300 Blackout barrel

[Hickok]

Any one have a recommendation for a good brand .300 Blackout barrel?

I don't need and can't afford a match grade high-end uber expensive barrel, just want a good shooting 300 Blackout barrel to put on one of my AR upper receivers.

I want a 16" barrel with carbine length gas port. Not interested in shooting sub-sonic, or suppressors, just want an easy AR conversion approximating 7.62x39 ballistics in the AR for deer hunting.

I realize the 300 Blackout is a little behind the 7.62x39, but still pretty close.

[rockrat]

Don't know if they make them, but check out Green Mountain barrels. Decent barrels very reasonable

[Leatherhead Bullets]

We offer Odin Works barrels. Both 16" and 10.5". Guaranteed MOA accuracy, and comes with low pro gas block.

Check them out on our website.

Thanks,

Chris

www.leatherheadbullets.com

[94Doug]

Brownells had a good deal on one, under $100 with shipping. Just bought one two weeks ago, but will be a while to put together an upper.

[Boolit_Head]

On Black Friday I picked up a 7.5 inch Anderson barrel for under 70 bucks. Only one trip to the range so far but it show promise.

[GabbyM]

That barrel from Brownells would be hard to beat for price. Just looked and it’s $106 sold out but with a back order button.

If you don’t want to shoot sub sonic pistol. Rather shoot rifle velocity cast bullets reaching up to catch 7.62x39 ballistics. The 7.62x40 WT is a better round. Same concept just less cast cut off and set up for lighter bullets super sonic. You can get them in a 1:12” twist rate. This would allow a 150 grain cast bullet to be driven to capacity without over spinning the bullet. Literature on the Wilson site shows the WT faster than the AK 47 round However I imagine that's done with a higher pressure than you can put behind a cast bullet. That is splitting hairs but I figured worth a mention.

You can read p on the Wilson Tactical here. White Oaks Armament also sell barrels chambered in 7.62WT but they use a tighter twist like 1:10” or so.
http://wilsoncombat.com/new/762x40-project.asp

I ran across this barrel shop that does fill in the black barrel orders. Pick your twist and profile. You can buy about any caliber AR-15 barrel you’ve ever heard of. If you are wedded to the 300 BO for some reason’ You can order a 10 or 12 twist cast boolits friendly barrel in that caliber. What caught my eye was the ability to order 22 and 6mm barrels with a 14 twist barrel. The even have 16 twist 22 barrels. A 6x45 in 14 twist would shoot the NOE 70gr boolit to 2,400 fps with ease. I’d have to ask them about a 6x222 since that is my dream cast boolit shooter. But realistically I have my 222 Rem bolt gun and it shoots great so I’ll just keep shooting it. An AR upper on one of these barrels would be less $cash$ than my CZ however,. Not as pretty or lightweight.

If you were to order a custom barrel. Be sure to inform them you are making a cast bullet shooter. In 30 cal you want the 6 grove not the 5R rifling, for cast bullets.
I’ve never done business with this shop and know nothing but what I’ve read on the internet. http://www.x-caliber.net/custom-ar-barrel

[Hickok]

Gabby, thanks for that post. That is exactly what I want, good .30 cal performance in an AR for deer, without going to a larger and more expensive total new rifle in an AR-10 or changing out parts for a 7.62x39. Want to keep it simple and easy with a barrel change.

That 7.62x40WT with a 12" twist looks perfect!

I was going to mention that a 300 Blackout would be great with a 12" twist, but I figured some one would post, "That's not what it was designed for, why would you want that, you couldn't shoot subs, yada, yada, yada." Well I already know all that.

