300 Blackout Ammo

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About .300 Blackout Ammunition

The .300 Blackout cartridge has enjoyed popularity for nearly two decades. This intermediate cartridge was developed by Advanced Armament Corporation in 2009 and provides shooters with versatile supersonic and subsonic loadings. The round was designed to be utilized in M4/AR-15 style firearms and utilizes STANAG type magazines. An initial motivation for the development of the round was to potentially replace the current 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The round features a tame recoil impulse and low back pressure. These traits make it a favorite among suppressed shooters as one can achieve near “Hollywood quiet” suppression when the right loading, suppressor, and firearm come together.

Types of .300 Blackout Loadings

• Full Metal Jacket (FMJ): Like the name suggests, these types of loadings feature projectiles which are adorned with metal jacketing. This jacket is generally made of copper and will cover the tip and sides of the projectile. Typically, the base of the projectile is left uncoated. These types of loadings are well-suited for range use and are some of the most common types of ammo one will encounter.
• Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT): HPBT loadings feature hollow point projectiles with boat tail style bases. These differ from traditional projectiles with flat bases and are well-suited to precision-oriented shooting. Like traditional hollow point loadings, these loadings are also designed to facilitate expansion on impact.
• V-MAX: Loadings of this type feature a premium, specialty V-MAX projectile from Hornady. These projectiles feature polymer tips and are well-suited to varmint hunting applications. V-MAX loadings are also capable of high velocities and flat trajectories, adding to their potency. Projectiles are designed to expand and fragment on impact, resulting in optimal terminal ballistics in varmint hunting applications.
• Open Tip Match (OTM): These types of loadings will generally feature heavier projectiles and are well-suited to precision-oriented shooting. Material has been removed from these projectiles, hence the “Open-Tip Match” designation, helping achieve high velocities. While technically a hollow point, these loadings are designed for superior ballistic performance and not intended to function as standard hollow points.
• Hollow Point (HP): HP loadings feature hollow point projectiles like the name suggests. This removal of material makes the projectile lighter and promotes high velocities. These types of loadings are optimized for self defense or match use and have a tendency to expand on impact. A good hollow point loading is one that achieves an appropriate level of penetration while expanding reliably upon impact within the target.

Firearms that Use .300 Blackout Ammo

At this point in time, the market has many firearm offerings chambered in .300 Blackout. The most common types of firearms one will encounter in this caliber will be of the AR-15 variety. Beyond AR-15s, a variety of other semi-automatic rifles can also be found in the caliber such as the Sig Sauer MCX and B&T APC 300. Of course, manual action firearms such as bolt action rifles and lever action rifles are also available in the caliber. These firearms are also generally equipped with features conducive to suppression.

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