.338 ARC?

[sigstroker]

The BIG Little Cartridge That Packs a Punch
Purposefully designed for hard-hitting subsonic performance, the 338 ARC delivers 1.5 times more energy than the 300 Blackout Subsonic. Engineered for consistent pressure, the 338 ARC provides reliable cycling with both supersonic and subsonic loads. Featuring the 307 gr. SUB-X® bullet in the Subsonic line and the 175 gr. HP in Hornady BLACK, the 338 ARC represents the ultimate 338 cartridge that fits in the AR 15 or micro-bolt action.
Provided by Hornady®

Just like with 6mm ARC and with 22 ARC, the 338 ARC uses the same 6.5 Grendel Type II bolt face or bolt carrier. If you're already invested in these cartridges, it's simply a barrel swap with your existing BCG.





338-arc-ammo-02.png


How cool is that stubby SOB?

[Grendel Guy]

Interesting.

[k1dude]

I don't really get it. It sort of slides in between the 300 BLK and the 8.6 BLK. So is it really necessary?

[sigstroker]

I don't really get it. It sort of slides in between the 300 BLK and the 8.6 BLK. So is it really necessary?

Yes. It fits in a small frame AR, the 8.6 needs an AR-10 lower. Plus, brass and everything else will be much cheaper from Hornady than from Q.

This article says it works and cycles with subs and supers using normal gas.

https://www.google.com/url?esrc=s&q=&rct=j&sa=U&url=https://gundigest.com/gear-ammo/ammunition/338-arc-hornady&ved=2ahUKEwjIlcD2xoKLAxWDD0QIHTzJBQwQFnoECAQQAg&usg=AOvVaw2kT6r2yFE_U1nOkndVv2H3

9mm cans that are rated for Blackout should work for this also.

https://www.google.com/url?esrc=s&q=&rct=j&sa=U&url=https://www.silencershop.com/blog/338-arc&ved=2ahUKEwiByZqSyIKLAxVuDkQIHW_tOG0QFnoECAkQAg&usg=AOvVaw2rBrF8dNgTzTPWu2PX-79W

[Cowboy T]

We're seeing a renaissance of new cartridges being introduced in the last 15 years. It's sort of like the "Magnum Era" in the 1950's-60's.

I personally don't do that kind of shooting. Perhaps if the Hearing Protection Act were to get through Congress and signed into law--which will soon actually become a realistic possibility--I might change my view. That's really what these sorts of rounds are for, rifles with suppressors. This would help in closer-in hunting situations like what we see east of the Appalachians. In that part of the country with those thick woods, 125 yards is considered a long shot.

[ar15barrels]

The 338 spectre has been doing this job for 20+ years just fine.

[sigstroker]

Hearing Protection Act isn't going anywhere now that approvals are only a few weeks. Nobody cares about people stuck in sh*tty states. For hunters, the critters most suited to this cartridge seems to be pigs. Supposedly, silencers are excellent for hunting pigs with because they are too stupid to be scared by their buddies suddenly falling over dead. They don't run away because they didn't hear any loud noises, allowing you to plug several at a time.

[sigstroker]

The PSA Mixtape.

Not only does it have a funky name like Q guns, the lower looks like the clear anodizing that Q guns have. Even the rear with the buffer tube looks like a Q. It even uses a proprietary lower, upper, and magazine. It's weird enough to be a Q in it's own right!

[Fjold]

As much as I think shooting subsonic suppressed is cool, I have a hard enough time dealing with cartridges that limit me to 200 yards much less a cartridge with the trajectory of a thrown pumpkin. I have dark woods on my property that I can hunt deer on (no pigs) but I'd use my crossbow over a sub sonic load. I use suppressors on a couple of guns already but mostly to not disturb my neighbors, especially at night.

I've looked at all the subsonic rounds and have zero interest in them.

[sigstroker]

200 yards? If you can stalk to crossbow range, surely you can stalk inside 200 yards. Sure, 1100 fps isn't much but you've got 307 grains delivering kinetic energy at the end.

[Fjold]

200 yards? If you can stalk to crossbow range, surely you can stalk inside 200 yards. Sure, 1100 fps isn't much but you've got 307 grains delivering kinetic energy at the end.

