300 Blackout Vs 223

[Red Leader]

What's the advantages of each? Thinking about trading in my AR in 223 for one in 300 Blackout. Ballistics? Acoustics?

 

[Bigchillin83]

I don't know a whole lot but unless you reload the 300 blackout cost a lot more to shoot, and the 300 blackout is geared more twards reloading and shooting suppressed, if you don't plan on doing either of those and have to have a 30 cal AR, I would look into the mk47, or and AR-47, 7.62x39 is a lot cheaper and close to the same ballistics, cant beat 1000 rounds for less than $220. if you wanna stray away from the ar platform check out the sig 556r (Russian) piston operated, very nice I have 2 of them, just make sure its a gen2

 

[SpeedRacer]

Really comes down to intended use.

300BLK is much quiter suppressed and packs a hell of a punch out to about 200yds. Also performs well out of really short barrels. If you want a suppressed SBR for hogs and such, 300BLK is a great option. For a non-NFA AR the advantages are much less, and you're likely better off sticking with 5.56.

 

[Red Leader]

The envelope I'm looking at is 5-100 yards with at least as much accuracy as 223. I've got other weapons for much past 100 yards. I really like the idea of a quieter round.

 

[Red Leader]

And looking at suppressed.

 

[Bigchillin83]

Sounds like the 300 is for you the , deff if you wanna go suppressed, might be a little better to just build yourself an upper, keep your 556 upper, and put you a good trigger in lower, so you can have a great lower for both, i just dont know about changing buffer end of it,I don't see why you can't build a lower for around 500 for a nice one

 

[noob]

300 blk will cost anywhere from 2-4 times as much to shoot. But the good thing about it, is its versatility. You can have light weight, fast bullets for hunting, surplus projectiles in the 147-150gr for cheaper plinking and heavy slow bullets for shooting suppressed. The round it getting pretty popular so there are a lot of loads out there to choose from. If you reload, I don't see an issue with swapping over. If you don't, just keep your 223 upper and build an additional 300 blk upper. Huge difference between a 220 gr subsonic compared to a 55 gr 556 round through a suppressor.

 

[Hoot]

To ad to the info already posted;

The 300 BO is really versatile. If you want to get a suppressor, its the way to go. 5.56 is much noisier than 300, even suppressed. If you don't mind the second stamp, it's perfect for an SBR. My SBR (9" barrel) with suppressor attached is about the same length as a standard 16" AR.

I don't know what access you have to somebody that can swap an AR barrel, but that's the only thing you need to change to make your current upper a 300 BO.

5.56 is flatter shooting, but you're asking about 100 yards, so it's no big deal for super. Subsonic has more drop, but folks regularly shoot subs at 200 yards, with a good scope and the right reticle.

 

[Grandpa]

To put and animal or human down, its all about energy transfer. I chose the term "down" and not "kill" deliberately. If are dealing with a bad guy, what is important is to take him out of the gun fight and not to kill. The FBI got into a famous gun fight with drug users/dealers in Florida in which one bad guy was shot through the heart and still lived long enough to kill or wound one or two FBI agents. That is why they no longer carry a 9 mm. The .223 is light but it is supersonic and loud. If you desire to shoot supressed, you must shoot a sub-sonic bullet, ie slow. The only way to have sufficient entergy is to have a slow and heavy bullet. I shoot a 300 Blackout bullet that is 220 grains. A typical .223 bullet is approx 65 grains.

If you are never gonna want to shoot supressed, shoot the .223. The ammo is much cheaper and more avaialble. You will hear about supressing the .223. But if you do so, you won't have much more energy than the 22 long rifle when shooting subsonic. And if your goal is just target shooting, the .223 doesn't drop as much as the heavier and slower 300 bullet.

Here's an interesting physics question. The gravity constant is 32 feet per second squared. If you were to drop a lead weight from exactly 32 feet above ground it would hit ground in 1 second. If you were to mount a perfectly level rifle at the same 32 feet and fire it, the bullet would still still hit the ground at the same 1 second. It would simply travel further before hitting ground. Thus, the faster bullet will always shot flatter

 

[Hoot]

Oh, and you can shoot supersonic suppressed. With my set-up, it seems to be hearing safe outdoors. Inside a room might be another story, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[JCcypress]

I just can't imagine not owning a 5.56 AR-15.

Regardless here's some science:
http://300aacblackout.com/
http://300aacblackout.com/resources/300AACBlackout06OCT2010.pdf

Subsonic, suppressed 300BLK is crazy quiet. Subsonic 300BLK is not recommended for hunting larger game.

We hunt hogs with suppressed .223 and 5.56 supers, without ear pro all the time. There is still a supersonic crack, but no thunderous boom. Same with with supersonic 300BLK.


ETA: If you just want to try it, pick up a cheap 300BLK upper and a few boxes of ammo. A 7.62 can will generally handle 300BLK and 5.56/.223. Then you have options.


