Our friends over at Shooting Illustrated have posted up some new guns that Remington, DPMS and Bushmaster are going to be rolling out in the next year. Predictably these rifles are AR-15 variants, but most of the offerings appear to be mainly of the .300 AAC Blackout variety and silencer ready. Make the jump for what’s coming and some analysis…
It looks like Freedom Group, owners of Bushmaster, Remington and AAC, have begun cross-pollinating their product lines and sprinkling some of that AAC magic around. I’m a HUGE fan of the .300 Blackout round (click for review) so seeing more guns using that cartridge is always a plus, especially since increased demand will drive down the price.
The most surprising feature of these new Bushmaster rifles (and even some of the DPMS rifles) is that they come from the factory with flash hider mounts for AAC’s silencers. With inflation driving down the value of that $200 stamp we may be on the tipping point of widespread silencer adoption by the firearms community, taking cans from a specialty item that only some own to a widely used safety device. Personally, I can’t wait.
Here’s what Shooting Illustrated says is coming:
- Bushmaster: 16″ AR-15 Carbine in .300 BLK with AAC flash hider and free floated rifle length quad rails. MSRP reportedly $1,471.
- DPMS: Two 16″ AR-15 Carbines in .300 BLK with AAC mounts and a new “M111” floating forend. The top has a full length rail but the rest is smooth and round. One will ship with an “inert suppressor” (think GSG-522-SD) and the other will ship with an AAC Brakeout mount.
- DPMS: 16″ AR-15 with rifle length gas system and rifle length “M111” forends.
- DPMS: “Tactical Precision Rifle” in 5.56mm NATO, an enhanced DPMS SDMR. 20″ barrel, rifle length gas system, “M111” forend, AAC muzzle brake.
- Remington: Versa Max Tactical shotgun. 20″ barrel, 8+1 capacity, extended charging handle, 3 1/2 inch chamber.
- Remington: R1 1911 in Stainless Steel. Pretty.
In addition, new loads for the .300 AAC Blackout round are scheduled to start shipping to dealers sometime in the near future.
Naturally, Shooting Illustrated’s website is, well, illustrated. So hop on over for a peek at the goods.
[h/t Shooting Illustrated via Gunmart]
The more I see of these expensive, flavor of the week tacticool guns, the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 looks better and better. I know, comparing a handgun cartidge to the .300 BLK is like comparing a Model T to an Aventador. However, the end result for most shooters will be the same, a hole in a paper target, not a steel plate.
+1 Just another niche.
I’d love to try out one of the new Sub 2000’s though, they look super fun.
When .300BLK becomes as common and as cheap as 5.56 or 7.62 x 39 or 51, I’d consider buying a gun chambered in that round. Until then, I’ll patiently wait to see how the early adopters fair and see if the round has legs. It’s got nice ballistic stats and has a lot going for it in that sense, but I personally can’t justify the premium, nor would I put my hard earned resources towards a gun that’s potentially destined to become a conversation piece/curio/dust-collector.
Umm…the 300 BLK is a SAAMIfied version of the 300 Whisper which has been around since the early 90’s. Considering that now people don’t need to form their own brass, .30 cal bullets are a heck of a lot more useful/potent than 5.56, the standard mags and the fact that so many more manufacturers are picking up on the 300 BLK compared to the 300 Whisper – this is going to be one successful round. I’m personally not purchasing .223 ammo any more. It’s nice to have a system and mine incorporates .30 cal into as many weapons as I can find a niche for.
So, does this mean that Big Green has formally bailed on the 30 REM AR? Shame, I thought the case had potential….Wonder how ol J.D. Jones feels about all this .300BLK hubbub?
The 5.56 is a good round. The Hornady 75 grain BTHP’s out of my 16″ DPMS clock 2770 ft/sec and 1300 ft/lbs at the muzzle. This round is virtually identical to the 75 grain TAP used by special ops and similar in effectiveness to the 77 grain Black Hills OTM round. This puts the 556 in the “close to 6.8 SPC” category with a .395 ballistic coefficient and .214 sectional density. These rounds are devastating at 125 meters or less (perfect for a carbine). 5.56 is ubiquitous. How can you justify a $1000.00 + upper and expensive ammo for what is vastly inferior to the .308 Winchester where complete guns go for $1000-$2000 ? The 5.56 with good bullet design (commercially available not just what the military gets) is a good stopper and has much better long range capability 500 meters + than the 300 AAC does (drops too much). Nice idea but having a 5.56 rifle with a 7.62 x 39 upper is more cost effective if you want a .30 caliber. I will stick with two rifles one in 556 and one in 308.
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