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Stealthshooter wrote:OK so I'm getting ready to order. Do I go with rem r15 in 30ar or do I go with Olympic arms 30ossm? Or do I go with Olympic arms new hybrid that will fit both ar15 and ar10 uppers?

I had an Olympic 300 OSSM. It was a hoot to own and shoot. Pushed a 150gr over my chrony at 3000 fps as advertised. The recoil is strong and I sent the barrel out to be threaded for a Ross brake. The improvement with the brake eclipsed the improvement from adding a Ross brake to my 450b. As an added bonus, the report will clear out the shooting position on either side of you at the range.
Reloading brass I'm not sure if this still applies, but back when I had mine, Winchester was the only source of reloading brass. I went through something like 3 bags and the QC was spotty. Preparing Winchester 25 WSSM brass is a chore, but one you only have to do once. At the time there was one source for loaded ammunition and it was a lot more expensive than buying brass and prepping it. I have not checked lately, but with the way prices went after I got rid of mine, this could be a lot more expensive.

So why did I get rid of such a fun rifle caliber? In a colloquialism, "It had more sizzle than steak"

In order to comply with the standard AR 15 COL, you were pretty much stuck with flat base bullets. Not a show stopper. I did not care how it performed with bullets less than 150gr, I wanted it to deliver using 150gr bullets. For a caliber with the operational range between a .30-06 and a 300 WSM (parent case BTW), the accuracy was not there. On a good day, after an exhaustive summer of experimenting, the best I could hope for was 2 MOA at 100 yards. I am told that the accuracy got better with lighter bullets, but I never got there. The leade was cut really long and all bullets had IIRC a .35 inch jump to the lands. Probably would have been less with a round nose bullet, but then what little BC you had would have been even worse.

I sold it to a fellow in SD who only wanted minute of deer at 100 yds and heard back that he was happy with it. Was contacted years later by a fellow in either Oregon or Washington, who was going to, or had wound up buying it with some kind of operational question, but I forget what his question was...

I suspect the 30 RAR will be easier to get ammo for, at least in the near future and stockpile brass that doesn't require so much prep work up front. Still, that "sizzle" remains in the fond department of my memories. You can get a lot of entertainment out of a failed experiment.

Hoot

The price of the 30ar is really hard to pass on. I'm also really interested in trying hornady's line of "lever action" bullets in it. Seems to me they would be a great choice for this caliber.

Stealthshooter wrote:The price of the 30ar is really hard to pass on. I'm also really interested in trying hornady's line of "lever action" bullets in it. Seems to me they would be a great choice for this caliber.

FWIW, I tried their two 160gr 30-30 and 308 Marlin Express FTX bullets in my 300 OSSM. Like the 150 grainers, they didn't fly worth a darn. IIRC, I still have some down in the shop if you want to experiment with them.

Looking back, I some times wonder it my issue was the wrong twist. Not that I had a different choice.

Hoot

I'd def try them out. What do you want for them? The wrong twist would surely do it!

Also one place lists a 24" barrel on the 30ar they have and the other places list a 22" barrel. With this cartridge I don't think 2 extra inches will gain that much. Am I wrong?

Stealthshooter wrote:Also one place lists a 24" barrel on the 30ar they have and the other places list a 22" barrel. With this cartridge I don't think 2 extra inches will gain that much. Am I wrong?

That's got to be a typo. The R15 in 30 RAR has always been 22" to my knowledge.

WRT the bullets. Let me see how many I still have. There may be some of my hair in the box with them.

Hoot

Well here are the groups with the two available factory loads. Now to see what can be wrung out with some load development! Weather permitting.

IceAxe wrote:Well here are the groups with the two available factory loads. Now to see what can be wrung out with some load development! Weather permitting.

What were you using for a rest and rear bag with those groups? How may rounds already down the bore, IE broke in?

Hoot

Those where shot from a Lead Sled so no excuse there. That being said, I cant remember ever having tight groups with factory Remington ammo. I think if I process this brass from today I can get out there and start some load development. I checked for any case head growth but couldn't measure any. Today brings the round count to 40.

IceAxe wrote:Those where shot from a Lead Sled so no excuse there. That being said, I cant remember ever having tight groups with factory Remington ammo. I think if I process this brass from today I can get out there and start some load development. I checked for any case head growth but couldn't measure any. Today brings the round count to 40.

Online sources say Hodgdon Benchmark is a good choice but it models a little slow in QuickLoad. Ditto on AA2200. AA1680 surprisingly models well, but a little fast, may be a good choice for 110gr or 115gr bullets. In the 450b, Lil Gun models a little slow with 200 gr bullets, but in practice (see signature) , it delivers very well.

Sierra 125 gr Pro Hunters look like a good choice, but they're a little short in length. Only 1/2 caliber insertion depth at 2.26 COL. 125 gr Nosler BT get better insertion depth.

Hoot