CZ 600 Trail .300 AAC Blackout – Quiet and Compact

To begin, a few words about the ammunition itself. .300 AAC Blackout, designated 300 BLK in SAAMI nomenclature, is an invention of the American company Advanced Armament Corporation. It was developed in 2009–2010 for use in M4 carbines by special operations forces, with the aim of increasing effectiveness when using short barrels and improving suppressed performance compared to standard 5.56×45mm NATO ammunition.

The new 7.62×35 mm cartridge is therefore compatible with the standard AR-15/M4 platform, working with both magazines (although newer magazines with optimized geometry already exist—editor’s note) and the rifle’s bolt. It does, however, require a new barrel with an appropriate gas system. The concept did not gain widespread adoption and did not replace standard ammunition. In service use, 300 BLK can be found, among others, with the armed forces of the Netherlands (nearly 400 MCX carbines for NLMARSOF), the United States (a 2022 contract for the MCX Rattler PDW), the United Kingdom (a five-year contract with an option for extension for the UK Ministry of Defence), and Germany (where the Schleswig-Holstein police use the HK437 in 300 BLK as a successor to the MP5).

Photos: Karol Szczęśniak, MILMAG

.300 AAC Blackout was designed to achieve energy levels comparable to the Soviet 7.62×39 mm cartridge while using standard AR magazines at full capacity. The use of the Soviet round prevented reliable feeding from specialized AR-15 magazines (with their characteristic curvature) and resulted in increased bolt wear. An additional objective was to achieve better performance than 5.56 mm ammunition. Fired from an M4 carbine with a 14.5-inch (368 mm) barrel, the M855 round has an effective range of 500 meters; at that distance, however, the projectile exhibits significant drop and energy loss.

From a 16-inch (406 mm) barrel, a .300 BLK projectile weighing 125 gr (8.1 g) has a lower muzzle velocity. At the same time, it shows similar bullet drop and drift at shorter distances. However, it retains the same amount of energy at 700 meters as the M855 does at 500 meters. In terms of hit probability, the effective range of the Blackout is stated to be 460 meters. A 125 gr BLK projectile fired from a 9-inch (228 mm) barrel has the same muzzle energy as an M855 round fired from an M4 barrel and 5 percent more energy at a distance of 440 meters.

Compared to projectiles of the Soviet 7.62×39 mm cartridge, .300 BLK bullets feature better ballistic coefficients and higher energy when fired from barrels of similar length. The .300-caliber round has an 89.1 percent larger frontal bullet surface area than the 5.56×45 mm, and therefore creates a larger wound cavity in soft targets. It also penetrates deeper and begins to yaw more rapidly.

Equally important, .300 AAC Blackout remains effective even when fired from very short barrels, such as 4.5 inches (114 mm). As a result, weapons chambered for this caliber can be just as light, compact, and quiet when used with a suppressor as submachine guns such as the MP5, FN P90, and MP7, while at the same time offering greater energy and accuracy at longer distances. Impressive – there is no denying it.

So let us get to the point. The carbine I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with is a strange weapon, strange in the sense that for a long time I wondered who the actual target customer group for this carbine might be. And perhaps the only explanation that comes to mind lies in the product’s very name: CZ 600 Trail.

The Czech manufacturer Česká zbrojovka realized long ago that the largest “slice of the pie” is not Europe at all, with its restrictive, after all, firearms regulations. The real money is across the ocean in the United States. There, firearms can be bought by almost anyone and almost anywhere – this is, of course, a simplification and a mental shortcut, but it still holds true to a large extent. In addition, some U.S. states are so vast and wild that no one is surprised by the idea of heading out on a trail for several days with a firearm. A trail where you might encounter both a bear and a wolf. A truly different world.

Europe is not like that. Here, the Trail would be more likely to find its niche as a partisan-style weapon. As it turns out, it is actually very well suited for that role.

.300 BLK ammunition has its pros and cons. Its biggest drawbacks are price and availability. The advantages, however, are a completely different story.

First: stopping power – the .300 projectile has roughly twice the mass of a standard .223 round.

