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6.8 Caliber

emaroquin

emaroquin

.410
Hi everyone!!!!! I was reading about the problems that NATO has had at Middle East using 5.56, and that they are planning to use another caliber because of all the limitations they have experienced.

They don't like 7.62 because it is too heavy, and for short distances is very difficult to aim. Also it is very hard to manage for some soldiers.

So they created the 6.8 caliber in 2004, but do you think that someday the 6.8 will be the standard caliber for the US Military? Or is it another caliber that will be forgotten in some years?
 
The problem in the ME doesn't lie with the caliber it lies with the profectiles.

If the enemy was wearing body armor than they have the right set up to reach vitals.

But as it is they are killing people that wear rags.....with the 1:7 twist and m855 they leave the infamous "ice pick" wound track.

Talk to the folks shooting 556 NATO using 77g SMK, razor core or the new ballistic tipped SMK.....one shot stops over 500 yards are nothing to write home about with SPR's because it is so common

Don't buy a 6.8 because of a non existent problem for a civilian because we have a choice what we chamber in our rifles unlike the troops who shoot what they are given

With the rifles set up the way they are and the FMJ they are handed it is quite possably the worse combo to have in an AR to do the job that is being asked of them

If you really want to have the most devastating common round in an AR then skip the 6.8 and go 308

Just getting that out there

I have shot one 6.8 and it was great, close to a 270 on paper . Loaded rounds cost as much or more than 308. For reloading brass is not common and projo's cost as much or more than 308
 
I am a weapons tech and was on "vacation" there three times and wasn't in the rear with the gear. The biggest problem we have with the current issue load and the M4 was the 14.5 inch barrel! Not a bad performer out to about 200 yards max but after that the heavier 62gr FMJ in the abrreviated barrel just doesn't have the velocity it needs to preform as effectively on soft tissue targets the way the 55gr FMJ at 3200 fps did in the 20 inch M16A2 guns. Using the heavier Mk 262 load (77gr Blackhills load) this is improved out at longer distances, unfortunately this load normally is only issued to SpecOps units and not the average grunt on the ground. While it performed better at 400-600 yards it wasn't exactly stellar. When using the 5.56X45 in "non expanding" formats high velocity is everything to this rounds ability to perform when coupled with a twist rate that barely stabilizes the bullet. Both play a critical role in the rounds performance.

As for the 6.8 SPC, it is an improvement in many ways over the 5.56. I don't think however its going to see wide spread use and if adopted in any format will likely be restricted to SpecOps units only. I am not a huge fan of the cartridge and would prefer the 6.5 Grendel over the 6.8 SPC personally myself. The 6.5 in my opinion would be a better candidate to be adopted as its case profile and performance would lend itself better for use in LMG's as well as personal combat rifles from a reliable functioning stand point.

One chambering I haven't seen a lot of talk about that I feel would be a great all around cartridge and a improvement over the 5.56 even in FMJ would be the 6x45! I own a upper in this and it performs great with bullets in the 75-90gr range of things. It hits a good bit harder and will definitely penetrate very well compared to the 5.56. The best part about it is the ammo aint much heavier than 5.56 and unlike the 6.8 and 6.5 you still maintain a 30 round capacity in a 30 round mag instead of just 26. That doesn't sound like much of an advantage but when your humping your ammo and the one getting shot at...its a difference youll appreciate for sure. Its a good balance of bullet weight, velocity, penetration capable and trajectory down range and would require little more than a ammo and barrel change to pull off a retrofit on the current weapons already issued.

Just my .02 cents on this for what little to you it may be worth.
 
I had a 6.8 spc II several years ago. It was pretty good for what I wanted it for, but the ammo was hard to obtain and more expensive than comparable rounds to boot.

Of all of the "oddball calibers" out there, I think the 6.8 had more going for it than many others. There were literally more than 2 dozen different bullets that can be reloaded and reloading can be done to better effect than buying over the counter and they can be loaded for fast velocity of upwards of 300 fps from a 90 or 95 gr bullet or down to subsonic velocity of around 1020 fps for shooting suppressed with a fast twist rate barrel and IIRC 140'ish grain bullets, but it was designed for use within 300 or so yards which is what dot gov says "many" conflicts occur within.

The military did issue some weapons in 6.8 to a few specialized units and they were generally well liked, but I don't think it went any further than that, nor do I think there are any in use now.

