300 BLK Pistol, c AAC

300 AAC Blackout is a brilliant caliber, especially if you’re running a suppressed SBR. But for those who don’t have an SBR laying around that they can put a 300 BLK upper on, it becomes a little annoying. You want all the fun of the short barreled awesomeness, but the wait for the ATF to get off their ass can take ages. Continuing with the pre-SHOT Show AR-15 pistol announcement theme tonight, Advanced Armament announces a new 300 BLK AR-15 pistol to fill that NFA-free short barreled niche.

From the post on 300 BLK Talk:

300 AAC Blackout Pistol by Advanced Armament Corp.®

Only available through RSR Wholesale http://www.rsrgroup.com/

MSRP $1639.

These are limited in quantity and in stock now at RSR.

Dealers who order this from RSR – limited offer – comes with dealer special of four boxes of Remington 125 grain Match ammunition for your inventory.

Since this is a pistol, you can take delivery right away – and then file a Form-1 on it, and when the form comes back, you can engrave it and put a stock on it and have an SBR.

Includes black nitrided 4150 barrel, black phosphated Carpenter® 158 bolt, nickel boron bolt carrier with properly-staked carrier-key, enhanced extraction spring system, Blackout® 51T flash suppressor silencer mount, premium Knight’s ArmamentTM URX 3 handguard, Geissele two-stage trigger, Magpul® MOE+TM pistol grip, Magpul 30 round PMAG® magazine, H2 buffer, and pistol receiver-extension.

Finally, a compact AR pistol with the energy of an M4 carbine, and without the abusive concussion of 5.56mm.

300 AAC Blackout, created by Advanced Armament Corp. and Remington Arms®, is a reliable 30-caliber solution for the AR-15 platform that uses existing 5.56mm magazines for a full 30 round capacity. The highly-efficient cartridge can change between standard full power ammunition and quiet-when-suppressed subsonic loads without any adjustments needed to the firearm. 300 BLK has as much energy from a 9 inch barrel as 5.56mm does from a 14.5 inch barrel, all while having less flash, blast, and noise.

Even from a 9 inch barrel, 300 BLK with Barnes® ammunition expands to more than 50 caliber and penetrates 20 inches of 10% ballistic gelatin at 300 yards. Being 30 caliber, 300 BLK is less effected by obstacles, such as automobile glass, than 5.56mm. The gain in frontal area from 5.56mm to 30 cal is 89.1% – even more of a boost than the 60.7% size advantage that 45 Auto has over 9mm. 300 BLK is a SAAMI standard cartridge that is supported by over 150 companies.

It makes a lot of sense, especially since there are a ton of people who are going this route already, and the low price is guaranteed to get some more people on board with the whole 300 BLK thing.

Not everyone is happy about the new product, though. Kevin Brittingham texted me bemoaning the announcement, saying that it was one of the dumbest products AAC has produced. And from the perspective of someone who already has approved NFA items, it does look pretty dumb. Bur for NFA newbies, it’s a great gateway drug into the world of tax stamps.

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44 COMMENTS

  1. Quick AR pistol/ NFA murkiness question. Does this become an SBR if I hold the front and bring it to my shoulder, or does it need furniture specifically for that purpose to be labeled as such?

    • I think that it is the furniture that makes it an NFA item. If you can brace the receiver extension against your shoulder you are good to go.

      • If I recall correctly, the buffer tube mounted “arm brace” was not a “stock” and was therefor legal on AR pistols because it was not “designed to be” brought to your shoulder, even though it was capable of being placed there.

      • I have a sig brace on my latest build while awaiting the SBR and suppressor stamps. Way more comfy than a bare pistol buffer tube.

  2. Ever fire your rifle and think, “I wish this was substantially less accurate”?

    Ever shoot your pistol and think, “I wish this was larger, heavier, clumsier, and difficult to conceal”?

