6.8 SPC Round?

[ThomasT]

Is the 6.8 SPC round still in use? I haven't heard much about it in the last couple of years. Of all the alternate rounds loaded in the AR-15 style rifles I thought it was the best of the bunch with a good balance of power and bullet weight.

I just checked the Ruger site to see if they still chambered the Mini-14 in the round and they do not show one. So maybe the 300BO has killed it off. I really don't know.

So does anyone have any input on the round and it uses today? I thought it made a great deer round in a bolt action rifle.

[greentick]

Still alive and well. 68forums for the current-est info.

[precision_shooter]

I’m more of a 6.5 Grendel fan than 6.8 spc. Better performance across all bullet weights and at lower pressures with the 6.5 Grendel.

Though neither seem to be as popular (not as talked about anyway) as they were a year ago.

[ed308]

Still around and very popular with hunters. It may actually gain in popularity with the .224 Valkyrie being introduced and using the same bolts and mags. Time will tell. I never saw 6.8 brass laying around when I built my first 6.8 back in 2012. And even 6 years ago at my local range when I first moved to Texas. Now, I frequently find 6.8 brass at the range.

But finding a bolt rifle is a little more difficult, since no one makes a 6.8 bolt action rifle to my knowledge. That may easier with the popularity of the .224 Valkyrie. There's plenty of threads on the 6.8 Forum about converting a bolt a 6.8 with a Savage Axis rifle.

[greentick]

Better performance across all bullet weights and at lower pressures with the 6.5 Grendel.

<Not trying to start another 6.8/6.5 dogpile>

The first part of that statement is debatable...

The second part could be reworded: The 6.8 is capable of running at higher pressures than the 6.5G safely.

[eastbank]

I have a encore rifle barrel(24") in 6.8 and it shoots quite well at the higher end loading specks, its just to heavy for my taste and I,m going to sell it.

[Wyosmith]

I know several men and women in the Riverton, Shoshoni, Lander, Gillette, Casper and Green River areas of Wyoming who all love them.

I have personally killed 36 head of game with the 6.8. Among my friends in Wyoming, one in Montana, one in Illinois who hunts in Montana and Wyoming, and 2 in Nevada both of whome hunt also in Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico, we have a count (last count anyway) of 168 head killed so far.

Here in Wyoming it is very much alive and doing well.

I also have made and owned two 6.5 Grendels. Good round. But having killed some game with it too, (9, which may not be a fare comparison to the 36 killed with the 6.8. I have seen about 15 other kills with 6.5Gs besides my own.)

I found I prefer the 6.8. I sold my 2 Grendels.

The 6.5G is a better long distance round and also does better in rifle length barrels, but the 6.8 gives the same velocities in the carbine length barrels with the same (or very close) bullet weights and the 6.8 puts the deer and antelope on the ground a bit faster. Not "worlds ahead," but I have seen it consistently. When the US Army did their test a few yeas ago they found the same thing.

For me I prefer the faster stops/kills I get with the 6.8 and the longer range of the 6.5 is not something that excited me much, because I own a 25-06, several 270s, two 308s, three 30-06s, a 300 H&H, an 8X57, a 9.3X62, a 9.3X74R and a 375H&H, all of which beat both shells at 300 yards and farther and beat them badly.

If someone was to be starting out and wanted one rifle for deer and antelope, and was looking for the best round to cover the most ground, the 6.5 probably would get my recommendation over the 6.8.
But I have many other rifles that do the longer distance killing a LOT better then either the 6.8 or the 6.5G. So that is why, for my own use, the 6.8 is preferred.

One bullet no one seems to talk about much in the 6.5 that REALLY should be paid more attention is the 125 grain Nosler Partition. That is the only bullet I have used that seems to kill as well as many of the 6.8 bullets. If I had started out with the 6.5 and only loaded the 125 grain partitions, I just might be of a differing opinion now.

Most of the deer and antelope I have killed with the 6.8 have fallen at the shot, and a few have moved about 6-8 feet. Only one deer went more than about 15 yards are the hit. Of the 36 I have killed only about 6 didn't drop instantly.

