Thoughts on the 6.8 AR

I would like some thoughts on the 6.8 AR. Anybody own one? Like it? Drawbacks?

Thats one on my future list

I have an upper sell but thought about keeping it. Just don't know much about the cartridge.

I have one. I like the way it shoots. Have not hunted with it yet. Go to 68forums.com for all the info you need about the 6.8

jbpmidas wrote:I think the 6.5 Grendel is similar balistically, but I know Wolf manufactures reloadable ammo for it. Don't know if they load for the 6.8. There's a really good article in the current Shotgun News on the 6.5 Grendel.

A friend of mine from Jackson that I shoot with has a Grendel. It is superior to the 6.8, depending on the platform you're shooting. He bought an Alexander Arms complete rifle in 6.5 w/ the 16" barrel. I think he's a tad disappointed with it, since with the shorter barrel it really doesn't live up to the claims that Alexander makes for the Grendel. That said, I think the Grendel probably DOES live up to Alexander's claims when fired from the longer barreled variants.

The 6.8 is a .277 (same as .270 Winchester) bullet fired from a modified .30 Remington case; the .30 Rem. being just a rimless .30-30. Bullet weights are rather light, so you're not getting the ballistic advantage of heavy-for-caliber bullets that you can get in a lot of other calibers. Basically, considering the origin and other specifics of it's design and construction, I think of it as a suped-up .30-30 using spitzer bullets. From what I understand it's pretty much a 300 yard round as far as practical effectiveness.

The Grendel is superior when fired from a 20-24" barrel, making use of it's better ballistic capabilities due to the higher velocities generated from the longer barrels. With the 6.8 I don't know if going to a longer barrel makes a significant difference in performance, since there's only so much performance you're going to get from the light-for-caliber bullets it fires. And, keep in mind, the 6.8 was designed from the get-go to be utilized in a 14.5-16" barreled platform.

Advantages as I see them for the 6.8SPC is a low recoiling hunting round you could use in your AR for Whitetail legally on public land. It's intended purpose from the get go was a more effective man stopper in an intermdiate range. So the 300yard accuracy thing although IMHO is overblown is not out of the question. I'm sure that it would get the job done beyond that. Funny how we want to get closer to the 7.62x39 round, or somewhere in the middle. I'm not opposed to the 6.5 Grendel either will get the job done better than the 5.56. Sorry mini rant! I'd like to see both cartridges take off.

My daddy has got a Stag 6.8, but we hanen't even fired it yet. The ballistics seem good though. Also, basically .270 bullet. Every .270 rifle I have ever shot would group well. I know the 6.8 is no .270 but the bullets are close to the same.

nhstk02 wrote:My daddy has got a Stag 6.8, but we hanen't even fired it yet. The ballistics seem good though. Also, basically .270 bullet. Every .270 rifle I have ever shot would group well. I know the 6.8 is no .270 but the bullets are close to the same.

We need a range report!

He's adding on to his house, so he is busy with that. But just as soon as we find the time, we are going to set up the bench and the chrono and sight it in.

nhstk02 wrote:My daddy has got a Stag 6.8, but we hanen't even fired it yet. The ballistics seem good though. Also, basically .270 bullet. Every .270 rifle I have ever shot would group well. I know the 6.8 is no .270 but the bullets are close to the same.

Its the same Diameter boolit. I ordered a bunch of the Hornady Match 110 Grain Hollow Point Boat Tail to plink with in my .270. They shoot very good.
Something to make a light load with and blast away.

I think the only handicap the Grendel has over the 6.8 is that it is not reliable in full auto with the bullets configuration whereas the 6.8 is. Besides that the Grendel is supposed to be more accurate at longer distances. Me thinks the 6.8 is very capable and a definite improvement over 556. That AMU 30 Gremlin is a newcomer with serious potential.

Have you guys seen the 6.8 forums web site? It's http://www.68forums.com/forums. There's a ton of info on that site. I learned enough reading the site for a few months that I was able to buy the parts and build my own (first) AR. Actually the upper was complete when I bought it, but I took it apart later to change the handguard, flash suppressor and gas block.

Anyway, you asked about the performance of the gun. I'm still working my handloads up for max velocity -- but I'm already getting 1 MOA or better at 50 yards. (Trying to get the Speer 90-gr TNT up to 2950 MV). I'm not an accuracy freak (minute of deer is OK by me) so I don't do neck turning or any of that intense brass prep. Also I haven't even started experimenting with bullet seating depth. And I'm using a chrome lined barrel, which they say are generally not as accurate as others. So I think with some work on these handloads, I should be able to get well under MOA performance out of it.

My understanding is that the Grendel outperforms the 6.8 at longer distances, but the 6.8 outperforms Grendel at closer ranges (i.e. out to about 250 yards) but don't quote me on that. I thought about the Grendel but I don't shoot at 250-300 yards anyway, and I can stuff more rounds in the mag with 6.8. Also, the 6.8 performs great out of a 16-inch barrel. You can buy 18 or 20-inchers, but generally speaking they only give about 50-80 fps more MV, depending on the load of course. I stalk the woods a lot during deer season, and I like my 16-inch barrel with no flash suppressor. Makes for a nice, compact, lightweight rifle.

I'm planning to bring my 6.8 to the Meet & Greet so come on by and shoot it if you like. Hope this info helps.

The new chamber design for the 6.8 has helped alot, i cant remember where i read it at but a guy did alot of work on a 6.8 after it came out and was able to get 3000fps out of a 16" barrel and accuracy was amazing. Ill find it and post it up.

"reamed to the .100 freebore dimensions of the SPC II chamber"


Some guys just posted up to argue that they dont like the 6.8 so just skip those post.. good read by the way.

http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1212721&page=1


He loaded some 150gr rounds that were perfect for subsonic use.