AR in 6.8mm

I went to a local gun store today and held this gun. I love it and I am really considering buying it after work today. Anybody have any last minute input before I make the purchase?

Thanks.

I have built two of them. They are deer, hog and coyote killing machines when they are used in their intended parameters. It is not a 1000 yd cartridge and wasn't meant to be but 300 yds and in, you won't be disappointed.(IMHO)

The 6.8 is one of the most powerful rounds in the AR-15 platform. I've killed some pigs with one, and it does put a hurting on them.

It’s a fine choice. If you ever want to shoot at extended ranges, I would suggest a Grendel over the 6.8. If not, I see no reason to not get it.

How difficult is it to find ammunition in this caliber?

From what I’ve seen, it’s not that difficult. There seems to be plenty of options, too.

Thanks for the comments. I think I am going to do it. Just one more thing to check on.

When I built my first one eight years ago, it was pretty difficult to find ammo. I started handloading right off and didn't buy any factory ammo for some time. There are many online sources to buy 6.8 ammo these days so ammo is no problem. If you don't reload, save your brass and sell it to someone like me who does and it brings your price per round down even more.

Spend a few extra bucks and get the quality PRI mags

10 rd pri mags are just right for me
120 gr sst's

same here

I have an Armalite carbine in 6.8 that has been a real hammer on hogs. I've killed 32 with it so far. I have had excellent luck with the performance of this ammo

I think a 6.8 spc or even a 6.5 grendel is a great hunting AR "assault weapon". Like CNN calls it.


These are both hard hitting cartridges but the 6.5 Grendel has a distinct advantage over the 250-300 yard threshold. SO if you are a long range shooter then you are making the wrong choice. Ive never shot over 200 yards ever so the choice was easy for me.

the 6.8 was also my choice because the ammo availability is decent and seems like more available than the Grendel in Academy when I search on the shelves.

the 120 Grain SST's like these other guys mentioned are excellent for putting animals down.

I also use the PRI mags and like both the 10 and 15 rounders.

The 6.8 is an excellent hard hitting choice for an "assault weapon" and you are definitely making the right decision as long as you are not looking for distance.

I need to bum a few of the SSTs from you guys and give them a whirl. I've been shooting the Federal Fusion 115gr, and they are deadly accurate and the bullet performs well, but I would not call it a hammer in any way. I've shot ~20 deer with mine and many have run quite a ways, up to 100 yds with heart/lung placement. I would say on average 60 yards.

90 grain gold dots work great....just hard to find. Love my 12.5" 6.8

Same but I also have some Barrett mags too and they are very good.

Good round-and it does put a whooping on pigs, notably the 120 gr. SST.

I liked it ok. Dropped 6 inches at 200 yards if I remember correctly. This bothered me a little.
Mag choice is important, if you get the wrong mag there are some ammo feeding issue. I don’t remember brands of the good ones, or bad ones.
Ammo is interesting, Remington has large primers, this is a bad thing. SST was good stuff, and has the small primers. If interested, reasoning for the primer choice (military) is a interesting read.
These are some of the things that I learned while I had the rifle.

that’s just not true. If you zero the 130 SST out of a 16 inch barrel you have 3.88 inches of drop at 200. Were you shooting out of an SBR?

Just measured my 16" barrel shooting 120 sst' at 2475 fps. Plug it in your calculators

I may be wrong, it’s been awhile. 6 inches does come to mind though.To the point it drops a lot. It was hard for me to get use to. I’m not knocking it, it just wasn’t for me. I appreciate a flatter shooting bullet.

By SBR do you mean surpressed? If so no, it was a standard 6.8 yankee hill upper.

SBR = SHORT barreled rifle = Barrel length less than 16"

120 SST our of 16 inch

Bingo...90 gr. Federal gold dot gets it done in my 10.5” as well. Found them for .50 cents a round a couple years back and bought some... which I could find them like that again

Watch Palmetto state armory. Picked up 600 rounds about a month or so ago. $7.99/box of 20

I bought 10 boxes from PSA last month when they had the sale. I saw they're having the sale again but this time there's a limit of 1 box per order.

