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Hi there, I'm John McAdams, founder of the Big Game Hunting blog and in this
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video I'm going to do a detailed comparison of the .223 Remington
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slash 5.56x45mm NATO, .300 AAC Blackout and .308 Winchester cartridges. Now I think that most hunters and shooters, but especially those who
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like using modern sporting rifles, probably agree that all three are effective cartridges in certain situations. However, even though there is
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a small overlap in their capabilities, there are some major differences between
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the .556, .300 Blackout and .308 Winchester that you need to be aware of
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Now indeed, the cartridges represent three distinct ways of thinking. Smaller, lighter and faster for the .223 slash 5.56 versus bigger, heavier and slower
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for the .308 versus a middle-of-the-road compromise with the .300 Blackout. This is
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part of the reason why those cartridges have dedicated followings and why there
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seems to be so many misunderstandings concerning their capabilities. Not surprisingly, this debate can be really hard to navigate. So in this video I'm
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going to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the .223 slash 5.56 versus
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.300 Blackout versus .308 Winchester in order to provide some recommendations on which cartridge you should be using in various situations. So
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first, we'll talk about the history of these cartridges. American military leaders started looking for a new rifle and cartridge in the years following
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World War II to replace the venerable M1 Garand and the .30-06 Springfield
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In particular, they were looking for a rifle similar to the German STG 44 or
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the Soviet AK-47 that was capable of fully automatic fire and had a
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detachable magazine. The Army eventually replaced the M1 Garand with the M14
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rifle chambered in the new 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The original 7.62x51mm NATO M80 ball load fired a 147 grain full metal jacket bullet at
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2,750 feet per second. Like the .30-06, the new 7.62 cartridge fired a .308
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caliber bullet. It also had virtually the same ballistics as the original .30-06
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Springfield load which had 150 grain bullet at 2,700 feet per second
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However, the 7.62x51 achieved that same level of performance with a much
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shorter case of 51mm versus 63mm due to advances in powder technology that occurred after the development of the .30-06. Winchester
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noticed serious commercial potential with the 7.62x51mm cartridge and introduced the extremely similar .308 Winchester cartridge for the civilian
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hunting and shooting markets around that same time. American hunters and shooters
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loved the efficiency, power, and accuracy of the .308 Winchester. Soldiers and
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leaders in the American military appreciated those same characteristics in the 7.62x51mm and it has earned widespread approval for its performance in
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designated marksman slash sniper rifles as well as machine guns. Now on the other
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hand, many military leaders were not pleased with the M14 as the primary
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infantry service rifle. Just a few years after adopting the M14, leaders in the
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military started looking for a lighter rifle and cartridge. They found what they
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wanted with the M16 rifle in the high-velocity 5.56x45mm cartridge. Derived from the .223 Remington, the original 5.56x45mm M193
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ball load fired a .224 caliber 55 grain full metal jacket at 3,250 feet per
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second. The US Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps all adopted the new rifle and
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during the 1960s and the M16 rifle in the new 5.56x45mm cartridge saw
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extensive use during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, both the rifle and cartridge had some major teething problems during that conflict. While
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modifications to the rifle and the cartridge itself solved many of those
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reliability issues, many soldiers and Marines who used the M16 in combat
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during subsequent military actions complained about the poor stopping power of the 5.56 cartridge and that was with the M855 ball round in particular. Now
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these issues led to the development of a series of larger caliber cartridges
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designed to function in modified AR-15 rifles like the 6.5 Grindle, the 6.8
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millimeter Remington SPC, the .458 SOCOM, and the .50 Beowulf during the
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1990s and early 2000s. Around that same time, leaders in the military started to
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look for a new cartridge that could reliably shoot 30 caliber bullets from
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an M16 or an M4 rifle while still using a standard bolt and gas system
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Additionally, they wanted a cartridge dimensionally similar enough to the 5.56x45mm cartridge that a standard M16 or AR
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magazine could still hold 30 rounds of the new cartridge without any
