6.8 spc or .300 ham'r?

[MISportsman]

Considering another ar build using leftover parts I have and picking up what I'm missing. I want to build a hunting ar for deer sized game and the occasional trip down south pig hunting. I can't decide between 6.8 spc and .300 ham'r. Any thoughts?,

 

[mcb]

300 Ham'r is likely going to have better support in the future. Not sure how much support 6.8 SPC will have now that the company (Remington) that created it went belly up.

Currently there seems like slightly more options for 6.8 SPC ammo in the market but I think 300 Ham'r is going to catch up and pass it in relatively short order. If you're a reloader this may be a less important point. If you are a reloader its pretty easy to make 300 Ham'r from 223/556 brass

Ballistically speaking they are really similar and I think you're going to have to really stretch ranges out to see meaningful difference in how flat they shoot and even terminal ballistics.

From a magazine point of view they both work best with cartridge specific proprietary magazines.

I know not much help...

 

[Armorer 101]

Check the twist rate on the barrels available to you. Most 6.8 barrels (277) sold today are 1-11.5 they do well with 90gr. If the 30 Hmr is 1-10 it will do well with 150g bullets in the 308 barrel.

 

[someguy2800]

300 Ham'r is likely going to have better support in the future. Not sure how much support 6.8 SPC will have now that the company (Remington) that created it went belly up.

Remington hasn't had anything to do with 6.8 spc in a very long time, its not going anywhere. 300 ham'r probably has 5% of the market share enjoyed by the 6.8.

 

[mcb]

Remington hasn't had anything to do with 6.8 spc in a very long time, its not going anywhere. 300 ham'r probably has 5% of the market share enjoyed by the 6.8.

Your probably right but I still think we are going to see 300 Ham'r move ahead of 6.8 SPC in market share. But I have been wrong before and will no doubt be wrong again in the future.

 

[someguy2800]

Your probably right but I still think we are going to see 300 Ham'r move ahead of 6.8 SPC in market share. But I have been wrong before and will no doubt be wrong again in the future.

I think it is still proprietary from Wilson combat meaning anyone who wants to make a barrel or ammo for it has to pay royalties. Unless that changes it’s doomed to obsolescence.

 

[BreechFace]

300 Ham'r having a better market??? @someguy2800 is correct it probably has 5% of 6.8 SPC's market. Just check with all the hog hunters down in Texas, 6.8 SPC is very alive, well and popular.

For great barrels look no further than AR15 Performance or Bison Armory, they are pioneers in the 6.8 SPC II and have twist rates and throating done right.

If you do go with the 6.8 SPC II, get yourself some ASC magazines with the 2.316" COAL internal dimensions if reloading and load at close to max COAL and watch the 6.8 SPC shine, especially with 95gr Barnes TTSX or 110gr Nosler Accubonds. Another great option is the 90gr Gold Dots.

 

[gotboostvr]

I'd personally go 300 Ham'r before 6.8spc, but I'd build a 6.5G before either of them.

 

[mcb]

I think it is still proprietary from Wilson combat meaning anyone who wants to make a barrel or ammo for it has to pay royalties. Unless that changes it’s doomed to obsolescence.

Not true in this case. 300 Ham'r is a SAAMI cartridge and had been for nearly two years now (as of 1/20/20). If it is a SAAMI cartridge anyone can make the cartridge or guns chambered in it without any IP issues.

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/300-HAMR-Public-Introduction.pdf

 

[BreechFace]

110gr Nosler Accubonds at 2,800fps is a lot of horsepower coming out of a 20” bison barrel.

