308 vs 300 blackout

[thedutchtouch]

Next phase in my learning (and likely buying) is deciding between these two calibers. What do you say, other than the buy one of each, if you had to choose between these two calibers what would it be (and why?)

 

[Bullfrog]

I'm a bit confused by the question. What is your purpose in buying?

They have different uses. Your question isn't like asking 'Camaro or Mustang', it's more 'Mustang or F150'. You'll get useful answers if you say what you're doing with it.

Hunting? If so, what, and how far? Buying a suppressor for it?

 

[Biggfoot44]

It might seem cliche , but it's relavent . What's your purpose / parameter ?

Is Suppressed important to you ?

Do you already have an AR- 15 , set up exactly how you like it , and want to shoot .30 Caliber from it ?

 

[owldo]

.308

 

[thedutchtouch]

I guess that's part of the learning phase. I see these calibers talked about a lot so trying to learn more about their uses. I already have a larger caliber hunting rifle with my 300 win mag and a straight wall rifle with my 350 legend and mostly hunt with a bow anyway but live mainly in straight wall territory, have a few 22lr setups as well as a 5.56 AR for plinking/defense/fun, so more of a trying to expand the collection/learn why these two calibers seem to be popular. Setting up an AR platform seems to be why 300 aac blackout is mentioned a bit?

Edit: don't have any suppressors currently but likely a near future purchase as well. Definitely for 350 hunting rifle but a multi caliber could be a good buy.

 

[guzma393]

If you reload, 300 blackout is a fun cartridge to roll your own. Wide variety of projectiles, can convert 223/556 cases, and has been a great plinking round alternative when 7.62x39 stocks started running dry. For the distances I normally shoot at (100-300yds), 300 blackout suits my needs.

 

[jrumann59]

300 blackout is meant for supressed shooting there are other .30 caliber rounds better for supersonic. But ultimately if all is going to be safe queen300 blackout if you want utility I say .308 (AR10) all day.

 

[DaemonAssassin]

Next phase in my learning (and likely buying) is deciding between these two calibers. What do you say, other than the buy one of each, if you had to choose between these two calibers what would it be (and why?)

I have both.

The 308 is good for hunting and long-range shooting. For hunting, I hand load my own 165gr SGK's with IMR 3031. For long-range shooting, I'll either run FGMM 168gr SMK's, or I'll hand load 168gr SMK's. You can suppress a 308, but subsonic ammo isn't easy to find, so you're generally going to be running supersonic ammo no matter what.

The 300BLK is good for hunting, too. I hunt with a 300BLK, and so far, it has dropped one deer where it was standing, and the second deer ran less than 20 yards before dropping. I dropped both with a 110gr Hornady VMax. The 300BLK suppresses quite well, no matter if you're using supersonic or subsonic ammo.

I use both in the AR platform and bolt action rifles. The 300BLK is great in an AR-15, and the 308 is great in an AR-10.

I prefer a 300BLK for hunting due to the light weight with 20 rounds versus the weight of an AR-10 with 20 rounds of 308. You lug an AR-10 up and down the hills for a week where I hunt, and you'll want that 300BLK so badly, you'll do almost anything for it. If you really want to shave weight on a 300BLK, build a 300BLK SBR after submitting the Form 1 and getting your stamp.

My 16" 300BLK weighs in at 7.5# with scope, sling, hand stop, and 20 round mag. Whereas my 18" 308 clocks in at around 12-14# with scope, bipod, and a 20 round mag. The only real difference between the two platforms is that the 300BLK has a true AAC barrel (yes, the barrel is marked AAC), and the 308 has a match fluted heavy barrel.

I love both of those rifles, but I also know the limitations of the calibers in each of those rifles.

 

[lazarus]

I have both.

The 308 is good for hunting and long-range shooting. For hunting, I hand load my own 165gr SGK's with IMR 3031. For long-range shooting, I'll either run FGMM 168gr SMK's, or I'll hand load 168gr SMK's. You can suppress a 308, but subsonic ammo isn't easy to find, so you're generally going to be running supersonic ammo no matter what.

The 300BLK is good for hunting, too. I hunt with a 300BLK, and so far, it has dropped one deer where it was standing, and the second deer ran less than 20 yards before dropping. I dropped both with a 110gr Hornady VMax. The 300BLK suppresses quite well, no matter if you're using supersonic or subsonic ammo.

I use both in the AR platform and bolt action rifles. The 300BLK is great in an AR-15, and the 308 is great in an AR-10.

I prefer a 300BLK for hunting due to the light weight with 20 rounds versus the weight of an AR-10 with 20 rounds of 308. You lug an AR-10 up and down the hills for a week where I hunt, and you'll want that 300BLK so badly, you'll do almost anything for it. If you really want to shave weight on a 300BLK, build a 300BLK SBR after submitting the Form 1 and getting your stamp.

My 16" 300BLK weighs in at 7.5# with scope, sling, hand stop, and 20 round mag. Whereas my 18" 308 clocks in at around 12-14# with scope, bipod, and a 20 round mag. The only real difference between the two platforms is that the 300BLK has a true AAC barrel (yes, the barrel is marked AAC), and the 308 has a match fluted heavy barrel.

I love both of those rifles, but I also know the limitations of the calibers in each of those rifles.

