So as some of you know, I have been trying to figure out what to do about an AR. I had thought about a couple of higher end AR's with LaRue and Christensen AR's. I have been convinced by the experts here to not spend 2k on my first AR.
I have found a month old FN 15 300 blackout with 30 rounds through it. I can buy it for 1000.00 or 1100 with Sig Romeo 5 sights. I am clueless on the 300 Blackout, only knowing it's 7.62 and the ammo is more expensive and has a better "punch" than a 5.56. I am trying to stay off the crazy train overthinking this so I need your wisdom. I have looked through the archives and have't found the answers.
Thanks,
Solo

With a FN I would say you can’t go wrong.
Do you have anymore details on what model it may be .
Sporting, Tactial or maybe a pistol FN 15. Does it have a 16 inch barrel?

This will help the experts here at Sig Forum I’m sure they will help you out.
I will also be watching and learning.

Here is the ad for the FN. I think it's a 300 Blackout tactical but I may be wrong.

FN 300 Blackout in perfect condition i have only shot 30 rounds threw it
It was purchased brand new 4 weeks ago at Mid West guns in Elkhart IN before they closed down the shop
I paid 1400$ plus Tax for Rifle
Just over 1600$ total with Sig Sauer Romeo 5
just 4 weeks ago I still have the original Box and the Receipt that will come

Selling rifle for 1000$ with 2 mags

I have a 300BO because I can suppress it, still run semi-auto and it has enough umphh to put down a deer or coyote at 100 yards. But to say that it is a better round or has more punch is wrong.

It has a rainbow trajectory. And is limited to short range (under 400)

It’s better than 7.62 x39 because you can use regular M16 mags and don’t have to make any changes to an existing gun except the barrel.

If you reload, you can cut down 5.56 or 2.23 brass and make 300BLK.

I can use SuperSonics for hunting and further reach, but that defeats the premise of the design, which was to suppress.

There’s a sticky in the reloading department about the round

Price is great - but maybe too good--proceed with caution. Who buys a gun to sell off 4 weeks later at a significant loss?

I am clueless on the 300 Blackout and still learning. I will be extremely careful if I go to purchase the FN. I have traveled all over the U.S. and outside the country and have been careful to keep myself safe. I still have much to decide and would prefer a 5.56 but that can always be changed.

Good luck finding .300 Blackout ammo. 5.56 is almost non-existent, .300 Blackout is non-existent.

You should definitely stick with 5.56mm for your first AR. Buy a Colt 6920.

1) Limited supply of AR's due to current buying frenzy.
2) 22 vs 30 caliber
3) 300 Blackout is meant to be suppressed as MikeNC posted. If you plan on getting a suppressor add the additional wait time of at least 6-8 months.
If you want an AR --get a basic AR. The platform lends itself to modification like a 10-22.

As mentioned it was designed for 400 yards and in. It was based on the .300 whisper and suppresses very well from what I am told. Since it's release .300 blk ammo had been more expensive and less common then .223 or 5.56mm. However, it was picked up by multiple large manufacturers, so it is common then some of the other AR rounds. It's been a while since I did the research, but I believe the .300 blk also worked well with the shorter gas systems and barrel lengths, but I don't have the data with me to substantiate. Another virtue of .300 blk is that it's white tail legal in most states , where the .223/5.56mm isn't/wasn't legal for deer hunting in NY(that may have changed). Mr Silvers, the gentleman from AAC who did the design work actually posted here at one point and he had some great insight into the cartridge.

An option is to pick up the FN and then order a 5.56mm upper for it. I personally wouldn't recommend a .300 blk for a first AR, but at this point, you gotta roll with the market.

quote:

Originally posted by NapoleonSolo:
I am clueless on the 300 Blackout and still learning.

It takes a little effort to dig through the good and no-so-good information on the webz about 300blk. First of all, the 300blk was not a new cartridge. It essentially copied the design of at least two prior wildcat cartridges, but then acquired SAAMI designation.

The basic goals of the 300blk were to fit in a standard AR15, using standard AR15 magazine (without losing round number capacity), and to obtain similar muzzle energies of the AK-47. Since the 300blk uses the same base cartridge as the 223/5.56, the same sized bolt face is used in both cartridges. This minimizes the parts changes when switching between 223/5.56 and 300blk.

The 300blk uses .30 caliber bullets, which will be inherently heavier than .223 caliber bullets. Which means 300blk muzzle velocities will be lower. 30 caliber bullets range from lightweights of about 100 grains to heavies of 220+ grains. 300blk accepts bullets of 110-150 grains with a powder charge similar to 223/5.56. But when bullets of 200+ grains are used, the bullets are so long that powder charges must be reduced -- often, roughly halved. This means that the heaviest 300blk bullets have much lower muzzle velocities and much lower muzzle energies. The 300blk heavies generally have MV's below Mach 1, which makes them quieter -- there is no supersonic crack of the bullet.