[popper]

I got my 18" 1:10 carbine from McGowan, ~$250, took a while as the owner had heart problems a while back. I was interested in the 40Wt but it is optimized for 125gr jacketed. The problem, IMHO, is the short neck for heavy (150ish) cast boolits. I've gotten 145gr PB to >1800, close as I can get to MOA. I was going to chrony the 145 cast, 150 Hornady SP and 155 Amax but SIL forgot his ammo and shot all mine up this week. I'll load some more but by Hodgdon book, the 150 SP should be doing 1900. My 145 cast started short cycling so pressure is lower - probably up around 1950 fps. Sighted at 100, should be a 3-4" drop @ 150 so I expect a good deer/pig load - it's a FP. IMHO, the 40WT will have a GC barely below the shoulder for a 150, a longer neck would keep it all in the neck. Larger case volume may allow something other than 1680/110/lilgun to be used. I do have a 170 GC that works in the 308 I want to try in the BO. If I had the know how and equipment, pushing the BO shoulder and neck would be a fun experiment. I do think the 1:10 would be best for heavy 40WT. My 2 centavos.

[GabbyM]

Hi popper:
Where did you find a chamber drawing for the 7.62x40 WT. I can't find anything but a case dimension.

[popper]

Pacific tool reamer dwg, Excel xls format so it won't post. Did a comparison with BO chamber - SAAMI - dwg.

[wlc]

I got my 16" from Rock Creek. Last one he had in stock right as all the Sandy Hook frenzy was starting. I like it so far. I'm planning another build and wanted a shorter barrel (8") and in doing my research found Ballistic Advantage. http://ballisticadvantage.com/ From what little I've read, they are owned by Aero Precision or are affiliated with them at least. Reviews are favorable and prices aren't bad. I'm still researching, but am leaning this way right now.

[petroid]

My CMMG shoots great. Not the cheapest but still affordable

[Hickok]

I ordered a 16" SS barrel from X-caliber in 7.62x40WT with a 12" twist, carbine length gas port.

From reading about the 7.62x40WT, this cartridge duplicates 30/30 velocities. Here is data given by Western Powder company;

16"barrel

150gr bullet AA1680 21.1gr 1950 fps
23.5 gr. 2200 fps

AA5744 20.0 gr 2175 fps
22.3 gr 2375 fps

168 gr bullet AA1680 18.4 gr 1850 fps
20.5 gr 2075 fps

AA5744 18.4 gr 1875 fps
20.5 gr 2050 fps.

[Finster101]

Well I'm a little late to the dance but I have used a couple of barrels from SOTA Arms and had good luck with them so far.

[popper]

Hickok - now I have to get out and crony my BO loads to compare.

[GabbyM]

Yes the WT gets right up there in 30-30 velocity territory. 150gr in a 30-30 is listed up around 2,350fps. But that's with a 24" barrel. VS the 16". 30-30 is however making that speed at 38,100 C.U.P. Where the WT is loaded up to 55,000. Not sure if that's PSI or CUP. But we are down to splitting hairs. 30-30 is in a small category of still popular rifle rounds that will actually make more speed and power with a cast bullet than with a jacketed bullet. But then I don't run my 30-30 loaded flat out because I've read it wears the brass out fast. Never even put that to the test. Second reason is recoil. Thus a WT would run 150gr at least as fast as I , in practice, run my little lever gun. What makes the WT or BO look like a real hammer is when you compare there ballistics to a 30 Carbine. 110gr bullet at 2,000fps. You don't ever hear the BO fans giving this comparison. Probably for the same reason you rarely hear a 7.62 NATO compared to the 30-40 Krag. 30 Carbine was considered a pistol caliber. I think it compared very favorably to the 9mm SMG’s and 7.62x25mm Tokarev’s. 300 BO or the WT leave any of those old pistol caliber sub guns in the dust on ballistics. I think many of the young fellows running 300 ACC don’t even know what a 30 Carbine is. They maybe saw Tom Hanks shoot one in the movies. This summer when a group of us were unloading a rental moving truck. An old 30 Carbine round came rolling out. No one but me even knew what it was.


Since I can still shoot the 200 grain RCBS 30-180-FN over LeverRevolution at over 1,900 fps from my Win 94. It’s staying I my gun cabinet. I still like old Western movies too.

