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Old February 23, 2017, 07:35 PM   #26
rickyrick
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The conversation here has convinced me that a 16" barrel will suit my needs. I'm a short range hunter, when I still hunted. When I return to hunting, I will be a short range hunter again. This upper would not get used much, about as much as any dedicated hunting rifle would get used.

Because all the hardware needed to assemble a 16"'upper is already on hand, cost the cost will be negligible. Decent free float hand guards are overpriced in my mind, so having some on hand is a bonus. I hate tube shopping.

Feel free to continue the conversation, I find it helpful, someone else may too.
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Old February 23, 2017, 11:53 PM   #27
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Gotta give Wyo credit for getting me to take a second look--the 6.8 spc does seem to have come a long way since I did my first build--a type 2 which was still a new chamber design and frankly never shot that well for me--but for me that meant it didn't group under 1.5" at 100--so that was certainly hunting acceptable. I took a look at APR's 5R button-rifled barrels--with their own improved throat and free-bore design, have to admit that does look like a hot ticket. Unfortunately the 18" ones are all sold out, but a 16 does look perfectly acceptable. I also noticed they have a fluted 6.8 wildcat necked down to 6.5 at a reduced price of $135--that sure looks tempting.
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Old February 24, 2017, 12:17 AM   #28
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ARP has 16" 3R barrels scheduled for March. There's a thread on the 6.8 Forum about the Six5. The advantage with the Six5 is use of a 6.8 bolt so less potential to break. I may build a Grendel or a Six5 at some point. But it will be with a longer barrel, 18" minimum.
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Old February 24, 2017, 01:01 AM   #29
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Quote:
ARP has 16" 3R barrels scheduled for March. There's a thread on the 6.8 Forum about the Six5. The advantage with the Six5 is use of a 6.8 bolt so less potential to break. I may build a Grendel or a Six5 at some point. But it will be with a longer barrel, 18" minimum.
I've done several gredel/264 lbc builds and never had a bolt failure--though I suppose it can happen--I remember the "type 1 vs type 2 wars" and my recollection it mostly boiled down to what chambered better that was the real problem--aggravated by the fact that manufacturers were "fudging" a bit to get around an apparently patent-intransigent Bill Alexander when the design was first rolled out.

BTW--I didn't perhaps look closely enough--the ARP 3R "hybrid" rifling--is that a polygonal/angle channel type rifling as opposed to a straight channel cut?
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Old February 24, 2017, 01:06 AM   #30
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Midway has the .277 90gr TNT on sale for $106 for 650 right now. They work great in the 6.8 over H4198 or RL7.
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Old February 24, 2017, 11:38 AM   #31
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I have shot the Speer 90 Gr TNTs in a few 6.8s I made and they are about the most accurate bullet around for the shell, but they do exactly what they say they will......blow up!
Not what I would choose for killing game.

My friend Clay used one to kill an antelope. He said the bullet came completely apart and penetration was poor. It was a good thing he hit the heart.

Stag, the 100 gr Remingtons are not boat tails. Just flat base bullets. I'd bet they are simply the same bullet as the 130 gr Cor-Lokt, just shorter. Here is a link to midway's site so you can see them.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/16...ted-soft-point

I am guessing the jackets are thicker then the Speer hot core and the Sierras, but they are just plain vanilla bullets as far as design goes.

In my 2 rifles I get close to MOA from them. I get better accuracy from Sierra, Speer some Hornady's and Barnes. But when I am hunting deer or antelope and shoot from off hand sitting or even prone, close to MOA (about 1.1 to 1.2")is good enough for me, and it's been good enough to kill everything I have shot. I like the fact I get exits almost every time from the Remingtons. I rate them as my top choice for a good value overall.

Some may be better, more accurate and hold more weight after impact, but these are doing all i have asked of them so far. Shooting a lot of rounds makes us good shooters, and the "better" bullets cost more than I can afford to fire thousands of rounds with. When I bought my Remingtons I got 10,000 of them from Black Hills in 2003.
I am now down to about 400 left and I will be sad if I can't get more, but 15 years ago they were fairly cheap.

Now I see the Speer and Sierra are about the same cost, but still the Remingtons are affordable (if they will make more for us)

If you want to shoot varmints or just show off, the Speer 90 Gr TNT is the one to look at.

If you can afford to shoot a lot of them, maybe the Nosler Accubond is the top choice for excellence in the 6.8. Maybe their bonded solid base is too, but so far I have not seen anything killed with the solid base and only 1 deer killed with an Accubond. It worked fine.

But if you want to shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot and shoot------ rocks, dirt clots, sticks, paper, tin-cans wood blocks, rabbits, antelope, coyotes, deer, badgers, fox, feral cats, skunks and anything else that presents itself, and never worry about "what load" you have, -----I like the 100 gr Remingtons overall. They have enough accuracy to get the job done from an AR, out to 450, and their lethality is well proven to me.
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Old February 24, 2017, 12:09 PM   #32
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Wyosmith- I've used the Accubond for about the last 15 years. It's my bullet of choice for large game. The 100gr Accubond from my 6.8 will punch right through both shoulders of a 200+ lb buck and keep going. Here's the exit wound from a couple years ago. Accuracy is good too, here's the 110gr from an ARP barrel:



90 gr TNT from the same gun:



Both of those loads were developed in my Ko-Tonics Barrel, this was just to see what my new ARP barrel would do with loads I already had.
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Old February 24, 2017, 12:49 PM   #33
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OK OK--I give up!