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modifications. They found the solution with the .300 Whisper cartridge designed by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries in the 1990s. The .300 Whisper used a
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.221 Remington fireball case necked up to shoot 30 caliber projectiles. However
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since the .300 Whisper was a Wildcat cartridge, designers at Advanced Armament Corporation or AAC made a few modifications to the cartridge and got
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it approved by SAMI as the .300 AAC Blackout. This allowed the cartridge to
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enter large-scale production with the major ammunition manufacturers. Also known as the .300 Blackout or the 7.62x35mm cartridge, the .300 Blackout
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is available in several different supersonic loads. For instance, Barnes manufactures a load shooting a 110 grain TAC TX and a muzzle velocity of 2,350
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feet per second. Hornady produces a load shooting a 125 grain Holopoint at 2,175
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feet per second. Both of those loads offer performance almost on par with the
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7.62x39mm and .30-30 Winchester cartridges. At the same time, the .300 Blackout also functions reliably in a suppressed M16 or M4 as well as with the
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AR platform when using subsonic loads like Seller & Bellot's subsonic ammunition shooting a 220 grain full metal jacket at 1,060 feet per second
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from a 16-inch barrel. Now we're about to go into more detail regarding the
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performance of these cartridges to include the .300 Blackout. However, you should realize that the biggest advantages the .300 Blackout has
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compared to other popular alternatives to the .223 that still function in an AR-15
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like the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, etc. are number one, the .300 Blackout can shoot
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.30 caliber bullets from an M16 or M4 rifle while still using a standard bolt
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and gas system. All you need to do is switch out the barrel. Number two, the
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cartridge is dimensionally similar enough to the 5.56mm cartridge that a standard M16 or AR magazine can still hold 30 rounds of the new
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cartridge with no modifications. And number three, the cartridge still functions really, really well in a short barreled and or a suppressed rifle. Okay
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now let's talk about the relative sizes of the .223, the .300 Blackout, and the
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.308. Now the biggest difference between these cartridges is the size and weight
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of the bullets they fire. The .223 Remington uses .224 caliber bullets
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while the .300 Blackout and .308 Winchester both use .308 caliber bullets
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The vast majority of .223 Remington factory load shoot bullets in the 35 to
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90 grain range. Of these, 55 and 62 grain bullet weights are by far the most
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common. Most .300 Blackout factory loads use bullets in the 78 to 226 grain range
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110 grain, 120 grain, 125 grain, and 220 grain bullets are the most popular for
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that one. On the other hand, most .308 Winchester factory loads use bullets in
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the 110 to 180 grain range. 150 grain, 165, 168, and 180 grain bullets are the
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most popular. Now as you'd expect from the fact that the .300 Blackout was
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designed to use a standard AR-15, M16, M4 bolt, gas system, and magazine, the .556
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and .300 Blackout cartridges are very similar in overall size and have the
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same case diameter. Though you'll sometimes run into cartridges from various manufacturers that are maybe a little longer or shorter, both of the
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cartridges have the same SAMI maximum overall length of 2.26 inches. However
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the .300 Blackout does have a noticeably shorter case length than the .223
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Remington of 1.368 inches versus 1.76 inches. Now that being said, the .308
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Winchester really dwarfs the other two cartridges with a much longer case
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length of 2.015 inches and a longer overall length of 2.81 inches. Now even
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though the .308 Winchester and the .300 Blackout have the same bullet diameter
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they are otherwise vastly different cartridges. Now due in large part to the
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longer case length of the .223 Remington, that cartridge does have more case
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capacity than the .300 Blackout. However, the .308 Winchester has a larger
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.473 inch versus .378 inch case diameter than the .223 and the .300 Blackout. Now
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combined with the fact that the .308 Winchester also uses a much longer case
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it has a lot more case capacity than the .223 and the .300 Blackout. Now just like
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you probably expect from the big differences in their external dimensions, there are some pretty sizable differences in the ballistics of these
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cartridges. This is apparent when you compare factory ammo choices for each
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one. So specifically we'll discuss .55 grain Winchester Varmint X and .62 grain
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Barnes TSX loads in .223 Remington and we will compare those to some .110
