AR15 Question
I have a fellow who wants to trade an AR for another item I have and has given me the description below. He has two AR's for trade, but I really don't know what 6.8 SPC is, or stands for.
"I've got one in 6.8 SPC and one in 5.56/.223."
I already have an HBAR Colt, but would not mind having another to shoot, I just want to understand the difference.
EDIT:
I did a search on 6.8 in the forum. Disregard my inquiry.
EDIT II
Armalite,
Thanks for the description. Now, I need to decide if I should trade for the 6.8 or the 5.56. Since I akready have the 5.56 in the HBAR model, I may make the trade for the 6.8. Who knows, the ammo looks pricey and it may be just another "gimick" like the 45GAP. A round that may be harder to get as time goes on.
Thanks,
Aaron
"I've got one in 6.8 SPC and one in 5.56/.223."
I already have an HBAR Colt, but would not mind having another to shoot, I just want to understand the difference.
EDIT:
I did a search on 6.8 in the forum. Disregard my inquiry.
EDIT II
Armalite,
Thanks for the description. Now, I need to decide if I should trade for the 6.8 or the 5.56. Since I akready have the 5.56 in the HBAR model, I may make the trade for the 6.8. Who knows, the ammo looks pricey and it may be just another "gimick" like the 45GAP. A round that may be harder to get as time goes on.
Thanks,
Aaron
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AM CONSIDERING THE PURCHASE OF AN AR15 ,LOOKING AT OLYMPIC ARMS 223 PLINKER AND ARMALITE M15 A4 FLAT TOP. THE OLYMPIC IS ABOUT 250.00 CHEEPER,,IS IT WORTH THE SAVINGS? DO THEY BOTH ACCEPT STANDARD AR15 ACCESSORIES ,CLIPS,SIGHTS,FURNITURE ETC. THANKS,,,,,
RONK7716@CS.COM0 -
How about the difference in range and "knockdown"? 0 -
6.8 SPC uses a 110-115 gr. 270 caliber bullet at about 2,700 FPS. Similar in power to a 7.62x39. Its a great caliber on deer sized game. SPC is a Sepcial Purpose Cartridge designed by Remington at the request of the military for a heavier caliber to be used in an AR15 type rifle to be possibly used by the military. So far its seen limited use in combat but has caught on more in the sporting world. Remington, Hornady, SSA, and others make ammuniton for it. 0 -
Once you have one complete AR, you can usually change the uppers and calibers. 0 -
[img]MOONED Member USA 701 Posts Posted - 08/10/2011 : 8:33:43 PM Show Profile Email Poster Reply with Quote I have a fellow who wants to trade an AR for another item I have and has given me the description below. He has two AR's for trade, but I really don't know what 6.8 SPC is, or stands for. "I've got one in 6.8 SPC and one in 5.56/.223." I already have an HBAR Colt, but would not mind having another to shoot, I just want to understand the difference. EDIT: I did a search on 6.8 in the forum. Disregard my inquiry. EDIT II Armalite, Thanks for the description. Now, I need to decide if I should trade for the 6.8 or the 5.56. Since I akready have the 5.56 in the HBAR model, I may make the trade for the 6.8. Who knows, the ammo looks pricey and it may be just another "gimick" like the 45GAP. A round that may be harder to get as time goes on. Thanks, Aaron Edited by - MOONED on 08/11/2011 09:01:36 AM[/img]
It's no gimmick ammo can be had for around $16 a box. If you reload its even cheaper. If you have more then one AR or even a bunch of rifles its much cheaper to reload. You can get a Lee kit for around $100 for a basic press, scale and powder measure. That will get you started with not much invested.
As far as a gimmick nearly every AR rifle manufacturer makes at least one or two rifles in 6.8 Spc that's about 100 different possibilities hardly a gimmick. You won't find 5 gun companies making 45 Gap. There are a few different bolt guns floating around as well.
All the different parts companies are making barrels and bolts as well so you can build your own, again hardly a flash in the pan. Will it every be as popular as a 308, 30-06, or even .223 no. Its more of a niche caliber but one that isn't going away.
There are least 10 companies manufacturing 6.8 ammo and some making multiple styles. So ammo is not a problem. Is it cheap not really but what else is now a days.0 -
Armilite,
Good post, I abbreviated mine because I saw 'mooned's' first edit.
The 6.8 SPC has more power than the 5.56/.223. It has a case that is just shorter (2mm) than the 5.56/.223. But, bigger in diameter, .420" vs. .378". It holds about five more useful grains of powder in a load.
These have been slowly gaining in popularity. As people are recognizing you can get more power from the AR-15 platform.
Here's the tradeoff though. You can't stick what few high BC bullets the .277 caliber has in one and shoot it magazine length. You would have to single shoot those. Also, the case doesn't have enough oomph to really push out the heaviest of those at a productive velocity. About the best you can do is use the 130 SMK and single feed it.
On the contrary, in the 5.56/223, you can load 68/69/70 gr. match bullets and 75/77 hp match bullets to magazine length and just barely get to 1k. You can't load the 75 or 80 gr. A-max or any of the 80-85 gr. HP's to magazine length. The ogives are just too long. Even still they don't get to 1k as well as a whole bunch of other options.
That said, I went with the 6.5 Grendel, which has also gained in popularity (but not as much as the 6.8), and seen very limited military service (before it too was thrown off the wagon). The reason was simple. I can get to 1k easily with any of the three 123 gr. bullets made for that, SMK, A-max, and Lapua Scenar. I can also get there with the Sierra 107 SMK and Lapua 108 Scenar. Other than that it pretty much has the whole range of heavier bullets to provide more hitting power as the 6.8 SPC. In fact I will say that without a "made for long range, high BC bullet" there is almost no difference between the 6.8 and the 6.5.
Having covered the smaller cases there are two more classes that can really shine in the AR-15 platform. One of them very viable and that is the 6mm -.30 BR. It is short enough to take high BC bullets, and still has a useful case capacity vs. gas tube length to launch the really good 1k rounds. In fact this particular round already holds some 1k records. You could do a wildcat and go .257 cal or 6.5 cal or even 7mm. But with the bigger diameter, you need a smidge more length to get the really high BC bullets to work. You can also chamber any of these in an improved version of the BR case like the Dasher or BRX.
The biggest cases still being chambered in the AR-15 platform are the WSSM's. The .223, .243, and .25 are all standard from Oly Arms. There is a guy in Norther Minnesota who also specializes in wildcats for these. He has a .30 WSSM that is become quite popular. Again, the biggest drawback to these is you can't load a long bullet in the case. Which means only a couple get you out to 1k. One of them is the 6mm 75 gr. V-max.
As you can see here the big limiter is the platform. The hidden limiter is the gas system. You have to load so that you don't trash your upper. Which means sometimes moderate loads of quick powders. Not great when it comes to eeking out some extra velocity.
-good luck with your choice.0
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