6.8SPC a flash in the pan or a long lasting round?

Geezerbiker · December 20, 2013, 03:33 PM

It seems that excitement for this round is wearing off and other than AR's nothing is being made for it. I think a Savage Axis would be a good seller in this round for first time or youth deer hunters. The only bolt gun in 6.8 was an over priced Ruger that no one has in stock... What do you think?

The reason I'm asking is that I'm still trying to work out what guns to buy when I take my twin grandsons out deer hunting for the first time hopefully next year.

Tony

hodaka · December 20, 2013, 08:16 PM

The 6.8 is perfect for an AR. There are more and better choices for a bolt gun. I think that tHe 6.8 will be around as long as AR's are around.

globemaster3 · December 20, 2013, 08:52 PM

Remington also made a 700 in 6.8, but they are fetching a nice price on GB.

As for the future, I think it will be around. There are enough ARs out ther shooting it and new ammo being offered, I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

I agree in either a bolt or AR format it is an excellent choice for deer. It's what my oldest is shooting now and it's on a short list for me in the future. Mild recoil and 1,000 ft lbs to 300yards.... The only thing not to like is the $1/round price.

BumbleBug · December 20, 2013, 09:12 PM

The 6.8SPC is an interesting cartridge whose odd-ball military type name has kind of hindered its popularity. It should have been called the .270 something for the bolt guys & rode to popularity on the coat tails of the .270 Win. The AR community has done wonders for this cartridge & the .270 caliber itself. When AR shooters wanted a more powerful deer cartridge for their standard platform, the 6.8 was it. Soon the AR mass following was appeased with an excellent selection of bullets in the 85gr to 120gr range that functions beautifully on deer size game in a lower but wider velocity range. If there are any flies on the 6.8mm SPC it is the fact that factory ammo must loaded to a shorter OAL for magazine feeding an AR reducing its powder column. In the AR community, it seems to be making slow but significant gains in popularity. When a standard AR shooter wants to make a step up from the 5.56 this cartridge is THE BEST bet considering cost & performance. That just might assure the 6.8mm SPC future!

JIMHO...

...bug

Gunplummer · December 20, 2013, 09:35 PM

I built an AR a few years back expecting the round to take off. I did not want to reload for it and had a bad time with ammo. I did use it for deer and was quite impressed with the little .270, but sold it. Ammo availability is everything to make a round popular. I still have a .260 REM and it was the same way. Not a lot offered as far as ammo when it came out. It is doing OK now. The 6.8 SPC may pick up more as it gets more exposure.

CTS · December 20, 2013, 10:00 PM

You can buy ammo for it at many Wal Mart and Academy sports stores if that tells you anything about it's popularity. In a recent Guns and Ammo poll ranking AR calibers by popularity, 556X45 was number 1, 6.8SPC was number 2, 300 Black Out number 3 and 6.5Grendel was number 4. I wish I could still find it.

doofus47 · December 21, 2013, 12:43 AM

If 6.8 had been the original AR round, there'd be a lot less threads on internet forums.

hodaka · December 21, 2013, 07:36 AM

For those of you who are interested in reloading, the 6.8 is an easy one to get into. Turns it into a less than $0.30 per round rifle for match ammo.

Gunplummer · December 21, 2013, 11:11 PM

It may be available now, but in what type of bullet ? Is it pretty much stuck in the semi-auto niche?

tdoyka · December 22, 2013, 12:02 AM

http://matchgrademachine.com/

the 6.8spc can be 'tender or encore.
it almost became an encore barrel, but i decided on the 6.5 creedmoor.
16 1/4 - 30" barrels can be made for a rifle, i make it around 18" for twin grandsons.
6.8 spc should be a good one, but the way they make ammo, it may be a flash in the pan.....

globemaster3 · December 22, 2013, 07:30 AM

Slappy, it's great to hear that GA has 6.8 around like that. Maybe I need to move there. Pecans, peaches, peanuts, 6.8 ammo at Walmart... What's not to like?

