Posted: 3/29/2011 5:05:21 AM EDT
So I finally finished assembling my 6.8 build. Its a 16" Stag upper 1/11 twist with an SOG lower and magpul stock etc.. I didnt look into ammo prices before building the gun or at least I didnt take them into consideration when building the gun I was just caught up in the 6.8 fever. Man prices are steep for my wallet. I dont reload so this is a problem. Ive been looking at .308 ammo prices and they are way cheeper and the .308 can definatly get the job done for hogs which is what I want this rifle for. Should I sell or trade and get an AR10 or wait till ammo prices go down which I know can be a while. 
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Hey squirv find out what velocity the barrell maker recomends, I mostly use V-max but they had not shot good with the high pressure chamber if that is what you have..spec 2 ?
Find out the lowest safest velocity you can run your rifle...It might handle my saami loads...I run mine at 2450 fps' people say the hog stopping v-max dont shoot good in there spec 2 chambered rifles without cci 41 primers or something.. I think that if they slowed the fps they would group.. I can help ya with ammo..... all I use is RL-10-X powder in my 5.56, 6.8 and my ar-10 in 308 I dont understand it but they group great ! ! ! When you come up just make early in the day we will get r shooting...I have to stress varmint bullets..maybe them speer 90 grain hollow points... You may have to go to the 6.8 forums and get a starting point then give me a call on what I have on hand. the brass is what's get the price up..I got like 150 or so new ssa I'll let go for what midway has them for. Your going to like the handling of the lighter ar in 6.8....you wont want to go to a 308 untill you don't hammer a hog at 200 yard range..thats when I go back to the ar-10...then I get tired of it weight and go back to the 6.8...lol. Its right after I shoot the 6.8 I holler out find the brass...I'll walk away from the 5.56 and 308 brass at times.... Edit; Hey I also have 2 PRI 25 round mags that haven't been used if we need to lenthen the case overall lenth. The seam of them don't over lap like the rest..the sides butt allowing for a longer bullet. |
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Quoted:
I'd just buy a .223 upper for messing around and shooting at the range and put your 6.8 upper on for pig hunting. But thats just what I would do, someone may have a better idea or a different perspective. I totally agree...That's what I did... I got a .223 upper, pop the 2 pins and hit the range for a lot cheaper than shotting the 6.8. Then when it's hunting time, pop the 6.8 upper back on and away we go. |
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YMMV but....I agree that the .308, no matter how cheap the worst available ammo is, will never be as light and easy to carry as a 6.8 in the AR-15 platform. I have seen them...gasp...run off, even when hit with .308, so pick your poison, and take weight of the rifle into account.
I am a freak of nature...I shoot with 6.8 and then use it for hog hunting, too, but I reload all my own ammo. If you don't reload, then get a 5.56 upper that is configured exactly the same way, and shoot the 5.56 for range work and the 6.8 when you shoot at pigs. I will also have to respectfully disagree with Dehoganator. I don't like varmint loads, because I have seen the jackets come off, and then the bullet never penetrated the shoulder. His experience is different from mine of course, so take that FWIW. I, too, have killed plenty of hogs with VMAX's. so if you can get them cheap or find a reload that is super accurate in your gun, then pick your shots carefully, and I am sure that they will drop more pigs than 5.56 with a similar bullet. I personally shoot Barnes all-copper bullets at them and get pass throughs even when I hit them in the shoulder. Again, YMMV, but reloading will definitely save you lots of $$. SSA brass can be reloaded 6-10 times depending upon how you charge and size the brass. |
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I believe HTR summed it up very well when he said " pick your Poison". I've went from 5.56 to .308 and settled on 6.8. I've had more hogs then I can count take 180gr round nose run just like they were hit with 55gr SP's. Shot placement will always be king on killing animals regardless of caliber. I settled on a 6.8 because it was a happy medium for me. Lightweight and has more ass then a 5.56.
I took Squirving888 hunting, and I let him feel the difference of my .308 compared to my sbr 6.8. HUGE weight difference. I believe his main concern was more towards ammo availability from stores in the Houston area. |
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i would dump the 6.8, its a great round, that may have a bright future, and im sure one day i will grab one,
But right now, theres no real plinking ammo, right now, if wolf or somebody were to put out a plinking round to have fun with, i would be all over it, although there are a decent amount manufactures putting out uppers now, i still dont think we are there yet with the ammo, for example, for my ar10 its nice to be able to get a few battle packs surplus 308 for 40-50 cents per round at the same time reloading my own match rounds for about 50 to 75 cents per round love the idea of the 6.8, but right now, i am just not doing around a dollar per round for a carbine, or putting in the time to load for an addition caliber( i load for 308, 300wm and 338LM) as its all ready tough to keep up with those. |
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i would dump the 6.8, its a great round, that may have a bright future, and im sure one day i will grab one,
But right now, theres no real plinking ammo, right now, if wolf or somebody were to put out a plinking round to have fun with, i would be all over it, although there are a decent amount manufactures putting out uppers now, i still dont think we are there yet with the ammo, for example, for my ar10 its nice to be able to get a few battle packs surplus 308 for 40-50 cents per round at the same time reloading my own match rounds for about 50 to 75 cents per round love the idea of the 6.8, but right now, i am just not doing around a dollar per round for a carbine, or putting in the time to load for an addition caliber( i load for 308, 300wm and 338LM) as its all ready tough to keep up with those. If you were humping a 16lb rig around for 6-7 hours hunting I think you would change your mind.  I love my .308, but that fucker gets heavy after 4-5 hours. NODS, Thermal, extra ammo, white lights, extra battery's all add into the equation. If I want to shoot a bunch I just shoot one of my 5.56's.
