6.8spc

[Hunter007]

4 minutes ago, sits in trees said:

Never saw the reason for all these new calibers. 223, 308, 3006 and a few others is all I'll ever need. I can kill a deer , woodchuck, or any game with my small choice of calibers just as dead as anyone with any of the new rounds that have come around in the last 10 years. I'll never have to scrounge or pay thru the nose for brass. Ballistically there is so little difference between many of these new configurations I just have to wonder.

Yea you are  probably right  but the gun  companys know that if they can  show even  a little better performance out of a bullet .

People will want to buy it .

It's all about what will sell and getting you to buy new stuff from them , Same with every other product .  If they dont show some improvement there Is  less  motivation for people to buy a new rifle or any product  if they already have one .

 

[Jdubs]

5 hours ago, pitweiler said:

I’m interested in the 6.8 as well. I’m just not sure it offers much more than what a 5.56 can do, given the type of bullet used and the type of game pursued. I’m moving to copper and I’m just not sure I see a benefit to going 6.8.

For example, 85gr all copper projectiles out of my 20in .243 average around 2800fps. I could probably push that closer to 3000 with some handloads. 55-62gr bullets from my 5.56 average around 3000fps from my 18in. Tables and charts aside, what is the real world difference in terminal performance between a 62-70gr projectile moving at roughly the same speed as an 85gr projectile that is .5mm larger in diameter? All copper bullets have really rewritten terminal performance understanding in many ways. Old cup and core lead jacket projectiles that shed 60% or so of their weight are a thing of the past. Even bonded core lead jacketed ammunition is changing our understanding of terminal performance. Foot pounds of kinetic energy are sales and marketing pitches. The real question is will this projectile adequately penetrate to destroy vital structures. Bonded and all copper projectiles have shown us that smaller/lighter bullets of though construction are capable of accomplishing those tasks in medium sized game. 

Sure, a 6.8 firing a 110gr bullet at 2600fps will have more freight behind it than a 62gr bullet at 2800fps, but what is the real world terminal performance difference? Is it that great of a difference to warrant the added cost of shooting 6.8 over 5.56? I’m not sure. 

I think inside 300yds it’s mostly a wash between 5.56, 6.5, and 6.8 when bullets of the same type of construction are used. In my opinion, past 250-300yds is when the separation begins, which then begs the question of will you actually ever shoot at game that far away? Maybe you hunt in those kinds of areas. If you do, and you want a semi-auto, why not just use an AR-10 based rifle and actually see some performance increase at those extended ranges?

I don’t doubt the 6.8 is more powerful than 5.56. It definitely is. However, with all things being equal, when hunting whitetail deer, maybe even black bear, is it that much “better” when a good shot is made? I’m not sure. I think going down that road is filled more with opinion, emotion and anecdotal evidence than facts. 

Under ideal conditions, you can kill a deer with a .223 round, sure.  However, hunting is filled with less than ideal opportunities.  Do you have the discipline to wait on a perfect broadside heart shot at short range?  

You quoted some ballistics out of the muzzle, but not at distances or the resulting energy.  It's also fair to say that a single .223 entry hole might not leave much of a blood trail for a hunter to track.  For me, I want a humane harvest and the greater capabilities of the 6.8 SPC II (or any of the .30 cal type bullets) made more sense.  YMMV.

[moog5050]

1 hour ago, sits in trees said:

Never saw the reason for all these new calibers. 223, 308, 3006 and a few others is all I'll ever need. I can kill a deer , woodchuck, or any game with my small choice of calibers just as dead as anyone with any of the new rounds that have come around in the last 10 years. I'll never have to scrounge or pay thru the nose for brass. Ballistically there is so little difference between many of these new configurations I just have to wonder.

223 is available in AR15 but 308 and 3006 are not.  If you want to hunt deer with an AR15, you need to look at different options - assuming you aren’t comfortable shooting deer with a 223.   308 is available in an AR10.  But the “new configurations” offer lots of calibers that are capable on deer and work with the AR15 platform.  6.8 is one of them.  

[pitweiler]

1 hour ago, Jdubs said:

Under ideal conditions, you can kill a deer with a .223 round, sure.  However, hunting is filled with less than ideal opportunities.  Do you have the discipline to wait on a perfect broadside heart shot at short range?  

You quoted some ballistics out of the muzzle, but not at distances or the resulting energy.  It's also fair to say that a single .223 entry hole might not leave much of a blood trail for a hunter to track.  For me, I want a humane harvest and the greater capabilities of the 6.8 SPC II (or any of the .30 cal type bullets) made more sense.  YMMV.

The BC of the Barnes TSX bullets in those weights / calibers are so similar that inside 150yds it’s a wash. Energy is an outdated and skewed formula.

I’m not washing out the 6.8. I’ve been mulling over the idea of building an AR in 6.5 or 6.8 just for hunting. I sort of dismissed the 6.5 since both the 6.5 and 6.8 are splitting hairs to 500yds and where would I shoot game at 500+yds in NYS? Not many places. That brought me back to the 6.8. Then I figured if I was going to do this I’m going to make it a pistol with a 12 in barrel so I can hunt with it in the shotgun, pistol, muzzy zones. I just can’t decide if the 6.8 is worth the additional cost. Probably moot if I reload for it. 

[chas0218]

Not much available because the 6.5 grendel is a better option. I was thinking of doing a featureless ar in 6.5 and probably still will. Also planning a big bore build .458 or .450 haven't really decided which one.

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[pitweiler]

I think the 6.5 and 6.8 are splitting hairs out to 500. I agree, for a general purpose rifle the 6.5 is probably the better option. It has better market support too. 

[Chef]

223 is available in AR15 but 308 and 3006 are not.  If you want to hunt deer with an AR15, you need to look at different options - assuming you aren’t comfortable shooting deer with a 223.   308 is available in an AR10.  But the “new configurations” offer lots of calibers that are capable on deer and work with the AR15 platform.  6.8 is one of them.  

That is very true, much easier to just swap out a upper instead of buying a new gun. Although I have to say I bought a stag 10 in 6.5 creed, but I got the heavy Barrel so unless I was hunting from a tower or redneck blind that thing is way to heavy for deer


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