Tell me the pros/cons of the 6.8. I've got an empty Colt lower waiting for an upper. Questions are: manufacturer, barrel length, brass and mag availability, and suppressor?

I would check out the 68 forum. Tons of info there

great gun Expensive ammo. I sold mine for a 7.62x39 $5 a box of ammo and it still has the punch needed.

Bought 1,000 rounds of soft tip for the 7.62 for $244
1,000 rounds of 6.8 hornaday at $35 a box of 20 would be $1,750

Hornadey was the only thing my 6.8 would shoot MOA

There are plenty of opinions around, but the 6.8mm SPC is probably the best deer caliber for the AR-15 platform. PSA has complete uppers & mags for a reasonable price. The good thing is, if you buy one & don't like it, 6.8's are usually an easy sell.

FWIW

The 6.8 spc is marginal at best, in comparison to 7.62x39.

Neither are premier deer cartridges, both being somewhat lacking in power but between the two, the 7.62x39 is clearly superior.

All of the really good, clearly competent chamberings for deer hunting come in the AR10 platform.

You CAN kill a deer with a .22lr - but that doesn't mean that it is a good idea to do so. An integral component of good sportsmanship is to use enough gun for the job. Trying to prove a point about your favorite toy at the animals expense is in no way associated with good sportsmanship.

What??????????

As far as ammo goes to can get Hornady 110gr match, 110gr V-max or 120gr SST for $20 or less a box.

I like AR Performance barrels. ARP has put a lot of R&D into what works really well and their barrels show that. I'd run a 16" and at the most 18". SSA brass used to be the best but now Nosler bought them and the jury is still out on the quality. Next would be Hornady then Federal. PRI mags allow you to load a little longer and in my opinion the more reliable than the ASC or c-products but they are double the price. For suppressor you can run any 30 cal. I am a fan of Silencerco and Crux

I love my 6.8. Go to hog gun. Not as cheap to shoot as other calibers (as others point out) but you can feed it for a buck a round on a good performing bullet. My thinking is that I'd rather drop the pig with one round of 6.8 than 2 or 3 rounds of 5.56. It's not a great deer round, but it's more than sufficient when pressed into service.

I keep hearing the 6.8 is not a good deer round but I have taken 7 deer with the Hornady 120gr sst from 75 yards out to 175 yards. Have not had a single one go more than 25 feet before dropping. The 6.8 has proven to be a great deer and hog round.

We were way over due for a 6.8 thread.

Think it's time for a high fence/ low fence thread too...

Not to pick on you but I see this a lot. Why is it a good pig round but marginal for deer? To me pigs are slightly harder to kill.

Let's throw in beans/no beans for chili and we'll have a trifecta of things that will never be answered.

Quadfecta, we'll include fenceline hunting too.

Not sure where you got that. From Hornady, the 6.8 SPC 120 gr has more velocity and energy at every distance than the 123gr 7.62x39, and that is handicapped even worse by measuring a 16" barreled 6.8 against a 20" 7.62x39. And although some people disagree with the 1000 ft/lb threshold for deer, the 6.8 carries that to around 250 yds which is more than about 80% of TX hunters ought to be shooting anyway.

6.8 is a VERY effective hog and deer round out to 300 plus yards.
In fact if I am hunting within that range I grab my 6.8 most of the time over rifles with more "power" so to speak.

Ammo price is about the same for all good hunting ammo and at least in central Texas is available readily at everywhere except Walmart.

I have killed a LOT of deer and hogs with one with several different bullets/ammo.

I bought the 6.8 to close the gap between the .223 and .308 in an AR platform. I have a couple of .223s and was looking for something cheaper than buying/building a .308. The 6.8 has performed well and I wouldn't hesitate to shoot a deer with the 120 grain SST round. If you want a low cost option into the 6.8 arena check out Palmetto State Armory's modified A2 upper.

I hunt primarily mulies and big bodied WT on my place. If I'm intentionally deer hunting, I grab my .300WSM or a .308. In my mind a 165 or 180gr bullet is better suited for deer that size. Have I shot deer with my 6.8? Yep. No problem. Just not my first choice.

Ive been using a little factory hornady 120 sst in mine and the federal xm6.8 gold dot load you can get for 12.99 a box. If you handload and have a spc ii or better chamber you can push a 120 grain sst about 200 fps faster then the hornady factory load, depending on barrel/powder. Most 110-120 grain factory 6.8 Loads are 30-40% more energy then a 7.62x39 charlesb, so a 7.62x39 is not even close. Im getting great accuracy out of my 12.5" arp barrel with anything i put thru it so far. Harrison at Arp is the man for 6.8 barrels. My 12.5" barrel still pushes the little 90 grain pill almost 2700 fps, yes the bc suxs on them, but it still has same energy as a 16-18" blackout or 7.62x39! If i want more energy i can just shoot The 120 sst.

I was just curious. personally if I'll use it on a pig, then it will work on a deer. I'll use anything from 223 up. It all depends on the stars, moon phase, mood, and tides.

Lol

Most 6.8 hunting ammo is about $1 a round. I have no idea where that guy is paying $35 a box for Hornady but he is getting ripped off.

You obviously have no experience with this round. I have shot plenty of hogs and whitetail deer with it and they all died very well. I'm not sure what is "marginal" about that.

yep... the only people I hear putting the caliber down are people with no direct experience.

I was instantly hooked when I killed my first 2 does on a cull hunt seconds apart about 7 years ago.
The performance on game was outstanding.
I won't bore anyone with a lot of pictures but suffice it to say I have killed a LOT of hogs, deer and coyotes with a 6.8.

If it didn't work I wouldn't use it and have plenty of other guns to use.
It is by far my favorite setup for a lightweight, compact and nimble gun.

It does seem to put game down with more authority than the 300 BO.

TX Hntr, what ever you do just ignore the quote above.