6.8 SPC II vs 300 BLK

[edhead35]

Wanted to start a debate on these two calibers for target shooting, hunting deer, and maybe hogs. Hunting deer primarily.

Part of me wants to go 300 BLK because:

1.the ability to rework 5.56 brass and not buy new brass
2. because it seems to be becoming a mainstream caliber
3. the subsonic ability for suppression
using 5.56 mags
4. It's a 30 Cal which is what I am familiar with for taking deer.

What are everyone's thoughts on the plus and minuses of these calibers? I am a reloader so ammo isn't ad much of a concern as I can make my own.

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[Dradian]

6.8 is a better hunting caliber in every way. getting a new bolt and magazines is a little bit of a pain, but not terrible.

Alot of this will depend on what distance you plan to use it. Under 100 yards, there might not be a lot of difference. Past 150...6.8 is a much better option.

Subsonic 300 blackout seems fun, but it has about as much energy as a .45acp (but with better sectional density). Seems like a great round for clearing a house...but not that great for taking game.

Since you're talking about the SPC II and not SPC, you have much better reloading options. I would recommend

http://ar15performance.com

The Barnes 95gr TTSX bullet has some proven performance on the 6.8 forum. If you use factory ammo for hunting, the 120gr SST has a good rep as well as the Federal Fusion line.


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[whacko]

300 blkout......hunting......NO.

 

[bigblue]

6.5 Grendel.

 

[92G]

to me the only real purpose for 300 blk is to run subsonic suppressed. otherwise the cartidge is semi pointless and at range it drops like a rock. the 6.8 spc is interesting to me but compared to a 77gr 5.56 it doesn't really offer all that much, so to me not worth the trouble.

i agree w bigblue that the 6.5 grendel is really the only AR-platform cartridge that offers truly distinct qualities over the 5.56. it's more powerful and has substantially better ballistics so can go distances like a 308 without needing a large AR-10 platform or recoil. i do not own any 6.5 grendel rifles but have shot one and I was impressed by how pleasant it was to shoot compared to a 308 yet kicks ass at range.

the only real caveats I've found to the 6.5 are that cartridge OAL is limited to allow for feeding and that the rifles tend to need rather long barrels to get the velocities going. for example, whereas a 16" 5.56 can perform well, the 6.5 grendel needs 20+ inches to maximize its range. last time I crunched some numbers my conclusion was that if I built a 6.5 grendel it would be a 24" barrel.

but getting back to your question, I have completely abandoned 300 blk until the day comes I can own a suppressor, then I will be interested again.

 

[Dradian]

the 6.5 grendel does need a longer barrel and it has much fewer suitable hunting bullets to choose from.

It does have a better BC but I'm not sure that matters much for hunting under 400 yards.

Since the 6.8 uses the same bullets as a .270, there are literally dozens of hunting bullets to choose from for reloading.

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[Mountain]

I'd want more knockout power if you ever plan to hunt hogs. Unless you need to use an existing lower, why not just build a .308 AR? Plenty of choices for other calibers, but .308 would be great for both deer and hogs. Also your range would be significantly extended.

Want to stay with a standard lower and mags but really knock something down? .458 SOCOM. Lots of bullet choices and once you have the brass it's not expensive to reload. Also stupid good fun at the range.

 

[ChevyGuy91]

6.8.

 

[larueminati]

Neither for your intended purposes.

If anything, go 6.5 Grendel

 

[Dradian]

http://ar15hunter.com/fall-6-8-spc-rise-6-8-spc-ii-hunting-round/

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[bigblue]

http://abesguncave.com/6-5-grendel-vs-6-8-spc-a-different-perspective/

 

[92G]

OP-

i'm not trying to re-hash the whole semi-auto vs bolt question, but i'm guessing by your cartridge selection you're interested in hunting with an AR. to me, any differences between these chamberings are miniscule in importance when one considers the advantages of using a manual loading action for hunting.

my only hunting experience has been turkey hunting. I can say with certainty that after thumping a turkey and having the adrenaline pumping, the last thing I need is an autoloading gun to put another live round in the chamber and send my shotgun brass somewhere to my right. it means i have to immediately clear my rifle and go find my trash. while it sounds simple, bear in mind the focus is 100% on that game and not necessarily on my equipment. on the contrary a pump or bolt gun is made safe upon firing one round (well, mostly safe). I always hunt with other people, which means safety takes even higher priority than if I were hunting alone. unless you're engaging multiple targets quickly such as perhaps varmint hunting (coyotes?) the utility of a semi auto is zero.

a bolt gun is usually subtantially lighter as well. for example a hunting 308 bolt gun should be around 6 lbs, whereas even the lightest 308 AR will be at least 2 lbs heavier. any turkey hunting trips Ive done have been approx 99.99% walking around through thick brush and 0.001% shooting, so the weight of the rifle is huge. a 1 lb difference is substantial. 3 lbs will be the difference between a painful shoulder and a pleasant trek.

nowadays manufacturers are building bolt guns in so-called "AR chamberings" largely for this purpose of hunting. for example if I ever went hunting with a 5.56 my first choice woudl be my ruger american ranch. it's feather light and plenty accurate. i briefly owned the same gun in 300 blk but sold it since a suppresor is not an option and the ballistics beyond 200 yards are god awful. but with these styles of guns, you can put the weight where it matters (i.e. barrel) rather than in gas blocks, receivers, BCGs, buffers which provide no benefit to harvesting animal.

 

[edhead35]

I'm just looking for something new, I've been hunting with 308 bolt guns for awhile and wanted to try something else in semi auto.

I bought a bunch of 6.8 brass a long time ago on a deal and I was ready to pull the trigger on an upper recently, but I saw this 300 blk trend and was wondering what the hype is all about.