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As others have stated, many folks don't use their 6.8x43's for plinking; they are employed primarily for enhanced (versus 5.56x45) terminal ballistics on fleshy targets. Within reason, regardless of cartridge selection, shot placement is what is most important, followed by projectile type IMHO.
I happen to also have a 5.56 SBR for plinking configured identically to my 6.8 other than the barrel, bolt, mags, reticle type, and can. 
As km pointed out, setting up a night rig adds a significant amount of weight, so starting lighter helps. My 6.8 SBR weighs 7#2oz stripped, but weighs 12#10oz rigged out for night with 20 rounds in the mag. Granted the particular can that I am currently using is heavier than it needs to be, but it is what I already own. Besides weight, another thing to consider is that 6.8 works extremely well with relatively short barrels (11.5-12.5"), whereas most folks don't tend to go much shorter than 16" with 7.62x51. This means that not only would an AR-10 type platform be a few pounds heavier, but would also typically be 4-6" longer. Lastly, the recoil of 7.62x51 is arguably a bit more than 6.8x43 even in a gas gun that is a couple of pounds heavier. There was a comment in a recent thread about why the high cap mags, with the appropriate response being engagement of large sounders. When the pandamonium ensues in the dark, a lighter & shorter weapon system with reduced recoil has real merit for follow-up shots. Quality factory 6.8 ammo is anything but inexpensive, but for those who don't have the time to reload, it is readily available, and indication is that lower cost factory "plinking" ammo should become increasingly available over time. This not intended to be a 7.62x51 bashing post, but rather highlighting the potential benefits of 6.8x43 consistent with the thread subject. 6.8 might be considered a "niche" cartridge by some, but then again this is the hog hunting forum, and it seems to fit that niche quite nicely. |
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Quoted:
i would dump the 6.8, its a great round, that may have a bright future, and im sure one day i will grab one,
But right now, theres no real plinking ammo, right now, if wolf or somebody were to put out a plinking round to have fun with, i would be all over it, although there are a decent amount manufactures putting out uppers now, i still dont think we are there yet with the ammo, for example, for my ar10 its nice to be able to get a few battle packs surplus 308 for 40-50 cents per round at the same time reloading my own match rounds for about 50 to 75 cents per round love the idea of the 6.8, but right now, i am just not doing around a dollar per round for a carbine, or putting in the time to load for an addition caliber( i load for 308, 300wm and 338LM) as its all ready tough to keep up with those. If you were humping a 16lb rig around for 6-7 hours hunting I think you would change your mind. I love my .308, but that fucker gets heavy after 4-5 hours. NODS, Thermal, extra ammo, white lights, extra battery's all add into the equation. If I want to shoot a bunch I just shoot one of my 5.56's.
haha yeah that .308 with the NV set up got really heavy by the end of the night. And we were riding around in a four wheeler
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Quoted:
As others have stated, many folks don't use their 6.8x43's for plinking; they are employed primarily for enhanced (versus 5.56x45) terminal ballistics on fleshy targets. Within reason, regardless of cartridge selection, shot placement is what is most important, followed by projectile type IMHO. I happen to also have a 5.56 SBR for plinking configured identically to my 6.8 other than the barrel, bolt, mags, reticle type, and can. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/murderman_/resize_IMG_0070.jpg As km pointed out, setting up a night rig adds a significant amount of weight, so starting lighter helps. My 6.8 SBR weighs 7#2oz stripped, but weighs 12#10oz rigged out for night with 20 rounds in the mag. Granted the particular can that I am currently using is heavier than it needs to be, but it is what I already own. Besides weight, another thing to consider is that 6.8 works extremely well with relatively short barrels (11.5-12.5"), whereas most folks don't tend to go much shorter than 16" with 7.62x51. This means that not only would an AR-10 type platform be a few pounds heavier, but would also typically be 4-6" longer. Lastly, the recoil of 7.62x51 is arguably a bit more than 6.8x43 even in a gas gun that is a couple of pounds heavier. There was a comment in a recent thread about why the high cap mags, with the appropriate response being engagement of large sounders. When the pandamonium ensues in the dark, a lighter & shorter weapon system with reduced recoil has real merit for follow-up shots. Quality factory 6.8 ammo is anything but inexpensive, but for those who don't have the time to reload, it is readily available, and indication is that lower cost factory "plinking" ammo should become increasingly available over time. This not intended to be a 7.62x51 bashing post, but rather highlighting the potential benefits of 6.8x43 consistent with the thread subject. 6.8 might be considered a "niche" cartridge by some, but then again this is the hog hunting forum, and it seems to fit that niche quite nicely. While I re-load all my 6.8, I've been waiting for this to come to light...Just not sure the ammo manufacturers will ever enough have demand to produce qty's for "plinking ammo" for a decent price.
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