Anyone done a Handi in 6.8 SPC?

[fye2k]

I collecting parts to build a AR in 6.8 SPC.  I was wondering if anyone has built a Handi barrel for this cartridge?

It seems like you could take a .270 barrel, cut it in two, stub it into itself and ream the new chamber, ending up with a short barrel 6.8.

It would be nice to have a single shot that shares ammo with the AR.  It seems like it would be a close match for that .30-30, .303, 7.62X39 power niche (though not in 30 caliber). 

Anyone done it?

[xhare]

I dont know, but it has been my addition to the wish list for a long time.  Make it a Spec II chamber though. 

[Lefty Dude]

The 6.8 SPC is a popular Custom TC caliber.

I have a very close Cousin to the 6.8 SPC for 30 years. Mine is a 270 Ingram TC Rifle barrel, A 223 necked up to .270/W a 40 degree shoulder. I shoot Sierra 90 gr. HP and the piece is very accurate. I have several loads that are close to one hole groups at 100 yards.
I can see where the 30 Remington case will give the round more gidda-up.

One could take a .223" barrel and rebore and rechamber to .277"- 6.8 SPC

Remington is factory loading the 6.8 as sporting rounds. I was in Cabela's yesterday in Glendale, AZ. They had the Ammo on the shelves.

[Kal52]

Id love to have one, think it would be a great addition.

Right now I have a contender pistol in 6.8 with a 10" barrel and its fun to shoot, killed a nice doe with it last year at about 75yds.
I think since remington is running the show, youd see more of the 6.8, 17FB and 221, since it would be an inexpensive way for people to try them out

Dave

[mannyrock]

    I think a Handi in 6.8 spc would be a great little deer rifle, because it would be a  short light package with a low recoil, light bullet round, that would have that extra oomph and 115 grain bullet weight that the .243 Winchester sorely lacks.  Right now, to get that little extra, you have to go with a .257 Roberts, or a .25-06, or a .260 Remington, none of which are to my liking.  The Swede is nice, but I don't want to hand load.  I want to just buy factory ammo .

      Although you can get a Contender in 6.8, I just hate the look and feel of a Contender.  Ugly, Euro, Industrial look.

    Just my thoughts.

Mannyrock

[NFG]

A couple of shooting buddies got the 6.8 craze..the look in their eyes when you say 6.8 is like "Froggy" in Walt Disney's "Wind in the Willows" cartoon when he saw a car...kinda glazed over and a 1000 yd stare.  Hahahahahahaha

When I told them it was 30 odd years old went like this..."NO WAY...you're full of s---...this is brand new...Even worse when I showed them a picture.

I've seen what the 270 Ingram can do on steel, deer, varmints etc...knew several shooting buddies back in the days of steel...couldn't see much difference in kills between the .277 and .284(7mm TCU), at least enough for me to build one.

It is a very good steel plate shooter and deer/varmint shooter in the right hands in a pistol or a rifle.

And there have been many other 277 cal iterations...the 270 REN was amazing...basically a straight walled Hornet that produced some nice ballistics.

I never was a .277 cal fan, always went with the slightly larger .284 because of a better selection of bullets, but there isn't anything wrong with the .277 that I can see other than that and today that isn't really an issue..

I have a Rem 700 SA with the right boltface that needs a barrel....277 is about the only caliber I DON'T have at least one barrel in.  Maybe it's time for a change.

It WOULD make a very nice 16 1/4" Handi stub also.

There are a plethura of .284 cartridges, the 7mmTCU twin and every cartridge case size on up...the 6.8 just adds another dimension to the list, but the 6.8 would be my choice today  over the Ingram because of factory ammo availability.(Except for the bragging rights of having something very few have!!!! )

There is plenty of 6.5 Swede factory ammo available, Manny...I have two and started with Norma factory ammo to get the brass and now I reload.  PMC had it at one time, but it was hot loaded like Norma...PMC and Norma didn't recomend it for military actions...check it out.

Luck

[fye2k]

So if I did a rebore/rechamber on a .223, should I start with an light/youth barrel? 

Would the thin barrel cause accuracy problems like I hear about from the .243 light/youth barrels? 

[xhare]

fye2k,

Probably, but perhaps not as bad as the 243.  The 223 Superlight can have problems as well so the 6.8 probably would too.  A 6.8 would make the barrel even thinner than the 243.  But the 6.8 powder charge is more like the 223 than the 243, so the heat load would not be as bad as it is with the 243.  I believe the 6.8 max pressure is a bit less than the 223 and 243 as well.

Incidentally, the 6.8 in some form of the Superlight is what I would want.  It would be a nice light rifle.  Of course you could go with a TC Contender G2 and special order a 16-20 inch 6.8 barrel and have a very light deer rifle as well...but $$$.

[quickdtoo]

I've got a 6x45(6mm/223) Superlight, it will throw the third shot out when it gets too warm, but three shots from a cold barrel will shoot good as long as the load isn't too hot, same for my 260 Rem Superlight,  if it's a little warm when you start shooting, the 3rd shot is usually out an inch or so.

Tim

[NFG]

Unless a barrel is stress relieved by the maker or cryo'ed(possibly) ANY kinkyness will show up quicker in a light, thin barrel than in a thicker one.  I like a minimum of 0.125" walls for the smaller calibers so a 0.550" would be my minimum for a .277/.284 bore at the muzzle...and a #2 contour the lightest, for the rest of the length no matter what it is.

Many of the cheaper barrels are centerless ground which means you can have variations in the thickness of the barrel walls along the boreline.  Plus the bore ISN'T perfectly true in many.  I've had barrels that measured almost perfectly round and the contour right on the money, BUT have 0.015" variation in the thickness of the walls at the muzzle and at the chamber end...and NOT at the same points. 

As long as the threads were cut true to the centerline and the chamber also, the accuracy was within my limits, but I turned the chamber end true on centers and put the thin part of the muzzle end up so hopefully any differential heating would cause only vertical dispersion.

All these "wowies" will cause a light barrel to "walk" or "kink" at some temp point and throw a shot.  NEF barrels are far from being top shelf so the best you can do is find out how many shots it takes to start the walk and if the direction and amount of walk is consistent and with what load combination, then use the information to make your hits.

For my two cents I would do as high a quality stub barrel as you can afford for anything I would expect more than ~125 yd shots.  You can make the Handi get up and shine by doing what's required TO the rifle and the ammo.

Luck