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[edhead35]

My common hunting distances are under 100 yards with maybe 2 spots with a 230 yard shot.

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[Beretta92FS]

Since you're posting in the Hunting forum, I assume the intended use is hunting.

300 Blackout is more of a tactical round, good for running suppressed and clearing houses, close quarter combat and such. But it's not really a hunting round.

6.8 SPC on the other hand is a great hunting round. Power wise it's somewhere between .223 and .308, and I'd say it's almost ideal for game up to deer size. Here is my SBR in 6.8 SPC which I use for deer hunting up north - love that thing!

 

[Dradian]

Since you're posting in the Hunting forum, I assume the intended use is hunting.

300 Blackout is more of a tactical round, good for running suppressed and clearing houses, close quarter combat and such. But it's not really a hunting round.

6.8 SPC on the other hand is a great hunting round. Power wise it's somewhere between .223 and .308, and I'd say it's almost ideal for game up to deer size. Here is my SBR in 6.8 SPC which I use for deer hunting up north - love that thing!

nice rig!

what's your prefered deer round?

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[Beretta92FS]

nice rig!

what's your prefered deer round?

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Federal Fusion MSR 6.8 SPC 115 grain takes care of most critters...

 

[xtry51]

6.8 SPC if I had to pick for hunting deer, but either will do the job if you're up to the task.

You can kill a deer with a 22LR. Killing an animal on a hunt has little to do with the tool you are using. People have been killing deer with arrows and spears for a long time. Any gun is more effective than that.

The ability for a gun to take an animal down is directly related to how well you know the animal's anatomy and how good of a shot you are.

Every deer goes down when you shoot it in the head.

 

[bigblue]

Just an FYI, my Grendel hunting rifle with 16" bbl is barely over 6 lbs.

I do know a certain someone uses 6.8 for coyote.

They are both good rounds. I chose Grendel because I already reload 6.5 Creedmoor and they take the same bullets. It makes sense for me.

 

[edhead35]

I was originally thinking a Barnes ttsx on the heavier end for deer in 6.8 but I figured it's been a few years since I was on that path and wanted to see what the latest trend was all about in this 300blk.

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[xtry51]

I was originally thinking a Barnes ttsx on the heavier end for deer in 6.8 but I figured it's been a few years since I was on that path and wanted to see what the latest trend was all about in this 300blk.

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The TTSX are amazing. Both in accuracy and expansion/penetration.

 

[Dradian]

completely agree on the ttsx

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[PappyM3]

Thread resurrection from the dead, but I wanted to add some opinions for the debate on 300 BLK vs 6.8 SPC II.

277 Wolverine seems like a pretty good compromise between the two. It’s still a wildcat, but worth keeping an eye on.

1. It uses 5.56 brass like 300blk, but Hornady and Starline do make pre-formed and stamped brass for it if you want.

2. With the 5.56 brass, it uses 5.56 bolts and magazines, which is nice in MA or other states needing preban mags.

3. It uses 6.8 bullets so there is a good selection of hunting choices.

4. It will do subsonic pretty well too with 175gr expanding rounds.

It seems like a pretty good compromise. It looses 150-200 FPS from 6.8, but that difference diminishes as you go into SBR lengths. I’m looking to build a 277 wlv upper for testing, and I’ll report back with findings when I do.

Also, for non wildcat rounds in the 6.8 vs 300blk debate, the answer is 6.5 Grendel, unless you want to run a 9” barrel and don’t care past 200 yards, or want suppressed.

6.8 already requires new mags and bolt, so why not go with something that has a better ballistics. Also, it’s not true that Grendel requires a long barrel. It functions great in SBR lengths down to 11.5”. It offers very cheap training ammo and the hunting bullet options are getting better.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

We have a Stag 6.8 in the family with the Gemtech Tracker suppressor on it for NH deer hunting. Will be using it this fall. Suppressors are also OK for Maine hunting, but you have to go thru some paperwork crap. Not worth the effort. Jack.

 

[Dradian]

I did the Maine approval process for hunting with suppressors. While I agree it's better in NH (no paperwork), the Maine process wasn't awful.

I just like hunting with suppressors, so I guess it was worth it to me. The 12.5 inch 6.8 SPC pistol suppressed is a sweet rig to carry around the woods. Much easier than my 18 inch 6.8.

 

[one-eyed Jack]

We have found that the Gemtech Tracker is also pretty effective for 5.56. Jack.

 

[northny]

For deer AND HOGS I would go 450 Bushmaster

 

[one-eyed Jack]

I did the Maine approval process for hunting with suppressors. While I agree it's better in NH (no paperwork), the Maine process wasn't awful.

I just like hunting with suppressors, so I guess it was worth it to me. The 12.5 inch 6.8 SPC pistol suppressed is a sweet rig to carry around the woods. Much easier than my 18 inch 6.8.

View attachment 286646

Well, the can is registered to me on a Form 3. With different hunters wanting to use it, none of them able to show a Form 4, it could get complicated. Jack.

 

[JRT]

For deer AND HOGS I would go 450 Bushmaster

Deer sure, if you want to. For hogs, no way. I’ve emptied an entire 30 round mag on 4 or 5 hogs. Hogs are often hunted from a moving vehicles and you need quantity. 10 rounds of 450 when they jam every third round isn’t ideal for hogs.

 

[JRT]

Well, the can is registered to me on a Form 3. With different hunters wanting to use it, none of them able to show a Form 4, it could get complicated. Jack.

The same issue applies in any state though. Unless it’s in a trust it has to be under your control. Why worry about running into an ATF agent in Maine vs New Hampshire? You are only required to show a Form 4 to an ATF agent.