It's basically a necked down 30 caliber case and a 270 bullet.

sixeight009-1.jpg


A buck was taken with 120 gr Hornady SST and it dropped in its' tracks, however, the bullet failed to exit and the bonded bullet also fragmented. There were fragments found just under the hide on the opposite side and the copper jacket was found within the boiler room.

Here is some testing video that I did with the 6.8. In the video, it also shows some penetration testing side by side with 7.62x39 and .223 to show that the 6.8 was in fact a more effective round where penetration was concerned.


Edit to add:
68bullets36cm.jpg
 
Thank you. I did it when I had my FFL's. It's one of the water immersion dip camo's.

Fall Oak pattern I believe, but a custom primary coat using Coyote tan rather than the straw/hay looking color that came with the kit.

camodipheadhunter017.jpg


huntingARs009.jpg
 
emaroquin said:
Hi everyone!!!!! I was reading about the problems that NATO has had at Middle East using 5.56, and that they are planning to use another caliber because of all the limitations they have experienced.

They don't like 7.62 because it is too heavy, and for short distances is very difficult to aim. Also it is very hard to manage for some soldiers.

So they created the 6.8 caliber in 2004, but do you think that someday the 6.8 will be the standard caliber for the US Military? Or is it another caliber that will be forgotten in some years?
Click to expand...

Not to rain on your parade, but your a little late on this one.

The 6.8 SPC had it's fifteen minutes of fame a few years back, but is pretty much obsolete these days. The .300 Blackout is the new kid on the block and seems to be taking root in the civilian market, more so than the 6.8 ever did anyway. If you're not reloading for either caliber you need to be prepared to spend a LOT of money on ammo. If you're looking for a heavier round in an AR platform carbine, save yourself the money and aggravation and go with a .308/7.62x51. Factory models are much cheaper these days and parts availability for home builds has never been better. One can piece together a .308 carbine for about the same price as a 5.56 build now. Ammo is relatively cheap, especially compared to 6.8.

Just my two cents...
 
The water immersion patterns can be pretty durable.

The main thing about that is the quality of the clear coat that goes over everything.

Use a cheap junky clear coat, don't expect a top tier finish.
 
Oli, I don't know if we have a camo thread or not, but I got a bunch of pictures I could put in it. I professionally finished guns for at least 4 years while I had my paperwork to do that.

LES, my replies in red

LAZY EYED SNIPER said:
Not to rain on your parade, but your a little late on this one.

The 6.8 SPC had it's fifteen minutes of fame a few years back, but is pretty much obsolete these days. The .300 Blackout is the new kid on the block and seems to be taking root in the civilian market, more so than the 6.8 ever did anyway.

The "blackout" has been around for decades. At least 2 decades, maybe a little more.

Though, was called 300 whisper mainly.

AAC basically hijacked the round and changed a small spec (so small in matter of fact that whisper and 300 blackout are essentially interchangeable) and AAC took the time ($$) to register the round with SAAMI and "claimed" it as their own and went on a marketing binge to promote it.

Plus, RSilvers (one of the main folks behind the blackout) went on a personal mission spouting half truths and generalizations to let many folks come to their own conclusions based on assumption rather than fact on various online forums. He and I had several very vocal disagreements online due to this fact alone and he was banned from at least 1 forum for this that I know of because of that, and possibly more than that.

While I no longer own a 6.8, from a ballistics standpoint, I still feel the 6.8 is much more versatile and the better cartridge.

As many people here know, I am a very big proponent of suppressors and suppressed weapons, I will never as long as I live buy a blackout or anything from AAC for nothing more than refusing to support anything RSilvers has been associated with. And I know several others who have said as much too.

If you're looking for a heavier round in an AR platform carbine, save yourself the money and aggravation and go with a .308/7.62x51. Factory models are much cheaper these days and parts availability for home builds has never been better. One can piece together a .308 carbine for about the same price as a 5.56 build now. Ammo is relatively cheap, especially compared to 6.8.

The AR10 is pretty awesome. I like the 308 cartridge.

Just my two cents...
Click to expand...
 
I'm not a fan of either round John.

Well aware of how AAC basically rebranded the cartridge and to me it's just the next pop culture round for the AR platform just like the 6.8 was a couple years ago...
 
I kinda like the whisper for the subsonic/suppressed niche, but in all reality, it doesn't really give a lot more benefit than a 158 gr 9mm round either, so I've never been inclined.

The 6.8 was not really a bad performer. At least for what I would use it for.

But commercial ammo availability and cost were its' major downfalls in my eyes.
 
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