Rick and Dan....
Yes...6.8 SPC ( Special Purpose Cartridge) in a AR-15... an "EVIL ASSAULT RIFLE" that everyone "knows" has no "reasonable use " for hunting or sporting purposes...
Anti-gun Liberals need an introduction to the 21st Century modular hunting rifle...!
ONE rifle with multiple interchangeable uppers and barrel lengths from .22LR, .223/5.56, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, 9mm, .300 BO, .358 SOCOM, .454 Casull to .50 BMG....and more.
Barrel lengths from 8.5" (with SBR paperwork) to 24". Can even be built as a pistol.
Used 6.8 SPC 110g Sierra Pro Hunter. Same bullet diameter as .270 Winchester in a shorter .30 Remington Case. Muzzle velocity of about 2800 fps. 82% of the energy of a .308 with half the recoil and half the powder used. About 20% more energy than a .30-.30 which has accounted for more deer than any other caliber.
Just let me know before you make any decisions. I need to hear what you plan to do with the AR before offering any suggestions.
What I used was a 14.5" long 1:11 twist SPC II barrel as the 6.8 is designed with a fast powder burn rate for short barrels with maximum efficiency. A FSC30 muzzle brake was permanently attached to achieve the 16" minimum legal barrel length.
Keith,
Was a running shot at 40 yds as he was heading off to my left at 10:00. Didn't have many options for bullet placement from that angle. Bullet entered on left side hitting his last rib, where it clipped his paunch, penetrated his diaphragm and made soup of his right lung. The bullet did not exit, expending all energy in his rib cage. Penetration was about 20".
He only ran 30 yds after being hit. The only obvious blood was at his muzzle.
Nice feature of the 6.8 is that is very deadly without being overly destructive to the meat from huge gaping exit wounds. On this deer there was NO wasted or damaged meat.
I once shot a young buck with a 180 g .308 that nearly severed it's left shoulder. There is often too much damage with the larger calibers and heavier bullets. A smaller, lighter, but high velocity, fast expanding bullet that kills from hydrostatic shock seems to work better.
Kerry