About 3 weeks ago I trekked from St Louis to NM. Stopped at 5 Walmarts along the way as well as BPS HQ in Springfield. I could not find a single box of 6.8

.

Went to a local gun show here 2 weeks ago. Found 2 boxes of Hornady 110gr VMax for $29/box... No thanks.

I keep an eye on Gunbot for ammo deals.

I am going to be following hodaka's lead once this TDY is over and life settles down and start reloading for 6.8.

hodaka · December 22, 2013, 10:39 AM

My standard load uses Sierra 110 Prohunters over H-322 with Tula 223 or CCI 41's. You can find these bullets for $22 to $24/100 and they are almost as accurate as the Sierra 115's.

Tejicano · December 24, 2013, 04:45 AM

Doesn't Ruger still make the Mini-14 in 6.8 SPC? I know they made one a few years ago but I haven't really been following that product line.

globemaster3 · December 25, 2013, 12:33 PM

I just checked the Ruger website. The only options for the mini per the website is .223/5.56, .223 (not a typo, they list .223 again separately), and 7.62x39mm.

I thought about a mini in 6.8 a few years ago, but was afraid of the caliber not catching on and the AR being more adaptable to other calibers.

steveNChunter · December 27, 2013, 06:39 PM

Would anything other than a rebarrel and opening the bolt face have to be done to make a .223 bolt rifle into a 6.8 spc?

I have a Ruger M77 MKII in .223 that I've been thinking about rebarreling to 6x45 but I haven't totally dismissed 6.8 spc

Not trying to thread hijack, I just figured I'd ask the question since it pertains to the topic.

JASmith · December 27, 2013, 07:27 PM

Quote:

from Geezerbiker -

The reason I'm asking is that I'm still trying to work out what guns to buy when I take my twin grandsons out deer hunting for the first time hopefully next year.

Tony,

If you have not already completely committed to the 6.8 SPC, take a look at some of the alternatives. Depending on their age, they may be able to handle the .257 Roberts, or the .260 Remington.

Another possibility is the 6.5 Grendel. This cartridge has been used by hunters as young as 8 years old to harvest deer and is still robust enough to take on elk. A two-volume reloading manual is available for the round and spells out the hunting characteristics in some detail: 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook. Get them an adjustable stock for the bolt-action or AR and they may still be using the rifle when they retire from active working life.

Geezerbiker · December 29, 2013, 04:45 AM

I'm not committed to anything and the 6.8mm is about to the end of it's curiosity for me. I have more than a dozen rifles but none of them particularity fit my 11 year old grandsons.

If I were more of a gunsmith and less of a mechanic, I would buy a couple savage Axis rifles in .223 and screw on 6.8mm barrels. This would be close to our price range and selling off the .223 barrels would offset part of the cost. I'm not up to trying this but I do like the idea...

Both boys are excited about deer hunting even though I've told them hunting around here is awful. Plenty of deer in the yard and none in the woods. The easy solution is to hold off on the hunt for a couple more years until they can shoot rifles I already own...

Anyway I'm thinking now of getting them Handi Rifles in .35 Remington. The one rifle I have they liked the feel of is my .45-70 Handi but neither of them is thrilled about shooting it and I can't blame them. I figure I could load premium .357 handgun bullets to around .357 max velocity and the recoil would be ok and we could load them warmer as the boy grow up...

I had forgotten how much trouble it was teaching their mother to shoot when she was that age. I think the recoil is more of a mental challenge than a physical one at that age. When my daughter was around 14 she inherited a Rem 78 Sportsman .243 from her uncle and I always talked about it being a light shooting round (for me) and she tried it and found it acceptable. Later on I told her my .308 only had a tiny bit more recoil and she did well with it.

Anyway I don't think I can head fake the boys that way...

