Comparing the best loads available, what do you recommend in a SBR for defense (home/truck/shtf) against two legged predators?
300 BLK SBR would be euqipped with a silenced 8"-9" barrel, 5.56 a silenced 10.3" to 11.5".
Thanks!
Comparing the best loads available, what do you recommend in a SBR for defense (home/truck/shtf) against two legged predators?
300 BLK SBR would be euqipped with a silenced 8"-9" barrel, 5.56 a silenced 10.3" to 11.5".
Thanks!
With the amount of data and real world use of 5.56 you would have to a real good (and probably unique) reason not to use it if your question is strictly about terminal ballistics. Doc covers best duty ammunition from an SBR because of course he does: https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....-mm-Duty-Loads
300 and 6.8 get expensive when going through crates of ammo and a couple classes a year. 5.56 allows for a metric shit ton of shooting. If it’s just which makes bestest holes from a shorter barrel then 6.8 wins! 5.56 is probably the best choice unless you want a super quiet subsonic.
I went down this rabbit hole and then some. Hornady GMX or Barnes TAC-TX loads for supers, nothing better than those two. I've shot deer with both of those loads and am very impressed with the Barnes. GMX worked just fine but less expansion at about the same distance. Hornady makes an expanding sub but I have very little experience with it. I couldn't bring myself to shoot anything with it as I just felt it would be unethical. Hornady stuff shoots cleaner even suppressed and felt softer. Hornady loads were wildly accurate, especially 175 and in.
As a side note, (I hope I can save you some serious money before you go all in on 300 BO). For what you will spend on the good stuff in Barnes or GMX flavor you can buy 2-3 times as much premium duty 5.56mm stuff. In addition as mentioned you will also be able to shoot about twice as much practice ammo in 5.56mm vs 300 Blackout. I tried to stick with nothing but .308 and 300 BO for a year but it just wasn't feasible. Especially when my local source for projectiles when T/U and with the ammo market fluctuation I would rather be shooting 5.56 if costs come back up. Just my .02. If you are dealing with four legged critters and two and want a small semi auto .308 caliber AR pattern gun that is reliable, short and quiet 300 would be great but if it's just for two legged you're honestly better off with 5.56mm and training more. 300 Blackout is really fun especially when running subs but I wish that I hadn't been stupid and just listened to voodoo_man at the beginning of everything when I started playing with 300 BO. I would have saved a shit ton of money not fucking around with other crap and would probably be better for it, I know that I don't know what your particular situation is and if you need a .308 caliber gun like 300 BO rock on but I would seriously look at costs before you decide to take the plunge.
Steel cased .300BO is set to hit the market soon and will change the calculus on practicing with a .300BO
I like 5.56 for practice, and .300 BLK for practical use, as an eight inch .300 pistol with a brace is darn handy, and I feel like the 110 Barnes is a good short barrel load, that may even have four leg applications.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I'd say an 11.5" 5.56.
Velocity testing of various loads in 11.5:
https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Su...4088/#i7456809
Federal Fusion's expand at 1700fps:
https://youtu.be/otou1Fws4cQ?t=151
With a starting velocity of 2611fps from an 11.5", that gives you a full 330yd / 300m effective expansion range:
Another option you may want to consider is a short barreled 6.5 grendel. It does very well out of a short barrel, has an inexpensive steel cased ammo option, hits harder than 5.56 and has more distance and accuracy than 300bo. The Alexander Arms barrels reportedly do very well shooting the Wolf steel cased accurately.