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grain Barnes TAC XP and .220 grain Seller & Bellot full metal jacket
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subsonic loads in .300 Blackout to some .150 grain Winchester Deer Season XP and
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.168 grain Barnes TTSX loads in .308 Winchester. Now as you can probably
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imagine there's some really big differences in the trajectory and kinetic energy of each cartridge. For the most part the .223 Remington has a
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significantly flatter trajectory with less bullet drop than the .308 and the
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.300 Blackout out to 500 yards because it's such a high-velocity cartridge
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However, the typical supersonic .300 Blackout round has a slight edge in
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kinetic energy over the .223 and the .556. At the same time the .308 Winchester
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load has a gigantic advantage in this department with more than twice the
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muzzle energy than typical .223 and .300 Blackout loads. Additionally the heavier bullets with a higher ballistic coefficient used by the .308
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Winchester retain more energy and velocity than the lightweight .223 and .300 Blackout bullets. Indeed the typical .308 Winchester load still has as
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much or more energy remaining at 400 to 500 yards as the .223 and the .300
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Blackout do at the muzzle. Now those same trends hold true when you talk
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about crosswind. When comparing the Barnes loads for each cartridge out to
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500 yards with a 10 mile an hour crosswind the .308 Winchester has a big
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edge over the other two. Combined with the superior energy retention of the .308
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Winchester at extended range its better resistance to wind deflection means that
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the .308 Winchester is really clearly just a much better choice for
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long-range shooting of these three. Now that being said the .308 Winchester has
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much more recoil than the .223 Remington and the .300 Blackout. For example
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when fired from similar weight rifles a typical .308 Winchester hunting load firing a 165 grain bullet has three to five times more recoil than run-of-the-mill
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.223 and .300 Blackout ammo. Now all things considered most hunters should be able to
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handle the recoil of the .308 without too much trouble but that being said the .223
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and the .300 Blackout just have a very very mild almost non-existent recoil. Now
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felt recoil will vary from shooter to shooter and rifle to rifle but free
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recoil energy is still a useful way to compare the cartridges. Now all three are
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also very accurate. Though it is difficult to choose a winner when it comes to the
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accuracy of these three cartridges at short range say 150 yards or less the .308
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Winchester does have a longer effective range and a big advantage at ranges past
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200 yards because those heavier bullets retain more energy and are less
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susceptible to wind drift and that's why it's really just a preferred cartridge
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of these three for military and law enforcement snipers who need the ability
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to make precise shots at longer range. So now we'll talk about ammo selection
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Now since these three cartridges are very popular most of the big ammo
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manufacturers do produce a wide variety of ammo for all three. That being said
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the .300 Blackout certainly lags really far behind the other two in terms of
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popularity and availability of ammo though it's not rare or difficult to
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find by any stretch of the imagination. It's just that the .223 and the .308 are
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literally the two most popular cartridges used in North America in terms of raw ammo sales. Now some bullets like the Hornady GMX, the Nosler E-Tip and
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the Winchester Extreme Point are available for all three cartridges. However lightly constructed bullets designed for varmint hunting like the
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Hornady V-Max, Nosler Varmageddon and the Winchester Varmint X are most common
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with the .223 Remington. On the other hand bullets designed for big game
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hunting like the Nosler Partition and the Swift Scirocco and A-Frame are more
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common with the .308. Ammunition for the .300 Blackout splits the difference to a
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certain degree but bullet choices lean towards big game hunting and self-defense
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for that cartridge. Of course this is in addition to the large quality of full
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metal jacket ammunition for all three cartridges that's also currently available. Now prices and availability vary from region to region but ammo for
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all three is pretty easy to find usually during normal times. Generally speaking
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.223 Remington ammo is less expensive than .300 Blackout ammo which is less
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expensive than .308 Winchester ammo. Now if you're into hand loading then you're
