B&T SPR300 PRO, the light and quiet rifle in .300 Blackout (and soon in 8.6 Blackout too)

B&T is a firearms manufacturer founded in 1993 in Thun, Switzerland under the name of Brugger & Thomet with the aim of producing silencers, which for some ten years accounted for 100 per cent of its catalogue, giving them a good reputation. In 2004, the company also started to manufacture firearms for professional use, taking advantage of its good connections with the international military world by introducing the 9mm TMP submachine gun to the market.

After one of the founders, Heinrich Thomet, left the company, the company permanently changed its name to B&T. In the space of three decades, the Swiss company has created a portfolio of quality products that includes machine guns such as the Advanced Police Carbine (SPC), a pistol caliber carbine adopted by various police and military corps around the world, and a whole series of designs characterised by great creative and technological originality.

The B&T SPR300 PRO suppressed rifle

The B&T SPR300 PRO rifle is designed for police and military use at distances of up to 150 metres; it is therefore optimised to produce a reduced acoustic signature, thanks to the integral suppressor which ensures a firing noise of only 121 dB when using subsonic ammunition such as the .300 Blackout. But that's not all: the extremely precise construction is not a Swiss habit, but ensures that the gun can be disassembled for discreet transport, and reassembled in the field without any shift of the point of impact.

The heart of the rifle is a steel bolt with three locking lugs, with the ejector pin and extractor claw located in the recessed bolt face. Another key detail of the gun is the cold hammer-forged barrel, manufactured by Haenel, which measures only 248 millimeters but ensures an accuracy of 1 MOA. The barrel, which has a twist rate  of 1:8, is optimised for firing heavy .300 Blackout rounds and is completely enveloped by the B&T aluminum suppressor, which is equipped with an O-ring seal to prevent the slightest escape of firing gases. A long Picatinny rail is positioned on the top of the light alloy receiver, which allows the optics to be mounted quickly and provides extra length for additional image intensifier or thermal imaging attachments. The trigger is a proven single-stage Timney Hunter Elite, with user-adjustable pull weight between 680 and 1,600 grams. The safety is two-position and is located on the right side of the receiver, while there is a visual and tactile cocking indicator in the rear of the bolt. The extreme lightness of the assembly should be emphasised, contributing to the ease of transport of the B&T SPR300 PRO: with magazine, bipod (supplied as standard) and a standard optic, it weighs less than 4 kilograms.

The stock of the B&T SPR300 PRO can be folded on the left side, is not adjustable in length, but is equipped with a height-adjustable cheek rest. Thanks to an adapter it is possible to mount any other stock that is also length-adjustable. The standard pistol grip is also easily interchangeable with other aftermarket products compatible with AR-15/M4 rifles. The fore-end is equipped with an M-Lok interface and has two short accessory rails on the sides. The bipod mount is present, as the rifle comes standard with it. The equipment is completed by a hard case and a padded bag.

The 8.6 Blackout version

There is a lot of talk on US websites about the next version of the B&T SPR300 PRO, which should be chambered in 8.6 Blackout and consequently renamed the B&T SPR86. What makes this gun/calibre combo really interesting is the performance of the subsonic cartridge, which was built specifically for use in suppressed guns. Designed by American Kevin Brittingham and introduced in 2022, this cartridge has a nominal diameter of 8.6 mm and a case length of 43 mm. It is based on a shortened and modified 6.5 Creedmor cartridge case and is designed for use in AR-15-based bolt-action or semi-automatic rifles. In addition, it allows easy conversion of bolt action or semi-automatic rifles in .308 Winchester by simply changing the barrel, as the cartidge overall length is very similar. In its standard version, the 8.6 Blackout launches a 288-grain bullet at an exit velocity of 320 metres per second (thus below the speed of sound) for a bullet energy of 955.5 joules. The 8.6 Blackout cartridge is already available in the USA as a commercial loading thanks to some small but dynamic manufacturers such as Discreet Ballistics and Gorilla.

Video: B&T SPR300 PRO rifle in .300 Blackout

B&T SPR300 PRO technical specifications and price