[6bg6ga]

Any one have a recommendation for a good brand .300 Blackout barrel?

I don't need and can't afford a match grade high-end uber expensive barrel, just want a good shooting 300 Blackout barrel to put on one of my AR upper receivers.

I want a 16" barrel with carbine length gas port. Not interested in shooting sub-sonic, or suppressors, just want an easy AR conversion approximating 7.62x39 ballistics in the AR for deer hunting.

I realize the 300 Blackout is a little behind the 7.62x39, but still pretty close.

Kind of curious as to why you want a carbine length gas port. I've built 3) 300 blks with Radical firearms 16" barrels with pistol length gas ports. They function great with anything from below minimum loads to maximum loads. I haven't had good luck using carbine length and have suffered from malfunctions galore.

[GabbyM]

Hickok - now I have to get out and crony my BO loads to compare.

I'd figure your ten twist BO to run very close to the WT with 150 grain spitzers. Since loaded to magazine length. Bullet base will be in the same position with either round I think? Not any room for powder around a 308 bullet in that 223 case. Flat nose cast is shorter however. My Saeco #316 at 150gr is .875" long. I have an MP mold 180 grain HP made for 308 here that would load with no lead exposed , just most of the gas check, below the neck on a WT with a COL of 2.240”. Wilson basically just cuts off enough of the 223 neck so cases are easy to size. I thought about a long neck WT. Played around sizing up 223 with a 30 tapered button. Split three of five. So I think process would be a size up to 6mm, anneal, up to 277 anneal then 30 caliber and anneal again. Case wall from the neck portion ends up short of .009” thick. Easier to just design a bullet to fit the WT. Rather than wildcat a wildcat.

[popper]

I chronyd the 145 PB @ 1950 with 4227, now using H110. Need to compare with 150 SP. They both hit POI about the same @100. Yes, I've split the neck on a bunch - but expanding to 6mm may be easier than neck turning them all - for BO. I don't shoot the 125 B-tip or SST or subs, just trying to figure if the 40WT really has an advantage for me. Pushing a 170 GC to 2200 would be an advantage but that size doesn't leave much room for powder in either case - longer neck would help. Mine is a rifle lower, 18" carbine upper, adjustable gas.
Let us know how the Xcaliber - 40wt barrel is, delivery time?

[Hickok]

Just for an experiment, I decided to try and make some 7.62x 40 cases with what I had on hand. First I cut the Lake City 5.56 mm Mil Spec case, at 1.580" with a Dremel cutter disc.


Next I annealed the neck portion. Then took a L.E. Wilson neck turning/expander mandrel for 7mm and put it in the L.E. Wilson expander die and put it in my RCBS press and expanded the case. Next went to a 30 caliber neck turning/expander mandrel and brought the 5.56MM case up to .30 cal. Trimmed case to 1.560".

I have a set of Pacific .30 Herrett loading dies, so I ran a case up into the sizing die until I had a .20" neck. Really a piece of cake. I left the shoulder slightly long for a good datum line for headspacing, so when I get my new set of 7.62x40WT dies I can push the shoulder back if needed.

157165 L.C. 5.56, 7.62x40WT, and the last on the right, AK 7.62x39

[Hickok]

Kind of curious as to why you want a carbine length gas port. I've built 3) 300 blks with Radical firearms 16" barrels with pistol length gas ports. They function great with anything from below minimum loads to maximum loads. I haven't had good luck using carbine length and have suffered from malfunctions galore.Wilson runs the carbine length gas system on barrels from 11 inches up 16 inches. Then at with barrels 18 inches up to 20 inches Wilson uses the mid length gas system.

Just going by what Wilson uses, since he created the 7.62x40 WT.