Tony

steveNChunter · December 29, 2013, 11:46 AM

The .35 rem Handi-rifle isn't a bad idea but I didn't think they were still being made in .35 rem. I know the CVA hunter comes in .35 rem. Another thing to consider is getting brass. If you don't already have some it may be very hard to find. It sure is scarce around here anyway.

me26245 · December 29, 2013, 01:20 PM

While the 6.8 was issued to some spec-ops units for evaluation reviews were mixed. I think that pretty well sent the 6.8 into a niche market as an odd ball caliber.
When I researched alternative calibers to use in an AR platform my results indicated that the 6.5 Grendel was a better overall performing round.

Currently I can think of 4 manufactures of ammunition for the 6.5 Grendel, with Hornady being the latest to produce ammunition for the 6.5 Grendel. That brought down the cost of ammunition and reloading components quite a lot.

There are a lot of AR uppers that were sold and are still for sale in 6.8 so it will be around for a while, but I see it going the way of cartridges like the .303 Savage.

hodaka · December 29, 2013, 01:24 PM

Do you think anyone has compared the 6.8 SPC to the 6.5 Grendel?

JASmith · December 29, 2013, 07:41 PM

Quote:

from Hodaka --
Do you think anyone has compared the 6.8 SPC to the 6.5 Grendel?

Do you want to start a long-winded discussion?

Bottom line -- for hunting, about equal for the first 200 yards, with the Grendel edging the 6.8 between 200 & 300 yards and the Grendel outshining beyond that. Doesn't matter whether the barrel lengths being compared are 10", 16", 20" or 24" the comparisons will be more or less the same.

Derbel McDillet · December 30, 2013, 12:43 PM

I rebarreled a Colt AR15A2 with a 20" 6.8 barrel for general-purpose hunting and it has been a real pleasure to shoot. It's the most accurate non-free floated AR I've shot (I kept the standard handguards and front sight assembly and shoot iron sights only). I handload Hornady 110gr OTM for general-purpose use (although it's slightly more accurate with Sierra 110gr Pro-Hunter JSP bullets). With Hodgdon H332 it easily achieves 2600 fps. Recoil is negligible. I have 800 pc Silver State Armory brass for handloading.

Good luck with your choice!

December 20, 2013, 03:33 PM	#1
Geezerbiker Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: Willamina, OR Posts: 1,908	6.8SPC a flash in the pan or a long lasting round? It seems that excitement for this round is wearing off and other than AR's nothing is being made for it. I think a Savage Axis would be a good seller in this round for first time or youth deer hunters. The only bolt gun in 6.8 was an over priced Ruger that no one has in stock... What do you think? The reason I'm asking is that I'm still trying to work out what guns to buy when I take my twin grandsons out deer hunting for the first time hopefully next year. Tony

December 20, 2013, 08:52 PM	#3
globemaster3 Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2006 Posts: 1,482	Remington also made a 700 in 6.8, but they are fetching a nice price on GB. As for the future, I think it will be around. There are enough ARs out ther shooting it and new ammo being offered, I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon. I agree in either a bolt or AR format it is an excellent choice for deer. It's what my oldest is shooting now and it's on a short list for me in the future. Mild recoil and 1,000 ft lbs to 300yards.... The only thing not to like is the $1/round price. __________________ NRA Life Member "We have enough gun control. What we need is idiot control."

December 20, 2013, 10:00 PM	#6
CTS Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2011 Location: NE Georgia Posts: 1,070	You can buy ammo for it at many Wal Mart and Academy sports stores if that tells you anything about it's popularity. In a recent Guns and Ammo poll ranking AR calibers by popularity, 556X45 was number 1, 6.8SPC was number 2, 300 Black Out number 3 and 6.5Grendel was number 4. I wish I could still find it. __________________ 01 FFL, NRA, NAGR, GOA.