Of the 9 head I shot with my 6.5 Grendels only 2 fell at the shots, and the other 7 went about 15-30 yards and fell. That's still not bad, but just not as dramatic as I saw with the 6.8s. The 2 that dropped were both killed with the above 125 grain Partitions and one other was too, which staggered about 10 yards and then fell.

The longest shot I have made with the 6.8 is about 375 yards. The longest shot I have made with a 6.5G is about 210 yards. So oddly, the 6.5 will shoot flatter and buck wind better, but so far I have made several longer shots with the 6.8.

That was not the plan but just how it's worked out.

[ThomasT]

Thanks WYosmith and everyone else. My question was more academic than anything else mainly because I hadn't heard anything about the the round to the point I had sort of forgot about it.

But after looking closer at the ballistics I don't know that it does anything my 7-08 doesn't already do except fit in the AR and similar platforms. I thought when it came out it made a nice .270 Lite round. I like a .270 but for the ranges I hunt deer it is almost too much of a good thing unless you take the edge off of it a little.

I loaded down my 7-08 for a young girl to use on a youth hunt at school with 120gr Sierra bullets designed for T/C pistol velocities to around 2600fps and she killed for deer with four shots. The 6.8SPC would have worked just as well in the same roll.

[Mobuck]

I wouldn't "waste" the 6.8 on a Mini-14.
I find the 6.8 preferable to the other options although maybe I haven't given the 6.5G a fair test, but it's hard to lay aside a fine, functional 6.8 to piddle with the 6.5G.

[riffraff]

To the original post. To me its odd they make the 300BO and 7.62x39 versions, basically 300BO was about making a more AR15 friendly 7.62x39 .. (sure SBR, suppressor friendly and all that too but its basically just an expensive "cool" version of the same caliber that always worked well in the mini 30 anyway)

[Charlie98]

The .300BO and 6.5CM are the new kids on the block... I think, eventually, both the 6.5G and the 6.8SPC will be just a footnote. Having said that, I really want to build a 6.8SPC AR...

[amprecon]

There is definitely a "new awakening" on ballistic coefficients and sectional density these days and it is again...…..all about the numbers to some folks.

The .270 caliber has enjoyed iconic status in the U.S., especially out west, and no one questions it's killing ability. Yet there never was a huge interest in 6.5 or .260 calibers here as there is in Scandinavia/Europe where they use it on their larger red deer/elk.

Nonetheless, myself being a .30 caliber fan, never gave the .270 much thought let alone hi-speed .22 calibers. I disregarded the AR altogether because of the caliber it was in and chose the 7.62x39 AK instead.

Then they developed the 6.8spc......for the AR, and I was sold, better ballistics (energy) than either 5.56 or 7.62x39 and in the better platform.

I jumped on the 6.8spc bandwagon years ago and have no intentions of getting off any time soon.

[ThomasT]

Amprecon you are saying what I was thinking. That the 6.8 was a great round for the AR and similar autos but a good game round for a light recoiling bolt gun.

I don't have a .270 hunting rifle anymore and barely shot the ones I had. My 7x57 was my rifle of choice for deer hunting until I got a 7-08 Remington model 7. A short action 6.8 would do better than a 243 for our small TX deer IMHO but bet I get a few who say not. I just like a little bigger bullet with more weight.

My bud has always hunted with a 270 but loaded with 150gr bullets and as far as I can tell kicks just as hard as my 30-06. We shot some of my left over 130gr .270 rounds in his gun and what a difference it was. Now the traditional 130gr bullets are all he shoots. One of the 120gr 6.8 bullets loaded to 2600-2800fps start velocity might be just the thing.

[CarJunkieLS1]

As an owner of a 6.8spc and a 6.5 Grendel for paper ill take my Grendel for deer give me the 6.8.