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also in luck because reloading components for all three are also widely
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available and there are also lots of good quality .224 caliber and .308
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caliber bullets to choose from so you shouldn't have too much trouble working up a good custom load that shoots very accurately in your chosen rifle. Now use
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caution when reloading the .300 Blackout if you plan on hunting with it. Mini .308
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caliber bullets are designed for use with higher velocity cartridges like the
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.308 Winchester, .30-06, .300 PRC and .300 Ultramag. For that reason you won't get
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optimum terminal performance with those bullets at lower impact velocity so like
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I said just be aware of that. Alright now let's talk about rifle availability for
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these cartridges. All three are very common in semi-automatic rifles. In particular AR-15 style rifles like those made by Bushmaster, CMMG, Daniel Defense
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DPMS, Noveske and Wilson Combat are extremely popular with the .223, .556 and
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the .300 Blackout. Both are also available in the Ruger Mini-14. Though it's not
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quite as popular as the smaller two cartridges in semi-auto rifle there are
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still a number of semi-auto .308 rifles like the Springfield M1A which is the
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civilian version of the M14 and a few AR platforms like the AR-10 and the old
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Remington R25. Bolt-action target and hunting rifles chambered in .223 Remington and .308 Winchester are relatively common like the Remington
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Model 700, Ruger American and Ruger M77 Hawkeye as well as the Savage 11
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On the other hand there aren't very many bolt-action rifle choices in .300
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Blackout other than the Ruger American Ranch in the Remington Model 700 SPS
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Tactical. So with all that stuff being said which one is best for you? The .308
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Winchester is one of the best big-game hunting cartridges around. Now like I
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said earlier the .300 Blackout is also almost on par with the .30-30 Winchester
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so that cartridge is also suitable for hunting medium-sized game at short to
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medium range. Both of those cartridges have a definite advantage over the .223
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Remington when it comes to hunting medium and large sized game. And truth
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be told in in my opinion the .223 Remington is really just a borderline
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big-game hunting round and it can't come close to the terminal performance of
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the .308 Winchester on large game. So for that reason the .223 Remington
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actually isn't legal for deer hunting in some states. That being said the advent
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of better quality bullets has made the .223 Remington a much more effective
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big-game hunting cartridge than it used to be. Since it is commonly available in
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semi-automatic rifles and it has such a light recoil, follow-up shots are very
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easy with the .223. This makes the cartridge a very popular choice for
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hunting situations that require a lot of shooting like feral hog control
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sometimes. When using a quality bullet like the Hornady GMX it will really do a
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number on hogs. And at the same time the .300 Blackout has virtually all the same
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advantages as the .223 on big game like light recoil and wide availability in
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quality semi-automatic rifles. However the .300 Blackout uses heavier and larger diameter bullets that have more kinetic energy. So for this reason it is
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arguably a much better cartridge for shots on big game like a deer and feral
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hogs inside 150 yards than the .223. Now just use caution when hunting with
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.300 Blackout subsonic ammo though. In addition to the very arcing trajectory
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and low amounts of kinetic energy those rounds have anything other than very
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short range, there are a lot of bad stories about poor terminal performance
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on deer and hogs when using subsonic .300 Blackout ammo. Presumably this is
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because those loads just don't have enough velocity for the bullets to expand on impact. Instead they just blow right through the animal and don't cause
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a lot of damage. Noveske makes a 220 grain subsonic load specifically
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designed and marketed for hunting that they claim works really well on big game
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I have not used it myself so I can't really comment personally on how it
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works but it might be worth a try if you really want to hunt with some subsonic
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ammo for the .300 Blackout. But if it were me and I were hunting with say an AR
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with a suppressor on it I would just use regular supersonic .300 Blackout ammo
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which works really well. Now the flat trajectory and lightly constructed bullets most common with the .223 Remington make it an extremely effective