That's about 800 Lbs.-Ft of energy at the muzzle and less than 750 Lbs.-Ft at 100 yards. Most "experts recommend a 1,000 Lbs-Ft for hunting medium game. Even though I'm more of a proponent of momentum over kinetic energy I still think that just about any other deer cartridge would be a better choice.

[sigstroker]

That's about 800 Lbs.-Ft of energy at the muzzle and less than 750 Lbs.-Ft at 100 yards. Most "experts recommend a 1,000 Lbs-Ft for hunting medium game. Even though I'm more of a proponent of momentum over kinetic energy I still think that just about any other deer cartridge would be a better choice.

Just about any other deer cartridge won't suppress worth crap. If you're never going to use a can there's no point in even looking at it. Something else to keep in mind is that the subs won't lose velocity as fast as "any other deer cartridge" and the energy deficit will be smaller at distance. The Hornady subsonic bullets are designed specifically to expand at low velocity make the so-called requirement of 1000 pound feet of energy less relevant.

Guntuber review:

[NapalmCheese]

I'll build a .338 ARC upper at some point, just so I can have a .338 "chode". I like funky (and chunky) cartridges.

Yes, it's like .338 Spectre, except it has commercial backing so I won't have to get a custom chambered barrel and ready made and properly head stamped brass will be readily available.

Yes, it's similar to 8.6 Blk, except it fits in an AR-15. Since I'm only interested in it as a subsonic round the size of the pressure vessel doesn't really matter to me other than AR-15 sized components are cheap and everywhere.

No, it' can't use the really heavy for caliber bullets like 8.6, but that's fine, since I don't imagine there are a lot of bullets that will reliably expand out of either cartridge at subsonic impact velocities and BC takes a backseat to cheap at the ranges I'm interested in shooting. For hunting in California, maybe the 8.6 is better since the fast twist more reliably expands some all copper stuff. But for my money this wouldn't be a hunting gun, so I'd be using the cheapest bullets I can find (likely a coated cast bullet) which wouldn't take advantage of the extra case capacity or twist rate of the 8.6. 100% I do not care about its super sonic performance.

Sure, the 8.6 Blk was designed for short barrels and the .338 ARC seems centered around 16 inch barrels, that's fine, I'm not interested in building a pistol and can't have an SBR in CA anyway.

Bonus for the .338 ARC; it's more chode-like and even funnier looking than .300 BLK, so that's a win in my book.

Lastly, Hornady didn't (at last not yet) produce a 10 minute video acting like a man-child ****ting on someone else's pet product because it's similar but different.

I was marginally interested in .300 BLK when it was .300 Whisper but as it was commercialized it lost its luster for me. I was never interested in 8.6 BLK and I'm no Q fanboy, so I never planned on getting one of those. But .338 ARC seems to hit that absurd sweet spot; and I've liked shooting subsonic since I first started loading subsonic .30-30 a decade or so ago.

[ar15barrels]

I'll build a .338 ARC upper at some point, just so I can have a .338 "chode". I like funky (and chunky) cartridges.

Yes, it's like .338 Spectre, except it has commercial backing so I won't have to get a custom chambered barrel and ready made and properly head stamped brass will be readily available.

Yes, it's similar to 8.6 Blk, except it fits in an AR-15. Since I'm only interested in it as a subsonic round the size of the pressure vessel doesn't really matter to me other than AR-15 sized components are cheap and everywhere.

No, it' can't use the really heavy for caliber bullets like 8.6, but that's fine, since I don't imagine there are a lot of bullets that will reliably expand out of either cartridge at subsonic impact velocities and BC takes a backseat to cheap at the ranges I'm interested in shooting.

You might skip the 338 and just go 350 legend if you don't want to shoot the expensive really heavy bullets.
350 is cheaper to shoot especially if you can reload with pistol bullets.
Lots of ammo and barrel support because it's SAAMI standardized.

[NapalmCheese]

You might skip the 338 and just go 350 legend if you don't want to shoot the expensive really heavy bullets.
350 is cheaper to shoot especially if you can reload with pistol bullets.
Lots of ammo and barrel support because it's SAAMI standardized.

Performance-wise you are absolutely correct; but I'm in it for the novelty of a funny looking niche cartridge of an absurd scale. All things being equal my interest may wane before I build one.