I know alot of you have read that a 30Rnd M16 mag will hold 25rns of 6.8x43mm. I know you have read other places that it will require a follower swap. you've read other places it will take a follower swap and feed lip tweeking.

Heres the reality of the 6.8x43mm mag situation & a pic is worth a thousand internet claims.

lightfighter.net/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=7336015661&f=7206084761&m=217007356&r=685003276#685003276

Seven rounds in a M16 mag, much like the 7.62x39mm in standard AR mags.

Whatever mag they are putting it in, I hear it only holds 18 rounds.

It works in the M16 mag, that's one of the design perameters.  

Or Barrett, or people who have bought some of the ammo and tried to squeeze it into M16 mags.

Damn.

I thought compatability with existing systems (which, IMHO, includes the millions of AR/M16 magazines floating around) was the core requirement for the devolopment of a new round?

If the AWB sunsets, this is not a huge issue.  If it doesn't, and in the meantime, this is a HUGE issue.

The LEO/Govt only PRI 6.8SPC mags will fit in an M16/M4 Mag well.  But 5.56m mags will not work with 6.8SPC.  Imagine the logistical headache that will be for the military.  Two mags, that look alike, that fit in both caliber weapons, but are not interchangeable.

In the fog of war somebody is going to jam a mag full on 5.56mm into their 6.8x43mm.  I woonder if the 5,56mm ammo will fit far enough into the barrel throat to allow chambering a 6.8SPC behind it?

[shock]

When we came up with the 338 Spectre (which is based on the 10 mm Mag - itself a shortened 30 Rem), we found out quickly that the 223 mag would not take this round.

You can test it really simply by trying to stack 40S&W rounds in a 223 mag, they share the same base diameter.

The rounds WILL work in the 7.62x39 mags, including the original Colt, the FrankenMags and the 30 rounders for sale on CheaperThanDirt and other places.  Nice thing, as the 30 Rem based rounds are slightly smaller than the 7.62x39, you can get 32 (!) in a 30 rounder.  I've been plinking with 250 and 300 gr .338s from those 32 round mags for months now ....

MSTN, Doc Roberts, Barrett....any new info?

kel never mentioned swapping out the USGI 5.56 followers for a 6.8SPC follower. I'd like to see the those results as well.

Seen many 6.8SPC replacement followers available?

I think a lot of people are getting way ahead of themselves on this deal. Nothings really officially on the market yet save for some of what MSTN has released.

Barrett told me that availability and pricing info would be released at SHOT so I would presume we'll start seeing mag upgrades and ammunition at the same time.

You guys are getting too excited, be patient on all of this. If it's a success I'm sure it's all going to fly.

For the 6.8SPC to be a commercial sucess, the bare minimum is getting the ammo into most gun stores/Walmart. Getting the major AR manufacturers to produce uppers in the caliber, at a fair price. And developing a reliable non restricted magazine.

If restricted to MSTN $1,400.00 uppers and LEO/Govt mags, it wont be a commercial sucess.

WALMART????????????????????? LOL

I can see it all now,SPEC OPS SHOPS AT WALL MART FOR AMMO, because they are the bid source for ammo! INTERESTING CONCEPT TOO:) COMMERCIAL SALES RELY ON WALL MART?, what for maybe 1/2 of a percent, and thousands of gun shops, etc. won't carry 6.8? I think I have been in a Wall Mart once in my life and it sure wasn't for ammo:)
Jack

Yes, Walmart. They sell more ammo than Black Hills produces in a year. They sell more ammo than Ammoman, Natchezz, Kielslers, Midsouth  and GPSS combined.

The reality of the situation is you cant consider any caliber you wont find at Walmart to be a [b]commercial[/b] sucess. You will most sucessfull cartridges at walmart, including the some what uncommon ones like the 10mm, .45-70, .41Mag , 45Colt, 44Special.

If Remington doesnt get the ammo in the stores then it will go the way of 9x23, 356TSW, 9mm Auto Rim, 45Auto Rim, 45Win Mag, 450Marlin, .300Whisper.

Even if a product is leaps and bounds better than anything else out there, if you cant manage the logistics, most people will settle for something that is easier to get and is good enough.

That is pretty funny. after all these years, REMINGTON AND HORNADY DON'T HAVE A DISTRUBUTION NETWORK LARGER THAN WALMART HAS?
WALMART is just one of many who buy from REM and Hornady. Those other companies sell a lot of ammo too, but they are just part of the food chain like Walmart is for the sales of new things like the 6.8. Walmart are very astute I assume, so if all the others are no doubt going to carry it, Wally world will too. Even if they didn't who cares, not I, as lonmg as I can buy it from real ammo and gun specialists. I just wouldn't feel right buying my new Barrett 6.8 at Wallyworld:)
Good shootin, Jack

That would be very good news if true.  I have read that MSTN will offer conversion mag bodies for $75.00 plus your old mag. I wonder if these "conversions" will be available to those in New Jersey, California, and Hawaii?

Nope. Merely pointing out that the claim of "5.56mm magazines will NOT work with 6.8SPC" could be a bit premature.

edited to add: As long as British and Singapore steel mags are available for cheap, tweaking feed lips shouldn't be a concern either. [:)]

The 6.8 probably won't fit in the GI mags because of the strengthening ribs in the mag body, which are lacking in the Sig mags.

A "slab sided" mag would probably work.

Regarding Wal Mart...That's where virtually all of my 9mm .45acp and some .223 come from so I can see it as  being a valid point to a degree.

However I do believe in this cartridge and feel it has a place. Right next to every other weapon I own.

I would like to see a photo of the LEO 6.8 mags.  I have yet to see one.

OK, so perhaps my reply was lost in the midst.