December 21, 2013, 12:43 AM	#7
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	If 6.8 had been the original AR round, there'd be a lot less threads on internet forums. __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

December 22, 2013, 07:30 AM	#11
globemaster3 Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2006 Posts: 1,482	Slappy, it's great to hear that GA has 6.8 around like that. Maybe I need to move there. Pecans, peaches, peanuts, 6.8 ammo at Walmart... What's not to like? About 3 weeks ago I trekked from St Louis to NM. Stopped at 5 Walmarts along the way as well as BPS HQ in Springfield. I could not find a single box of 6.8. Went to a local gun show here 2 weeks ago. Found 2 boxes of Hornady 110gr VMax for $29/box... No thanks. I keep an eye on Gunbot for ammo deals. I am going to be following hodaka's lead once this TDY is over and life settles down and start reloading for 6.8. __________________ NRA Life Member "We have enough gun control. What we need is idiot control."

December 20, 2013, 08:16 PM	#2
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	The 6.8 is perfect for an AR. There are more and better choices for a bolt gun. I think that tHe 6.8 will be around as long as AR's are around.

December 20, 2013, 09:12 PM	#4
BumbleBug Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2013 Location: Near Heart of Texas Posts: 870	The 6.8SPC is an interesting cartridge whose odd-ball military type name has kind of hindered its popularity. It should have been called the .270 something for the bolt guys & rode to popularity on the coat tails of the .270 Win. The AR community has done wonders for this cartridge & the .270 caliber itself. When AR shooters wanted a more powerful deer cartridge for their standard platform, the 6.8 was it. Soon the AR mass following was appeased with an excellent selection of bullets in the 85gr to 120gr range that functions beautifully on deer size game in a lower but wider velocity range. If there are any flies on the 6.8mm SPC it is the fact that factory ammo must loaded to a shorter OAL for magazine feeding an AR reducing its powder column. In the AR community, it seems to be making slow but significant gains in popularity. When a standard AR shooter wants to make a step up from the 5.56 this cartridge is THE BEST bet considering cost & performance. That just might assure the 6.8mm SPC future! JIMHO... ...bug

December 20, 2013, 09:35 PM	#5
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	I built an AR a few years back expecting the round to take off. I did not want to reload for it and had a bad time with ammo. I did use it for deer and was quite impressed with the little .270, but sold it. Ammo availability is everything to make a round popular. I still have a .260 REM and it was the same way. Not a lot offered as far as ammo when it came out. It is doing OK now. The 6.8 SPC may pick up more as it gets more exposure.

December 21, 2013, 07:36 AM	#8
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	For those of you who are interested in reloading, the 6.8 is an easy one to get into. Turns it into a less than $0.30 per round rifle for match ammo.

December 21, 2013, 11:11 PM	#9
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 3,364	It may be available now, but in what type of bullet ? Is it pretty much stuck in the semi-auto niche?

December 22, 2013, 12:02 AM	#10
tdoyka Senior Member Join Date: October 3, 2013 Location: windber, pa Posts: 300	http://matchgrademachine.com/ the 6.8spc can be 'tender or encore. it almost became an encore barrel, but i decided on the 6.5 creedmoor. 16 1/4 - 30" barrels can be made for a rifle, i make it around 18" for twin grandsons. 6.8 spc should be a good one, but the way they make ammo, it may be a flash in the pan.....

December 22, 2013, 10:39 AM	#12
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	My standard load uses Sierra 110 Prohunters over H-322 with Tula 223 or CCI 41's. You can find these bullets for $22 to $24/100 and they are almost as accurate as the Sierra 115's.

December 24, 2013, 04:45 AM	#13
Tejicano Senior Member Join Date: April 4, 2013 Posts: 168	Doesn't Ruger still make the Mini-14 in 6.8 SPC? I know they made one a few years ago but I haven't really been following that product line.

December 25, 2013, 12:33 PM	#14
globemaster3 Senior Member Join Date: January 28, 2006 Posts: 1,482	I just checked the Ruger website. The only options for the mini per the website is .223/5.56, .223 (not a typo, they list .223 again separately), and 7.62x39mm. I thought about a mini in 6.8 a few years ago, but was afraid of the caliber not catching on and the AR being more adaptable to other calibers. __________________ NRA Life Member "We have enough gun control. What we need is idiot control." Last edited by globemaster3; December 25, 2013 at 04:31 PM.