[wlc]

You shouldn't have any troubles with a carbine length gas system. Most that own the 300BO that have trouble have trouble with subs out of a 16" barrel with carbine gas. Mine was sporadic till everything got worn in and now runs without a hitch. You are shooting a little more powerful round and not shooting subs. I for one look forward to hear how your new rifle performs for you.

[Hickok]

You shouldn't have any troubles with a carbine length gas system. Most that own the 300BO that have trouble have trouble with subs out of a 16" barrel with carbine gas. Mine was sporadic till everything got worn in and now runs without a hitch. You are shooting a little more powerful round and not shooting subs. I for one look forward to hear how your new rifle performs for you.WLC, that is good to hear. I wasn't positive about the gas tube length, but seeing what Wilson Tactical offered with their barrels I thought they would know what worked. And just reading up on .300 BLK, and subs and supers, I came to the conclusion that a carbine length gas system would be the way to go.

My intended use for this 7.62x40WT is entirely different than what the .300 BLK was designed for. I don't want anything sub sonic, or any suppressors. I want AK 7.62x39 ballistics or better with a simple barrel change, no bolt head modibications, etc., and the 12" barrel twist is an added bonus to me.

The 300BLK would work for me with some limitations, but since Gabby(thanks) brought my attention to this round, I think it will fit my idea better.

I have an AR15 Bushmaster heavy 20" barrel .223/5.56 8" twist flat top that is a tack driver that I really like.

The upper that I will place this barrel on is also a Bushmaster Flat top with a 16" heavy contour .223/5.56 barrel with a 8" twist. It shoots great. I just never warmed up to the carbine length 5.56 barrel, as the velocity loss with 16" compared to the 20" barrel really hinders the cartridge in my opinion. Just my experience when using soft points and Nosler BT's and shooting ground hogs, foxes, varmits, etc, the 16" barrel really starts to loose it's punch and explosive effect after about 200 yards compared to the 20" barrel. No surprise there, just law of physics.

So the Bushmaster Carbine Flat top is the candidate for the new barrel.

[popper]

My 18" BO has a carbine system and cycles everything but subs well. I anneal the 223 cases first (candle method) then cut. I think Al could make a tapered expander for the Lee universal that would slowly expand the 223 directly to 30 without splitting - plenty of case length. The Lee plug is tapered but flares the mouth too fast - once edge starts split it keeps going.
GabbyM this may be proprietary from P.T. 157218 Don't remember if I got it from their site or by email. Short neck is as it is for the 125 SST, claimed fps is 2400. If I can get 19-2000 from my PB cast, I don't see any advantage for the 150 unless I add a GC. The dwg does look better for cast than the BO. A longer neck would let the GC stay in the neck and now able to use the extra capacity for powder. Hickok - did you order the gase gauge from WT? I think I'll form a long neck 40WT and make some measurements just for giggles.

[Hickok]

No I didn't order a case gauge. I plan on ordering a set of loading dies in the near future. Also I have to strip down my bolt and send it to X-Caliber, as they said they would check and set the headspace to my AR bolt.

Delivery time is 4 to 6 weeks.

[popper]

Cool. I did a 40WT (almost) formed case using Lee BO die with plug removed. Used the BO case gauge for measurement. Extending the neck to 0.266 only 223 neck gets cut. My 145 & 150 gr cast (31-142C & 145C) fit in the mag fine, GC version would be same length. That will get more powder space and better neck tension. 40WT neck is 0.070 shorter.157234
I'll load a couple dummys and see how they feed.

[popper]

Well, got 2113 avg/47 ES with the PB cast, 1957/72 with the Hornady 150s today, 60F and slight headwind. Guess I'll stick to the BO for now.

[Hickok]

Popper those are pretty good velocities! Encouraging for me to hear, as it sure makes the AR a better deer rifle than the 223/5.56 cartridge.

I have reloading dies coming from Wilson Tactical, should be here Monday.

[GabbyM]

That is impressive velocity from a plain base bullet. Assume that’s some of your high copper content alloy heat treated.

