Brass was mixed range pickups purchased at a local gun show and the ammunition shot well. Finished up by shooting a 1 inch, 5 shot group at 25 yards. Considering it was at an indoor range with poor lighting I'm quite pleased with that result. Note, the front sight post now has a bit of white paint drying on it. If the weather holds and I get the time I want to hit a local outdoor shooting club tomorrow to wring it out a bit in daylight.
Shooting properties. In part due weight of the rifle this recoil is quite soft. Since these are basically starting loads that also contributes to the soft recoil. In addition that tune-able gas block may act to reduce the perceived recoil as claimed. One thing that was very evident is that there is very little "jump" to the rifle when firing. Those into shooting games such as 3 Gun are really going to like this caliber.
As for the caliber specifically, right now I think it's a reloaders caliber and the best powder to use is H110. That was one of the reasons why I decided to build a 300 Blackout. Because in the right application I don't think you can find a powder with a better balance between Accuracy, Power, and superb Metering. Quite simply H110 is an absolute joy to use in applications where it's a "fit". As for applications for this caliber, a lot will depend on the Laws in your state of residence. Where it's legal I think it will prove to be a great choice for Whitetail Deer and similar sized game at ranges less than 200 yards. It would also prove to be a great "training" caliber for those with a smaller stature, such as youths and smaller females without a lot of rifle experience. In terms of Energy produced, think 357 Magnum out of a Rifle. Meaning 900-1300 ft.lbs. at the muzzle. BTW, I won't rate this caliber as being equivalent to the 7.62x39 AK caliber. Because truthfully it doesn't achieve the Energy levels produced by the AK round, generally you lose 100-300 fps with the Blackout. If you are hand loading to mid range loads to extend brass life you'll give up even more velocity. On the plus side it's certainly powerful enough to be quite useful, it's a lot of fun to shoot, and it's VERY easy to reload for. Then there is the versatility, you can load anything from 100 grain screamers to 220 or 225 grain bullets lumbering along at 45 ACP velocities. Basically there is a whole huge selection of .308 diameter bullets that can be used in the 300 Blackout. The only negative is that at present the reloading data available hasn't come close to filling in all the various weight 308's out there so data right now is somewhat limited. I'll also point out that most of the magazines pretty much mandate a Spitzer bullet, so those sitting on a locker full of flat nose bullets for the 30-30 better plan on loading up a lot of 30-30.
The barrel used iss a 16 inch Stainless, 1:8 rifling with a Pistol length Gas system. While it sounds odd the Blackout can run such a wide variety of ammunition that a lot of folks are recommending a Pistol Gas System even for the Carbine lengths. One problem with this approach is that with hotter supersonic loads you could be "overgassing" the rifle a LOT.
So, the first special item was a Syrac Ordinance Adjustable Gas Block. Note, at 115 dollars for the clamp on 0.750 diameter stainless version these are not cheap. However it works well and it's got very positive detents for each position that make it simple to dial into a specific setting by counting the clicks.
Second special item was a 3 lbs. Timney drop in trigger. Another pricey item but when you shoot with one of these triggers you'll understand why I believe they are worth the cost. There is no detectable pre-travel, a very clean break, and a minimal after travel. Basically a really excellent single stage trigger.
The third special item is the Gibbz Arms Handguard. Because they have the finest mounting system for a full float handguard I've ever used. On this rifle the handguard chosen was the Mid Length Ultra Light, which is a 13 3/8 inch long aluminum handguard that is swiss cheesed to minimize the weight. It's a hex shape and features a full length rail on top and positions for accessory rails on the sides and bottom. Note, some may find the length an odd choice for a carbine length barrel and my answer for that is SIGHT RADIUS.
The fourth special item is a Spikes Tactical Nickel Boron Bolt Carrier group. Because they clean up easily and they are so slick you could run your rifle without any lube. However, being a belt and suspenders type when it comes to firearms I run my AR's with loats of lube.
The balance of the build is pretty typical for an AR15 except in my case I used a Detroit Gun Works matched upper and lower receiver. Being from the area I figured it would be good to support the local good guys.
So, for the actual shooting.
Before I headed to the range I made up an adjusting tool that would reach the gas block way down under that long handguard and all those holes made it easy to hit the setscrew that has the detents for adjusting it. Picture a 8 inch piece of 3/16 inch drill rod with the end of a 5/64 ball end hex key pressed in one end. Started out with the gas turned way down and kept opening up the gas one click at a time until the bolt was locking back on an empty magazine with 100% reliability. By doing this I'm providing enough gas to cycle the bolt carrier fully but no more gas than needed. According to the "experts" doing this will minimize recoil and minimize the amount of gas dumped into the receiver. I am now so impressed with how cleanly this rifle shot that I am considering putting an adjustable gas block on my Match AR. Because after 30 rounds downrange the bolt carrier looks like it just came out of the packaging, meaning not one visible speck of powder residue.
Load used. Today's load was a 125 grain Hornady SST over 15.6 grains of H110, a load the should produce something in the range of 1800 fps. Primer used was a CCI400 Small Rifle. Brass was mixed range pickups purchased at a local gun show and the ammunition shot well. Finished up by shooting a 1 inch, 5 shot group at 25 yards. Considering it was at an indoor range with poor lighting I'm quite pleased with that result. Note, the front sight post now has a bit of white paint drying on it. If the weather holds and I get the time I want to hit a local outdoor shooting club tomorrow to wring it out a bit in daylight.
Shooting properties. In part due weight of the rifle this recoil is quite soft. Since these are basically starting loads that also contributes to the soft recoil. In addition that tune-able gas block may act to reduce the perceived recoil as claimed. One thing that was very evident is that there is very little "jump" to the rifle when firing. Those into shooting games such as 3 Gun are really going to like this caliber.
As for the caliber specifically, right now I think it's a reloaders caliber and the best powder to use is H110. That was one of the reasons why I decided to build a 300 Blackout. Because in the right application I don't think you can find a powder with a better balance between Accuracy, Power, and superb Metering. Quite simply H110 is an absolute joy to use in applications where it's a "fit". As for applications for this caliber, a lot will depend on the Laws in your state of residence. Where it's legal I think it will prove to be a great choice for Whitetail Deer and similar sized game at ranges less than 200 yards. It would also prove to be a great "training" caliber for those with a smaller stature, such as youths and smaller females without a lot of rifle experience. In terms of Energy produced, think 357 Magnum out of a Rifle. Meaning 900-1300 ft.lbs. at the muzzle. BTW, I won't rate this caliber as being equivalent to the 7.62x39 AK caliber. Because truthfully it doesn't achieve the Energy levels produced by the AK round, generally you lose 100-300 fps with the Blackout. If you are hand loading to mid range loads to extend brass life you'll give up even more velocity. On the plus side it's certainly powerful enough to be quite useful, it's a lot of fun to shoot, and it's VERY easy to reload for. Then there is the versatility, you can load anything from 100 grain screamers to 220 or 225 grain bullets lumbering along at 45 ACP velocities. Basically there is a whole huge selection of .308 diameter bullets that can be used in the 300 Blackout. The only negative is that at present the reloading data available hasn't come close to filling in all the various weight 308's out there so data right now is somewhat limited. I'll also point out that most of the magazines pretty much mandate a Spitzer bullet, so those sitting on a locker full of flat nose bullets for the 30-30 better plan on loading up a lot of 30-30.