I agree with everything here. Other than the mass of the rifle can be very different if you build it different or pick a different platform. That said, the .308 is almost always going to be heavier because it is a short action, versus the miniaction that a 300BO uses.

But a .308 really does beg for a longer barrel than a 300BO. Unsupressed, a 16" 300BO is just fine. You'll hate your life if you try to run a 16" .308 unsupressed and no ears, even just for a shot or two on a deer.

I don't have a 300BO currently. I've shot some and it is my next acquisition, but I am going for a Howa mini 1500 in 300BO. That said, if I just swapped the barrel on my 16" .223 AR I'd have a 7lbs setup in 300BO (red dot, not scope). My AR-10 is 8lbs12oz with scope, sling, etc. (though no mag). Only an 18" barrel on it though. I'd much rather the lighter rifle to carry around all day long for sure, but you can get them or build them much closer in weight to each other.

That light AR-10 is less than fun to shoot from a bench for a long session though. Unless you don't mind wimping out and wearing a recoil pad on your shoulder or heavy clothing. Fine for 20-30 rounds. It gets tender after about 40. Of hand no problems.

 

[outrider58]

If you love recoil, get the .308. If you hate recoil, 300 Blk is your game.

The only similarity the two cartridges hold is, they both make the same size hole. Other than that, there are no other similarities.

 

[Slowhand]

Easy peasy. Get a .300 upper for your AR. It'll be long for .300, but work fine.
And buy/build a .308 if you hunt. I don't hunt, but wanted to be able to "reach out" if need be. So I bought a rifle with .556 and 6.5 Creedmoor barrels and bolts. Practiced guys can do the swap in under 5 minutes.

 

[DaemonAssassin]

Easy peasy. Get a .300 upper for your AR. It'll be long for .300, but work fine.
And buy/build a .308 if you hunt. I don't hunt, but wanted to be able to "reach out" if need be. So I bought a rifle with .556 and 6.5 Creedmoor barrels and bolts. Practiced guys can do the swap in under 5 minutes.

You got a SRS?

 

[Slowhand]

You got a SRS?

MDRx. Should be able to reach out 1000yds. I don't have glass that good... yet.

 

[DaemonAssassin]

MDRx. Should be able to reach out 1000yds. I don't have glass that good... yet.

Oooooo...... that changes things.

 

[Slowhand]

@Daemon, don't exactly know where I could go to zero glass for 1K yds.
Ft Meade was good for 600 yds, but they make it annoyingly difficult to shoot there.

 

[outrider58]

@Daemon, don't exactly know where I could go to zero glass for 1K yds.
Ft Meade was good for 600 yds, but they make it annoyingly difficult to shoot there.

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[DaemonAssassin]

@Daemon, don't exactly know where I could go to zero glass for 1K yds.
Ft Meade was good for 600 yds, but they make it annoyingly difficult to shoot there.

I second what Einstein (aka The Clown) said. Peacemaker.

 

[Magnumite]

The AR in 300 AAC with a forward directing comp is fun. First AR 300 I built recoiled more than the 5.56. Not hurtful just did not expect the greater movement. Second one I built I installed the forward directing comp. It works! Much smoother to shoot. Both 300’s were 16” carbine barrels with same contour/weight. Both were similarly configured…except for the comp.

Had a 308 DPMS ‘AR-10’. 20” hbar. I installed a FCG and freefloat handguard. It was a fixed stock model ‘Classic’. The thing was accurate. I would shoot a fairly tight group of the bench then throw shots 4 and 5 about an inch or two out. The shots were where I called them so I knew the flyers were my doing me. The thing just pushed me around if I wasn’t in the zone. With my bolt rifles I didn’t have the same issue because the bolt configuration is so much more shooter friendly…at least off the bench.

YMMV

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Outrider, please rate the recoil differences for these three hunting cartridges. .270, .308 and ,30-06
I used to have a Ruger number 1 in .25-06, so I know how that feels.

I also feel as if my early 1950's Model 70 in .270 is just about the perfect deer rifle for me, but so is my Model 70 Classic Stainless with BOSS in .30-06.

In case you guys can't tell, I like my Pre 64 Model 70's. So, let's compare apples to apples of the .270, .308 and .30-06 in say your standard wood stocked rifle such as a Remington 700 BDL, Win Mod 70, Ruger M77, Savage Model 12.

Mostly interested in how the 308 compares since I really have only shot one once in my lifetime.

 

[outrider58]

Outrider, please rate the recoil differences for these three hunting cartridges. .270, .308 and ,30-06
I used to have a Ruger number 1 in .25-06, so I know how that feels.

I also feel as if my early 1950's Model 70 in .270 is just about the perfect deer rifle for me, but so is my Model 70 Classic Stainless with BOSS in .30-06.

In case you guys can't tell, I like my Pre 64 Model 70's. So, let's compare apples to apples of the .270, .308 and .30-06 in say your standard wood stocked rifle such as a Remington 700 BDL, Win Mod 70, Ruger M77, Savage Model 12.

Mostly interested in how the 308 compares since I really have only shot one once in my lifetime.

I am by no means an expert on those calibers. I am mostly experienced with the 30-06, but shot the others. They are all closely related as far as recoil goes, but again, I have never done a side-by-side comparison. It will also depend on the ammo too.