I’m a bit of a Johnny Come Lately to the world of .300 BLK. Our boy Leghorn is all about it, and has been since the beginning, but I’m a bit of a late adopter. Namely, the 300 BLK really only shines in a NFA length barrels equipped with a silencer. I had to do a bit of paperwork to do it right, but once that cleared, I went searching for a barrel. Given my success with their Intermediate barrel, my first call was to the fine folks at Odin Works for one of their 10.5 inch barrels…
One of my biggest gripes with the 300 BLK craze has been accuracy. I’ve yet to find a factory gun that shoots to the same standard as my .223 Wylde chambered competition rifle, and while I’ll be the first to admit that the 300 BLK is not designed for long range accuracy, I have a problem with having a gun in the safe that doesn’t shoot well to some extent. Given how well my other Odin barrel shoots, I had high hopes for this barrel, and I was not disappointed. But first, installation.
Installation is no different than any other AR 15 barrel. Odin is nice enough to include a low profile gas block as part of the package, but you’ll still need to pick up a gas tube to fit the pistol length gas system. Odin sells one for $12, and it fit perfectly. One of the things I appreciated quite a bit is that Odin marks their gas port and gas block with two very clear lines so alignment is a ten second affair. Once fitted, I screwed a muzzle device to the end, my silencer to that, and headed to the range.
Using a nice magnified optic and a steady rest, I ran several types of ammo from cheap 150 gr. plinking ammo to premium match ammo through my new barrel and the absolute worst group I put together was a group that measured under an inch and a half at fifty yards.
Any of the subsonics I fielded did quite well with the exception of Sig’s 220 gr. load that grouped the worst of anything I put through. Quite surprising was how well this barrel liked Gorilla’s Troop 220 gr ammo. It consistently turned in sub MOA five shot groups at 50 yards and while they drop off in elevation pretty rapidly past that point, they maintained good accuracy out to the hundred yard line. At very reasonable prices, this has become my new favorite plinking ammo for hearing protection free shooting. My Odin barrel likes it quite a bit as well.
One of the design considerations that AAC had when putting .300 BLK together was that it be able to shoot fairly aerodynamic, light bullets at moderate velocities. My new barrel seems to be quite fond of Remington’s 125 gr. OTM factory load which is leaving the stubby barrel at a touch over 2050 feet per second. That makes it a solid contender well out to the quarter mile line before going subsonic and losing stability. Given how well it shoots, I’m actually giving some thought to running that load in this gun at this year’s Pecos Run n Gun.
On the reliability front, I’ve been stunned at how trouble free this whole package is. Where I’ve found that many stubby .300 BLK guns won’t cycle subsonics without the added backpressure of a silencer, this gun has no such problems. Silencer or not, subsonic or supersonic, this rifle runs and runs. Based on the pile of brass I’ve accumulated for reloading down the road, I’m several hundred rounds down the tube without a single failure to eject, fire, or chamber. The added backpressure of silencer equipped shooting has ensured that this gun is very dirty, and yet I’ve had no problems.
Specifications: Odin Works .300 Blackout 10.5″ Barrel
- Profile: Medium
- Length: 10.5″
- Gas placement: Pistol
- Rifling: Button 1:8 twist
- Material: 416R Stainless Steel
- Hand-Lapped
- M4 Feed ramps
- Threading: 5/8″-24
- Price: $220 including low profile gas block
Fit, Finish, Build Quality * * * * *
This is a stout little barrel that came neatly packaged free of defects. The bore is very smooth, and a light down the barrel shows a very nicely polished chamber. The threading is cut well and easily accepted a barrel nut and muzzle device with no issues. Odin goes a bit further to mark the barrel with gas port location, making gas system alignment a breeze.
Function * * * * *
In several hundred rounds, I have yet to have a single failure of any type regardless of super or subsonic ammo, silencer or not.
Accuracy * * * * *
Simply stunning. This is the most accurate .300 BLK barrel I’ve ever been behind, and seems to shoot factory ammo quite well. Given that, and the reliability I’ve experienced, I had no problem promoting this rifle to home defense status.
Overall Rating * * * * *
At $220, this isn’t exactly a cheap barrel, and given the persistent “out of stock” status, you’ll probably have to wait a bit to get one, but the attention to detail and accuracy are worth every penny for those looking to build an accurate short barreled rifle chambered in .300 BLK.