So I've finally decided to embrace all things 300 BLK. I'm looking for some specific features and thought you guys could help me out.

First, I would prefer a semi-automatic piston driven operating system as DI is a messy, messy business. The piston guns I have only need a dust rag waved over them once in a while. Well, maybe more than that, but not much more.

Second, I would like the operating system to accept a suppressor (SiCo Omega 300). Why else would you want a 300 BLK? So something that has an adjustable gas setting for suppressed/non-suppressed would be awesome.

Third, in order to take full advantage of the round, I would like the barrel to be at least in the 8 in. or better area.

Fourth, 'sex appeal' never hurts.

What do you recommend? Tell me what you think.

H&K-Guy

My x95 in 300 blk is one of my most shot rifles. I love it.

Ive been very happy with my Sig Virtus/MCX. No issue so far.

I built a MK18 in 300blk. Misses most of your wants but if I didnt go DI, the X95 would be given serious consideration.

My experience with the MCX line has been less than favorable but a lot of guys are happy with theirs so if you wanted to take a chance on one, the Rattler seems to be everything you're asking for aside from a slightly shorter barrel

I've got an MCX SBR with a 9" barrel.
Have had zero issues.

I had an SBR lower for awhile and found a gently used Wilson Combat upper. It is flawless but it is DI.

I was going to put a 300 Blackout barrel on an Adams Arms piston upper. The. I was reading how big of a pain in the rear the piston system was trying to make it work in the 300. I said “F” it and am going DI with the Blackout.

I am interested in if you do it and make it work.

I have a DI Seekins Precision 300 BO SBR and a Sig MCX 300 BO that I run suppressed. Both shoot great without any issues but the MCX is so much easier to clean.

Warpig is on to something for sure, and I think the regular MCX were where issues could be had. Not trying to upsell, but the Virtus iteration of the MCX is improved.

quote:

Originally posted by dry-fly:
Warpig is on to something for sure, and I think the regular MCX were where issues could be had. Not trying to upsell, but the Virtus iteration of the MCX is improved.

Yeah, they seem to have made quite a few improvements. I think they claim 25k round life without any major breakages. Not sure how they improved them but I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe enough people like me sending their MCX back prompted the changes. Either way, not sure why Sig would produce an MCX to subpar standards if it was meant to be their flagship rifle. Make the best product you can and people will pay, you dont have to skimp on quality to make sales.

^^ Agreed. If had been searching for this rifle *after* the problems the P365 has had came out, I probably would have gone another route. Not that the two are related in function... just the same company that seems to be going down a sketchy path.

The x95 is being used by the IDF, so I have confidence that parts will be around and easy to get for my lifetime.

Sig will move on to a new design soon and leave owners without parts. My only gun regret to date is SBR’ing a Sig 556. I’ll never buy a virtus or rattler (really any Sig rifle) again.

Obviously I’m a Sig hater, but let’s be real, their rifles have been screwing owners for a while now.

Never had an issue with 556 series. I liked them a lot and toyed with the idea of sbr'ing my 556 pistol. When I heard sig was dropping them I was concerned with parts availability and sold mine. They were heavy too. Aside from that I think they had a good run. When I invest in a rifle platform, it typically dont buy spare parts, I buy spare guns. I believe i had 5 556's and 6 mcx's in various configurations. Ultimately I didn't want guns that were proprietary and had short life spans from a manufacturing standpoint. Things went full circle and I'm back to DI guns. In the future I'll only consider guns that have a long history or have at least been adopted for military use...ie X95 ARX100 etc

JDI is importing the Sig 553 pistol in 300BLK, probably by the end of summer. SBR & suppressing it would mean one tax stamp. The only downside is that SAN isn't putting diopter sights on that specific model; rail only.

Well, we’ve got some good suggestions going so far. Let me tell you what I think, as things stand now.

I was smitten with the bullpup design of rifle back in the USR/AUG conversion days. I still even have mine. So the X95 is a solid contender for this type of boom-stick. It’s a completely different design, of course. I’m just saying I am not afraid of a little bullpup love (don’t read too far into that). Especially with a $2000 ante, or there ‘abouts. The X95 is a great little design. I love the upgrades over the past iterations, especially the relocated charging system and rail options. I’m left wondering why I wouldn’t want one, considering it has a 16.5 inch barrel in a sub-compact size, adjustable gas settings, and is chock full of Tavor goodness. Then there is parts availability. The IWI Tavor platforms aren’t going anywhere. That means parts galore for decades. So the X95 makes my shortlist of possible 300 BLK rifles.

Next up is the Sig Virtus. It’s not as widely adopted yet as other platforms are, but it ticks the boxes on what I’m looking for pretty well. An asking price starting at about $1900 makes it an attractive offering. What’s not to love? It’s full of semi-auto gas piston adjustable, suppressible joy. Also, I’m familiar with Sig’s manual of arms, as it’s ergonometricly an AR (that is if I can use such a nonexistent word as ergonometricly). I’ve done my due diligence on Sig piston systems (Sig 516), and am confident the cleaning and field work would be rather simple and familiar. The length with a 7.5 inch can (SiCo Omega 300) brings the length of barrel up to about 16 inches. That is a lot of real estate out front, compared to the Tavor X95. Then there is the sex appeal of having a suppressor in the handguard, with its look and feel. It shouldn’t matter, but there it is. I am a little concerned about the problems that visited early adopters of the MCX platform. Issues abounded with the standard MCX, and I’m not convinced the Virtus offering has addressed them all. Still, the Virtus is definitely on the short list.

