A 6MM ARC upper on the economic side

[Tinker-S]

I like them thus far, only shot 200-300 through the 21", and honestly, in my rifles 29.2gr to 29.3gr LVR seems to work really well with the 100gr to 108gr bullets I've tried in general and these have been no exception. I've shot a lot more of the 112gr in my 6GT, and really want to like them because the BC is excellent, and they carry really well out past 1k, but they aren't as consistent as something like the 109gr Hybrids. Still, for the price of the MBs, I've been pretty happy for informal plinking and practice.

One thing to be careful with on the 105gr is seating depth, they hit the lands around 2.2" coal in my 18" and just a little further out in my 21".

In reference to COL, yeah, I went back to the ammo I reloaded yesterday to see that it did not go beyond 2.200". I attempted to load some at max COL , but the bullets got stuck, so, back down it went. I have seen COL listed as 2.260" for the 107GR SMK, and since I ordered some of those, I will figure it when loading the first batch.

 

[mavracer]

I really wish the ARC came out before the Valkyrie, I really think the ARC is a sweet spot in an AR.

 

[Tinker-S]

I really wish the ARC came out before the Valkyrie, I really think the ARC is a sweet spot in an AR.

I started to want to try any other caliber since the Grendel, then the 6.8. Almost got a Val, but I did not see much difference. The ARC was something I wanted to try since 2020, but I was undecided. Besides, components were at a premium. I think the ARC is a good compromise between the 308 and the 5.56.

 

[Varminterror]

In the last ~20yrs, we've really seen an acceptance and now a standardization of "mini-length" actions, and corresponding mini-length cartridges. Before the 50 Beowulf, the 6.5 Grendel, and the 6.8SPC, you could have an AR-15 in any cartridge you wanted, as long as it was 223rem or 5.56. This was an era when an AR-15 was an AR-15, not a "rifle" and AR-15's came in 223/5.56. Today, with minimal effort, we have access to dozens of cartridges, and even have access to several cartridges which have SAAMI standardization; with more and more coming to market every few years. I've built AR-15's in dozens of cartridges, and it's only getting easier and easier, and more and more common. We're really approaching closer parity with the optionality we have from bolt action rifles. We have access to varying cartridges from multiple cartridge families based on standardized bolt faces and standardized magazines, and we're in an era when even a non-reloader can access several of these various classes. What a short to midrange varmint laser, especially one better suited for fox and bobcats? 17Rem, 204 Ruger, 20 Practical. Want a noise maker with inexpensive ammo? 5.56 or 7.62x39mm. Want a short range thumper for swamp hogs? 458socom, 450Bush, 350 Legend. Want a woods hunting deer rifle? 300BLK, 350 Legend. Want a mid-range capable deer rifle? 6.5 Grendel, 6.8spc, 25x45 sharps, 6x45... Want a long range rifle? 6.5 Grendel, 224 Valk, 22 Nosler, 6 ARC...

We're long moved away from the paradigm of only having one option in mini-length actions for a given weight class. We might not have the breadth of options as we have among, for example, 30 cal magnums, and it might be a LITTLE strange that we don't yet have an interesting 7mm option in mini-length standardized cartridges, but we have a LOT of choices which are exceptionally easy to adopt.

Even if a guy did "make a mistake" and buy a Valkyrie, conversion to a 6 ARC is just a matter of barrel, bolt, mags, and ammo.

But yeah... I wanted a 6 ARC so bad that I built a 243LBC (6 Grendel) a few years before the ARC was announced. There's just SO much which can be done with a ~100grn bullet around 2700-2800fps. So I was pretty stoked when I saw the first leaks of 6 ARC brass photos sneaking around the internet.

 

[mavracer]

Even if a did "make a mistake" and buy a Valkyrie, conversion to a 6 ARC is just a matter of barrel, bolt, mags, and ammo.

I don't know that it was a "mistake" but there was a learning curve on what it really is vs how it was advertised. Now that I have it figured out I'm pretty happy. It's less about capabilities and more about the bumpy road that is the Valkyrie.