most common non 5.56 AR caliber

[BenL]

Wideners has M80 for about that price, IIRC. Not sure why we're limiting the discussion to brass case, though... if I could buy 30c .300AAC steel-cased ammo, I'd be a lot more optimistic about the caliber.

Awesome, thanks.

http://www.wideners.com/itemdetail.cfm?item_id=7240&dir=18|830|848

I like the 300BLK (I have a 16" Noveske), but it really shines most as a subsonic vehicle.

 

[3/2ACR Vet]

Speaking historically, the most common AR caliber has to be 7.62x39. By this point in history, shouldn't the russians have surpassed the billion mark in AK production?

 

[Forest]

7.62x39 or 7.62x51. IMO every oddball caliber I've seen has pretty much disappeared. I'm almost alone in the opinion but I strongly believe that .300blk is next. Plus, don't you want to shoot longer than 200 yards at some point?

Suprisingly more companies make 6.8 uppers/rifles and magazines than they do for 7.62x39.

However as pointed out earlier since the .300 BLK uses ALL the same components as the 5.56 except the barrel (heck even 5.56 brass can be converted to .300 BLK) you're not going to find a better supported round.

The .308 is a poorly supported round. While there are several companies that make .308 ARs - there are different specs for things like the barrel nut threading, the shape of the upper receiver, and magazines (i.e. a .308 magazine from a SR-25 doesn't work in an AR-10 with and of course it won't work in the RRA LAR-8).

Best supported non 5.56 round for the AR-15 is the .300 BLK, the best supported non .223 derived round would be the 6.8 SPC.

 

[erwos]

I would say that makes .300BLK the round that requires the least support, not the most supported round.

 

[sailskidrive]

Best supported non 5.56 round for the AR-15 is the .300 BLK, the best supported non .223 derived round would be the 6.8 SPC.

I would have to disagree. While there isn't a "mil-spec" standard for the long action AR, the DPMS/SR25 has become the de facto standard and is AR15 derived. The actual AR10 has always been in a proprietary class of its own, although the new ones are finally utilizing the SR25 mags. Who knows what on Earth RRA was thinking when they released the LAR-8.

Granted, the 300AAC is new and exciting, but I seriously doubt its sales surpass that of LR-308s. Additionally, you can walk into practically any firearms store front and buy 308 off the shelf. The only place I've ever seen 300AA is at 2A in Jessup.

 

[Forest]

I would have to disagree. While there isn't a "mil-spec" standard for the long action AR, the DPMS/SR25 has become the de facto standard and is AR15 derived. The actual AR10 has always been in a proprietary class of its own, although the new ones are finally utilizing the SR25 mags. Who knows what on Earth RRA was thinking when they released the LAR-8.

Which only goes to prove my point.

There are more companies making 6.8 SPC rifles than ALL .308 companies combined - and among those .308 companies there is a minium of 3 different standards.

It doesn't matter which of the 3 is 'most popular' for .308 because as a group they are less popular than other calibers.

Granted, the 300AAC is new and exciting, but I seriously doubt its sales surpass that of LR-308s.

I wouldn't doubt it, it's a very popular round I see more traffic in the AR variants & AR discussions forums I mod about the .300 than I do the 308 rifles.

Both have brass cased ammo in the $12 range if you look around - but the .300 is cheaper to reload as it uses less powder.

The other thing I see about the guys getitng into the .300 all they do is buy a barrel or at most an upper, drop it on their AR lower and they are good to go - with the .308 guys need to buy an entire rifle, and magazines which really raises the cost thus limiting who gets into the .308 game.

 

[Forest]

I would say that makes .300BLK the round that requires the least support, not the most supported round.

LOL I see your point.

However if you want parts to repair your .300 where can you get them? Anybody that sells AR-15 parts. Thus the .300 is well supported (albeit unintentionally).

Need parts for your 7.62x39, 6.8, or 6.5G - most parts can be bought from AR vendors, only the barrels, magazines and bolts get specific.

Want to do the same for your .308? Well now you're looking at a few specific vendors. Some .308s are better than others, but they still have limited support.

 

[BradMacc82]

Time will tell how it all shakes out in the end.