    Then you need A Rifle With a Short Barrel & No Stock. It’s the worst of both worlds in one unwieldy, ridiculous package! From the people who brought you Pickup Trucks With Low Profile Tires & No Ground Clearance, the Rifle With a Short Barrel & No Stock has been called “the Chevy El Camino of firearms” by Raked Out Choppers with Apehangers Quarterly. Get yours today!

    • Had me laughing out loud.

      I kinda like the gun, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the truth of what you’re saying.

    • yeah, except its quite doable to shoulder an AR-pistol, the sig brace makes this even more so. You can go the A1 buffer tube route as well if you do it right. The pistol can be carried loaded in your vehicles in most states under your CCW, it can cross statelines w/o paperwork, no registration, no inviting the ATF into your house/life, no paying a bloated government one more tax, its got a lot going for it considering the current NFA paperwork wait times.

      • “The pistol can be carried loaded in your vehicles in most states under your CCW, it can cross statelines w/o paperwork, no registration, no inviting the ATF into your house/life, no paying a bloated government one more tax, its got a lot going for it considering the current NFA paperwork wait times.”

        Interestingly enough, regular pistols do that exact same thing.

        • Except that I can’t shoot my 9mm accurately more than 100 yards versus 300 with this. And which would you rather be hit with, a pistol bullet moving at 1,200 fps or a rifle at well over 2,000?

          Sure, this may not be for everyone, but I really like my short barreled rifle round guns.

        • I’m torn with these weapons, Jim.

          I feel this weapon, in an effort to do all things, does no one thing well.

        • Instead it does everything well. We’ve already debunked the accuracy/shorter barrel concept and most special operations units use them with great efficiency, and have been since forever. Now if you want to carry it on your hip and conceal it…then ok…it wont fit that role.

  4. It’s the furniture. If the Feds say it is a pistol, it doesn’t matter if you treat it like a rifle. In the same way, if you get a full sized 16″ barreled ar and fire it one handed from a fully extended arm without using the shoulder stock, it does not make it a pistol. The key to it all is that the Feds must say what it is.

    • Just sticking this in here three years later, in case an innocent should read your comment. The ATF has clearly expressed the opinion that if you mount the arm-brace to your shoulder using it as a rifle, you’ve lost the pistol exemption from the short barrelled rifle rules. Not surprising.

  5. Hey, with this announcement and the Diamondback pistol posted below by Dan we finally get AR-based dueling pistols!

    Seriously though, I think the 300 Blackout (especially the heavy subsonic flavors) has more potential usefulness in the AR pistol format than 5.56mm.

  6. I know there are a lot of nay sayers, and this certainly is not every ones cup of tea, but when I was an armored vehicle driver, I would have loved one. Since my MOS was commo, I was not authorized a grease gun. Instead, I was issued a standard M-16 with 203. its a bear to get a full length rifle into action in the confines of an M-113 unarmored sitting target. I was supposed to be a REMF, but every comjob I knew who had been to Vietdamn, had scars to prove that theory invalid.
    Fast forward to the next crisis, and we may be needing to go rescue a friend or three. In a situation like that, a faux SBR is the ticket for the driver. Also, if I were sweeping a house for zombies, I would want this vs the best pistol caliber pistol on the market.

  7. How is this any better than the franklin pistol you reviewed? And it is $600 more. Does the shop or future owner get the “special” ammo?

    • From the way that reads, the shop does. I’m sure they’d make you a really good deal on it if you bought the rifle.

  8. I just built something almost exactly like this, but several hundred dollars cheaper and likely not quite as good quality. Still works, though, and with the sig brace I just installed, it’s as close as I can get to an SBR in WA. And it’s awesome.

      • Sure, and this wasn’t really planned thoroughly, just grabbed parts as I found them.

