6mm ARC

fishballer06

New member
Did anyone else see Hornady announce this new caliber yesterday? It's a 6mm bullet in a 556 casing that will work in any AR platform. They're claiming that they can almost get 308 ballistics from this cartridge.
 
Yup - 6.5 Grendel pushed back 30 thou to fit long ogive pills in the AR mag, necked down to 6mm. Little slower than 243LBC.

I lusted after a 6mm variant of the Grendel case for about 3yrs before I ordered my first 243LBC. I’ve had that 24” for 2 years now, absolutely love it. I have a spare 243LBC barrel waiting, so it’ll be end of 2021 before I run out of barrel life.

But I’m planning to add a 6 ARC barreled upper to that rifle to allow the option of shooting factory ammo for PRS matches in a pinch.
 
My dies arrived today, my barrel and ammo are supposed to arrive Monday. We shall see if it is a 308 replacement. I'd rather be shot by a 6mm 108grn bullet than a 7.62mm 175 grain bullet....
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Originally Posted By: HereticI'd rather be shot by a 6mm 108grn bullet than a 7.62mm 175 grain bullet....
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While that may be true, a 6mm bullet in a vital area will kill one just as dead as a .308 bullet, or a .500 bullet for that matter. The heavier 6mm bullets have plenty of penetration. The reduced recoil, reduced muzzle blast, faster re-acquisition time, and lighter weight gun/ammo are all tangible benefits of the smaller round - not to mention cheaper ammo, at least if reloading!

For me, the only real difference in terms of hunting is that I'd consider the 308 Win for game larger than deer. Not so the 6mm ARC. Inside 400 yards (my personal limit on big game) either will do fine on deer, pigs etc. The ARC has the added benefit of being well into the predator/varmint sweet spot.

I'm excited to pick up a 6 ARC upper, I'm thinking 20-22" barrel. It should be SWEET! It'll nicely complement my Ruger Predator 6mm Creedmoor.
 
I would argue it has too much drop out at common varmint shooting distances to be a great varmint round. It's advertised to replace the 308 the 308 is not what I would call a varmint round. The problem with killing varmints is hitting them and fast and flat makes that easier.
 
It might be okay for those who like to shoot heavies. Like v223, I'd rather have fast and flat out to the distances I shoot in night calling with thermal (400 yds. and under). I'm concerned it may be throated so long to accommodate those long pills that the lighter stuff will suffer, but time will tell. Of course with any of the bullets only able to be seated at mag length I suppose it can't be but just so long.
 
The 6mmARC is basically the 6mmAR cleaned up and legitimized. I have been lusting after that one for a while, just didn't want to put up with all the wildcat stuff. So for me it's a no brainer, I'm jumping in. It should shoot flatter than the Grendel and stay supersonic to further distances. Either a 100grain 6mm or a 130 grain 6.5mm or 160 grain 7.62, I don't think that coyote or deer would tell the difference. Dead is dead. I like reaching out to prairie dogs, so I prefer the flatter shooting 6mm.
 
Originally Posted By: arlaunchGavin just made another 6ARC video.

Gavintube



Varget was the go-to, sigh... Once again, 8208xbr was not tested. It's not popular because it's not popular. 8208xbr seems like it's the bastard stepchild that nobody has any interest in trying. More for me I guess.

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I like XBR.

I have an 8lb jug of the stuff.

In 223 REM, H4895 gets way better velocities before pressure with 55 grain bullets. With 75/77 grain stuff, velocity is a wash. IMR XBR meters better.

I think this caliber sounds appealing for mid weight bullets. 80-90 grain.
 
What was wrong with the 6.8 SPC?
Smaller case head.
Little lower bc. but bigger bore for more velocity in shorter barrels.
It seems everything today is built around shooting distances that most people never shoot.
 
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Thats why I own multiple 6x6.8s but quit fooling around and now night hunt with a .243 regardless.
It all takes me back to the head scratching of why people put a small block in a station wagon to drag race. They will tell you there's consistency in mass.... It's also turd slow lol.
 
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I mean I'm all for new cartridges and I'm not knocking it, I'm more or less just discussing it from an objective standpoint. But honestly it doesn't shoot long-range well when you stack it up next to something that holds more powder and it's really not a short-range varmint round because it's slow. It's all marketing in my opinion. Everything is marketed to Joe blow sniper who wants to talk about this new cool round and how he's an instant sniper. I can see it for the military who needs a cartridge that doesn't necessarily need to be super fast but needs some knockdown power in a lighter platform but I think it's going to need some barrel length to be effective at longer ranges where bc matters because that is what it's marketed for which makes the gun heavy again.
 
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I heard back from Faxon earlier this afternoon. Their 6mm ARC barrels should hit the market late summer/ early fall they said.I hope more manufacturers jump on this bandwagon. Means more choices for us.
 
Originally Posted By: Bob AzadiI heard back from Faxon earlier this afternoon. Their 6mm ARC barrels should hit the market late summer/ early fall they said.I hope more manufacturers jump on this bandwagon. Means more choices for us.

This is good news. Faxon is quickly becoming one of my favorite barrel manufacturers
 
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