I just thought this was really cool. Dark Horse Arms has come out with a Remington 700 in .308 Winchester that is integrally suppressed. And not only do they make the gun (and sell it for a cool $2,695), but they also produce some very interesting subsonic .308 rounds to go along with it. The three rounds I fired grouped very well. But really, how different is subsonic .308 and subsonic .300 BLK? . . .
The two calibers are damn near identical when subsonic. You have a .308 caliber projectile coming out of the gun and traveling at under 1,000 feet per second for each, which basically makes the ballistic trajectory identical for both cartridges. But the advantage with .308 is that you have more case to work with. Subsonic .300 BLK is very limited in terms of how much powder you can cram into the case before there’s no room left for the MASSIVE projectile. Does having more case space to use make it more consistent or better? How much powder are they actually using? I have questions.
I’m still not convinced that subsonic .308 is any different from or better than subsonic .300 BLK, so I’ve asked for a sample of their goods for testing. I’ll let you know how that turns out.
Can it shoot full power ammo or is it restricted to sub-sonic only?
Works on full power too, just not as well.
not as well, as in “not as quiet or are you saying the fully suppressed sleeve is hurting the full performance of the 308win supersonic? that would totally suck…
Maybe a stupid question, but what happens when you use regular .308 in this thing? Is the noise reduced, but just not as much as with subsonic? (I clearly have zero suppressor experience).
A supressor will still reduce the noise level of the muzzle blast. Subsonic rounds may further reduce muzzle blast to begin with as a result of lower pressures.
Use of subsonic ammunition also eliminates the sonic boom (the crack) of the round, which a supressor cannot reduce.
Practical considerations are probably a bigger difference than performance. I would imagine that subsonic .308 would be less expensive than .300BLK. And as far as reloading stuff goes, a lot more available.
Subsonic .308 should be more of a boutique round than Remington-supplied subsonic Black. As for materials, 300 BLK is set in a trimmed-down 5.56×45 case – more common and cheaper than 7.62×51 brass. The rest should be interchangeable or nearly negligable (small rifle primer versus large rifle primer of varying specs).
So is it considered a suppressor and require a FFL?
It’s considered a suppressor yes, but you only need to pay the $200 for the tax stamp.
And wait 6 months.
I have to admit that I just don’t get it. Maybe I’m too old or too ornery, but I consider the .300 BLK and all of the other subsonics to be a fad. I can appreciate the benefit of supressed fire, but is it really practical to lob rifle rounds that generate pistol energies at a cost of $2695.00 not including the price of special ammo?
To me, it’s a zombie/vampire thing. I can see where the AR guys might be interested in a relatively cheap upper as an accessory, but to me, a dedicated subsonic rifle is a joke.
The 7.62×51 round is, was, and always shall be one of the best all-around cartridges ever designed. Both from a reloading and ballistics standpoint. Neutering it is blasphemy.
Full disclosure: I personally own several subsonics. They’re all .45 ACP pistols.
Yes you are to old and yes you don’t get it.
The rifle is not dedicated subsonic. It is just capeable of firing them. Subsonic 308 would jut be something you run through t for fun. Nick didn’t make his clear because he doesn’t seem to understand it himself
Blk is not a “subsonic” round. It is a round that puts out a 30cal projectile while still working in a AR-15 and can shoot both super and sub sonic without modification. That is why it is popular.
We must both be old and ignorant then Ron. I agree with you 100%! I shoot for fun also but what’s the point if the ballistics are different? I’m not learning anything.
I don’t know how much powder they have in the sub-sonic .308, but I can tell you that there’s such a thing as “too little powder” in a .308 (or any high powered rifle) case.
im not 100% sure,but in cast bullet and jacketed,they use bulky powders to accomedate special loads,these guys are pretty slick,some are genius,s
Full over barrel silencers are nothing new in New Zealand. Thankfully we are allowed to silence anything here. For example Gun City has light weight versions on the Tikka T3 range that only add a 45gram weight increase over the standard rifle. Here is a link to some of the calibres they do http://tiny.cc/jhnndw They can also do this to any rifle you like in any calibre. They can handle high velocity ammo as well as subsonic loads and reduce noise drastically. They also make full over barrel silencers with carbon sleeves for rimfires including Rugers, Savages, and Marlins.
Any idea what the twist of the barrel is?
I would think that for a rifle intended to deal primarily with sub-sonic ammo, it would have a different twist than normal. I looked at the website and didn’t see it listed. I might just have missed it though.
If the twist is odd-ball, how does it work with standard velocity rounds? I’ve got a .30 cal suppressor on order, and have been thinking about what barrel I want the rifle to have. I’ll probably take the other approach: most of what I fire will be standard velocity with some sub-sonic thrown in for the novelty factor.
The more empty space there is in a case, the less consistent velocity will be.
I don’t know who told nick that there isn’t enough space in 300blk cases for projectile and powder but that person was crazy.
Nick,
Any follow up research on this? I was pondering same issue just yesterday and google led me here.
Thanks,
A 1:10 Trist will stabilize upto 200 gr subsonic
You need 1:7 to stabilize 220 gr subsonic
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