Side note: FBI shoots 9mm. http://concealednation.org/2014/10/...d-have-tons-of-science-behind-their-decision/

 

[Grandpa]

To be quiet, or not be quiet; that is the question.

I may not always choose to be quiet, but when I do choose to be quiet; I want to be very very quiet.

 

[Kurt D]

I wouldn't trade my .223 AR in for a 300 one. The only difference really is the barrel, so I would just build or buy an extra upper for 300 blk.; this being salad days and all for AR parts.

 

[NOShooter]

300AAC really shine when you want a short, suppressed rifle, for hunting or otherwise. It was designed for a 9" barrel, and to be suppressed. for 0-200 yards, it is perfect.

You can now find boxes of 20 Reman 208 Gr coated lead rounds for 12 bucks a box if you look. You will be hard pressed to find NEW subsonic rounds for less than 15-16 bucks a box.

I have yet to meet someone who actually buys or loads .223/5.56 subsonic rounds. The idea of it is pretty silly.

I like the idea of a singular .30 cal suppressor being good for an AR-15 platform, AR-10 platform, .308 bolt gun and .300WM bolt gun, thus why I have a line-up that matches that idea. I didn't, however stick to one can! Whoops!

I'd Keep your .223/5.56 Rifle and buy or build a new upper for it ( like others have recommended.) If you decide you HAVE to have a seperate lower for it, you can always build up another lower, at a later date.

The QUIETEST centerfire round, that I've come across is a subsonic .308 out of a bolt gun. It is MUCH quieter than .300AAC out of an AR platform. I would Not however, try to hunt with it. The dope on the subsonic .308 at 100 yards is equal to a supersonic .308 round at 300 yards, which tells me that energy transfer would be marginal.

At 200 yards, it's a rainbow round. The dope on the scope equals about a 700Yd shot with Supers.

 

[Crews]

The .223 is light but it is supersonic and loud. If you desire to shoot suppressed, you must shoot a sub-sonic bullet, ie slow. The only way to have sufficient energy is to have a slow and heavy bullet.

Sorry to single you out, but this is just not a true statement. There is absolutely no rule that says you have to shoot sub sonic speeds if you want to shoot suppressed. I personally don't give two hoots about shooting subsonic ammo, as it serves absolutely zero purpose to me. I have two suppressed sbr's.... one in 223, and one in 300blk. Neither of which have ever seen subsonic ammo, and probably never will.

 

[fng]

Sorry to single you out, but this is just not a true statement. There is absolutely no rule that says you have to shoot sub sonic speeds if you want to shoot suppressed. I personally don't give two hoots about shooting subsonic ammo, as it serves absolutely zero purpose to me. I have two suppressed sbr's.... one in 223, and one in 300blk. Neither of which have ever seen subsonic ammo, and probably never will.

are the 300 blk supers suppressed much quieter than 556 suppressed? Im considering getting a 300blk. upper for hunting and such, don't plan on running subs, just curious as to the noise. My can is an Omega

 

[REDLINE83]

The sound between the two will be negligible.

 

[NOShooter]

The sound between the two will be negligible.

disagree on this. The .300AAC is about 4-5DB quieter. It is absolutely noticeable. The .223/5.56 jumps up over 140DB, the .300AAC stays below it. Now for single shot, hunting scenarios, it probably IS negligible, unless you are trying to take out a whole pack of hogs. If hog hunting with it, I'd choose the heavier bullet ( .300). There is way more energy transfer inside of 300 yds.

If you shoot the omega on a .223/5.56 gun, buy the 5.56 end cap for the omega. it makes a BIG difference.

 

[fng]

disagree on this. The .300AAC is about 4-5DB quieter. It is absolutely noticeable. The .223/5.56 jumps up over 140DB, the .300AAC stays below it. Now for single shot, hunting scenarios, it probably IS negligible, unless you are trying to take out a whole pack of hogs. If hog hunting with it, I'd choose the heavier bullet ( .300). There is way more energy transfer inside of 300 yds.

If you shoot the omega on a .223/5.56 gun, buy the 5.56 end cap for the omega. it makes a BIG difference.

Thanks bro, good tip.

 

[Grandpa]

Sorry to single you out, but this is just not a true statement. There is absolutely no rule that says you have to shoot sub sonic speeds if you want to shoot suppressed. I personally don't give two hoots about shooting subsonic ammo, as it serves absolutely zero purpose to me. I have two suppressed sbr's.... one in 223, and one in 300blk. Neither of which have ever seen subsonic ammo, and probably never will.

Opinions are like . . . You get the point. If I am shooting supressed, the sonic crack is not acceptable. If I choose to be quiet, I want to be very quiet. We differ, but both opinions are valid for what our goals are. I am aware that I can shoot super sonic ammo through my supressor. I choose not to.