 

[MISportsman]

I built a 6.5 grendel last summer, that's why I'm looking into the 2 cartridges I am

 

[greyling22]

I'm in the process of building a ham'r. from what I can tell, 6.8 is not dead, but it's in the nursing home. There is more support form the 6.8, but I do think the ham'r will gain traction while the 6.8 will lose it. There is only a fraction of the people making barrels and parts for it now than there was 10 years. ago. Wilson and shaw are the only guys making ham'r barrels right now. Wilson and sig are making ammo. starline makes brass if you don't want to make your own.
I have a thread in the reloading section about my journey making brass. I'm building an SBR, but mostly because I wants a compact package in the ATV, and a 16" barrel + suppressor gets long. I do think a 12" grendel would be a better all round gun. But I already had a 16" grendel.

hard to find any of the recommended ham'r bullets in stock. I think I'm going to try the 125 TNT's. they're cheap.

a local guy who hunts a lot of pigs was telling me that he has dumped his 6.8 in favor of the ham'r. He says it kills more effectively. But he has killed a pile of pigs with the 6.8. it is no slouch. His buddy uses a 12" grendel with the 90grn tnt's.

 

[Olympus]

In this instance, the 6.5 Grendel would be the better choice.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

I'm in the process of building a ham'r. from what I can tell, 6.8 is not dead, but it's in the nursing home. There is more support form the 6.8, but I do think the ham'r will gain traction while the 6.8 will lose it. There is only a fraction of the people making barrels and parts for it now than there was 10 years. ago. Wilson and shaw are the only guys making ham'r barrels right now. Wilson and sig are making ammo. starline makes brass if you don't want to make your own.
I have a thread in the reloading section about my journey making brass. I'm building an SBR, but mostly because I wants a compact package in the ATV, and a 16" barrel + suppressor gets long. I do think a 12" grendel would be a better all round gun. But I already had a 16" grendel.

hard to find any of the recommended ham'r bullets in stock. I think I'm going to try the 125 TNT's. they're cheap.

a local guy who hunts a lot of pigs was telling me that he has dumped his 6.8 in favor of the ham'r. He says it kills more effectively. But he has killed a pile of pigs with the 6.8. it is no slouch. His buddy uses a 12" grendel with the 90grn tnt's.

IMO the best HAMR bullet is the Speer 130 FNHC for deer and hogs. The TNT is a very accurate bullet in mine. And so is the resized to .308, .310 123gr Speer Gold Dot made for the 7.62x39. All 3 bullets are moa or less in my 18" Wilson barrel, they all have the same 27.8gr charge of CFEBLK. Too bad the POI is different for each bullet.

I also have a 6.8 barrel from AR performance. It shoots alright but its a heavier rifle and it doesn't tickle my fancy like it used to.

 

[Beck]

300 Ham'r has the muscle, but at this time it's a handloader's cartridge. Wilson Combat ammo is pricey, but if you load your own, 300 Ham'r gives you almost endless options for 30 cal projectiles between 110 and 150 grain. But so does 7.62x39 and always has. One thing I like about 300 Ham'r is that it proved what 7.62x39 has always been capable of, including the use of a great variety of .308 projectiles between 110 and 150 grains.

When Ruger introduced a Mini-14 in 6.8 SPC I took a serious look at it, but it wasn't long before they discontinued it. The US Military not adopting the cartridge as a new standard probably had something to do with Ruger putting the kibosh on the 6.8 SPC chambering. I was hoping the round would catch on with the military myself.

I know you didn't ask about 7.62x39, but it can do about everything 300 Ham'r and 6.8 SPC can. If you've narrowed it down to a choice between the 300 Ham'r and 6.8 SPC, IMHO 300 Ham'r has a slight edge and likely a brighter future.

~ Beck

 

[someguy2800]

Not true in this case. 300 Ham'r is a SAAMI cartridge and had been for nearly two years now (as of 1/20/20). If it is a SAAMI cartridge anyone can make the cartridge or guns chambered in it without any IP issues.

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/300-HAMR-Public-Introduction.pdf

Good, im glad they did that. Maybe I was thinking of the 7.62x40wt that proceeded it.

 

[someguy2800]

IMO the best HAMR bullet is the Speer 130 FNHC for deer and hogs. The TNT is a very accurate bullet in mine. And so is the resized to .308, .310 123gr Speer Gold Dot made for the 7.62x39. All 3 bullets are moa or less in my 18" Wilson barrel, they all have the same 27.8gr charge of CFEBLK. Too bad the POI is different for each bullet.