Personally, as long as 5.56 cases are aplenty and .308 rounds are aplenty - I'm good.

Cutting them down and necking them up is somewhat time-consuming, but I'm still rolling my own for a hell of a lot cheaper than ANY factory round I've found so far, not to mention the performance and consistency are as good as I want them to be.

 

[Indiana Jones]

LOL I see your point.

However if you want parts to repair your .300 where can you get them? Anybody that sells AR-15 parts. Thus the .300 is well supported (albeit unintentionally).

Need parts for your 7.62x39, 6.8, or 6.5G - most parts can be bought from AR vendors, only the barrels, magazines and bolts get specific.

Want to do the same for your .308? Well now you're looking at a few specific vendors. Some .308s are better than others, but they still have limited support.

All good points you make. The reason I mentioned 7.62x39 is because of ammo availability. 6.8 is hard to come by I'm alot of places. If you ask me, I take a 6.8 any day over a .300bl hands down.

 

[Forest]

All good points you make. The reason I mentioned 7.62x39 is because of ammo availability. 6.8 is hard to come by I'm alot of places. If you ask me, I take a 6.8 any day over a .300bl hands down.

That's the funny part. 7.62x39 is far more available, but more companies make the 6.8. The biggest issue in the past for the 7.62x39 has been the lack of consistantly reliable magazines (and to a smaller extent the life span of the bolts).

A few companies have produced lowers that use AK magazines - but you need to modify the upper to work with them so they were never a big hit. Maybe now that RRA is producing a complete rifle (with custom upper) they will become more popular.

 

[sailskidrive]

That's the funny part. 7.62x39 is far more available, but more companies make the 6.8. The biggest issue in the past for the 7.62x39 has been the lack of consistantly reliable magazines (and to a smaller extent the life span of the bolts).

A few companies have produced lowers that use AK magazines - but you need to modify the upper to work with them so they were never a big hit. Maybe now that RRA is producing a complete rifle (with custom upper) they will become more popular.

The 7.62x39 shell casing has a greater taper than the 6.8 making it inherently more difficult to feed through the AR's magwell where as the 6.8 was purpose built with the AR in mind. It certainly would be nice if the x39 was more AR friendly.

 

[Forest]

The 7.62x39 shell casing has a greater taper than the 6.8 making it inherently more difficult to feed through the AR's magwell where as the 6.8 was purpose built with the AR in mind. It certainly would be nice if the x39 was more AR friendly.

Exactly, which is how the x39 ARs ended up with those franken mags in the early 90s (AK lower mag welded to an AR type 'tower').

For x39 performance in the AR go with the .300 Blackout. Similar ballistics, but with a wider variety of bullet weights and reliable feeding.

 

[Biggfoot44]

None of the alternatives are currently *common* in the absolute sense. With avaiability of dirt cheap ammo at the corner store a major factor , unlikly any will failing a major Gov't contract and resultant overruns and surplus.

In the other absolute sense .300 Whisper ( and those other knockoffs) , Grendels , and the underratted 6x45 will live on indefinatly since they can be formed from redialy available brass. The parent brass of SPC and dirivitives is all but extinct in its origional form.

 

[Drmsparks]

Time will tell how it all shakes out in the end.

Personally, as long as 5.56 cases are aplenty and .308 rounds are aplenty - I'm good.

Cutting them down and necking them up is somewhat time-consuming, but I'm still rolling my own for a hell of a lot cheaper than ANY factory round I've found so far, not to mention the performance and consistency are as good as I want them to be.

This. I'm still building my 300 but I've got about 1500 223 cases and 4-5k 308 bullets (147, 168, 175 mainly with some 125SMK's and 220's)

 

[BradMacc82]

This. I'm still building my 300 but I've got about 1500 223 cases and 4-5k 308 bullets (147, 168, 175 mainly with some 125SMK's and 220's)

I haven't rolled 125gr yet, but the little bit of factory loaded 300BLK I've shot was 125gr, and it showed promise - so those should treat you well.

The 147, 150, 168 and 175 - I haven't found accredited published data for yet, but my 150gr loads have also shown potential. The 110gr V-max has definitely been my best performer's so far.


That's one thing I'm really liking about the caliber when reloading it, options - there's plenty of them.