6.5 or 6.8 for truck gun?

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Baron

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Hey all.

I'd like a truck gun that would live under the back seat. Before you say it, no, I've never had a vehicle broken in to, and I live in a very rural area and park in the police station parking lot when going to work. Thus, I'm not worried about spending some change to get what I want vs. a $200 ChiCom gun that I wouldn't be as devastated to have stolen.

I'd like to stick with an AR, because if I should ever have to bring such a weapon to bear, I'd sure rather have an AR in my hands than an AK when somebody else with a gun pulls up. I know they're stereotypes, but AKs scream "terrorist" or "gun nut" to most people, whereas ARs may tend to have the a more "government", "official" look. This may seem trivial, but I'd like to stack as many cards in my favor as possible before I find myself in a fast-moving, bad situation.

I've got other reasons for not particularly wanting a 5.56 or .308, and am pretty convinced that 6.8 or 6.5 would fit the bill nicely. Everybody's singing the praises of the 6.5, saying it's all-around superior to the 6.8, but there's rumors here and there that the 6.8 being better at CQB. However, I've never seen anything to back this up.

These two rounds are so new that I've seen absolutely no feedback from the few rifles that are in Iraq and Afghanistan - anybody got any feelings about which would be better for a truck gun?

Thanks,

Gerry
 
Simple answer depends on your need:

Do you want really long range capability? Yes = 6.5 Grendel
Do you want to spend $100 less (cheapest uppers)? Yes = 6.8 SPC

Other considerations:

Terminal ballistics are so close as to be negligable (initial test evidence of 123gr Black Hills ammo for 6.5 indicates it equals 6.8 in performance for a fragmenting round). Both have taken medium game effectively.
Ammo costs are almost the same. Most ammo for both is around $1 a pop.
Some Silver State 6.8 SPC stuff is going for 0.75 a pop. Wolf Gold 6.5 Grendel ammo is in the US but not in stores yet - advance order from Cabelas is 0.55 a pop.
6.8 factory ammo comes in 110gr and 115gr in a variety of bullets.
6.5 factory ammo comes in 90gr, 120gr, 123gr, and 129gr with a variety in the 123gr category.
If you reload, you will likely be looking at similar weight bullets as above without having a big effect on powder capacity.

6.5 and 6.8 availability depends on location - some people carry one others carry the other. eg. Cabela's is now carrying 6.5 uppers.
 
You're seriously considering dropping 8 or more C notes on a fancy AR to store in your trunk?

I've had windows smashed for a pack of smokes and a handful of pocket change. Regardless of where you park, you do not want to store high dollar items in your vehicle. It's just a bad idea.

Think SKS, or perhaps a beater 870.
 
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6.5 Grendel is a bit more expensive for the upper at $580 from AA for the 16" tactical so not quite $800+ if you have a lower. 6.8s uppers can be had in the $400 range.

More info on the 6.5 at www.65grendel.com - check the forums
More info on the 6.8 at www.ar15.com - check the AR15-variants forum
...also Wikipedia has some good info and links on the 6.5 Grendel (not so much on the 6.8).

Personally, I keep my ARs at home and smaller cheaper stuff in the cars. I just have to run for home if there is a really big SHTF.
 
For something that is going to get bounced around in your truck, I don't think 6.5 Grendel's long range potential is something that you're going to be able to realize. At least not without reconfirming your zero, reinstalling optics, etc., every time you decide to do some long range shooting.

For CQB, both will get the job done, both give you more thump and more bullet than 5.56mm. Both give you less rounds in the gun than 5.56mm (really should not be an issue for most self-defense scenarios unless you do lots of business with Colombians in the import/export business or something).

Personally, for a CQB gun, I'd take 6.8 Rem SPC, but I think 6.5 Grendel would do well for you as well. (For a long-range shooter, I would take Grendel over the Rem SPC, I should add.)
 
I've had windows smashed for a pack of smokes and a handful of pocket change. Regardless of where you park, you do not want to store high dollar items in your vehicle. It's just a bad idea.

Think SKS, or perhaps a beater 870.
Click to expand...

So you think a firearm is likely to be stolen and your solution is to recommend a cheaper firearm? Is it somehow a better idea to arm the guy who broke into your car with an SKS or 870? Did I misunderstand your point here?
 
So you think a firearm is likely to be stolen and your solution is to recommend a cheaper firearm? Is it somehow a better idea to arm the guy who broke into your car with an SKS or 870? Did I misunderstand your point here?
Click to expand...

I don't advocate keeping guns where they're likely to be stolen or misused. For that reason I don't keep guns in my truck.

But, if you're hellbent on packing heat in the auto, I say make sure the gun is expendable and the serial number is securely recorded elsewhere.

PS: I don't consider my now deleted comment to have been a "personal attack."
 
I never even heard of these rifles and I have been selling at gun shows for years but stopped around 2000. I know the 6.5 caliber, like the 6.5-284 but what is a 6.5 VS 6.8? You must all be under 60

I still carry a shotgun in my truck just like I did 40 years ago, but these days, I hardly go to the town of 5,000:confused:
 
The one upside I can think of in using a 6.8 SPC or 6.5 Grendel is the thief and who ever they sell the gun to is for all intensive purposes limited to the ammo you have left in your truck as not many gun stores carry either caliber.
 
