By David Crane
defrev (at) gmail (dot) com
All photos and video clips contained in this article were shot by DefenseReview.com (DR), and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these materials. The photos and video clips were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability).
June 5, 2011
Last updated on 6/06/11.
DefenseReview (DR) got to put some rounds down range with a suppressed 300 AAC Blackout PDW tactical AR SBR (Short Barreled Rifle)/sub-carbine (most likely utilizing a 300 AAC Blackout PDW upper) and FN Mk46 Mod1 belt-fed LMG/SAW (Light Machine Gun/Squad Automatic Weapon) chambered in 300 AAC Blackout (300BLK) and outfitted with Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) muzzle cans (silencers/sound-suppressors) at NDIA Infantry Small Arms Systems Symposium 2011. DR readers may remember that we first published information about the 300 AAC Blackout 7.62x35mm heavy subsonic/supersonic rifle cartridge back in late October 2010.
Defense Review was a fan of the 300 AAC Blackout cartridge concept then, since it’s essentially an updated/modernized .300 Whisper wildcat cartridge concept, and we were already fans of that. Upon firing the aforementioned two 300BLK-chambered weapons, we now really like the 300BLK cartridge. Both the tactical AR SBR and Mk46 MOD1 were soft-shooting and quiet. Felt-recoil was very mild, and truly a joy to shoot.
As it turns out, the 300 AAC Blackout PDW-type tactical AR SBR Defense Review ran at the range utilized a direct-gas-impingement (DGI) AR upper receiver. It did not utilize a Remington Military R-4 GPC (Gas Piston Carbine)-format gas piston/op-rod-driven upper, according to a Remington Military representative who was present at the shoot.
The only glitch we experienced was with the suppressed FN MK46 MOD1 LMG/SAW, which experienced a couple of failure to fire malfunctions (you’ll one of these in one of the video clips, below), but this was most likely a prototype weapon that just needed some tweaking. DefenseReview experienced no malfunctions with the suppressed AR SBR, but the round count was admittedly limited.
Bottom line, the 300 AAC Blackout looks like a viable niche cartridge for Special Operations Forces (SOF) applications/missions, provided there aren’t any ammo supply/logistical problems. Another Freedom Group Company, Remington Military, is now involved with it, so it would seem logical that they would also experiment with 300BLK-chambered ACRs (Adaptive Combat Rifles) and bolt-action rifles.
Hopefully DR will get a chance to run a 300BLK-chambered (suppressed) FERFRANS SOAR piston AR SBR upper receiver at some point. The FERFRANS RRS/DSAS (Rate Reduction System/Delayed Sear Activation System) should make a suppressed 300BLK AR SBR eminently controllable on full-auto, and a truly sublime shooting experience.
300 AAC Blackout PDW Data Sheet (PDF Format)
Company Contact Info:
Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC)
2408 Tech Center Parkway
Suite 150
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
Office: 770-925-9988
Fax: 770-925-9989
CAGE: 3K8N3
Website 1: http://300aacblackout.com
Website 2: http://www.advanced-armament.com
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
870 Remington Drive
P.O. Box 700
Madison, NC 27025-0700
TEL: 800-243-9700
Fax: 336-548-7801
Website: http://www.remington.com/
Military, Law Enforcement, & Federal Agency Sales
TEL: 336-548-8899
Fax: 336-548-8798
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