Then there is the Sig Rattler. I am completely in love with the design and implementation of this short, handy pistol. The $2.3K asking price seems fair. The only problem, is that I cannot believe it is that easy to stabilize 220 Grn Subs in 5.5 inches, with commonly available ammo. Plus, most cans need an 8 inch barrel to keep in warranty. We’ve all seen the Youtube videos of this pistol running suppressed, by now. I just can’t see the system working reliably with common subs, and non-subs. Maybe someone here can correct me on this.

Next, we have the virtual plethora of DI designs. Availability in this area is off the scale. Some here have mentioned their appreciation of this simple design. I can hardly argue with that. I checked out the Seekins Precision 300 BKL range toys online, and was left a little hungry for one. They are well priced, and have many of the features I would want. Still, I would probably drop the extra coin for something like a Daniel Defense or WC setup. I just am hard pressed to find any exuberance for a gas system that poops all over itself in its innards. Clean up of my piston guns is a fifteen minute proposition. I don’t toss them into the ultrasonic cleaner but once in a blue moon. So I’m going to switch from a buy, to a hold, on DI platforms for now.

Now, let’s consider the Sig 553. Semi-auto, check. Gas adjustable, check. Suppressor ready, check. Sex appeal, check. The only thing that scares me about this platform is its limited adoption and less than large parts availability for the US market. Also, it is a rather old design, and there isn’t much out there in the aftermarket arena to customize. Now I’ve got no problem spending $3.2K on a Sig weapons platform (heck, I’ve got nearly 10K into my Sig LRS2 rig). I just think there are other options out there. The Sig 55x platform is an awesome suggestion, but not something that gets my juices flowing. So it misses my short list, but only by a little bit.

Please let me know if I have erred in my summation of the choices so far.

H&K-Guy

Piston uppers certainly clean up faster than DI ones, especially after shooting suppressed.

I have a Wilson 11.3" blackout DI upper, which shares time on my SBR lower with a 14.7" LWRC 5.56 piston upper. Both are setup to use a SOCOM suppressor. It takes me about 10 minutes to clean & lube the piston upper, and about 15 minutes to clean & lube the DI upper. This includes disassembling the BCG and cleaning/lubing its major components, plus cleaning the bore. I don't disassemble the bolt itself. IMO your 15 minutes to clean a piston gun could be reduced noticeably.

Maybe I clean my DI guns often enough that it's just become routine and fairly efficient. I wear nitrile gloves, so my hands don't get gunked with carbon or chemicals.

If I had to start all over again with another blackout upper, a Wilson DI would still be at the top of my list.

If you're considering the Rattler, there's also the Honey Badger. Q's newest version is available as a braced pistol in 300blk. The guy that founded AAC, moved to Sig and launched their suppressors and MCX/MPX, started up and leads Q.

$2250, seems like a bargain compared to the rattler in my opinion.
https://liveqordie.com/product...y-badger-by-q-pistol

Apparently this is a good learning opportunity for me. How serious is the concern for stabilizing a 220 gr sub in a 5.5" barrel?

When I talk to people about my 300 blk pistol I describe it as a really accurate 1911.

Is the concern from the combo of weight and diameter? The length of the projectile?

I'm not a big 1911 fan. Do they have a history of firing unstabilized rounds?

Thanks for any info, Mark

quote:

Originally posted by mark_a:
Apparently this is a good learning opportunity for me. How serious is the concern for stabilizing a 220 gr sub in a 5.5" barrel?

When I talk to people about my 300 blk pistol I describe it as a really accurate 1911.

Is the concern from the combo of weight and diameter? The length of the projectile?

I'm not a big 1911 fan. Do they have a history of firing unstabilized rounds?

Thanks for any info, Mark

You have very, very good questions!

I'm looking for the same answers you are.

Your standard 1911 seems to fire a 230 grn ball bullet in a five inch barrel with a twist rate of 1:16, although I've seen some 1911 designs (DW) in the 1:10 range. The Virtus, by example, has a 1:5 twist rate. So, even with slow burning powder (if that even matters at this point), it is not going to have the same characteristics as your average 1911. They will behave completely different.

Then there is the bullet's composition. As you said, it is a different length, in a 7.62 style (or, 30 cal.), instead of a .45 caliber style (11.43 mm) bullet.

The slower twist rate in a 5.5 inch package, even with the smaller diameter, is going to require a longer barrel to stabilize, especially traveling at sub 1125 FPS (sub-sonic). And at that, I would only try to suppress 1050 FPS, or less, in that round.

So you see my concern.

Hopefully, someone with more knowledge than both of us will be along shortly to school us and expose our stupidity. I am looking forward to some education on this.

H&K-Guy

The Rattler is basically a Virtus MCX with a 5.5” barrel, isn’t it? Same lower.