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Posted: 2/9/2026 12:13:23 AM EDT
| I've been noticing that with factory match ammo, 6arc has been more inherently accurate for me than 5.56 match ammo, when shooting for groups at 100. This is over many different rifle builds. Is 6arc more inherently accurate, or is 5.56 factory match ammo slipping? Anyone notice this? |
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"Match ammo" is not created equal. I am just getting into 6ARC but have shot quite a bit of 223/5.56. With my reloads and a good 223 barrel, 1/4 MOA is possible out of a bolt action. That said, 6PPC is pretty close to the 6ARC, and there have been many competitions won with that cartridge. |
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I don’t think it’s as simple as one cartridge vs the other. I’ve been testing the various 6arc offerings in 3 platforms (2 bolt guns, 1AR). Not all 6arc ammo has performed stellar, including some of the high end Match/target offerings. The Hornady 80 eld-vt grouped awful in my bolt guns, but had good sd/es. |
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Originally Posted By SuperJlarge: I don’t think it’s as simple as one cartridge vs the other. I’ve been testing the various 6arc offerings in 3 platforms (2 bolt guns, 1AR). Not all 6arc ammo has performed stellar, including some of the high end Match/target offerings. The Hornady 80 eld-vt grouped awful in my bolt guns, but had good sd/es. Agreed, there are certainly some 6arc factory loads my barrels don't like. I have just found that in my best gas guns, with factory match ammo they like best, groups are better on average with 6arc than with 5.56. This is across many different gas guns. |
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Originally Posted By sigman68: "Match ammo" is not created equal. This is pretty much it. All things being equal, the 6 ARC is no more accurate than 223 is. However, getting a true apples to apples comparison is impossible, even if you handload due to a million variables. The biggest advantage 6 ARC has over 223 is when you get into extended ranges as the higher BC bullets from the 6mm have a higher BC than the 223. But even then you are talking at 500+ really see it. |
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It depends. I have shot some amazing 223 groups at 600 yds with good ammo like Black Hills. I have shot a lot of .5” groups at 100 with hand loaded 77 gr bullets. I have also shot some amazing groups with 6 Arc. Many at 100 that were sub .5 moa. Both are potentially super accurate with ammo the gun likes. But, there are millions of 223 barrels out there for every 1,000 6 arc barrels. The 223 pool is very deep and not at all consistent. The 6 arc pool is shallow and often focuses more on accuracy vs volume. So as I stated in the beginning, it depends. |
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All good points, but it seems to me something has changed recently. I think it's the quality of factory match ammo. I'm getting the feeling that more attention is paid to qc in 6arc than in 5.56, currently. Lately when building an upper, I consider a 5.56 barrel that hovers around 1 moa to be an excellent barrel. If I build a 6arc upper and it's not reliably at .75 or less, and occasionally dipping into the sub .5moa, I would think something is wrong. I'm talking averages here. I sometimes will have bad days when nothing will group well for me because I'm not doing my part. |
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The parent case of the 6 ARC is the 220 Russian by way of the 6.5 Grendel. The 220 Russian is also parent case of the 6 PPC. Out to 200 yards no cartridge has proven to be as accurate as the 6 PPC, having ousted the 222 Rem. Second only to the 6 PPC is the 6 BR which is a better cartridge at 300 yards and beyond, out to 600 yards or so. The 6 ARC is in between the 6 PPC and the 6 BR as far as case shape and case capacity. In equal, bolt action rifles, I would expect the 6 ARC to be more accurate, increasingly so with distance. The sectional density of the 6 mm bullet is probably the larger part of the differance, followed by the sharper shoulder. |
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Gun control is literally Hitler.
Trump's actions? Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you?