I just picked up a Sabre Defense AR with a .300 Whisper upper. It seems to run fine as is but when I scratch up enough money I plan on getting a can for it. What kind of problems can I expect getting it to run suppressed?
The 300 AAC BLACKOUT is pretty much a SAMMI spec cartridge as opposed to the 300 Fireball & 300 Whisper(R) which are wildcats.
Welcome to the club!
As far as running it suppressed, make sure it has a 1 in 8 twist and find out what length gas system it has.
Pistol length is preferred for subsonic use.
Some things that may make you life easier are adjustable gas blocks and buffers of different weights.
Try it first though.
It will likely run just fine.
The only other issue is that alot of 300 Fireball uppers have large gas ports to accomidate suppressed subsonic loadings.
This can be mitigated with adjustable gas systems & or Heavy Buffers.
You say it runs fine, but with what weight bullet? Ultimately, you will need an adjustable gas block if you are going to switch back and forth between 220 grain subsonics and other weight supersonics.
Google up SSK. JD designed the 300 Whisper. He can answer any question as well as help you with any hardware you may need.
JD built mine and it takes all weights and functions flawlessly.
For a 16 inch with a carbine gas, having a large port and no adjustable gas block seems fine with an H2 or H3 buffer. If you have a 16 inch with a pistol gas and a large gas port, then yeah - that is not good for supersonic unless you restrict the gas with a special gas block. Of course it is hard to get a rail that allows you to adjust the gas through the rail.
I have a hole in the top of the handguard where you can sneak a screwdriver through to turn the valve. The valve is labeled F for full power loads, S for subsonic and if you turn it in between, you get manual action.
With the GG&G scout rail and a Leupold Mark 4 M3 on it, the space is limited. SnapOn makes a great 90 degree flat bladed screw driver that fits perfectly.
Thanks for the info guys. I'll have plenty of time to read up and get the gear I need to run sub-sonic. I haven't even handled the gun myself. I had a friend pick it up for me and he said it ran fine with his .300 Whisper ammo that is loaded super sonic but didn't try any sub-sonic.
Thanks a bunch looks like a fun new project.