8.6 Blackout SBR - First Blood

Gman757

Gman757

Active member
I decided to take my new 8.6 Blackout SBR out last night to see how it would do on some hogs. I had some coming into a pipe feeder so I sat off site and waited until they triggered my cell camera and then stalked into position for a shot.

I had dropped some corn earlier in the day to hold them on the plot and made the mistake of dropping it too far left of my shooting lane. I had seen a larger sow in the group on camera and was hoping to put her down first, and once I got into position on a shooting rest I have screwed to a tree I realized I would have to shoot her through a gap in the trees.

It was just an educated guess but I figured since she was the alpha sow and was sporting a swollen belly she would make sure to get her share first. I waited until a smaller hog moved out of the way and then took the shot. The bullet entered high on her back and I think the angle drove it deeper into her body. It anchored her and she kicked it out for a few seconds and then was dead.

As best I could tell there was no exit wound. I was using Aitken Arms 220 grain Maker T-REX ammo. Speed is rated at 1850 FPS but I'm running slower than that with the 12 inch barrel. Terminal performance is enhanced by the 1:3 twist rate which produces a 500,000 RPM bullet rotation. Most ammo is designed to open at slower speeds so as you can imagine a bullet opening up at 500,000 RPM can do nasty things to internal organs.

This is a rather noisy location close to an interstate highway so I had decided not to shoot at the runners but just shoot a single shot and see if they would come back in. I waited about a half hour and they no showed so I called it a night.



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AGM Rattler TS25-384 Thermal Scope

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hm1996 said:
That's threading the needle. Good shooting.
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TXCOONDOG said:
I thought about the 8.6 BO since I wanted to try heavy sub loads but went 450 BM route.

Thanks for sharing and good job!
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Thx hm.....

Txcoondog...... I too wanted the 8.6 BLK for heavy sub loads but I am not having good accuracy results so far with the ammo I have tried. I got tight enough groups with the 220 grain supersonic loads to take it out hunting but as of now I have no subsonic ammo that is suitable.

I view it as a rather low risk venture as I can use the lower for another caliber upper or even a different 8.6 upper if this one does not work out. There is already some talk of changing the barrel twist rate from 1:3 to 1:5 or 1:6.5. There is still a lot of testing going on with ammo manufacturers regarding chamber pressure data, and also ballistics and bullet design to achieve good terminal performance with subsonic rounds.

The main downside with cost is the ammo. It is on the the expensive side and searching for an accurate subsonic load is getting expensive but it is what it is.

I have 3 other hog rigs so I will still play with the 8.6 as it develops and use my go to rigs when needed.

I got the rifle for a good price and it was built with high quality parts. I recommend these guys as a source for those calibers that are out of the mainstream.

( I am not sure about the policy now with posting links but if this is a violation the moderators can delete it and I will provide the link in a PM per request.)

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Dear God. I'd never heard of that cartridge before, but after doing a little research ....... that thing is a BAZOOKA. I'm surprised the hog didn't fly 20 yards after the impact.
 
6mm06 said:
That is an interesting round. It put her down for the count. Are you liking the TS25? I love mine.
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Yes.....the TS25 is s good bang for your buck thermal. I have used it mostly as a scanner but it works well when I need to run it as a scope.

I mounted it on a suppressed .22 LR upper and dropped 5 hogs at 25 yards with subsonic ammo in a guys backyard last summer. I could see him through the window watching TV and he had no idea I was shooting hogs 40 yards from him. Too much fun.
 
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Dultimatpredator said:
Kind of reminds me of a slow 35 Remington With better BC bullet choices.
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I am sure there are numerous big bore choices that would offer similar or even better terminal performance than the 8.6 but I was drawn to this round because of the high speed rotation from the 1:3 twist rate. It seemed like novel approach to gaining lethality in a subsonic round; especially since there are several ammo manufacturers that are on board developing compatible bullet designs and loads.

So far I have not been able to test for subsonic terminal performance in the field because I have not found a subsonic round that shoots with acceptable accuracy results for hunting. The issue seems to be finding a bullet that is designed to open at subsonic speeds and can handle the 500,000 RPM rotation and gives me repeatable accuracy results.

There are some offerings that I still need to try but I am taking it one step at a time due to the high cost of the ammo. Normally I would just order one of everything I thought might work but that isn't a cost effective approach with the 8.6.

I have tried at least one or two loads from the following manufacturers.......

Aitken Arms

aitkenarms.com aitkenarms.com

callawayballistics.com

Callaway Ballistics

Callaway Ballistics - Shop - Quality Ammo You can Trust - Made in Alabama
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www.gorillaammo.com

Gorilla Ammunition

Gorilla Ammunition is premium grade brass ammunition with match grade primers and match grade bullets. Stringent quality control consisting of inspection with...
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I appreciate the feedback and your honesty.

This is the direction of what the “new normal“ is with the new wave of shooters out there. Apparently the “new norm“ is going in reverse compared to what happened 2 to 3 decades ago when everybody wanted to supercharge everything. It’s like the new gen of shooters are intolerable of any recoil. I call them “gen W”…gen WIMPS…sorry, had to get it out of my system. lol . When 1999 tolled around with the “supercharged era came to market” the same projectiles used for normal hunting velocities got pushed an additional 400 fps plus they were splashing and coming apart like varmint bullets So premium bullets eventually came to market. It was already to late. What happened is all these big ultra mags died out along with the short ultra mags the short Winchester mags, and same with Ruger‘s failed attempts. But 99% of the premium lines are still manufactured today. Shooters are still buying these “ premium“ heavily constructed bonded and mono projectiles and wonder why they don’t drop deer like Thors hammer hit them, don’t expand, and “pencil hole“ through animals like full metal jackets or arrows with field points along with no blood trail to follow and 100 yard plus tracking. At least they were smart enough to put a super fast twist with this caliber so it has half a chance to get the bullet to come apart on game. I knew there was going to be accuracy issues but it’s like everything that’s a new guinea pig on the market. Just like the ultra mags era most of these small fat short calibers with the projectiles sticking way out will all be by the wayside in about 3 to 4 years with one or two that survived because they did well for accuracy. I do like the looks of this caliber I have to admit it. but I’ll guarantee you the price for a 338 bullet is going to be premium to have fun with a little ” plinker” round. I think it’s gonna be a real challenge to stabilize most 338 heavy bullets for caliber at these slow speeds. I’ve tried to load a lot of .375” and larger long rifle projectiles in several rifles at LOW velocities using trail boss and unique with all horrible accuracy. Imo twist will Help but it’s still a bandaid.
 
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Yes........I decided this was a bit of a crapshoot from the get go but I figured if nothing else I end up with a nice AR10 lower and suppressor. I can always find something else to pin on it or rebarrel the upper and have a nice weapon.

I have two AR 6.8 SPC builds and one Hybrid AR 6.5 Creedmoor that are my go to choices for FL hogs. I will still play around with the 8.6 and maybe it will turn out to be worth the effort. There is already some talk about slowing down the rotation with a 1:5 or 1:6 twist rate. Time will tell.
 
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