Best AR Calibers

[Gtscotty]

http://www.7mmvalkyrie.com/hardware.html

The website says that it uses a proprietary bolt and barrel extension, which is what one would expect given the case head size and maximum pressure.

 

[cfullgraf]

I like my 17 Remington and 204 Ruger AR-15s.

Recently, I've been working with a 22x6.8. Lots of potential but the jury is still out as of yet.

 

[CarJunkieLS1]

Sorry guys I was unaware that it was a proprietary barrel extension. I did state that it's a bolt made by AR performance.

I bought a "package" that was ready to "put togther" and shoot. Had bolt, barrel, brass, and dies all I Had to get separate was a PRI 6.8 mag and gas block. I can 100% say that the parts go directly into an AR-15 upper with zero modifications and will work 100%

 

[crazysccrmd]

Do you mean "barrel extension" not "bolt extension"?

CarJunkieLS1 previously said the barrel extension was unchanged.

Yeah, mistyped and didn't proofread. Bolt and barrel extension are different and much beefier than standard. I have a side by side picture somewhere of mine that I'll try to dig up.

 

[Mike C2]

The unusual bolt size and barrel extension is what killed the 30 Remington AR since it wasn't a spec upper it took a lot of the DIY out of the platform which is one of the things that makes them so popular.

I have a .30 Remington AR. It's an awesome round and certainly the most powerful for an AR15 platform and ammo is cheap for now. BUT, it is not as easy upper/rifle to find since they don't make the chambering any more. DPMS sold some uppers that were black and Remington sold complete guns in Camo. A fresh supply of rifles hit Gunbroker a year ago but uppers in black are not to be found IME.

Which takes us back to the 6.8 SPC which is what finally got me to jump into the AR15 pool and is my recommendation to anyone looking for an EBR to go hunt with.

 

[Llama Bob]

Yeah, mistyped and didn't proofread. Bolt and barrel extension are different and much beefier than standard. I have a side by side picture somewhere of mine that I'll try to dig up.

This story makes a lot more sense. There was simply no way the math worked out with a conventional AR bolt. Too much missing material with that big case head, and more pressure, and a bigger case diameter producing yet more bolt thrust. No way that was workable without finding a way to add some steel.

The problem with the 6.5 Grendel is that they have a big case head, increased the bolt thrust (although not as much), and didn't do anything to remedy the problem. It's just a garbage design as it currently stands. Re-do it on a bigger bolt and extension, and you might be able to save it. Simply moving the chamber forward (and thus making the extractor thin/weak) however is not the answer.

 

[TIMC]

I keep reading about the bolt head issues on the Grendel but it sure is odd I know nobody who has had a failure that actually owns one.

 

[SuperNaut]

How did this devolve into another 6.5G bashing thread? (Rhetorical question, I know exactly how).

To get back on topic, my fave is .458 SOCOM. I have yet to discover a practical use for the caliber, but it is so fun to shoot that it doesn't really matter.

 

[TIMC]

LOL, I think the same thing about the .50 Beowulf. Absolutely useless cartridge but it sure is fun to shoot!

 

[ExAgoradzo]

I'd love a 9x19 carbine.
Everyone needs a .22 semiauto carbine
5.56 obviously.

But I think you have higher sights in mind:
If I ever thought that my money grew on trees I would buy the .300 BLK with as short of a barrel as I could. If I ever lived in a free state ID get a can and an SBR
The 6.8 would be #4 right behind the BLK.

Greg

 

[rayatphonix]

SuperNaut, thanks for your post. You said it very nicely.

Back to the original subject, among my uppers the 204 Ruger might be my favorite although if I was doing it again I might try a 20 practical. My 243 WSSM is my least favorite.

 

[David4516]

.223 / 5.56 for sure. I have a 16 inch carbine "M4-gery" and I like it.

I'm working on a 6.5 Grendel build. I have heard the horror stories about broken bolts but I thought I'd try it anyway, on paper at least it looks like a good cartridge to me.

Others that look interesting to me are the .25X45 sharps and the 6X45

I don't get what all the hype is about the 6.8, it looks to me like the 6.5 will do everything the 6.8 does and do it with a higher sectional density and ballistic coefficient. I don't have any first hand experience with 6.8 though so I might be wrong...