A little off topic, but to you guys who know more about ballistics than me....how does a 12.5" 6.8 compare to a 8.5" 300 BO?

I think the 120gr SSTs are a little heavy and slow for the shorter barrels (<16"). I have a 12.5 and I think I've settled on the 95gr Barnes off my reloading bench (whenever I get back to the States ).

I really like mine. I've taken animals as big as a red deer with it. Just don't think you're going to make long shots with it. I found I liked the PRI 10 round magazines the best. I do have some Barrett 30 round versions, but rarely use them.

120 SST out of a 12.5" 6.8 is going to be right around 2400fps. For the 6.8 I really like the 50 yard zero. With my SBR at a 50 yard zero at 100yds it about 3/4' high, 150 it's at 0 and at 200 yds it's 3" low.
Don't have any numbers in front of me but without a doubt the 6.8 out perform the BO

I'm getting 2325 out of my 11.3" with 120 SSTs.

The TTSX's like to hit something hard before they open up. The 85TSX is really a better bullet than the 95 in my experience. But please look at Cavity Back Bullets!! They are about the same price as the Barnes and so far have had outstanding performance on the pigs I've hit with them. They will also open up down to 1600fps in the 105 gr 1400fps in the 120 gr. I reload and started with the 85 TSX and they worked really well. Switched to the 95 TTSX and wasn't ever really as happy as with the TSX. Couple months ago I switched to the 105 MKZ Cavity Back and been really pleased.

When I started playing with the 6.8 ammo was limited.
I have been reloading since the 60's so it wasn't an issue.
I only hunt pigs with my 6.8s so my experience is limited to that.
We average 70 pigs a year with the two we use so I'm pretty happy with them.

The longest shot I have taken is 215 yards and averages 100 yards so the 6.8 works well for me using 120gr SSTs.
300 yard shots are pretty do-able with the 85gr Barnes TSX handloads.
Past that would be a stretch though.

I use 10, 15 and 25 round AR Stoner mags and have never had a problem with feeding.

AA2200 powder? I’m only getting about 2450 with a 16 inch barrel using 8208 and 115 Noslers.

That number is factory Hornady 120's out of a suppressed 12.5" ARP barrel. I do use AA2200 for the 105MKZ's

Have you verified the speed? I’d like to find out what powder they’re using if so. It defies logic that a heavier bullet and and shorter barrel has the same speed as lighter bullet and longer barrel.

I said around 2400fps cause I didn't have it in front of me at the time. Using a Magneto Speed it was 2391fps. Look at the 68 forum and you'll find guys running the ARP 12.5" are getting good speed. Hornady states 120 gr SST is 2460 out of 16", that's faster and heavier than what you are getting.

It’s just making me realize how slow 8208 xbr is. It’s my favorite 6.8 powder though.

I’ve taken my 16 in 6.8 out to 500 yards with the 120 SSTs so it’s capable of shooting further than most think but I wouldn’t shoot anything but a hog or coyote past 200-250 yds with it. Have killed many hogs, coyotes and a couple deer with 6.8. It’s a great intermediate round.

I really like my 6.8's and can consistently ring steel at 500 with it. 120 SST seems to be the darling bullet. The factory Hornady 120 SSTs group very well for me as has the Fusion 115 gr. I can't comment on game performance. I would think the Barnes would not open very effectively at these lower velocities.

Appreciate the info, Eric.

However, while I haven't shot any animals with it yet, I only went with the 95 Barnes as the literature also claimed opening at 1600 fps and fellas on 6.8 forum shared good experiences with the bullet. Are you saying this isn't true in real world applications?

They are accurate but I’ve had more pigs run off with the 95’s vs the 85 TSX or the 105 MKZ.