        Upper-
        Rainier Arms receiver, barrel, and BCG,
        Troy Claymore muzzle device (directs the blast forwards),
        Yankee Hill 4″ quad rail (should have bought the 8″) and lo pro gas block,
        Vltor medium extended charging handle,

        Lower-
        Mega pistol stamped receiver (not legally required but did it anyway),
        Rock River 2 stage trigger (same as my patrol rifles) and parts kit,
        Spikes pistol buffer tube with included T2 buffer,
        ERGO rubberized grip,

        and a BAD lever, AFG, and Sig brace to top it all off. Had some magpul flip up sights laying around, and waiting for a Primary Arms red dot to arrive Wednesday.

        • You can also get a pre-built 300 upper from several different companies and mate it to your lower. One word of warning though- you can’t take a lower that was sold as part of a rifle, chnage out the buffer and call it a pistol. You will run afoul of NFA regs if you do. You need to either have a lower that was sold as a pistol or use a virgin lower that you add the trigger and stock to.

          Just pick up a stripped lower, a lower parts kit, and a pistol buffer tube. All can be had from Brownells or your favorite LGS.

  10. In some states (like mine, Washington) you can’t lawfully obtain an SBR, even if you could get the tax stamp. An AR pistol is the closest viable option.

    I’d disagree with Nick that $1600 is a “low” price of entry though. You can build an AR pistol for substantially less than that, even if it might lack a few of the AAC HSLD components, it’ll run just as well. Funny how a simple caliber change jacks the price up so much.

    • You can build an AR pistol for 700-800 easy.

      My AR pistol cost close to 2k but that’s because I can fold my buffer stock and change barrels in 30 seconds.

  11. I agree on the cost thing. If you want the AAC rig, pick up an AAC upper for about a grand or so, then mate it to a lower you build with a pistol buffer tube. Total cost should be less than $1,400 even with the AAC upper. And you can buy someone else’s upper and save a few more hundred.

  13. I just got a psa 10.5in upper for $450 and built my own lower for $130 so grand total of $580. It will do everything the aac pistol will do for over $1000 less. That buys alot of ammo or will almost pay for the suppressorand tax stamps.

    • Building a lower for $130 is pretty impressive, considering most people’s lowers lately are at least half that. Even blem lowers are usually running $65+. When did you acquire that lower?

  14. I built one just like this with a 12″ AAC upper, a stripped lower, and spikes tactical pistol buffer tube.
    Still playing with the sighting: a laser or a red dot or flip up sights.
    You do not need to (but can) put the buffer tube on your shoulder. You can tuck it just under your armpit for stability.
    This 300 BLK is more powerful than any pistol.
    Future consideration: getting a registered suppressor to make it >16″ barrel then I can replace pistol buffer tube with a regular tube and then mount a collapsible stock.

    • Adding a suppressor won’t make it a >16″ barrel unless you plan on permanently attaching it. If you simply screw a suppressor (with tax stamp) onto your existing barrel and then add a buttstock you’ll have a legal suppressor on an illegal SBR.

      • Thanks Matt. I forgot to include that important tidbit. I remember the gunsmith who gave me the idea to add the suppressor told me it would have to be permanently attached like wielding. It would still need an ATF tax stamp for the suppressor part. But then it would no longer be considered an SBR, then I could add a stock if I wished.

  15. I can shoot my AR pistol offhand at 100 yards with softball sized groupings.

    Those who say it’s not a good platform either:

    A. Have never owned one and are full of shit
    B. Need to practice more
    C. Need to optimize their weapon and probably “B.” as well.

    For a writeup on my compact, break down AR pistol build check out
    http://zombiehunters.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=110&t=110106

    Also – TTAG writers/RF – if you guys would ever like me to do a writeup on this build I’d be more than happy to.

    • I say write it up and send it in. I’d like to see it and and the worst that can happen is that it doesn’t get published.

        • Ok guys! I’ll give it a shot and try to write something up within the next couple weeks.

          At the very least I think it’d be great exposure for the various companies I worked with to get all the parts.

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