6.8 SPC Pros vs. Cons

[Coyote Hunter]

  Fear of getting "charged" by a black bear?  Pure fantasy.  ...

Unlikely, perhaps, but not "Pure fantasy".

[Mikey]

I seriously doubt if there are any real negatives to the 6.8.  If it's basically a 270 short that is in the same ballistic league as the 260 and the 6.5 Swede.  Either of the three is more than sufficient for upstate NY Whitetail or Black Bear, regardless of the Bear's attitude at the time of the encounter.  I'm not dead on certain of the case design but I know you can easily make 260s from 308s and I wonder if you cannot do the same with the 6.8 so you wouldn't ever run out of cases. 

The new shorter rounds that are being developed in these bore sizes really present a lot more opportunities than some of the older longer cartridge rifles of the same bore diameter.  Of course the rifles are lighter since you can use the short actions but you can also tame the recoil with lighter weight bullets that perform as well from the shorter cartridge as do the heavier slugs from the longer cartridges. 

I would have no problem with Black Bear and the 260, and I seriously doubt I would have any concerns about the 6.8 with the same critters.  jmtcw.

[Cheesehead]

The 6.8 is based on the parent cartridge 30 Remington or rimless 30-30. The case diameter is smaller than the 308.

Cheese

[Poppy]

Lots of great info.  I have my "270 Shortie" in a T/C Contender.  Haven"t shot any big game with it yet, but on the range or walking around the farm, it carries and shoots great and at 145 yards, the 110 grain V-Max is deadly on coyotes.  Can't wait for the fall to get here.

[mannyrock]

 
   Don't forget to carry your portable lightning rod with you, since more people are probably killed or injured by lightning in the U.S. every year than by black bears. :-)

[saltydog]

i'm not saying that a 6.8 won't take down big game such as whitetail deer or bear. I'm merely saying that utilizing this catridge to stop a charging animal is something that you should seriously consider rethinking. For those sportsman who take their shots from a safe distance it sounds great but for those of us who hunt in a dense forest where visibility at it's best is 50-75yds in broad daylight, i'd take my chances with a 35 whelen. 

Good huntin'

Casey

I don't think many folk consider taking a 6.8 SPC out on a bear hunt as their first choice - I have found the 6.8 to be energy wise equal to a 30:30 in performance with a flatter trajectory and much improved accuracy. How many bears have been killed with 30:30's not to mention millions of deer. While I would prefer to carry my R25 308 to stop a charging black bear or a quick shot at a fleeting buck I would not feel undergunned using my 6.8 with a mag full of Barnes bullets either if I had to. 

[jdt48653]

its something new,it gives the writers new fodder.its a nice unnessary cartridge
in a long line of unnessary cartridges,that will mostly all kill deer.
if you gave me one i would gladly take it,but i wouldnt buy one.

[emsemt911]

i bought one and would not ever get rid of it!!!
have shot things from coyotes to red stags with it, one shot one kills.

[Poppy]

EMSEMT911, can you give me more info on what specific ammo you are using for what specific game.  I am new to the 6.8, but to date I feel exactly like you.

[no guns here]

Wow... the old "unnecessary cartridge" comment rears it's head again.
Duplicative maybe, but not unnecessary.

Face it there is NO NEED for any chamberings other than the .22LR, the .30-'06 and the .375H&H.  Everything else duplicates capabilities that exist in those three.  That doesn't mean that the thousands of other chamberings and cartridges aren't necessary or wanted.



NGH

[Malicious Intent]

  Fear of getting "charged" by a black bear?  Pure fantasy.  You would have a hundred times greater chance of getting killed by a drunk driver while riding in your car to your hunting property. So, would you go out and buy a motorcycle helmet to wear while driving, to give you more protection while you are riding in your car???

   I have hunted in Rockbridge County, Virginia, one of the largest black bear counties in all of Virginia, for over 35 years.  I have seen exactly 3 black bear while deer hunting, one being a sow with cubs, and all of  which promptly ran away at the first whiff of human scent.  I'm more concerned by the rattlesnakes, which DO bite dozens of people in the county every year.

Mannyrock

Well considering the fact that I have been hunting or in the same area for close to 10 years now lets see how many times i've come close to being hit by a drunk driver.....................................survey says.............0. Now how many times been charged by bear....................survey says...............1. AMAZING!!! 1 to 0 in favor of the bear. I wonder which one i'm going to be more concerned with?

Also on another note; this post was on a matter of personnal opinion so if you have a problem with it well then I guess ur just gonna have to keep it to urself. If you can't play nice then you shouldn't play at all.

[wganz]

its something new, it gives the writers new fodder. its a nice unnecessary cartridge
in a long line of unnessary cartridges,that will mostly all kill deer.
if you gave me one i would gladly take it, but i wouldn't buy one.

The 6.8 SPC expands the AR15 platform to another level as does its rival the 6.5 Grendel(think 6.5 Swede from an AR). Got an AR lower tagged for a 6.8 build. Just need the $$$ and the Round Tuit to get it done. 

The 6.8 SPC would be a nice addition to the Handi standard caliber line up.

[R.W.Dale]

The 6.5 Grendel is NOT in the same league as a 6.5x55 swede. To get anywhere near that level of performance you need to step up to something along the lines of a WSSM or the 30 RAR