6.8 AR as "The One Gun" ?

[straybrit]

OK - I've finally admitted that with a full time job, raising teenagers, handgun competitions and all the rest I just don't have the time (or the money) to get competent with more than one long gun.

So (and assuming I keep a 22-250 for small stuff) I'm looking for opinions on building an AR in 6.8SPC as the 'do it all' rifle. Up to deer and hogs anyway. That's the top of the spectrum of targets that I'm likely to consider it for. Background reading seems to indicate that it'll do pretty much everything I want (good out to 400 yds, hard hitting enough for hogs and deer, light enough to carry on a stalk, compact enough for brush, reasonable bullet choices for reload) but if anyone has any strong opinions either way I'd welcome them. I have zero experience hunting in Texas so I'm probably ignorant of any local conditions that would mandate against it as a good choice.

Thanks
Derek

[OldCannon]

I looked at both the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8 Rem SPC, and the Grendel won hands-down. IMHO, the 6.8 has an extremely narrow bullet weight spread as well as suboptimal performance at longer ranges. Both will drop critters just fine though.

P.S. - There is no "one gun," otherwise the military would issue it for all purposes

[The Annoyed Man]

I'd be interested in owning a 6.5mm or 6.8mm AR some day, but if I had to find one in a "do all" "one gun" caliber, I would choose one in .308 for several reasons, not the least of which nearly universal ammo availability.

OTH, the 6mm class does have the distinct advantage of being able to mate to a .223/5.56mm lower, which means that you can have multiple caliber guns for less money. In that case, the 6mm class comes close to filling the .30 caliber role.

[74novaman]

I looked at both the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8 Rem SPC, and the Grendel won hands-down. IMHO, the 6.8 has an extremely narrow bullet weight spread as well as suboptimal performance at longer ranges. Both will drop critters just fine though.

P.S. - There is no "one gun," otherwise the military would issue it for all purposes

The part in bold is very true....course they also get fun things like grenades and air support.

Though I have to say, I got to shoot OldCannons 6.5 Grendel AR and oh my....

After maybe 2 shots, OC cranked it back to 100 yards and had me fire a 3 shot group. I gotta say, being mainly a pistol guy, at an indoor range with low lighting, with an unfamiliar scope and unfamiliar rifle... I was praying just that all the rounds hit paper. OC can correct me if my memory is exaggerating my prowess, but I think it was around a 1.5"-2.5" group for those 3 shots.

I've been lusting after a 6.5 AR ever since. It is one rifle that I WILL definitely own one day. (though theres a lot of talk about developing a 6.5 AK as well, so I might have to get a matching pair. )

[straybrit]

There is no "one gun," otherwise the military would issue it for all purposes

Ah - but I did take the trouble to list the operational boundaries

I would choose one in .308 for several reasons

Yeah - and I do have a 308 Weatherby - but to do that means the AR10 platform - and that equates to weight and cost. I've looked at the DPMS LR308B which isn't that bad but I want something to take the place of my 44mag Marlin as well - which means fairly small and maneuverable.

Obviously anything will be a compromise - but I can't afford the troop of native bearers carrying one of every calibre just in case. Well, not unless the lottery comes up. Maybe I should buy a ticket

[Ameer]

I've been lusting after a 6.5 AR ever since. It is one rifle that I WILL definitely own one day. (though theres a lot of talk about developing a 6.5 AK as well, so I might have to get a matching pair. )

Keep it simple and get a 7.62x39mm AR.

[eureka40]

I looked at both the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.8 Rem SPC, and the Grendel won hands-down. IMHO, the 6.8 has an extremely narrow bullet weight spread as well as suboptimal performance at longer ranges. Both will drop critters just fine though.

P.S. - There is no "one gun," otherwise the military would issue it for all purposes

The part in bold is very true....course they also get fun things like grenades and air support.

Though I have to say, I got to shoot OldCannons 6.5 Grendel AR and oh my....

After maybe 2 shots, OC cranked it back to 100 yards and had me fire a 3 shot group. I gotta say, being mainly a pistol guy, at an indoor range with low lighting, with an unfamiliar scope and unfamiliar rifle... I was praying just that all the rounds hit paper. OC can correct me if my memory is exaggerating my prowess, but I think it was around a 1.5"-2.5" group for those 3 shots.

I've been lusting after a 6.5 AR ever since. It is one rifle that I WILL definitely own one day. (though theres a lot of talk about developing a 6.5 AK as well, so I might have to get a matching pair. )

Dang, I want to shoot it too. I'll buy lunch at Pecan Street Deli!!!!

[The Mad Moderate]

I've been lusting after a 6.5 AR ever since. It is one rifle that I WILL definitely own one day. (though theres a lot of talk about developing a 6.5 AK as well, so I might have to get a matching pair. )

Keep it simple and get a 7.62x39mm AR.

na w make it a 7.62 AK

[gigag04]

300BLK for me...want it badly

[OldCannon]

Dang, I want to shoot it too. I'll buy lunch at Pecan Street Deli!!!!

If you catch me in a good mood, I'll be taking my Grendel back out to Reds...I'm going to drop my LW-15 lower on it and see how it goes.

[ghostrider]

If I was looking for an all around 'AR', I might consider an AR-10 in .308Win or 260 Rem:

http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.aspx?i ... 488ec48776" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In an AR-15, there are some other options:

http://300aacblackout.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.shootingillustrated.com/inde ... 30-rem-ar/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/762x40-WT/departments/411/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[74novaman]

curious if you're absolutely settled on the AR platform. If you do choose to go the .308 route as an all purpose rifle (not a bad idea, though I do like the idea of a 6.5 grendel) there are cheaper options out there than an AR-10.

The FAL, the saiga and vepr in the AK flavor, and the Civilian models of the G3 (the ptr 91 is specifically the one cheaper than an AR-10) are reliable, solid .308 guns. All are plenty accurate for hunting or defense. In .308 semi autos, the nod goes to FALs are especially the g3 variants with regards to magazine availability/cost over both the saiga and ar-10/

Just some more food for thought.

[straybrit]

curious if you're absolutely settled on the AR platform.

Not at all - I'm an engineer so I like to go from requirements as opposed to justifying a notion (not that I'm above that when required ). So I'm looking at as light as possible, small as possible with enough punch to take out a hog/deer at 400yds and accurate enough to make the shot a realistic proposition. I'm not really interested in the 1000yd figures - I'm not a good enough shot to use that sort of capability and nor do I have the time to get there (assuming I could). I'm intending to keep my 22-250 for the smaller stuff like blowing up ground squirrels so I guess the overlap point between the two would be coyote or thereabouts. Though I can attest that a 168gr TSX from my 308 will just blow right through a coyote and leave it to run off. Note to self - grab correct gun when bailing out of truck for an opportunity shot I do want a semi-auto though for that follow-up shot.

Given the obvious cost constraints that we all suffer from the 6.8SPC AR15 seemed a reasonable compromise but I'm really trawling for ideas and opinions to help me gather enough data to make a more informed decision. As usual you guys are proving to be an excellent source.

Thanks.

[straybrit]

300BLK for me...want it badly

Yeah - I can see why. Didn't really know that existed until your post. Very very nice. Now you've got me thinking of that with the 12" barrel and a suppressor for home defense. Wonder how hard it is for a furriner to get the licence for one of those?