6.5 or 6.8 what to get?

[BLACK LION]

Finished my 6.8 SPC II ebr today.



PSA 6.8 SPC II 14.5" Upper
Magpul Mid Length Handguards
Aimpoint Pro
Troy Industries Di-Optic Aperture Folding Battle Sight Rear
BCM Mod 4 Charging Handle
Aero Precision lower
PSA LPK with Geissele G2S Trigger
BCM Gunfighter Grip Mod 3
VLTOR E-mod Stock

TITS bro!!!

[BLACK LION]

Seems negligible to me.






Was going to go with Bison as I've only heard good things but decided to get a less expensive upper so I'd have some money to buy some expensive 6.8 ammo. 75 CPR is no bueno. Hopefully 6.8 gets more popular and the ammo prices come down a little.

IIRC
The 6.8 round loses no velocity in barrels from 12" to 16".
The 6.8 gains about 50 + fps when moving from a 16" to an 18" barrel and 100+ fps when moving from a 16" to 20" barrel.
The numbers depend heavily on if you are using factory loads or handloads.
If you are running a pistol you will notice a decrease in fps when utilizing a barrel under 12".
I have seen pistol barrels in 7.5 / 8.5 / 9.5 and 10.5 inches. I settled on a 9.5" Black Hole Weaponry pistol barrel but I have no idea how much velocity I am losing from my standard configuration (14" barrrel with perm attached md which brings it just over 16" oal).
I had considered getting around a 13" barrel and permanently attaching a KX3 but I went a different route.

[BLACK LION]

I had Ben at Bison Armory build me this 6.8 upper:

[ATTACH]321772[/ATTACH]

Whenever I go home I take it with me, it is a most excellent hog gun.

Ben is a good guy, and his prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the parts he uses.

Ben is outstanding and he knows his s***.

[BadMatt]

I so wanted a tricked out AR for deer hunting, but after considering the ballistics, price, and ammo availability, i could never justify it. 6.5 and 6.8 struggle on ballistics compared to standard hunting calibers. Factoring price and ammo availability, traditional bolt actions are superior. You can buy a whole bolt gun for the price of an upper.

For ballistics, see http://www.chuckhawks.com/rifle_ballistics_table2.htm

[k1dude]

6.5 and 6.8 struggle on ballistics compared to standard hunting calibers.

The Grendel packs the same punch as a .243 and more than a 30/30. Both of those calibers are well known deer and pig stoppers. The 6.8 numbers on the linked chart aren't 6.8 SPC II which is more powerful than the antiquated 6.8 SPC. So the 6.5 and 6.8 have some respectable company in the hunting world.

[waveslayer]

If you are going to hunt get the 6.5. You have better bullets available and the performance is unbelievable

[jmpgnr24k]

I agree with the 308 guys. With what it takes to practice have fun and availability it's the way to go. Like the ar platform? Ar10

[deckhandmike]

How about 7.62x39? Ballistics close to 6.8 for a fraction of the cost. You can plink and hunt with the same gun.

[k1dude]

I agree with the 308 guys. With what it takes to practice have fun and availability it's the way to go. Like the ar platform? Ar10

Unless you're hiking deep into the backcountry to chase your prey. Then the extra 2 to 3 pounds of a .308 AR begin to beat you up. Especially when you're humping up and down steep hills/mountains.

[toby]

For a hunting application pick the better ballistics=6.5 and be happy you did.

[sprig]

Went down that road had a very nice LWRD M6A3 6.8, Sold it to buy the LWRC SIX8 Razorback redesigned model....

Then mulling over the 6.8 round once it was sold. Considering having to stock another ammo size. No 10 round mag's made, 10/30's are too big.

I put my funds into a .308 FDE SCAR 17. I think is was a very good choice.