There’s news today that Staff Sergeant Daniel Horner of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit has won the 2011 Multigun National competition in Las Vegas, Nevada using a rifle chambered in .300 AAC Blackout. The short case allowed him to use a standard AR-15 bolt, magazine and receiver to cut down on space and the .30 cal round gave him enough muzzle energy to make “major” power factor for the competition. Two weeks ago we saw an article about Bushmaster and Remington coming out with new rifles for 2012 chambered in .300 BLK from the factory, and more options for ammunition coming down the pipe. Does this mean that .300 BLK is reaching that tipping point of widespread adoption? Is it “the” caliber for 3-gun? Will it get cheaper? I sure hope so.
On a more personal note, I’ll be competing in the FNH USA 3-Gun Championship match in West Virginia in a few weeks. I still haven’t decided if I want to run 5.56 or .300 BLK, but due to the remarkably high price of factory .300 BLK I’m leaning the other way. If this ammo takes off and gets cheaper I definitely see potential for widespread adoption in the 3-gun community. But until then us cheap bastards will have to settle for running “minor.”
