6.8 AR ???

[556nato]

What is this 6.8 round on AR? What is it advantage? How available is it?

[tacticalcity]

Probably want to post this in the Center File Rifles section instead. This section is basically just to say hello and introduce yourself to the old timers. I'm not upset about it, but the mods can get a little frustrated when people post outside of the designated section for the question. Gun guys like things organized.

In answer to your question. The 6.8 SPC is an experimental round that found itself in limited use by the US Military and has found a small measure of popularity in the civilian market.

It is meant to address complaints about the lack of stopping power of the 5.56mm round. Some experts adamantly feel the 5.56mm is not powerful enough while other experts feel it is more than sufficient and that the lighter recoil makes it more user friendly thus more effective. It is an old argument that is not going away any time soon.

The advantages of the 6.8 SPC has ballistics that fall pretty much right in between the 5.56mm and the larger .308. Meaning it flies flatter and further than the 5.56mm. Yet the unfired round is roughly the same length as the 5.56mm. So all you would need to do to transform an existing 5.56mm rifle into a 6.8 SPC rifle is change the barrel and the magazine. That is a lot less expensive than having to replace the entire rifle.

During testing it did great. And people were very enthusiastic about it. During implementation however there were mixed results.

Many people expected it to behave exactly like a .308, and while it is a lot closer than a 5.56mm it simply isn't a "sniper" (using that dreaded word instead of a much longer and more accurate description for the sake of saving time while still getting the point across) round. So those people were disappointed because they had unrealistic expectations.

Others expected it to be the ultimate CQB round because it had more knock down power. What they failed to consider is that it also has considerably more recoil. And in CQB speed is king. Recoil slows you down. And at face to face distances, it often takes several hits for shock to set in and a bad guy to drop no matter how big the round is. Guy's don't fly backwards when hit with a bullet like the do in the movies no matter how big the round is. They also don't just switch off and fall dead either. Not unless you you hit them in just the right spot of the brain or brain stem...something that is more rare than you think. What stops them is shock. The body has a lot harder time dealing with three to five decent size holes than one slighly bigger hole. Even the excess velocity can be a draw back when you are right next to them, as it does more to increase the changes of "to whom it may concern" rounds that rip right through the bad guy and keep on going down the street into the neightbors house but do little to increase the speed at which the body goes into shock. So while sometimes the extra power is great, a lot of the time it is a liability because it is slower and because it travels so much further. This is especially true as you add more and more bad guys to the equation that already includes a confined space that often results in less time to react to each threat.

Where the 6.8 really shines is both as an open field battle round and a perimeter security round. At the relatively long distances found in rural or middle of BFE battles like those found in the mountains of Afghanistan where battles occur from ridge to ridge the 6.8 does well. It also does well in an urban environment in the seudo-snipping role of perimeter security where the designated marksman's job is to keep the bad guys from getting anywhere near where the good guys are hold up.

It is not, however, the end all be all solution people had hoped it would be. It won't be completely replacing the 5.56mm like many had claimed. It is doing a good job of suplimenting it however.

The main draw back for civilian owners is the lack of availability of the round. Last time I looked into it, the only manufacturer making it was CorBon and they charges an arm and leg for it. I am sure Hornaday and others have probably chimed in by now, but it is likely still a very expensive round. If it is your only AR, it's not the smartest move to have one chambered in 6.8 SCP because you won't shoot it very often. You either won't be able to find ammo or you won't be able to afford ammo. However, it if is one of many then it makes a great addition to your collection.

That is my take on the 6.8 SPC. Die hard fans and die hard haters will both disagree with me on almost every point. Hope it helps.

[resident-shooter]

it sux yo

[biker777]

I have one and like it . shoots pretty darn nice...Heres what I have found as far as ammo manufacturers..

Remington
Hornaday
Silver State Armory
Corbon
Selier and Bellot

as fars as recoil : I shot one my 5.56 AR's and my 6.8 AR yesterday at the range side by side..the recoil difference to me was minimal at best..not enough to consider as far as I am concerned but does feel a bit more like a rifle is being shot..

any questions just pm me..

[556nato]

Thank you, and I will look more closely to get the rigth section to my post, I am new on this posting and asking.

Thank you, your respond clearly answer my questions.

[tacticalcity]

See the lovers love it and the haters hate it. Just like everything else.

[BodyPiercingByColt]

6.8 is a good round that has it's place.
Though I think in terms of .45>9mm and .308>5.56.

[tacticalcity]

6.8 is a good round that has it's place.
Though I think in terms of .45>9mm and .308>5.56.

When it comes to ammo choice it depends more on what you are using it for, and who the shooter is.

In a Full Auto SMG I would rather have 9mm than 45ACP because in that platform 45ACP in very unruley. On a CBQ rifle I would rather have 5.56mm.

If my 13 year old cousin wants to go to Front Sight with me I want him using a 9mm handgun (the smallest round allowed) instead of my 45ACP because it simply would be too much for him to handle. He'll have enough on his plate just learning the material. I don't want him struggling with such a heavy hard hitting round that has all that recoil and cause fatigue. I want him focused.

So I agree with you that each round has its time and place but not that bigger is better.

[BodyPiercingByColt]

When it comes to ammo choice it depends more on what you are using it for, and who the shooter is.

So I agree with you that each round has its time and place but not that bigger is better.

Oh, I definitely agree with you on that first part.
And don't get me wrong; when I have kids I'm not taking "Johnny" out and just dropping a .44 mag in his hands.
Plus, in these economic times, believe me I understand when ammo price comes into the picture.
But just as I would rather have a 12GA rather than a 10/22 for home defense, I, for me, prefer the larger caliber (in general at least).

"A chef's knife can do anything a paring knife can do. However, a paring knife can not do everything a chef's knife can do."

[DeanW66]

Welcome aboard!

There is a whole forum dedicated to the 6.8SPC round.

[biker777]

Welcome aboard!

There is a whole forum dedicated to the 6.8SPC round.

^^ not a valid link

[DeanW66]

^^ not a valid link

Whoops, missed the all important S. Fixed now.

[ivanimal]

I bought one for hunting CA deer so far it has only seen range time. Impressive #'s for4 deer tho.

[krushem2000]

I bought one for hunting CA deer so far it has only seen range time. Impressive #'s for4 deer tho.

thats why I got my 6.8 spc for deer round... guess we can form 6.8spc hunting club here in ca ivan? welcome to forum OP!! You'll learn the pros and cons of 6.8spc when you get a chance to fire it.