
300 AAC Blackout Ammo For Sale
History of 300 AAC Blackout Ammo
In 2010, Advanced Armament Corporation developed the .300 AAC Blackout in conjunction with Remington Defense, with the intention of offering a .30 caliber cartridge with better performance than the 5.56mm ammunition currently in use. Replacing the 5.56 NATO cartridge is an idea that has been around since its introduction, but the urgency rose with the global War on Terror, which rapidly placed many of our troops in harm's way across many different situations and unfamiliar geography.
Why Was the 300 Blackout Round Developed?
The key motivator to consider replacing the 5.56 NATO was the increased terminal performance offered by a .30 caliber round. This alone, however, would not necessarily justify wholesale replacement of the military's primary issue rifle. Any cartridge that replaced the 5.56mm would need to be compatible with the M4 weapon system. The .300 AAC Blackout is compatible with the M4 system, since the case was built from the existing 5.56mm cartridge, allowing for the use of the same magazines from the M4, and to full capacity. To convert an M4 rifle to .300 Blackout, the barrel is the only part that needs to be changed.
The noise of the .300 AAC is drastically reduced with the use of subsonic loads and a suppressor. Some describe the resulting noise levels as similar to the Heckler & Koch MP5-SD, which fires 9mm ammunition. Coupled with a bullet about 40-percent heavier than the 9mm fired from the MP5-SD, and moving nearly 100 feet per second faster, the .300 Blackout dramatically outperforms the previous gold standard.
Need tons of 300 Blackout for the range this weekend? Make sure to check out all of our 300 Blackout bulk ammo options to meet all your shooting needs!
Colt Firearms and other ammunition manufacturers had attempted to chamber AR-type rifles for .30 caliber ammunition – without much success. The problem with the 7.62x39mm, for example, was that it experienced feeding issues unless it used highly specialized and modified AK-47 magazines. The 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendel likewise had similar issues.
Unsurprisingly, wildcatters stepped in to come up with a solution. One result was the .300 Whisper, but a wildcatted round is necessarily difficult to adopt for widespread military use. The 300 Whisper round was primarily for single shot handguns. And because it did not have industry standard dimensions, this made it not an ideal choice for use in the AR builds favored by Western military forces.
Development changed when the industry had a bit of an “a-ha!” moment – seeing the M4 or the M16 as the primary recipient of the new, theoretical round. This allowed for greater flexibility of design. The main draw of M4 and M16 builds was that the only mechanical change required for a new round was a barrel change, so no complete conversion of the weapon was necessary.
Development began in 2009, with the lion’s share of the work done in 2010. SAAMI approved the new cartridge on January 17, 2011.
The 300 Blackout Round in the World’s Militaries
Since then, the round has not seen widespread adoption as a standard-issue military round. In fact, it is only in use by special forces in the few places it has been adopted. All told, only three nations have adopted the 300 Blackout:
- The Netherlands: The Netherlands' Defense Material Organization purchased 165 carbines chambered for this round for the Dutch Maritime Special Operations Force in July 2015. This was the first formal purchase of a 300 Blackout-chambered weapon. The suppressed weapon was specially modified and designed to used with ballistic visor helmets.
- United Kingdom: The United Kingdom ordered the round on a five-year contract (with a five-year option to extend) in July of 2017. Not much is known about the order, but the government did note that the round had already been in use previously.
- United States: SOCOM started using the round in March 2017. They quickly began taking proposals from contractors on how to modify the 5.56 to accommodate the 300 Blackout rounds. While the round has seen very limited use in American special forces (mostly within Joint Special Operations Command), the government is looking to broaden its use within SOCOM generally.
300 Blackout vs 5.56 NATO: Which Is Better?
Despite the round being designed for M4 and M16 builds, it has found a captive audience in the United States among aficionados of the AR-15 – America’s favorite rifle. While many AR-15 shooters like the 5.56mm NATO, the cartridge is not without its problems from the perspective of the civilian shooter. Namely, the sound and overall firearm capability.
What’s more, the 5.56mm NATO requires at least a 12” barrel for practicality. However, anything longer than this magic number required to burn off all the powder and avoid a (mostly harmless) fireball means decreased range. There goes your suppressor. The 300 Blackout is thus more powerful as well as more versatile for the average civilian shooter.
Because the 300 Blackout and the 5.56 NATO are so similar, it’s worth taking a moment to compare the two to see which is the superior round for your purposes:
- Market Factors: While prices vary, the 5.56 NATO tends to be significantly cheaper than the 300 Blackout – about half the price. It’s also far more readily available than the newer, less adopted and more niche 300 Blackout.
- Recoil: The 300 Blackout has about three times as much recoil as the 5.56 NATO.
- Range: The NATO round wins on range, however, the Blackout is the superior round for hunting game.
- Defense: The NATO round breaks apart on impact, making it a safer and more practical round for home defense than the 300 Blackout. A warning shot fired off with a 300 Blackout round might end up two rooms away, hitting who knows what in the process. It’s specifically designed to break through tough surfaces, making it less than ideal for home defense.
- Hunting: The answer to which round is better for hunting is largely a function of what it is that you’re hunting. Smaller game and mid-sized deer can be hunted with the NATO round within a 100 to 150 yard range. Bigger game with a thicker hide further away is going to require a 300 Blackout to take down.