[GabbyM]

I’m just trying to get all the toys I own running. In that spirit I bought a new scope today. Leupold VX-3 Rifle Scope - 1.75-6x32mm Heavy Duplex , Matte LU66390. $299.99 . From Natchez. That goes on my AR-15 20” Criterion 1:8” twist 223 Wylde. Coyote Rifle.


That rifles Weaver Classic 1x3 moves from that upper to a new 16” 5.56mm upper I call my grease gun. Built mostly from spare parts. Just to play with. Something to hand to the grandkids and women to shoot. Other than my precision rifles. This system cuts down on cussing under my breath. Besides I can use a good mag dump from time to time myself.

I seriously had thought about a 30 caliber upper for this duty. Since a 30 bore with the small case is about impossible to burn up. Plus easy to cast bullets. Decided to stay with a 5.56mm NATO chamber for ammo commonality. Use this blaster to cleanup left over ammo and keep the inventory of 223 revolving. Have a hundred rounds of 223 cast bullets loaded up to run through it for test. Now that it’s Brocken in and smoothed out. I never had any function issues with rifle length AR-15 with cast boolits. This Carbine should run easy. Nothing in Illinois larger than a coyote to shoot legally with a rifle anyways. Then I have several big game rifles for out of state visits.


For anyone who doesn’t have fifteen rifles. Owning a 30 Caliber AR-15 covers a lot of ground. They can fill the niche of the Winchester 30-30. I’m keeping my 30-30 however.
If I didn’t own a 30-30 and ike it. 30 caliber AR would make more sense.

Been wondering for a few years now why 30 caliber AR's are not more popular with cast bullet shooters. Am thinking it may be the same reason I don't have one. Just already have several rifles to shoot cast boolits from.

[popper]

Yes, isocore with 1/2 tin replaced with Cu. boolit is discussed in 31-145c experiment thread. Now to get a method to soften the nose for hunting. Put nose on hot plate for X time and check BHN. Nice light deer pig gun with 150 yd range.

[GabbyM]

Didn't figure there would be enough difference between the two chambers to warrant a changeover.
Life, after all, is not supposed to be that complicated.

My idea on loading cast in the 7.62x40. Is to use a level slower powder to reduce pressure but still maintain a high case volume. In order to reduce pressure and maximize velocity and function of the action. I've been playing with 22 calibers with Accurate Arms LT-32 in my 222 Rem and 50 grain varmint bullets in my 16 inch AR-15 and 20" SP-1. AA has come out with LT-30 which is supposed to be close to speed and application to 4198. LT-32 is only a step slower. This LT powder is very short stick. Much easier to work with than H 4198 and it fits in small places better. Never used 1680 but reports are it is dirty. LT-30 is just one step slower, then LT-32 is the next step. Alliant Rx7 fits right in there someplace. I use Rx7 also and can say it is a larger stick. Plus the Rx7 is heat sensitive while the LT powders are supposed to be very good at heat stability. Would seam they are just the correct burn rate for cast bullets in a BO or WT.

All I've tried LT-32 in is my 222. But I think I could scoop up white dirt from a barn floor and make the 222 shoot. I tired of the long stick 4198 no matter how well it shot.

[Hickok]

Gabby, I love my old Winchester 30/30 too. Mine was made in 1948. But dog gone it, the sights are starting to get fuzzy!

What I like about an AR in Carbine length, is I can sling it across my chest, or put it in my mount/carrier of my 4 wheeler when riding in the woods. Mud, tree branches, etc doesn't hurt the finish or looks of an black rifle one bit.

I agree with the slow burning powder. I was hoping to try IMR 4895 in the 7.62x40. Got good results with it in some cast 7.62x39 loads.

[popper]

Don't use my 30/30 much anymore. BO is close and MUCH cheaper to shoot. You might try leverE in the 40WT, Meters like H110, works OK in x39, downloaded it 30% in my 30/30 for 170gr and didn't blow up, actually shot better than 2400.