I've killed game with both rounds and at the 200 yards or less shots I'll ever have the bonded and faster bullet of the 6.8 just seems to penetrate more and kill faster. That's my take on it and I find my Grendel stays in the safe more and more over other AR's I have for hunting.

[Brutus]

New to this caliber, just got a 6.8 upper for my AR15,18" 1 in 11 twist.
Took her out last weekend, shot Hornady and Sellor-Beloit factory loads for starters getting about 2630/2670 fps. from both 110gr. offerings ( Sellor-Beloit were a bit faster).
For my first attempt at reloads I loaded up 5 110gr. Nosler Accubonds with new starline brass, CCI small mag primers and 28.2 gr. of Accurate 2200 powder. Since I had to zero in the scope I was on the fifty yard range but all 5 rounds printed a 1/2" group at 2570 fps, boy was I happy since neither factory rounds made a group that small.

[ed308]

For a plinking load, try the Nosler CC bullets with a similar load. .5 MOA in my ARP barrel

[homesick]

I too have both the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8 SPC. 1st in my experience the 6.5 does not shoot accurately with a 16" bbl. tried it and went to an 18". reason I didn't go longer we hog hunt at night so weight is a factor. As for the 6.8 it shoots very good with 16" bbl. and seems to have a bit more stopping power. Just from my experience. Both my rifles are MSR (the 6.5 is a BCA bbl. and the 6.8 I believe is a Ghost but am not sure about that.
I know Ruger makes a bolt in the 6.5 and the may by others but not sure if any one makes a bolt in the 6.8.

[Geezerbiker]

I thought the 6.8mm would make a great youth rifle in a bolt action. Apparently not enough people thought so... My grandsons are now grown enough to shoot larger calibers without flinching so it's not so interesting to me anymore.

I have one lower receiver that I haven't yet decided on how to build and it might end up as a 6.8mm...

Tony

[FishinLuke]

The 6.8 SPC is still very much alive and well. Personally, I think the advent of the 6.5 Creedmoor really gave the 6.5 Grendel a boost of enthusiasm given the shared caliber, that and the Wolf steel case fodder. With this a lot of new shooters started gravitating towards the Grendel.



The 6.8 SPC was designed for reliability in mind, all one has to take a look at is the case design versus the 6.5 Grendel for one to see. It was an easy choice between the two for me.

The 6.8 SPC hits harder at hunting/SD distances, the 6.5 Grendel has better BC bullets for longer range target work, as the energies at the point the BC's take over doesn't leave much ethicality on game.

Like was mentioned before the 6.8 SPC was designed to be an attempt at a military replacement for the 5.56, so there was a lot of design influences it benefited from in regards to magazine feeding, bolt strength, pressures for military function, etc, etc.

There are too many benefits to the 6.8 SPC for me to over look. But one is right in saying the 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendel are very similar ballistically, so why not pick the better design?

20" barrel
90gr Gold Dot pushing 2,950-3,000 fps
110gr Accubond traveling at 2,800+ fps

But this comparison has been beat to death, just choose one that gives you the warm and fuzzies and move on.

[bedlamite]

Originally Posted by Geezerbiker

I thought the 6.8mm would make a great youth rifle in a bolt action. Apparently not enough people thought so...

I would love to see a lightweight stainless hunter model from Savage in 6.8spc. They already make the bolt face and magazine for the Valkyrie, so all they would need to do is chamber the barrel. I built a Savage 6.8 a few years ago with an ARP barrel, opened up 223 bolt face, modified 223 magazine, and a Viper PST 2.5-10 scope, and it's become my favorite hunting rifle with 100gr Accubonds over AA2200.

[FishinLuke]

I've been waiting for some good Valkyrie bolt guns to come on the market, as I would love to build a 6.8 SPC bolt gun. I missed the boat on buying the Rem 700 6.8 SPC's they built, and now they are stupid expensive when one can find them.

[Mobuck]

"I've been waiting for some good Valkyrie bolt guns to come on the market,"

Why? No need to wait for anything. Just have a gunsmith chamber a fast twist barrel in 22/250 or 220 Swift with a long throat.