The max effective range of the .300 Blackout supersonic load is listed at 500 yards, and with the subsonic load, is listed at 220 yards. Muzzle velocity for the supersonic 125 grain FMJ bullet is 2,215 feet per second, and muzzle energy is 1,360 foot pounds. For the subsonic load, muzzle velocity is 1,010 feet per second, and muzzle energy is 498 foot pounds. Downrange, the .300 Blackout is accurate enough to deliver groups smaller than one inch at 100 yards.
The .300 AAC Blackout is a new cartridge with many positives, including its compatibility with the M4 platform. Additionally, it offers increased performance for both supersonic and subsonic applications, which offers clear benefits for military applications. For the civilian market, the cartridge increases the versatility of the AR-15 platform. And due to increased bullet performance, hunters can use the .300 Blackout for harvesting medium-sized game animals.
If those reasons are not enough, the .300 Blackout – with its fantastic accuracy and controllable recoil – enabled SSG Daniel Horner of the U.S. Army's Marksmanship Unit to use the cartridge to win the USPSA Multi-Gun Nationals in 2011. This round offers a great deal to all kinds of shooters, and without a doubt, has a very bright future.
For more options, check out our Hornady 300 Blackout ammo and Fiocchi 300 Blackout ammo page.
300 Blackout Ballistics: Chart of Average 300 Blackout Ballistics
Note: This information comes from the manufacturer and is for informational purposes only. The actual ballistics obtained with your firearm can vary considerably from the advertised ballistics. Also, ballistics can vary from lot to lot with the same brand and type load.
300 Blackout Bullet WEIGHT | Muzzle VELOCITY (fps) | Muzzle ENERGY (ft. lbs.) | TRAJECTORY (in.) | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | Muzzle | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | 100 yds. | 200 yds. | 300 yds. | 400 yds. | |
110 Grain | 2150 | 1886 | 1646 | 1432 | 1254 | 1128 | 869 | 661 | 501 | 384 | 0 | -8.3 | -29.6 | -67.8 |
125 Grain | 2250 | 2031 | 1826 | 1636 | 1464 | 1404 | 1145 | 926 | 743 | 595 | 0 | -7 | -24.4 | -54.8 |
220 Grain | 1000 | 968 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 488 | 457 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
Customer Reviews
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Steve said:
Good Ammo very happy with it never had a problem. The price is also not to bad I just wish that shipping was cheaper
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Rhonda7764 said:
The best value, fastest shipping and great ammo.
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WWIIIHundred said:
I normally don’t purchase steel or aluminum rounds, but it’s hard to say no when I literally can’t find or purchase any other types of ammo for my Windham Weaponry 300 BLK. I was worried that I would get a double feed or lots of jams. I honestly can say after shooting 100 rounds at the range at 100 yards; I didn’t get a single one with this ammo. My shot groups were decent too for what I consider sub par ammunition. I was honestly surprised at the results. I am definitely buying this ammo again. The best part is the ammo came to me instead of having to fight long lines hoping that there will still be ammo left on the shelf when it is my turn to grab some.
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Savage300 said:
I normally don't buy steel or aluminum case ammunition but due to availability at this time I decided to give it a try. I was pleased to not have a single issue during target practice. I didn't spend time worrying about grouping but all 200 rounds I used worked flawlessly. Will definitely order more.
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TINKER said:
Shoots great through my master piece MPA300BLK, This is a clone of a ar18/180, No rtf or eject, could cover 3 shots at 50 yards with a half dollar
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Mr. Phox said:
Not my first box of Ammo from Red Mountain Arsenal but my first time ordering on Ammo.com and I am Blown away with the speedy delivery (3-4 days after order)!! Thank you I have found my gold mine LoL!! Thank you Guys you’ll be hearing from me again, SOON!!
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Harold said:
Flawless with my two boxes. I got a very tight shot group and performed very well (AR-15 PSA 300BLK Pistol 8.5 inch / 1:8) Box says match grade but due to the shortage of ammo just about everywhere, I had nothing to compare it to. Box says "veteran owned" and that makes me happy - 100% in on that that you're one of us. Price might be a tad high but just not that significant - more important to have it. Nice ammo and would buy again.
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wpro said:
nice tight group, never any problems, use it in a 20in and 10in barrel, same group patterns in both guns. for the performance of the ammo and never any problems I only use magtech
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ernie said:
great service, great product, great price. what more can I say.
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Dino said:
Hornady is top notch as we all know and the service and ease of ammo.com makes it thst much better.
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Skip said:
Fast shipping. Good quality. Thank you!!
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aeroflame said:
I shot a bunch of Federal, Sig Sauer, but my AR really liked this stuff out at 100 yards. The Sig performed well too. The Federal was all over the place. I was shooting light grains. Good clean quality accurate ammo. The price is great too.
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RazorUSMC said:
Bought this ammo for a Run N Gun competition, it worked falsely as it should. I reload my own but with the short notice of this shoot I did not have the time to reload my own. I have some to trust Hornady products as I use there Lock N Load AP Ammo plant press. This ammo was great and was super quiet with my 10.5" SBR I will be getting some more soon so I have the brass to save this time.
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Virtus said:
Hard hitting, supper accurate, puts EVERYTHING DOWN!
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Dracul said:
This is an amazing load out of a 9-inch Sig MCX pistol. Ran 10 rounds at 25 yards in less than a inch diameter, at an average velocity of 2150 fps with energy of 1129 ft-lbs - this load is why 300BLK is THE thing to run in your AR pistol/SBR.