300 Blackout Barrels - why are they always a heavy contour?

[Loyal2no1]

Hey Forum. Question - why are 300 Blackout barrels always a heavy/bull barrel contour?

I have a Bolt Action Howa Mini 1500 in 300 BLK which is the perfect (supersonic & subsonic) caliber for pigs and Fallow deer on my property, however I'm not the biggest fan of the bull barrel which I'd like to replace with a slimmer barrel to make it more handy, easy to aim and bush friendly. Strangely, I can't find a decent 300 BLK barrel that isn't a heavy contour(?!) And it seems that the semi-auto 300 BLK barrels are also chunky AF.

Can someone explain why this is so? I'm assuming it's something to do with the (supersonic or subsonic) harmonics of the round.

 

[Marksman]

Firstly, the Howa Mini "heavy" barrel has to be the lightest heavy barrel I've ever encountered. It should be call a "bull sporter" rather than "heavy".

Secondly, the 300 BLK was literally designed to be suppressed. Considering suppressors in 30 cal are threaded 5/8-24, the barrel needs to be slightly larger than 0.625" at the muzzle.

 

[b6graham]

a "heavy/bull" barrel is 1" to 1.25" at the muzzle.....a howa is not that...not even close

a 30cal cartridge designed to be suppressed needs at least 5/8" threads...so a minimum 3b or larger into varmint/sendero if not palma

it's not a 223 than can run a 1/2" barrel thread

it's also meant to be a short barrel which means the bulk of the barrel is bigger because again threads on both ends and shorter=lighter

if you're worried about 8 ounces of barrel weight then cough up a few hundred $ and have a smith make you one. simple.

 

[Loyal2no1]

a "heavy/bull" barrel is 1" to 1.25" at the muzzle.....a howa is not that...not even close

a 30cal cartridge designed to be suppressed needs at least 5/8" threads...so a minimum 3b or larger into varmint/sendero if not palma

it's not a 223 than can run a 1/2" barrel thread

it's also meant to be a short barrel which means the bulk of the barrel is bigger because again threads on both ends and shorter=lighter

if you're worried about 8 ounces of barrel weight then cough up a few hundred $ and have a smith make you one. simple.

Barrel terminology aside (I knew I was going to burned for that Lol) I have a couple of 308 Bergara B14 Hunter Extreme with a far thinner barrel profile yet are still 30 cal - same as the 300 BLK and can fit a a 5/8x24 suppressor (which I've done). More than happy to have a custom barrel made but once again I was wondering why one never sees a nice, light barrel in 300 BLK.

 

[b6graham]

they probably realize the market for a 300BLK bolt gun is incredibly small and picked a middle of the road contour to satisfy most people who want a budget fun gun

anyone who wants something more serious/specific isn't getting a howa

 

[Loyal2no1]

they probably realize the market for a 300BLK bolt gun is incredibly small and picked a middle of the road contour to satisfy most people who want a budget fun gun

anyone who wants something more serious/specific isn't getting a howa

Bro are you dissing' my Howa?! Lol. Good answer though and that seems very plausible

 

[Loyal2no1]

Bro are you dissing' my Howa?! Lol. Good answer though and that seems very plausible

they probably realize the market for a 300BLK bolt gun is incredibly small and picked a middle of the road contour to satisfy most people who want a budget fun gun

anyone who wants something more serious/specific isn't getting a howa

Say what you will about the Howa Mini 1500 they can be tricked out quite nicely with an MDT chassis

Bro are you dissing' my Howa?! Lol. Good answer though and that seems very plausible

When I get home I'll post you a picture of my Howa 300 BLK Project that'll make you rethink that comment ;-)

 

[Loyal2no1]

Say what you will about the Howa Mini 1500 they can be tricked out quite nicely with an MDT chassis


When I get home I'll post you a picture of my Howa 300 BLK Project that'll make you rethink that comment ;-)

they probably realize the market for a 300BLK bolt gun is incredibly small and picked a middle of the road contour to satisfy most people who want a budget fun gun

anyone who wants something more serious/specific isn't getting a howa

My Howa Mini 1500 in 300 BLK - set up for 300m shots on pigs and Fallow Deer.

 

[45-90]

Not all 300 blkout barrels are chunky....some have been on a diet...pencil barrel, and similar tiny profiles, like .650" right after the chamber, bump it up to .750" at the gas block and down to .640" bump back up at the end of the barrel so a 5/8 ×24 thread will have some meat to thread a can on...I have seen 1/2 ×28 thread on a 30 cal mag on a CA Ridge Line. Would not recommend that.
You can spin your barrel on a belt sander fixture to grind and polish it down & coat it flat black...or turn it on your lathe...I'm turning a used Rem take off varmint 12 twist to a thin 20" AR 15 barrel, Its mostly done, waiting in shipments, for barrel extension, ordered 6 bolt carriers this month one titanium, and a finish PT&G reamer, and make some case forming dies... for this project, a fat cased 30 cal for the AR 15, with 2.322" OAL....Totally fun.

 

[javemtr]

Mos-Tek will cut any contour you want when you buy a .300 Blackout barrel from them.

 

[Loyal2no1]

Not all 300 blkout barrels are chunky....some have been on a diet...pencil barrel, and similar tiny profiles, like .650" right after the chamber, bump it up to .750" at the gas block and down to .640" bump back up at the end of the barrel so a 5/8 ×24 thread will have some meat to thread a can on...I have seen 1/2 ×28 thread on a 30 cal mag on a CA Ridge Line. Would not recommend that.
You can spin your barrel on a belt sander fixture to grind and polish it down & coat it flat black...or turn it on your lathe...I'm turning a used Rem take off varmint 12 twist to a thin 20" AR 15 barrel, Its mostly done, waiting in shipments, for barrel extension, ordered 6 bolt carriers this month one titanium, and a finish PT&G reamer, and make some case forming dies... for this project, a fat cased 30 cal for the AR 15, with 2.322" OAL....Totally fun.

Mos-Tek will cut any contour you want when you buy a .300 Blackout barrel from them.

Hey nice - I'll check them out. Thanks

 

[JJ3]

My Howa Mini 1500 in 300 BLK - set up for 300m shots on pigs and Fallow Deer.

That’s very nice. What are specs? What ammo are you running out to 300m?

Thanks

 

[Loyal2no1]

That’s very nice. What are specs? What ammo are you running out to 300m?

Thanks

Cheers. It's a Howa Mini 1500 chassis with a 14.5" barrel in an MDT chassis fitted with a Magpul CTR stock and a custom made cheek riser. The scope is a Nightforce NXS 2.5 to 10 x32mm objective and the suppressor is NZ made by DPT wrapped in a Rifles Only MAD cover. Ammo is Aussie made Buffalo River 135gr Sierra Game King HPBT which takes nearly a second of flight time to reach 300m but hits hard with brutal expansion.