Will 6.8 run in 5.56 mags

[WestKentucky]

ar15 mags... I have heard conflicting stories, so please, if you have tried it let me know what your results were. I have a pile of parts coming together and if I need to order mags I want to go ahead and do it. So far I have a few 20 and 30 round pmags, and I ordered a battlepack of cheapo c-products aluminum mags.

I know people have trouble with the c-products mags, but I like them for what they are, and I haven't had trouble with them. If I do; a mag follower is cheap.

 

[G.barnes]

You can use 556 mags but you can't load as many rounds in them the 6.8 case are a bigger diameter and will start to bulge the sides of the mag. For target pratice i have a ten round pmag that works fine for 5 shot groups. Any more than 5 and it starts to bulge.

 

[WestKentucky]

Good deal. I'm happy if it will run like that. It's too much gun to put a gajillion rounds down range anyway. So maybe 7 to 10 in the 20 rd pmags will be great.

 

[herrwalther]

I don't see how 5.56 followers would allow for 6.8 to feed correctly. I may be wrong however.

 

[mokin]

I have both 5.56 and 6.8 and magazines for both. I have an assortment of magazines, all metal, for the 6.8 and a bunch of p mags, different generations, for the 5.56. While the two are sort of interchangeable, not really. With the p mags, it's not so much the follower as it is the internal dimensions of the magazine and the difference between the two cartridges. I can't stuff more than 11 rounds of 6.8 into a 30 round 5.56 p mag. I don't know about metal magazines. Conversely, 5.56 rounds fit very loosely and double feed when loaded in a 6.8 magazine.

I'd splurge and buy some 6.8 magazines.

 

[dh1633pm]

The correct answer is above. You really need 6.8 mags. But for practice, 5.56 work well with a small number of rounds loaded. I found that about five was the sweet spot when I had an AR in 6.8. I now have a Mini in 6.8 and it too requires 6.8 mags. I use Pro-line for that rifle.

 

[Tirod]

Many of the shooters on 68forums have tried it, but no, the rounds are not interchangeable. They require different magazines.

I have tried it with a a 10 round 5.56 Lancer magazine and it wouldn't tolerate more than five rounds. Others have been able to get up to ten in some Pmags. For recreational shooting it's not worth it, for hunting it can cause jams and loss of a good shot at game. Nobody recommends it for self defense in any circumstance. It's just one of those rumors that pass word of mouth among those who aren't actually using the cartridge.

 

[Gtscotty]

I would just get some decent 6.8 specific mags, they aren't expensive. How many do you really need for a 6.8? Usually 6.8's are hunting rigs, a task at which they excel, but also a task that doesn't usually require 10 mags loaded and ready to rock at a moment's notice.