Second: it creates massive wounds in unarmored targets – this is not the high-velocity 5.56 that, if it does not hit bone, can pass straight through like butter. A small clarification is warranted here: I am comparing the most commonly available 55-grain .223 ammunition with commonly available .300 BLK. Specialized military-grade ammunition performs better.

Third: shooting the CZ 600 Trail with a suppressor is simply poetry. I mounted a Hush-Tac suppressor on the barrel, which is threaded M15×1, and that combination genuinely captivated me. The suppressor is solid, fairly heavy and large, but there is always a trade-off. With standard ammunition, it suppresses sound so effectively that shooting without hearing protection is entirely feasible. The real fun, however, begins with subsonic ammunition. Firing such a setup is more reminiscent of shooting a powerful air rifle, both in terms of noise and recoil. After all, .300 AAC Blackout is ammunition designed to sound as quiet as it does in the movies. The Trail produces barely perceptible recoil, and that made a strong impression.

Of course, due to the fact that the CZ 600 is a bolt-action rifle, rapid fire will never match that of semi-automatic carbines. Nevertheless, I must emphasize that all mechanisms operate smoothly and precisely. I cannot say whether the rifle required any break-in period, it did not arrive new, but I rate both the trigger and the bolt operation very positively. One should remember, however, that to unlock the bolt, the safety must be set to the “off” position. Incidentally, this is similar to the AR-15 – you cannot engage the safety if the hammer is not cocked.

On the plus side, the placement of the controls mirrors that of the AR-15, although when operating the trigger with my thumb I often found myself hitting the stock mounting point. Both the safety and the magazine release are ambidextrous.

The stock itself is simple, which is dictated by the design assumptions, but the cheek riser mounted on it does help with achieving a comfortable shooting position. That is, of course, if you are right-handed – left-handed shooters, despite the fact that the stock has a threaded hole for attaching a cheek riser, will not be able to take advantage of this feature. The stock can be set in three positions (four if the fully folded position is included), with adjustment carried out by pressing the locking button on the upper part of the stock mount and pulling it out. On the downside, the locking mechanism engages in only one direction, meaning that a firm tug on the stock is enough to extend it.

Shooting the Trail was an entirely new experience for me. The CZ 600 Trail is, after all, essentially a bolt-action rifle – not an AR-15–type carbine that I am accustomed to. That said, I cannot help but appreciate the adjustable trigger – and one that happened to be set perfectly to my preferences. The two-stage trigger in the Trail made a very strong impression on me. The first stage has virtually no resistance, and the break requires only minimal force. In addition, the adjustment can be carried out easily without disassembling the firearm.

The 16.2-inch (411 mm) barrel features a 1:7 twist rate, which is worth noting for the record. Accuracy at a distance of 50 meters allows for producing cloverleaf groups, which is more than satisfactory for me. When paired with an LPVO, the CZ 600 Trail performs very well.

The carbine feeds from standard AR-15 magazines, and it is supplied with a 10-round magazine from the Bren 2. The handguard, with its octagonal cross-section, features a top Picatinny rail, while the remaining surfaces are fitted with M-LOK slots, allowing the mounting of any accessories compatible with the standard.

In summary, I consider the CZ 600 Trail to be an interesting carbine. I can easily imagine it being used by partisan forces – or even better, by a commando dropped behind enemy lines. Compact, easy to fit into a backpack, accurate, and incredibly quiet.

It is also an interesting option for hunters who, even though they are allowed to do so, would prefer not to make too much noise. It would also work well at the shooting range purely for fun, although in that case I would rather choose one of the cheaper calibers, since the carbines themselves cost the same regardless of barrel configuration.

We would like to thank Česká zbrojovka for providing the CZ 600 Trail .300 BLK for testing. The distributor of the Czech manufacturer’s products in Poland is Hubertus Chodzież.

The article contained product placement of the following items:

• Helikon-Tex SBR Carry firearm transport case,
• Hush-Tac by Łuszczek suppressor,
• Helikon-Tex Mirage sling,
• Delta Optical Stryker HD 1–10×28 riflescope.

Advertising cooperation. Product testing is conducted independently, and the opinions expressed are solely those of the author. The advertiser has no ability to influence the content of the review.