Off-season fun project

[RowdyGSP]

Finally decided to take the plunge and go a little deeper into the gun world and build an AR-15 chambered in 300 Blackout. I plan on using it for some predator hunting (coyotes, wolves, lions and hogs if I ever take a trip south) and it can also double as home defense. I started by getting parts for building the lower receiver, and I replaced the stock that came with this kit with a much nicer one than shown here. I also enhanced the trigger with a spring kit, getting it to a 4 lbs. trigger pull with little take up and full reset:



Then I bought a complete upper receiver assembly, as for my needs there's no reason to build an upper piece by piece. Buying the complete upper assembly saves me about $150 bucks anyway. Here's a pic right before I started putting everything together:



And since I'm a bit of a crayon-eater, I had to utilize youtube, when I ran into a jam where getting the trigger and hammer to set gave me issues:



I put some flip-up iron sights on it that I will keep on there, but I'm looking into a red dot optic with a magnifier for hunting. But after an hour or so, I had the rifle built and even though I launched a detent pin into the kitchen, as well as the buffer spring pin, I was able to find both of them, miraculously:



I've been shooting her quite a bit and have almost 300 rounds through her so far with zero issues. Really like the 300 Blackout, even though it's a bit of a niche caliber.

[RowdyGSP]

Upgraded the trigger today to a drop-in trigger. Much crisper, cleaner trigger.

[AverageGuy]

Cool Project and a Good Idea to get one before we cannot get one. Not familiar with the caliber, what are its ballastics?

[RowdyGSP]

It is essentially an AK-47 bullet in a .223 casing. Bullet is 7.62x45. It was designed to give the .223 more "oomph" at close and medium ranges. It's around 2380 FPS out of my 16" barrel.

[Kiger2]

Nice!

We built one in 243 WSSM. Very accurate and my son and wife have killed 5 deer with it. So much for art not being hunting rifles.

What did you do for clips? I was too cheap to buy stock so I modified some mags. Work great.

[RowdyGSP]

Decided the first rifle was lonely so I built a pistol chambered in 300blk as well. Probably do one more in a 6.5 grendel and might build a 5.56 upper to switch back and forth with the lower on my 300blk rifle.

[Willie T]

Rowdy that looks like some fun! If you build the 556 upper go with a wylde chamber and an 8 twist. This time of year I usually spend a lot of time on the skeet range. I have not been going in the name of social distancing. Most Texans walk around armed anyway so I have resorted to my pistols to scratch my shooting itch.
Willie

[RowdyGSP]

Willie, a .223 wylde is definitely an option for that upper, since you can shoot .223 or 5.56 out of it. Both my 300blk have 1:8 twist as well. What kind of pistols have you been shooting? Texans sound like Idahoans. Most of us walk around armed as well.

[Willie T]

357 ruger flat top

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Springfield 1911 mil spec 45 acp

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And a colt government model 1911 45 acp.

I like old school thumpers. The springer is the best shooter.

[RowdyGSP]

Really nice, I damn near pulled the trigger so to speak on a Colt gov't model 1911 at the local sale a few weeks ago. I really like the 1911s. That Ruger is sweet too. The old school thumpers are hard to beat.

[Willie T]

Of the barrels that will shoot both .556 and .223, the shorter free bore of the wylde chambered barrels seem to be less finicky about what they shoot well. I will post up a pic of the colt government tomorrow afternoon.

[orhunter]

Looks like the weather will cooperate starting tomorrow and I can hit the woods and set up the chronograph. Got an invite to hit the range last week but didn't have the time to get much done. Most urgent project is in preparation for a magazine article featuring the 6.35 Creedmoor. Most people refer to the cartridge as the .250 Savage. One other project is a .35 Whelen. Right now it's just breaking in the barrel and making brass, no performance loading yet. This rifle is a rebore, a punched out .270. And last, a .257 Roberts on a lengthened Remington short action. Just about all factory .257's are short actions and the Roberts is not a short action cartridge. A short action limits bullet weight to 100 gr. and I wanted to shoot heavier bullets to their true potential. Same with the 6.35 Creedmoor which is throated to accept the 110 gr. Accubond with the base of the bullet at the bottom of the neck. The Roberts is throated to accept the 115 gr. Partition with the bullet base at the bottom of the neck.

Early results for the .250 shows the 110 Accubond moving along at just over 3100 fps.

Haven't done much with the Roberts but have the 100 gr. Swift Scirroco II going 3365 fps.

When all the testing is complete, the powder most likely to succeed for both cartridges appears to be Hodgdon Hybrid 100-V. This is amazing stuff.

The barrel on the .250 is a Pac-Nor match with 1 in 9 twist. The Roberts is a Douglas with 1 in 10 twist.

[Willie T]

Here you go Rowdy. The Springfield our shoots it but this is my favorite 1911.

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Orhunter, I’ve been to the bottom of that rabbit hole. I mostly dabble with various .284 and .224 rifle stuff.

Willie

[orhunter]

Willie: I had one in .38 Super. Dumb for selling it. Currently have a Kimber standard model and an XDs. My hand prefers the XDs. Have a twin XDs in 9mm.

The .284 family is huge. If I had to pick two from the list, the first would be the original built on your basic FN and the second a Rem. Mag., probably same configuration.

I like to tinker, one of those, what if, outside the box guys. The only big game rifles I currently own that are unaltered are a pair of Remington 721's in .300 H&H. Bagged a couple of bulls with one, haven't fired the other. The only one not mentioned yet is a .338-'06AI.

[RowdyGSP]

Willie, that's a sweet Colt 1911. Love it.

Harvey, that is quite the rabbit hole indeed, I love it. Great report and not cartridges that I'm familiar with. You'll have to keep me updated on that. That 338-'06A1 is a thumper in and of itself. My buddy uses it for deer. I asked him if he knows of deer or steroids somewhere around here. Figured it was his moose gun.