300 Fireball AR15 (Brass forming - post #150)

She is 8 lbs. on the bathroom scale as she stands now but well balanced. The weight is in the barrel and butt stock, the billet set I would say are a non issue for weight. I selected the UBR butt stock to offset the weight of the barrel.
 
We have 300-221 Fireball dies in stock. These are the two die set from Redding. The set comes with intermediate and full size necking up buttons so you can make brass from 221 Fireball stock.

Price is $125
 
Time to get this thread going again....

My brother and I are going to make some .300 Fireball brass this weekend from .223 rem brass. Have any of you guys yet made any from .223, and can comment wether I'll have to neck turn? I only refer to the guys who have had their chambers reamed at ATR. I talked to Rick at ATR, and he wasn't too sure about it, as he said they were forming it from .221 Fireball.

If I need to buy one, can any of you guys recommend a quality outside neck trimmer; my knowledge is limited in that area.



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I'm using once fired Winchester .223 brass and it's just fine. According to the Sierra manual the outside neck diameter is .344" and trim length is 1.355".

My Redding trim die trims my brass to 1.350" and the neck dia. is .328" but check your brass for the outside dia. All brass will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and lot to lot.

The barrel is an ATRS, hope this helps. 2katz.
 
I'm using once fired Winchester .223 brass and it's just fine. According to the Sierra manual the outside neck diameter is .344" and trim length is 1.355".

My Redding trim die trims my brass to 1.350" and the neck dia. is .328" but check your brass for the outside dia. All brass will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and lot to lot.

The barrel is an ATRS, hope this helps. 2katz.

It helps alot actually, thanks


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Try these sites out for some good info.


###.listmequick.com/300/Sierra300whisper.pdf

###.americanrifleman.org/Webcontent/pdf/2009-5/200951192414-r805_bench%20copy.pdf

###.quarterbore.com/300whisper/index
 
I'm using once fired Winchester .223 brass and it's just fine. According to the Sierra manual the outside neck diameter is .344" and trim length is 1.355".

My Redding trim die trims my brass to 1.350" and the neck dia. is .328" but check your brass for the outside dia. All brass will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and lot to lot.

The barrel is an ATRS, hope this helps. 2katz.

If your barrel is an ATRS like mine, the reamer is the one which will use UN-TURNED .223 brass. So, if that helps then fill your boots. :)

-M
 
Oh, you'd never get an AR to cycle with the light bullets... was just looking at expansion.

You might want to look into what the guys over at AAC are doing with the .300 Blackout (BLK). It's basically a .300 Whisper with a longer throat from what I understand. They are shooting light bullets from AR's.

Try www. silencertests.com for more info. They have a forum devoted to the cartridge there.
 
The brother and me made a few pieces of 300 Fireball brass yesterday. We ended up making the initial chop on the .223 with a dremel, and chopped them a little longer than we needed to. We only finished about 10rds to final length with a hand trimmer before saying to hell with it. Easier than I thought it would be, but I will be buying a power trimmer though. :redface:I've got about 50rds formed and neck sized, now I just have to do the final trim for length and I'm good to go.

Did up some dummy rounds in 240gr SMK, 168gr SMK, 210gr Berger Match, and a 110gr V-Max to check chamber fit and max lengths for the magazine. Using reformed factory rem .223 brass, the rounds chambered without any issues. Now I just need to get a chrono so I can start playing with some loads.

Heh Rick at ATR, thanks for the help on friday at your shop....I appreciated it. :)



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Just a few pics of a 300 Fireball AR15 project I have been working on:

The barrel is a stainless match heavy profile at just over 9" OAL. The gas system is pistol length and incorporates a JP Adjustable Lo-Pro gas block to allow the rifle to cycle subsonics as well as conventional supersonics.

300Fireball1.jpg


300Fireball2.jpg


The specially bored out and rethreaded .30 cal SPEX brake.

300Fireball3.jpg


The top mag contains 180gr subsonics and the bottom mag 150gr supersonics. The really nice thing about the 300 Fireball is it was designed to operate through the AR rifle without the need to modify magazines or the bolt.

