6.8 spc AR-15

[semper_fidelis]

As some of you know I just completed my first Ar-15. I am now thinking about buying the components to convert it to 6.8spc. What do you know about the 6.8 round? I'm planning on using it for home defense and maybe a bit of hunting. What would I need to buy to make it work? Thanks for your help.

 

[Mags]

All you need to convert an existing 5.56 AR to 6.8 is a 6.8 barrel, bolt without carrier, and some mags. It would be much easier though to build a dedicated upper for each caliber.

 

[ndh87]

6.8spc is an excellent round, it has tremendous knockdown power at close range. The maximum rage of the round is around 300 yards, after that point it drops off sharply. The best thing to do would be build a second upper with the 6.8 barrel and bolt carrier group. C-products magazines work very well and are relatively inexpensive (about 20 bucks from midwayusa.com)

 

[NWCP]

By this summer I intend to have a dedicated coyote upper for my RRA in 6.8 SPC. While it doesn't really extend my effective distance over the .223 it does have more energy at that distance and as a result would drop a dog much more reliably. I intend to hunt with the round rather than use it for home defense. Call me old fashioned, but my Mossberg 500 12GA will do just fine in that capacity. I own a HK .45ACP carbine that would work for home defense, but using an AR would worry me. Something about stray rounds zipping through neighbors homes makes me nervous. The HK would actually be a concern as well. If it weren't for hunting I wouldn't consider using the 6.8. I have both 7.62x39 and 7.62x51 options that are more effective than the 5.56 so the 6.8 SPC is just a nice to have option at this point.

 

[Zerodefect]

I would build a complete upper with carrier group. That way you can switch to 6.8 at will with the push of two pins.

No sense in having an expensive 5.56 barrel sitting around collecting dust when upper recievers are so cheap. That way you can specialize your 5.56 upper for training/defense and your 6.8 for hunting/long range etc.

 

[Tirod]

Try 68forums.com. You'll find more there than you imagine, suppliers, industry professionals, and a helpful atmosphere. They shoot other calibers, too, it's an even handed appreciation for what the 6.8 offers.

Having another upper isn't exactly the cheapest way to build. For two calibers, it offers a quick change, a familiar and universal platform to shoot from, and two different directions in use. The 5.56 can be a tactical quad rail, the 6.8 a long handguard with low powered optic good out to 450m.

Check your states hunting regulations, they are interesting. MO allows any centerfire cartridge for hunting - any - but no lights or lasers. So even 5.56 is now ok, but 6.8 does offer more. I'm building one with rifle length handguards in Foliage Green. There's enough rail space on an A3 upper for hunting use, and the polymer handguards don't suck heat out of cold hands like a quad rail or tube. Consideration for the hunter is more important than impressing a occasional squirrel, even the ones not in the parking area.

Go 6.8, it will become the first choice of a lifetime of hunting.

 

[Rokman]

I agree with the others and think you should go ahead an build a second upper. I really like my 6.8, but I shoot way more .223 since it is easier and cheaper to find and buy components for handloading.