I also have a 6.8 barrel from AR performance. It shoots alright but its a heavier rifle and it doesn't tickle my fancy like it used to.

what do you get for velocity out of the ham’r? I’ve always scratched my head at the cartridge because all the velocity data I see is slower then my X39 by a good bit and barely faster than my blackout.

 

[Cypress]

6.8 all the way. We are mostly guessing what support will be there for it in the future at this point. WHO KNOWS!!! The 6.8 is getting scarce but so will the others. At least a few reputable companies produced rifles in 6.8.

 

[Goosey]

what do you get for velocity out of the ham’r? I’ve always scratched my head at the cartridge because all the velocity data I see is slower then my X39 by a good bit and barely faster than my blackout.

It can't match 7.62x39 at any given pressure. Should be right in between that and the Blackout.

 

[Varminterror]

I think @someguy2800 is being exceptionally generous to pretend the 300 Ham’r has anything remotely close to 5% of the 6.8 SPC’s marketshare. Frankly, I don’t think there’s a chance in hell is that accurate. Gotta remember, the SPC had sufficient marketshare at one time that common factory brands like Ruger, Savage, and CZ made a lot of rifles for a handful of years in the SPC; bolt actions and Mini’s even, let alone the AR market. I’m not certain the Ham’r has the momentum, SAAMI standardization or not, to grow to catch the SPC, let alone overtake it.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

It can't match 7.62x39 at any given pressure. Should be right in between that and the Blackout.

Every source I've seen that has chrono data puts the .300 HAM'R ahead of X39 with virtually every bullet. If you have data contra to that please link it.

I'm pretty interested in the round myself. It matters not at all to me how it sells vs 6.8 (a round I have no interest in). As long as a few companies make ammo and there are reloading components any round is viable. It offers a lot on paper so I'll be following it closely.

 

[Goosey]

Every source I've seen that has chrono data puts the .300 HAM'R ahead of X39 with virtually every bullet. If you have data contra to that please link it.

Hodgdon has the 300 (despite having 8" less barrel) matching the 7.62x39, ie, much faster. But they are also running the 300 at 30% higher pressure to achieve that. Factory ammo and book loads should beat 7.62x39. But which will be stronger for a reloader will be up to the gun and the strength of the brass, because at the same pressure the x39 should always beat the 300 handily. More capacity. SAAMI 7.62x39 is set at 45000 psi. But the Grendel has a 52000 psi max. Hornady has 62000 psi "bolt action" only load data for the 6 ARC. However some people have experienced issues with high pressure loads in both those two. The 300 is at 57500.

 

[Phaedrus/69]

I think the .300 HAM'R is a better round for an AR. Maybe some folks here have had good luck with X39 ARs but it seems they're finicky (especially the mags). Only one of my buddies has an X39 AR that runs well with all the mags he has. IMO the X39 is much less attractive than it was before the ban on Russian steel ammo but YMMV. It went from $.15/round to almost a buck a round but maybe it will come back down eventually. Incidentally that's why I dropped my plan to get a 6.5G upper, too, just no good source for cheap ammo.

Granted, I have an AR-centric view, others may not.

 

[dh1633pm]

I went with SPC since .300 HAMR didn't exist. Most deer taken by the family has been with the 6.8. I have a Ruger Mini 6.8. Had it fixed up by ASI to perfection. I considered it a reload only type cartridge. And I do just that. I did buy 1K of match ammo that a friend who worked at Remington got for me. I have sufficient supply of brass. It may go obsolete, but who cares, I have plenty. I would look at the .300 in the same way. Can you get sufficient brass to last as long as you need?

 

[someguy2800]

Every source I've seen that has chrono data puts the .300 HAM'R ahead of X39 with virtually every bullet. If you have data contra to that please link it.

I'm pretty interested in the round myself. It matters not at all to me how it sells vs 6.8 (a round I have no interest in). As long as a few companies make ammo and there are reloading components any round is viable. It offers a lot on paper so I'll be following it closely.

My 16” 7.62x39 upper runs flawlessly and pushes a 125gr accubond to 2610 fps with the max book load of CFE BLK. Factory Wolf 124gr fodder chrono’s about 2400-2450 from mine which seams like most people are getting from 300 ham’r.