December 27, 2013, 06:39 PM	#15
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	Would anything other than a rebarrel and opening the bolt face have to be done to make a .223 bolt rifle into a 6.8 spc? I have a Ruger M77 MKII in .223 that I've been thinking about rebarreling to 6x45 but I haven't totally dismissed 6.8 spc Not trying to thread hijack, I just figured I'd ask the question since it pertains to the topic. __________________ DEO VINDICE

December 29, 2013, 04:45 AM	#17
Geezerbiker Senior Member Join Date: March 20, 2011 Location: Willamina, OR Posts: 1,908	I'm not committed to anything and the 6.8mm is about to the end of it's curiosity for me. I have more than a dozen rifles but none of them particularity fit my 11 year old grandsons. If I were more of a gunsmith and less of a mechanic, I would buy a couple savage Axis rifles in .223 and screw on 6.8mm barrels. This would be close to our price range and selling off the .223 barrels would offset part of the cost. I'm not up to trying this but I do like the idea... Both boys are excited about deer hunting even though I've told them hunting around here is awful. Plenty of deer in the yard and none in the woods. The easy solution is to hold off on the hunt for a couple more years until they can shoot rifles I already own... Anyway I'm thinking now of getting them Handi Rifles in .35 Remington. The one rifle I have they liked the feel of is my .45-70 Handi but neither of them is thrilled about shooting it and I can't blame them. I figure I could load premium .357 handgun bullets to around .357 max velocity and the recoil would be ok and we could load them warmer as the boy grow up... I had forgotten how much trouble it was teaching their mother to shoot when she was that age. I think the recoil is more of a mental challenge than a physical one at that age. When my daughter was around 14 she inherited a Rem 78 Sportsman .243 from her uncle and I always talked about it being a light shooting round (for me) and she tried it and found it acceptable. Later on I told her my .308 only had a tiny bit more recoil and she did well with it. Anyway I don't think I can head fake the boys that way... Tony Last edited by Geezerbiker; December 29, 2013 at 04:50 AM.

December 29, 2013, 11:46 AM	#18
steveNChunter Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2012 Location: Southern Appalachian Mtns Posts: 1,520	The .35 rem Handi-rifle isn't a bad idea but I didn't think they were still being made in .35 rem. I know the CVA hunter comes in .35 rem. Another thing to consider is getting brass. If you don't already have some it may be very hard to find. It sure is scarce around here anyway. __________________ DEO VINDICE

December 29, 2013, 01:20 PM	#19
me26245 Member Join Date: April 3, 2008 Location: midwest Posts: 42	6.8 While the 6.8 was issued to some spec-ops units for evaluation reviews were mixed. I think that pretty well sent the 6.8 into a niche market as an odd ball caliber. When I researched alternative calibers to use in an AR platform my results indicated that the 6.5 Grendel was a better overall performing round. Currently I can think of 4 manufactures of ammunition for the 6.5 Grendel, with Hornady being the latest to produce ammunition for the 6.5 Grendel. That brought down the cost of ammunition and reloading components quite a lot. There are a lot of AR uppers that were sold and are still for sale in 6.8 so it will be around for a while, but I see it going the way of cartridges like the .303 Savage.

December 29, 2013, 01:24 PM	#20
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 2,010	Do you think anyone has compared the 6.8 SPC to the 6.5 Grendel?

December 30, 2013, 12:43 PM	#22
Derbel McDillet Junior member Join Date: September 6, 2013 Location: Kitsap County, Washington Posts: 316	I rebarreled a Colt AR15A2 with a 20" 6.8 barrel for general-purpose hunting and it has been a real pleasure to shoot. It's the most accurate non-free floated AR I've shot (I kept the standard handguards and front sight assembly and shoot iron sights only). I handload Hornady 110gr OTM for general-purpose use (although it's slightly more accurate with Sierra 110gr Pro-Hunter JSP bullets). With Hodgdon H332 it easily achieves 2600 fps. Recoil is negligible. I have 800 pc Silver State Armory brass for handloading. Good luck with your choice!