Is it somehow a better idea to arm the guy who broke into your car with an SKS or 870?
Click to expand...

Come on guys, it's not like you can keep anyone from arming themselves with an antique weapon like a rifle... the Red Army couldn't even do that in Afghanistan. IN the US the punk could pick up bottles for the deposit for a couple of days and get an SKS. Now if you want to suggest good ways of locking it up so he doesn't get YOUR rifle, that would be practical.

It's probably best that you don't leave any nuclear weapons unlocked in the trunk, but a rifle? Might as well worry about the existence of pointy sticks, like the "people formerly known as British".
 
thanks

Well thanks
Some of us old men just don't see much from the internet. My wife got me started this winter because i was pestering her too much.

Now fellas, if I had that type of rifle in my back window, the sheriff would say, "hey bob, let me have a word with you here" just like the officer said to me back in the 1980s in a small Texas town when I came wearing my belt holster revolver. Just felt naked without it~!
 
Thanks for the replies, all...I admit I got a bit tickled reading a few of them for various reasons.

Let me clear a few things up. This rifle would be securely mounted under or maybe even behind the rear seat of my Z71 extended cab, and it would be a very unlikely place for a thief to look. Also, it would be securely bolted to something that would prevent its theft without serious effort. Furthermore, I live and work in areas in which car theft is extremely rare. I understand that it could happen; however, it is a very minimal risk I am willing to take.

The reason I want a quality weapon as a truck gun is because often, it will be the closest long arm to which I have access. As much as we all love and carry our handguns, we all know that a handgun is best used as suppressing fire while we run for our rifles. Where my truck is, there I will be also - I want to have a quality gun readily available if I need it.

Once again, I'd like an AR because the sight of a person, not in uniform, holding an AR doesn't instill the same irrational panic in the average American that an AK does. Also, I happen to like ARs.

Something tells me .223's just not enough, but then again, I'd have 30 rounds to play with, and it would be cheaper. Maybe I just need to get a .223 and not a 6.8 or 6.5 - but I really do like the idea of having an intermediate round between .223 and .308 - kinda like 7.62x39, but in an AR caliber.

Perhaps I'm off my rocker - input welcome. Thanks, fellas.
 
Are you driving into a gang area where you might have to defend yourself against many hoodlums? If you are driving in the military area, ignore my question as it only pertains to civil matters.

Where I live the worst thing that might happen would be to a woman, such as being attacked by a rapist and that would be rare here. As to a man like me about the worst is a pocket picker or someone trying to steal my car. For years I would leave it running at the quick stop, but now I shut it off and lock it.
 
Charshooter, glad to hear you live in an area that at least until recently had a Mayberry-like feel. I used to, but now live near a large city in which I work.

While my place of work seems very safe, I do need to travel through some rough neighborhoods regularly. However, I don't see myself deploying a rifle for typical confrontations. Since I will be carrying a handgun, it will likely be the first and only responder to the type of criminal activity I might encounter while driving through a bad neighborhood.

I view a truck gun as a mini-SHTF gun. When I'm in town, it would certainly be the only rifle readily available to me within 30 minutes' drive, and that's if traffic is perfect. My truck gun would be for the unexpected - some disasters, terrorist acts, or other adverse circumstances could easily arise before I have the luxury of driving home to gear up. I do not expect that I will ever have to fire any of my handguns at another person in defense of my life; however, I'll be putting on my holster tomorrow as usual. I'd rather be prepared for the unexpected than wish that I had a different gun with me.

That said, I'm still undecided as to caliber - .223 seems the easy answer, but the added authority of 6.8 and 6.5 does appeal to me. The part of my brain that bought a 5" 1911 for my first handgun just doesn't believe .223 is enough. The part of my brain controlling my wallet insists that 30 rounds of .223 can get most anything done. Shux.
 
I miss Andy!

I miss Andy!

I too was a Nevada sheriff many years ago, but I was not reelected and in a way it was good because in that time the sheriff job became more responsible to the state and much more political.

Where I have always lived, it was rural so I have never beefed more than a wheel gun and most of the town people then had no gun at all because the police were able to protect them in those days. I hope the government realizes that today people have to defend themselves and can’t depend on the police at all times

Whew! Make me glad I’m old.
 
Ah, for the good old days...

I think some parts of this great land are still like that - I'd love to find them. Read an article on another forum a few months ago about the first crime ever committed in the collective memory of the residests of a small island off the coast of England - some foreigner was there on a contracting job or something and stole something. Wasn't hard to figure out who it was. Lots of folks posted that they'd move there in a heartbeat...shoot, I wouldn't - I love America too much, but wouldn't such a society be nice...
 
I really like the idea of the 6.5, from varmint weight, to moose stopper bullets.
Plus this is totally my thinking, but if I were to say which one was gonna see a big military contract next, if at all, the case size tells me it is the 6.5., not the 6.8
 
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