Mid Caliber AR 15 Round ?

[Johnch]

OK my step brother is back in the area .... well at least till he gets sent out again by his company

He bought me lunch today and stated he wants to build up another AR 15 to fart around with cast bullets
He and I both have LOTS of once fired 223 range brass and he would like to find something in the 6.5 MM - 30 Cal that is based on the 223 case
To punch holes in paper targets , pop cans and steel swingers
And this will a fun gun , not a Sub MOA match rifle

Oh I am not a fan of the AR 15's built in 7.62 x 39 , as I tried that and never got feeding right with the AR 15 mags for 7.62 x 39 and he would have to buy all new brass

300 Blackout and ??

I first thought 6.5 or 7 MM TCU , as I have dies and molds for both
But neither would work in a AR 15 mag

The 300 Blackout seems to a good fit for his needs
But are there other good choices that will not kill his wallet ?

John

[rockrat]

6.5 tcu with lighter weight bullets. There are some that use the 7mm tcu with a shortened neck, to use in the AR. Look at the 300 blackout or the 7.62 x 40 too

[runfiverun]

the 25 [stevens?]
caliber version is a pretty good one, you get reasonable velocity's and reasonable weights.

if you just want more than the 223 provides wait a little while.
you'll start hearing about the 22 nosler soon enough.
it's gonna be somewhat like a 22-250 in the 15 platform.
same bolt face but different brass and magazines.

[7br]

I would be a little bit concerned about OAL with the TCU family of cartridges especially for cast boolit use. I have a Contender in 7tcu and a cartridge loaded with a RCBS 28-145 silhouette is hangs over the front of the magazine by a good quarter of an inch.

[StolzerandSons]

I've been investigating the 270 Ingram(aka .270-.223). Lots of bullet and mold choices. Parent case is the .223 so lots of easy to get brass. PTG lists the reamer and CH4D had reloading die sets. Uses standard mags by slightly modifying the lips(still usable with .223 even after mod). Barrels are easy, either an unchambered 6.8 or get a cheap blank from Green Mountain and turn it yourself.
And here's some load data:
https://www.loaddata.com/Cartridge/2...m-270-223/1687

Hope that helps.

Colin

[Harter66]

Nothing wrong with 6.8 . There's the 25-40 Sharps , 223 up to 25 cal , it runs pretty close to the 250 Savage . 277 Wolverine . Several Raptors in 6-7mm .

The 22 Nosler, as I read it, is in a rebated rim 6.8 case necked down to .223 .
Lots of cats and SAAMI boutique cartridges for the AR platform . I doubt there is a necking variation from 17-338 in a 223 case that isn't tried . The 6.8 has been up and down from 22-35 and there are 22-45 in 308 and 284 based brass .

I want to do 1 in 25 but the Sharps cost is a little steep for my taste.

[mcdaniel.mac]

OK my step brother is back in the area .... well at least till he gets sent out again by his company

He bought me lunch today and stated he wants to build up another AR 15 to fart around with cast bullets
He and I both have LOTS of once fired 223 range brass and he would like to find something in the 6.5 MM - 30 Cal that is based on the 223 case
To punch holes in paper targets , pop cans and steel swingers
And this will a fun gun , not a Sub MOA match rifle

Oh I am not a fan of the AR 15's built in 7.62 x 39 , as I tried that and never got feeding right with the AR 15 mags for 7.62 x 39 and he would have to buy all new brass

300 Blackout and ??

I first thought 6.5 or 7 MM TCU , as I have dies and molds for both
But neither would work in a AR 15 mag

The 300 Blackout seems to a good fit for his needs
But are there other good choices that will not kill his wallet ?

John

.300 Blackout is love. .300 Blackout is life. If he wants to go bigger, there's .338 Whisper #2, aka .338 Murmur aka .338 Phantom, aka .338 Straight.

If you get away from the standard bolt and magazines, there's the 6.5 Grendel. Also, my 9mm pistol has been fun enough I've considered submitting a Form 1 for it.

[Plate plinker]

Do the Blackout, since everything is easily obtainable.

[Rick R]

.300 Blackout is easy to make from 5.56/.223 brass and my one experience with NOE 247gr bullets was kinda fun. I shot my buck with a 125gr SST this year. I still need to get a mid weight mold for supersonic cast shooting.

Wilson Combat's 7.62x40 WT http://www.wilsoncombat.com/7-62x40-wt-rifles/ looks interesting if you aren't going to suppress it.

[Hamish]

The 7TCU will work as is in the magazine with the Lee 130. If you find someone to do a 7TCU barrel for cheap, let me know. That said, the 300 BLK can be played with a hundred different ways,,,,,,

[DCM]

300 blackout gets my vote. Only requires a barrel and ammo to work in the 15 series and does it very well with a decent barrel.
No special mags like the 6.8 or its wildcats. This and using the same bolt as the 5.56 makes things much easier to find and prices are much better too. Heavy Castboolits are a sweet dream in this caliber too. Cases can be made from 222s, 223s or 5.56s or bought from members here, all of which I have done. (time or $, which do you have more of at a given point in time?)
Subsonics are easy also if you wish to go there.
IMO 300whisper is the most bang for the buck.

[MaryB]

6.5 grendel, good for hunting all North American large game. Parts are also readily available now.

[wlc]

For killing tin cans, I'd go 300blk as well. I love mine. "building" one can be as simple as a barrel swap in an existing upper. Even bought a barrel for my Encore in the caliber as well. I only shoot suppressed subs in mine now, what a hoot.

[popper]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIL3Ycaz9VE
Interesting.

[jonp]

300blk as tons of cheap 223 brass is to be had

[Johnch]

OK
I sent him a link and you good people did my work
As he ordered a complete upper and dies today

Also not sure where ( but it sort of sounds like fun )
But he found a guy that chambers 30/32 ACP barrels for the AR 15
The set up uses .308 bullets ... up to 200 gr cast bullets just seated enough into the case to hold the bullet
And a single stack mag

Not sure of the cost of that set up .....and it maybe a stiff price knowing my brother

If at all not a huge price I will post a link

John

[Moonie]

I would vote 300 BO or the Wilson Combat 7.62x40. Of the two you will find more info for 300 BO but if you want more power and faster speeds than the 300BO provides the 7.62x40 is a great choice. It will be more expensive, ammo, barrel and reloading dies and load data will harder to find.

[DCM]

WC 7.62X40 barrels start at $275 and up.
WC 7.62X40 uppers start at only$1,295 and up.
Sounds like an interesting round though giving a 2-300fps boost to the 300Blk.

[Texas by God]

OK
I sent him a link and you good people did my work
As he ordered a complete upper and dies today

Also not sure where ( but it sort of sounds like fun )
But he found a guy that chambers 30/32 ACP barrels for the AR 15
The set up uses .308 bullets ... up to 200 gr cast bullets just seated enough into the case to hold the bullet
And a single stack mag

Not sure of the cost of that set up .....and it maybe a stiff price knowing my brother

If at all not a huge price I will post a link

John

.300 Blackout, right? The upper he got? Because that's the best choice. IMO! I hope your headaches are gone BTW. Best, Thomas.

[Greg S]

Been looking at a 6.5 G for the past few year for yotes and wolves. 223 is nice just looking for something with alittle more energy and range. Have both gassers and bolts in 223 and 308. Basically, looking for a new cartridge to mess with. Looked at the 300BO and it is just as spendy to reload for as the 308 and doesn't offer any range advantage.

As above posters have said, parts, brass, data and factory ammo are available.