.300 Blackout Accuracy & Velocity Data
Last week, I put several types of .300 AAC Blackout ammo through two short uppers, using 8" and 10" Noveske barrels. While I do not have photos due to a hard drive failure, I do have velocity and accuracy data, so I'll make this short and sweet. If you're really looking for the short version, the ammo to definitely buy is the UMC 115gr CTFB (closed tip flat base) ammo, with an honorable mention to the Atlanta Arms 125gr Pink Tip ammo for reliability/velocity reasons, if not accuracy.
Uppers, as well as the exorbitantly expensive Remington Premier Match ammo, were provided by Deliberate Dynamics. Two 20 round boxes of Atlanta Arms ammo were provided by the manufacturer, but this was not enough for a comprehensive review involving four upper receivers, so I purchased more with my own funds. All 115gr CTFB ammo was purchased by me.
Both accuracy and velocity data are based on 10 shot groups/strings at 50 yards, using a 3-9x scope from a bench supported by front and rear bags, and the chronograph at 15 feet. I used 2 shots of 115gr CTFB ammo to zero each upper, but point of impact with all ammunition types would have been within the vital zone of a game animal or human out to at least 200 yards.
The velocity and accuracy data for the 10" 300BLK upper is as follows:
UMC 115 - 2101fps, SD 17, 2.8MOA
Remington Premier Match 125gr - 2103fps, SD 151, 2.9MOA
Atlanta Arms 125gr - 2162fps, SD 20, 3.6MOA
Gunn Ammunition 130gr "SOST" - 1887fps, SD 28, 4.2MOA
And for the 8"300BLK upper:
UMC 115 - 2001fps, SD 24, 1.9 MOA
Remington Premier Match 125gr - 2007fps, SD 26, 2.1 MOA
Atlanta Arms 125gr - 2053fps, SD 17, 2.7 MOA
Gunn Ammunition 130 - 1742fps, SD 21, 4.5 MOA
I cannot account for the differences in accuracy between the 8" and 10" uppers; the 10" was shot first, but both were fired on the same day. A stock GI trigger was used for this test.
While the Atlanta Arms ammo was not as accurate as the Remington/UMC, it deserves consideration for being much more affordable than the Premier Match while still providing acceptable accuracy. It also has features such as an annealed case, cannelured bullet, crimped primer, and lacquer primer sealant that some other ammo does not have. The ballistic tip bullet should provide great terminal performance at close ranges. For hunting purposes, this load looks ideal. Plus, I got a kick out of the anti-tactical pink color.
I cannot find a single reason to recommend the Gunn 130gr ammo. Groups looked promising after 3 or 4 shots, but always ended up opening to near-unacceptable levels. While I would not say that 4-4.5 MOA is completely unacceptable from an SBR which is to be used most often at spitting range while retaining usefulness out to 300 yards, velocity and projectile design is another stoty. This projectile works well from a 7.62x51mm rifle and is designed to perform in that velocity envelope, but at velocities that are only 45% or so higher than 9mm 124gr pistol velocities, I do not think that this would be an effective load at any range.
The real winner was the UMC 115gr CTFB; while it did not provide stellar velocity numbers compared to the heavier Atlanta Arms ammo, it was very, very accurate. It is also less than half the cost of its supposedly more "premier" Remington brother. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into this ammunition. Despite my previous misgivings about 300BLK ammo not being readily available from Remington, this load in particular was worth the wait.
Muzzle Device Flash Comparison – Brakes, Comps & Flash Hiders
Work ran late recently, so I was able to photograph a fairly consistent comparison of the muzzle flash resulting from the use of Federal .223 Rem 55gr FMJBT - also known as AE223 - and a 16" AR-15. Actually, there were two AR-15s used for this photo. The PWS TTO requires a thin wrench for removal and installation, and all I had at the range was a standard AR-15 armorer's wrench. All of the other devices were used on a Spike's Tactical 16" carbine length AR-15. Other than the bare muzzle and the PWS TTO, I also used a Spike's Tactical Dynacomp, Vltor VC-1, standard A2, YHM Phantom 5C2, Smith Vortex, and AAC Blackout.
I do own a Rainier Arms XTC, but it was on a 5.45 rifle that I wasn't shooting that day. Some might notice the absence of a BattleComp - I don't own one (no, this is not a plea for a BattleComp, I just don't own one).
I would like to reiterate that, in my opinion, any device which allows more flash than the A2 is not suitable for combat use. This does not mean that it is not suitable - or even ideal - for use outside of armed confrontation.
Kahr CW9/CW40/CW45 Recoil Comparison
In this video, I shoot three different Kahr handguns back to back. All are loaded with standard pressure ammunition, in the heaviest (standard) bullet weights available for the caliber - 230s in the .45, 180s in the .40, and 147s in the 9mm. Although the CW40 actually "felt" more controllable than the CW45, you can see in the video that the CW40 had more muzzle rise. The CW9 was much easier to control than both of the larger handguns.
.22 Rimfire Comparison
Back to "ye olde format" for this video, but I'll probably do a mix of "new" and "old" in the future.
A long time ago, I was able to shoot .22s very well, because that was pretty much all I did, all day. I hadn't shot slowfire with a .22 in years, and decided to see if I was good as I once was. I also compared a 1/16 twist bolt action rifle with a 1/7 twist AR-15 that had a .22LR conversion. Was the 1/7 completely inaccurate, as is often repeated on the internet?
Buckshot Patterns at 7 Yards
This is from an upcoming video. I also shot at 15 and 30 yards - the latter with only selected loads, because the others had simply too large of a pattern and would have damaged the target stand. Not pictured is Winchester 3" 00 Buck, which had an approximately 7" pattern at 7 yards - far too large for my tastes.