300Fireball4.jpg


300 Fireball ammo from left: 125gr JHP, 150gr FMJ, 170gr cast, 180gr RNSP.

300Fireball5.jpg


The 300 Fireball is a true multipurpose cartridge. It can operate effectively with bullet weights from 110gr to 240gr, with velocities ranging from about 2200 fps down to 950 fps.

For those concerned about terminal ballistics, consider what a 1.1" long 150gr, .30 caliber bullet moving at 1700 fps is likely to do to a soft target. G:

I love the look of your AR. The ballistic data for the .300 except for subsonic sileneced use, do you really think the upset and Soft Target stopping power with the 147 FMJ in a .30 at 1700 will equal the .223 55gr FMJ's at 3000 and lots of yaw and fragmentation to boot???:wave:
 
Originally Posted by kombayotch
Oh, you'd never get an AR to cycle with the light bullets... was just looking at expansion.

Every one of the 6 or 7 AR based 300 Fireball rifles that we build ran perfectly with lightweight bullets. I have put lots of 110gr VMAX through my personal carbine.

I love the look of your AR.

That one isn't mine, it went to DocM IIRC. This one is mine.

300Whisper-L.jpg


The ballistic data for the .300 except for subsonic sileneced use, do you really think the upset and Soft Target stopping power with the 147 FMJ in a .30 at 1700 will equal the .223 55gr FMJ's at 3000 and lots of yaw and fragmentation to boot???

Take a look at the size of a 150gr .30 cal bullet vs a 55gr .224 bullet. The .30 cal bullet is massive in comparison.

This kind of discussion is not unlike the 9mm vs 45 debate. Is big and slow better than light and fast? I don't know but I can tell you that bullet construction and placement probably pay a bigger role than the size or speed of the bullet. Most of which is a fairly moot point because it is highly unlikely that any of us will ever use an AR carbine in a deadly force situation.

Where the Fireball really shines is with the short barreled carbines. In a short barrel, the 223 loses a great deal of velocity and thus its terminal effects are compromised. The Fireball does not lose velocity with shorter barrels so it still delivers maximum terminal punch from a short barreled carbine.
 
I agree on bullet placement is utmost for sure, but the 55gr .223 will fragment and yaw at 2500fps so thats out to about 85 yds in a 14.5 M-4. Remember .308 is not a large diameter as pistol rounds go or high pistol velocities either. If it were than the .30 luger would be better than the .40 S&W. I just think it your taking velocity ,yaw ,fragmentation, out of the carbine equation you better put in frontal area for tissue damage. Expanding projectiles or a big frontal area from .40 and up. I'm by no means an expert but i do understand a little about wound ballistics. If you understand more about the issue i am open for correction. Your velocity 1700FPS is what a 7.62 NATO fired from an FNC1 will do at 800 yds. I think i take my m4 with 2950 at the muzzle and what it will do on soft targets at 25 yds over what the 147 FMJ 762NATO will do at 800 yds. isnt the whisper more or less like an M-1 carbine round for effectiveness at close quarters?
:Again i love the look of that carbine
 
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Sweet you actually got those down to an overall length that fits in a Pmag. Dammit we need the AR to be non res.

I've read in some of the forums about having to seat the big bullets deep so the magazine side ribs don't but pressure on the round. I made up a few dummy rounds to try it, and out of a pinned 5rd mag, it never made any difference in feeding. The long bullets were seated to 2.240" and the 110 V-Max to 2.0"; we'll see how it works out when I start loading live ammo I guess.



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240gr SMK on the left, 110gr Hornady V-Max on the right

The 110gr VMAX is quite sensitive to OAL. Too short and it will stovepipe on the feedramp.

Sweet you actually got those down to an overall length that fits in a Pmag. Dammit we need the AR to be non res.

Not really such a big task as the 300 Whisper was designed to cycle through the AR platform.
 
Suputin and others interested in shoting lead bullets should read this thread. There's a custom 247gr. bullet ideally suited to .300 Whisper.

h ttp://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=102160&page=2
 
Not bad at all!

I don't think that monster will stabilize in my 1:10" barrel though... not subsonic, anyway.

If anyone has a spare .309" or .311" 180-grain boolit mold, however... I'm all ears! :D

-M
 
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