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FastCarry wrote:Great input Skippr. I'm considering starting an AR pistol build as a bedside/trunk gun, will use .223 as I have plenty AR mags ready. Can grab my AR and rock and roll or the future AR pistol and have mags in multiple locations for either.

You might want to rethink a pistol length AR for home defense unless you have the ability to get ear pro on real fast, or a suppressor for it. If you think an unsuppressed carbine is loud, a pistol length AR will be really loud.

Jusme wrote:With my OCD, and always wanting to find the best of the best, This is very intriguing. I haven't put enough 5.56/223 rounds downrange to even consider myself proficient in the AR platform and I'm already looking at 300 blackout, as a potential, "must have" way to play. I have read a lot of info regarding the 300,(meaning internet "experts") and the majority of the reviews give it poor ratings as a HD cartridge. Probably because of it's lack of expansion in soft tissue/gelatin. But the energy/foot lbs. is very impressive. I have already started looking at 300 uppers, but SWMBO has not really signed off on the program just yet.

Maybe another trip to purchase orange vegetable rated shiny objects will change her mind?

I'm a musician. MY big concern was discharging a firearm inside the confines of a house without proper ear protection, and what that might permanently do to my ears. I've already had some hearing loss from years of shooting and amplified guitars. My thought was that, if something went "bump" in the middle of the night:

1. what time would be lost putting on ear pro?
2. with ear pro on, would I be able to hear an intruder moving about my house?
3. without ear pro, would I be able to hear anything my wife said after discharging said firearm?

Auditory exclusion would already be a symptom of the adrenaline dump, but just because your brain can't hear the noise as loudly, it doesn't mean that the decibels aren't still doing the same damage to the internal structures of your ear. I shot some suppressed subsonics out of my SBR on Sunday with ear pro removed in one of the tactical bays at ETTS. I would describe it as being quieter than a .22.....but still plenty loud enough. But it would fall within the range of acceptability for inside the house. Ballistically, the numbers are in line with a +P .45 ACP, but maybe a little flatter shooting (I experienced about a 10"-12" bullet drop at 100 yards on Sunday with these loads).....but again, within the confines of a house there is no bullet drop of any consequence. Bullet expansion? Well, yeah, that might be a problem. I don't know if velocities in the range of 1,000 fps are enough to cause a .308 rifle bullet to upset and yaw. The bullets are hollow points, but they are match bullets, not hunting bullets, so the hollow point probably won't perform like a hunting bullet. OTH, I can dump 30 rounds into a target (with almost zero recoil management issues) pretty darn quick if I have to, and at that point, bullet expansion becomes academic.

I have LOTS of guns that are suitable for home defense, both in long guns and pistols, but protecting my hearing was my prime consideration. All other things aside, it would have certainly been cheaper to buy a threaded barrel and a suppressor for one of my .45s. But I was looking to build a versatile weapon - one that gave me a lot of options. By registering my lower for an SBR and using a .30 caliber can, I have an AR15 that I can run as a 16" 5.56 weapon, suppressed or unsuppressed, with either subsonic or supersonic ammo, and a 10.5" .300 Blackout weapon that I can run suppressed or unsuppressed, with subsonic or supersonic ammo. One gun, good for plinking, varmint shooting, hunting, hog eradication, self-defense, loud or quiet, with power ranging from a .22 LR (subsonic 5.56 77 grain OTM) to 7.62x39 (110-120 grain supersonic .300 Blackout). The T2 Micro optic is perfect for CQB application, and easier for my old eyes to see and aim with than a set of pistol night sights in a dark room.....particularly without time to put my glasses on.

So in the balance, bullet performance is not that big of an issue. A 30-round magazine full of .308 match bullets will perform just as well as a 15 round magazine of 9mm bullets.

jason812 wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:A 10.5" SBR in .300 Blackout, suppressed, with 208 grain A-MAX subsonics. It's about as loud as a hand clap, needs no earpro, is a 1/2" shorter than a carbine length AR with the suppressor mounted, hits about like a +P .45 ACP, and has 30 rounds on tap in the first magazine. Backup is a G17 with a TLR-1s light mounted.

I wonder how long until there is a comercially available load for this situation that will expand like a HP pistol round. Be hard to beat if it would have an expanding bullet.

http://shop.nosler.com/nosler-ammunitio ... count.html

Unfortunately, it's out of stock at the moment. That's why I'm using 208 gr A-MAX subs.

A 10.5" SBR in .300 Blackout, suppressed, with 208 grain A-MAX subsonics. It's about as loud as a hand clap, needs no earpro, is a 1/2" shorter than a carbine length AR with the suppressor mounted, hits about like a +P .45 ACP, and has 30 rounds on tap in the first magazine. Backup is a G17 with a TLR-1s light mounted.