These mags (see link) although intended for 7.62x39, will fit the AR15 and the 6.8 SPC AS IS.  I will have one at the booth (7672) at SHOT, as it is the mag I use for the .338.

And I must correct my ealier post, they are not 30 rounders but 20 rounders and I was able to get 25 in there.  The AR/AK Frankenmag holds 32 ...

Bring your 6.8 SPC cases and try for yourself ...

[url]http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ctd/product.asp?sku=MAG%2D107&mscssid=RUWM5092GQVX9PMQRFN1H6TW97XPDWJ4[/url]

I buy all my 9mm ammo at Walmart.  If I cant go to a Walmart and buy my caliber in an emergency I dont own that caliber.  It may seem silly to some but when I show up to someones property to shoot hundreds of miles from home and forgot my ammo and need to go to Walmart to pick some up I am very grateful there are Walmarts all over America with all major calibers.

***From everything I'm privvy to, the developers/close-hold end-users, riflemakers, and Remington wants this to be a popular round. Meaning, moving beyond a boutique round and in wide distribution for hunting, LE, etc.  Yeah, time will tell on this one like everything else, but I'm already hearing rumors that Wolf, of all people, is getting ready to get on board with el cheapo 6.8SPC ammo - gotta figure they've got smarts - as soon as everyone buys their AR15 uppers, they're still going to want to plink with cheap ammo instead of hunting ammo priced fodder...

As far as the experiements I did with stuffing wrong-sized ammo where it didn't belong, I should clarify that 1. I know there are 'real' mags coming down the pike; 2. I don't have any replacement followers (all my work with 6.8 has been done with a non-AR15 platform); 3. There are a lot of bad rumors flying around about 'no changed needed'; and I wanted to see what would be typical for a lot of end-users that just started plugging 6.8SPC into their existing AR mags.

It wasn't science, it was just an exercise in what's going to happen to Joe Average when he tries to make systems work without any changes.

BTW, after trying again with Colt, Adventure Line, LaBelle Ind, and OKay mags, I found that for some reason the Colt floorplated mags worked best, "Colt mag, fit best out of all of them - 15rds fit, a little tight, could have thumped one more in there, but it probably wouldn't have come out easily. As it was, the first couple fed out hard, possibly would have stopped the bolt from coming forwards."

Also, I *was* very impressed how the SIG 55X mags soaked lots of rounds right up without any bulging or feed issues that weren't easily correctable.

Kel

[img]http://myweb.cableone.net/1934/lightfighter/6.8stuff/colt%20mag.jpg[/img]

Now that the ban has set.  What is the cost of the 6.8mm mags?

Hopefully Zak-Smith pipes in because I know he has a few...

I have 27 round (I think they hold 28, but I don't load them full) 6.8mm mags and 18 round 6.8mags-they have to be different than the M16 mag. Changing out followers will not help that much if at all-unless you are using just a few rounds (I have heard 5-7). You have to have a different mag body: because the front inward rib on the magazine will cause the rounds to pidgeon-toe. It was known before the design started that you would have to have a different mag body-because of the wider 6.8mm bullet.  

What's the question?

Its answer is probably in the 6.8SPC FAQ.

-z

Quoted: What's the question? Its answer is probably in the 6.8SPC FAQ. -z

Who has the mags for sale and what is the cost?

I first got a hands on with the 6.8 about a year ago and not a single person claimed it would work in regular 556/223 mags -- I know if you stuff a dozen or so rounds in a mag and set it down on the table to hard, it spits out about half the rounds.

The double stack mags are designed for the rounds to support each other at 12 and 6 o'clock, anything else just does not work right... think of the mag as actually two seperate single stacks, just nested together...

Quoted: Quoted: What's the question? Its answer is probably in the 6.8SPC FAQ. -z Who has the mags for sale and what is the cost?

]

Check out Zak's FAQ, he lists where the mags can be bought:


Proper 6.8SPC magazines are available from several sources:

PRI directly in 5, 10, 15, and 25 round capacities. The 15 round mags may hold up to 18, but feed best when loaded to only 15. The 25 round mags may hold up to 28, but feed bet when loaded to only 25.
MSTN also sells the complete PRI mags.
Barrett is supposed to be selling the 15 and 25 round magazines also.
Conversion kits consisting of a new magazine body and replacement follower are available from MSTN to convert your old pre-ban AR15 5.56mm magazines to be 6.8-compatible, also in the 15 and 25-round capacities. This works just like Armalite's deal for AR10 conversion kits.[1]


PRI's site shows the mags costing $36-$38.

The answer to your question is in the FAQ.  

Quoted: When we came up with the 338 Spectre (which is based on the 10 mm Mag - itself a shortened 30 Rem), we found out quickly that the 223 mag would not take this round. You can test it really simply by trying to stack 40S&W rounds in a 223 mag, they share the same base diameter. The rounds WILL work in the 7.62x39 mags, including the original Colt, the FrankenMags and the 30 rounders for sale on CheaperThanDirt and other places.  Nice thing, as the 30 Rem based rounds are slightly smaller than the 7.62x39, you can get 32 (!) in a 30 rounder.  I've been plinking with 250 and 300 gr .338s from those 32 round mags for months now ....

Marty... I still got a handfull of the Spectres, now I need a barrel!

Check out Model 1 Sales for barrels. uppers, kits. They have some good prices. Factory ammo is not readily available at this time. Brass is beginning to show up more readily. If those who don't reload start inquiring to Remington then tings may pick up a bit. One thing is for sure if people start shooting it the cartridge will start showing up in shops and at gunshows. Who knows maybe even Wally World. The 6.8 is quite a cartridge. Yes it is still in its infancy but I have been starting to work with mine and it is a neat little cartridge. Gives a reasuring nudge against the shoulder.