No cartridge is designed to inherently run suppressed or unsuppressed. Or with/without a brake. Or with/without a flash hider. These things occur at the muzzle of the barrel. Well beyond what occurs in the chamber. A primary difference between 300blk and other AR15 chamberings is that a supressed heavy load will not have the supersonic crack nor the crack of the powder charge. And thus it can be pretty quiet.

Fluid dynamics determines that 300blk is more efficient in producing muzzle energy than 223/5.56, for a given barrel length. This is due to the larger bore diameter. Which means that the muzzle energy of 300blk is hurt less by a shorter barrel. Which is why a 10 to 11-ish inch 300blk barrel can produce similar muzzle energies to a 223 with a 16 inch barrel.

I found it challenging to get an accurate 300blk load with factory ammo. Hornady 110 Vmax is pretty good. ADI 125 SMK was the best -- almost as good as some 223 match ammo. Vortex 110 grain loads were pretty good. FMJ loads of the 140-150 class produced really poor accuracy -- along the lines of the cheapest 223 FMJ loads. Subsonic loads were the worst in accuracy, even at close distances of 25-50 yards. These heavy loads had very little variation left and right, but their vertical stringing was quite bad. My experience was echoed by buddies who shoot multiple calibers of AR15s, and who demand accuracy from their rifles.

Factory 300blk ammo will generally be more expensive than 223/5.56 ammo. And right now, it might be harder to find.

I recommend starting with an AR15 in 223/5.56.

Your first AR should be 5.56. 300bo is a niche cartridge for those with a full stable of various work horses. As others have said, ammunition for 300bo is non-existent.

As for what to buy, I disagree re: avoiding spending $2k. That said I would not choose Christensian Arms or other super boutique sport oriented AR. LaRue makes nice rifles, but I wouldn’t pay $2k for one of their 5.56 rifles.

It’s slim pickings for ARs right now, however if you call Ratworx in Illinois, they have Colt 6920 and some of the higher end FN ARs in stock.

My personal preference in ARs are Colt, LMT, KAC, FN, BCM, and Sionics.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
If you plan on getting a suppressor add the additional wait time of at least 6-8 months.

That's being generous

If you plan on going quiet. 300 is a great option.
The bad thing about 300 is it will chamber and fire in a 556 upper.
Can you say KB?

If you go with a 300 upper mark the mags and upper.

The Sig forum experts once again have changed my find on what to buy. I will have to say it's damn confusing on what to get for a first AR. I talked myself out of the LaRue and now I won't pursue the 300 BLK at this point. So now I am back to square one and just a bit befuddled at what to do. Back to the research and i will keep the budget at 1500 or less.

Check out Elfster's Rifles and Reloading on youtube.
He has a few 6.5 videos posted.

One suggestion is, for your 5.56 buy plastic mags.
For your other caliber get metal mags.

With $1500, I'd buy a gently used Colt 6920(multiple examples on Armslist right now in your area) and a used Aimpoint Pro and you're good to go. You're over-thinking it.

unfortunately you are behind the power curve, due to all the panic buying.

A 16" 5.56mm with flat-top and collapsable stock from BCM,DD, LMT or colt (6920,6720) would do. Sionics or Centurian arms are also good makers.

You could go a little cheaper, but still functional and get a S&W Sport II, Ruger AR-556 or a Stag 15.

Grab some P-mags or USGI Magazines (with Magpul followers), a sling (VCAS or VTAC) and an Aimpoint pro and you are good to go for the range and/or self defense. I'd also add a weapon light.

I was on the fence a couple years ago on a AR15 based hunting rifle. The options were 300bo, 6.8spc or 6.5 Grendel.

I went with the 6.8spc and a 18" upper from Bison Armory and have been very happy with it's performance. It has proven to be moa at 200m.

With the exception of short barrel performance the 6.8 or 6.5 performs better.

I did finally build a 300bo AR but it was build as a dedicated HD gun with a 8.5" barrel and suppressor.

If this is your first AR go with .223/5.56.

If you get lucky you can still find .223 ammo, the same can not be said for 300bo/6.8/6.5

Funny thing is I have seen tons of 6.5 Creedmore on the shelves but that is an AR10 platform.

With a $1500 budget I would get a BCM complete upper (700) and get any lower I could find (240) from PSA. (Both of these are in stock)

If you have some time watch ar15.com for used stuff, but honestly I wouldn’t wait much longer.