I just broke down and ordered a 6.8 spc barrel from ARP just to see how much better it is than the ones I had previously. LOL I still have 6.8 dies and about half a thousand SSA cases lying around, so I should be ready as soon as the other needed parts are in.
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Old February 24, 2017, 01:34 PM   #34
rickyrick
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Lol, sorry for causing a extraneous barrel purchase.

This will cause me to
Try Grendel next.
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Old February 24, 2017, 01:36 PM   #35
stagpanther
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I've spent LOTS of time developing grendel loads--take it from me it's worth getting a barrel longer than 16" : )
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Old February 24, 2017, 01:55 PM   #36
rickyrick
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So yes, I'm thinking 6.8 for "brush gun" and Grendel for a more rifle type use.
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Old February 24, 2017, 02:03 PM   #37
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Them shorter flatbase 6.8's are a pain to find--but since you guys got me all excited to do a new build (yeah, I know that took a lot of arm-twisting) I will let you know Midsouth has at this very moment (minus the several hundred I just ordered) 100 and 115 gr accubonds--they too are mucho hard to find. : )
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Old February 24, 2017, 02:21 PM   #38
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Happy hunting stag.
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Old February 24, 2017, 02:29 PM   #39
stagpanther
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Quote:
Happy hunting stag.
Thanks

You're partially to blame for this spending splurge ya know. lol
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Old February 24, 2017, 07:44 PM   #40
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Yeah, I know.........call it a fault.




If you'd like I can tell you all the reasons I can think of to not do it.

Would you feel better than?













Or I could simply do my maniacal laugh and stand by for the coming hunting stories.

Resistance is futile. Just give up!


HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
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Old February 24, 2017, 09:17 PM   #41
stagpanther
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Actually, I always build a couple of ARs over the winter--instead of, say, knitting a sweater. lol
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Old February 24, 2017, 09:22 PM   #42
rickyrick
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I was only gonna build one, they just keep coming!

I was a one gun guy for a very long time. I moved up to the formula of: one pistol, one shotgun, one rifle and one rimfire.

less than two years after my first AR, <POOF> they're everyfreekinwhere
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Old February 25, 2017, 01:23 AM   #43
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sooner or later you'll have to start reloading--bunch of guns and reloading go hand-in-hand.
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Old February 25, 2017, 01:28 AM   #44
ed308
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Good choice of the Accurbonds for hunting. I also like Horandy 120 gr SST. Try Nosler's 115 gr Custom Comp bullets a plinking round and barrel breakin. I get 1/2" groups with that bullet and every barrel I shoot them in. For 6.8, Accurate 2200 is the best powder with ARP barrels but ARP's website has some other suggestions. #41 primer work well with that powder. I use mostly SSA brass. But I've got several thousand of Federal brass stocked up plus some Horandy and S&B. Horandy is the easiest new brass to find. Although new Nosler SSA brass is starting to show up again.

Last edited by ed308; February 25, 2017 at 01:39 AM.
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Old March 17, 2017, 01:21 PM   #45
rickyrick
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Should I build a 16&quot; 6.8spcII upper?

Well here it is, oddly enough when I ordered the scope, I didn't pay attention to the objective size... LOL. So I have a 50mm bell. It's ok but does look odd.

In the end, I tore down a pistol upper for no good reason, because I didn't reuse any parts; the sales were just too great.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Old March 17, 2017, 10:25 PM   #46
ed308
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Nice. What grip is that? I've not seen one like that before.
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Old March 18, 2017, 12:24 AM   #47
rickyrick
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I covered it in leather, just a plain A2 grip
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Old March 20, 2017, 03:52 PM   #48
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Wyosmith

Quote:
The gains you get from the Grendel over the 6.8 are really only realized when you compare the 6.5 to the 6.8 in 20" and longer barrels.
Exactly. I got the DPMS Overwatch upper and it was just too heavy. Had it cut to 20" and it's much more manageble and I only gave up 100fps for 2450 with the 123SST. 3 shots in .3", 10 in one inch. My load is 1.5 grains off max, too. I will confess that I'm a 6.5 fan, with a 260 and a 6.5-06, too.
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Old March 20, 2017, 04:35 PM   #49
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I must say, I have enjoyed this thread, I have been considering a Grendel build. The 6.8 seemed to have peaked and people moved on to bigger and better calibers, or so the general consensus would have one believe. There is no question the 6.5 Grendel is all that then some, but apparently there are some mitigating factors that may render it somewhat less than ideal for the average, workaday Joe. I guess I got caught up in all the long range hooplah.I, like Stag am reconsidering as we speak. Having a more user friendly rifle for 99% of your hunting makes boucoup sense, Thanks for the intelligent information and the chuckles!
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Old March 20, 2017, 05:19 PM   #50
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I certainly have no regrets--this 6.8 build is one of my best builds ever and I really appreciate being turned onto ARP barrels--I knew about them but their website store seemed a bit hokey to me--until a few folks here testified to how good they are. I shoot both grendel and 6.8 a fair amount, my opinion is you might as well have one of each (provided you reload too).

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