6.8 Remington contender carbine
I was looking at midsouth and noticed they have a 6.8 Remington contender 23" carbine bbl. I have read that is a new USSOCOM round and wondered how it would work in a contender for deer. I would like a lighter recoil deer round for my daughter, but don't want to invest in a passing fad.
Thanx, Earl[:)]
Thanx, Earl[:)]
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Earl,
The theory is that it will stick around but there's never any guarantee. To the best of my knowledge, the 6.8 SPC has not been officially adopted by U.S. military operations group. But they don't say much to anyone anymore. If it isn't adopted, Remington will be in a world of hurt. In my opinion, the cartridge is O.K. but it won't shake the world. It's in that rather large group of mediocre cartridges that perform but without any fanfare and nothing extraordinary to recommend them. It will kill a deer. Here's an article to read:
The new 6.8 Rem SPC
American Handgunner, Nov-Dec, 2004 by J.D. Jones
This is a new cartridge developed by Remington and the U.S. Army 5th Group with Sgt. Steve Holland (who was the recipient of the 2004 Hathcock Award) ram-rodding the Army end of the project. It started life as a possible substitute cartridge for use in the M-16. Why a new cartridge? Simply more power than the 5.56, which has undergone numerous "refinements" as has the M-16.
The .276 Pederson (1920s) was the first .270 cartridge the U.S. Army became interested in and came quite close to being the U.S. service cartridge instead of the .30-'06. We learned in the late 1970s the .30 Remington cartridge in bolt action silhouette pistols was a weak sister. The .30 Remington (also .25) is simply a 30-30 case, changed to rimless instead of rimmed. Case head expansion and dropped primers occurred long before ballistics got interesting. That's changed. The 6.8 has a strengthened case head approximately .025" smaller in diameter than the original .276, straighter body, sharper shoulder, shortened to 1.680" and necked to accept standard .277" (.270 Win) diameter bullets and high pressures.
Initially, it was hoped 5.56 M-16 parts would do the trick for the conversion, and rebated 5.56 case heads were tried. That design, the bolt head, extractor and magazine also required change. And, the gas system needed tweaking. The same case has been tried at each caliber step from .22 through .338. The 115 grain weight in .277 provided the best combination of internal and external ballistics desired in a combat cartridge. This may or may not prove true as a hunting cartridge.
There have also been no problems in the AR-15, Contender and Encore. Bolt action rifle conversions will give magazine problems.
Here's an idea of what to expect ballistically: From 20" barrels, you'll get about 2,730 fps, and 14" barrels about 2,560 FPS with the Remington 115 grain OTM (Open Tip Match). This is both accurate and produces wide, relatively shallow wounds designed to inflict maximum damage on human targets. This is consistent bullet performance with what is needed for broad side Whitetail shots.
The handloader will not be able to improve the ballistics of factory ammunition. Few powders available to the hand-loader will match it. Currently, the Hornady 110 grain AMAX bullet is the closest thing to the factory bullet, which appears to have been made by Hornady. Sierra, Hornady, Nosier and Barnes have also made bullets for this project.
I use Ramshot 1660 and 1670 to duplicate factory ballistics. Hodgedons H335 is also in the ballpark. Many other powders will work, but be around 100 fps slower. In about 1980, I developed the .270 JDJ on the .225 Winchester case for the Contender. It does 2,475 with the 130 Grain Barnes Triple Shok bullet in a 14" Contender, and considerably faster with 100 grain bullets. About the best I could get with 130s in the 6.8 case in the Contender was around 2,300 FPS in anything that would go through the M-16 magazine.
Yes or No?
The .270 JDJ has provided adequate experience with similar ballistics. I would consider the 6.8 Rem SPC a viable Contender Whitetail handgun hunting cartridge superior to the 7 X 30 Waters if factory ammunition is used. It should easily be good for 200 yards in a 14" Contender. At this point, Remington Ammo is scarce and being sold to police and manufacturers. I expect it will soon become available.