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round for taking shots at small thin-skinned animals like prairie dogs, bobcats and coyotes. On the other hand since it shoots heavier larger diameter
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and generally much better constructed bullets the .308 Winchester has a clear
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advantage when hunting larger species like deer, caribou, elk and most species
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of African plains game. It's a little on the light side in my opinion for things
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like moose and grizzly or brown bear but it will work in a pinch with proper shot
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placement. So do you want a cartridge that is really well suited for hunting
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game like deer, bear, feral hog or pronghorn? Well in my opinion you should
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get a .308 Winchester since it's by far the most powerful of the three. It's an
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outstanding big-game hunting cartridge and there are lots of great ammunition choices specifically designed for that sort of hunting. Are you looking for a
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cartridge to hunt predators and small game animals with? The .223 Remington is
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the better choice here because it has a flatter trajectory, ammunition is cheaper
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and there are many types of .223 ammo specifically designed for predator
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environment hunting. Are you very sensitive to recoil? Now depending on what exactly you're hunting you should go with either the .223 or the .300
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Blackout. Though the .223 does have a little bit less recoil, both are very
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tame and are suitable for small framed or otherwise recoil shy shooters and
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hunters. For hunting big game go with the .300 Blackout and limit your shots to
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say inside 150 yards or so. For general target shooting or varmint hunting go
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with the .223 Remington. What about if you want the ideal cartridge to use with a
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suppressor or in a rifle with a short barrel? The .300 Blackout definitely has
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the clear advantage here. The .300 Blackout has a good reputation for cycling the bolt reliably when using subsonic ammo and when used in short
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barreled rifles. Additionally it doesn't suffer nearly as big of a drop-off in
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performance as the .308 or the .223 with a shorter barrel length either. Now do
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you want a cartridge that is suitable for self or home defense? All three will
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certainly work well in this regard but in my opinion the .300 Blackout probably
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has the edge here as well. Like the .223 Remington it also has a very mild
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recoil that facilitates follow-up shots but it shoots a larger and heavier
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bullet with more energy and there are also lots of good choices of purpose
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built self-defense ammo with very good terminal ballistics for the .300 Blackout round like the Barnes Tac TX and the Lee Defense Close Quarters
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bullet. Now are you looking for a cartridge with lots of inexpensive ammo
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for just general plinking or target shooting? The .308 Winchester ammo is
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pretty widely available as well. The .223 Remington I would say is the easiest to
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find and it's the least expensive centerfire cartridge in the United States. Once again that is during normal times. Now are you looking for an ideal
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cartridge to use in an AR platform? All will work here with the .308 being
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restricted to the larger AR-10 platforms but the .223 Remington and to a lesser
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degree the .300 Blackout are most common in really good quality AR-15 style
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rifles. Now as I have stated before the .223 Remington slash 5.56x45mm
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NATO, the .300 Blackout and the .308 Winchester are all excellent rifle
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cartridges. However since the difference between them is pretty big in certain
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respects each one is better suited to specific situations than others. I hope
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this video has done a good job of explaining the strengths and weaknesses
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of each one and was useful for helping you decide which one you should use. Now
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if you enjoyed this video then please make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel right now. Just click that red subscribe button below to make sure you
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don't miss out on any of my new videos on hunting gear reviews, cartridge
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comparisons and more. For more detailed information on popular hunting cartridges and what they're best suited for click on the link in the description
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below or go to HuntingGuns101.com to get a free ebook I have written on the
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best hunting calibers. Now I'm going to turn it over to you guys. Which one do
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you prefer? The .300 Blackout, the .223 Remington slash 5.56 NATO or the .308
23:57
Winchester? What game have you successfully taken with them and what ammo do you prefer to use with them? Let me know by leaving a comment on this
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video right now. Thanks for watching, have a great day and good hunting