RELATED ARTICLE: A mini track record.
Having used the 6.8 in SSK M-16s, bolt actions and the Contender in various barrel lengths for around six months, both with factory and handloaded ammo, I've a pretty good idea of accuracy is one thing, as good as 1.5" 300-yard groups can be had.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Publishers' Development Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group
6.8 REM SPC
(Special Purpose Cartridge)
Be the first on your block to get one. SSK chambers Contender, Encore, bolt actions and Ar-15 units for this new cartridge and is accepting orders now.
The 6.8 used 270 caliber (.277") diameter bullets. Nominal bullet weight is 115 grains for a velocity of 2650 from a 16.5" barrel.
The cartridge was originally a military development and cartridge head size is identical with the 30 Remington. Its purpose is to provide better wound capabilities than the 5.56. At this time its future in the military arena is uncertain. Its future in the civilian arena is assured. I consider it an accurate, light recoiling, 300 yard deer cartridge provided the right bullets are used.
Interestingly the ballistics are mirror images of the 270 JDJ which has been available in Contenders for over two decades. Our experience with that cartridge has always been favorable.
http://www.sskindustries.com/68rem.htm
Another complete article including information on deer hunting:
http://www.rifleshootermag.com/ammunition/remington_0303/
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earl,
As usual, responding after Nononsense leaves little to say. And,I mean that in a good way as he covers many bases and is very thorough as he writes. The information provided is an excellent read.
I will only go on to say that the 6.8mm SPC as a military cartridge is a good thing because it brings a balance of power and lightweight recoil/recoverability when shooting a military round. It provides the knockdown necessary in battle that the 5.56(.223 Rem) doesn't. This translates to the civilian world of shooting by letting people who may or may not hunt(or shoot) depending on what is available. I know people who don't like to shoot the .308 because it "kicks too much". And many of those people won't hunt(or shoot)because they believe that is all that is out there. The 6.8SPC fills a niche in medium calibers capable of taking deer without a lot of recoil. Legal in states that have high caliber laws (can't take an elk in CO, though)you can hunt everywhere for deer in pistol and rifle.
bottom line: I think it would be an excellent choice in rifle for new hunters and in TC pistol for pistol hunters.
We have the second amendment so that all the rest are secure....UNK>0 -
anyone have any or know where to get ammo for this caliber?my email is rreeves46@hotmail.com 0 -
If Ruger would put a little bit better quality barrel on a Mini-30 and chamber it for this round, what a shooter that would be![:0][:p]
Frog.
RiBBButt...You can't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, but you can be happy if you've a mind to. -Roger Miller0 -
earl,
I think this round will be with us for a while and is really a great catrige for the T/C Contender carbine. I have several Contender pistols as well as the carbines, with a growing collection of barrels for each. My current favorite in my carbine is the 7X30 Waters, but the 6.8 comes out slightly ahead in the carbine length barrel.
The 6.8 SPC may not be a barn burner in the world of bolt actions, but it is one of the hotter rounds that will work in the Contender. The physical size of the Contender action as well as the diameter of the barrel limit the number of really potent cartriges that can be used. Case shape, base diameter, overall thrust against the frame and dozens of other factors must be considered because the Contender is such a small action. It can use large but low pressure cases like the .45-70, or smaller high pressure cases like the .223Rem, 7X30, or the 6.8SPC. If you put together a good deer load and fire it in a longer barrel (24"), the 6.8 would be one of the better options for a youngster to take on their first hunt.
Here are some sources for Contender barrels;
Fox Ridge Outfitters/Thompson Center Custom Shop
http://www.foxridgeoutfitters.com
Bullberry Barrel works
http://www.bullberry.com
E. Arthur Brown Company
http://www.eabco.com/tcref.html
J.D. Jones at SSK
http://www.sskindustries.com
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-E. Renan0
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