  Jake Arnsdorff, Jamie Van Gilder and Jordan Hunter on a recent GunsAmerica hunt at Kissimmee River Hunt & Fish in Okeechobee, Florida. Jake and Jordan work for Daniel Defense and Ambush Firearms. These three took 12 hogs in two days with their Ambush Rifles on this hunt.
 The rifle on the bottom is our original Ambush 6.8 SPC that we have had for just over a year. (see game pics below). As you can see, we keep a LaserGenetics green laser flashlight permanently mounted to the bottom rail, and the rail facing us usually has a mount for a Contour camer. The third rail has one of those amazing Limbsaver Grizzly slings we told you about at SHOT this year. The top rifle just came in from Ambush, also in 6.8, but with an SPCII chamber, which is rated for slightly higher pressure.
 The most notable difference in the new version of the Ambush is the addition of a “forward assist” button. This allows you to make sure the bolt is seated after doing a “chamber check” for a live round. Even though we have now used the original Ambush successfully for a year, the added security of the forward assist is important piece of mind when you have invested a lot of time and money in a hunt.
 The new Ambush also has a long charging handle extension so you don’t have to pinch grab under an optic.
 Also, this is more of a cosmetic difference, the area under the charging handle doesn’t get drag marks like the previous version.
 The uppers also also now marked with the caliber, which is a nice touch if you plan to buy one lower with extra uppers in the different calibers.
 The barrel is threaded for a standard suppressor.
 We shot the accuracy tests at 50 yards with the new gun because of the course reticle in the $70 Bushnell scope. At least nobody will say we are gear snobs right? As you can see, it still shot MOA or better. Four of the 5 rounds went into a ragged hole slightly larger than the .277 inch bullet. This was not the only group like this with Hornady 120 grain SST rounds.
 Over the course of the year we have shot mostly Hornady and Silver State 6.8 ammo in our original gun. For this test we were able to get both 110 grain and 120 grain Hornady, and 110 grain HSM using a Hornady bullet.
 The HSM averaged only slightly wider dispersal. Rarely do we find an ammuntion that stands up to Hornady precision.
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Ambush Firearms
https://www.ambushfirearms.com/
Kissimmee River Hunt & Fish
https://www.kissimmeeriverhuntandfish.com/
It used to be that a hunting rifle was something you took out of the gun cabinet once a year, usually around the first week in November. Whitetail used to be synonymous with hunting, but that is no longer the case. Nuisance animals, with no natural predators who hunt them, have reached an epic proportion in America, and a lot of people hunt them for sport, while serving a useful cause for weary landowners. Hogs, coyotes, prairie dogs and even alligators have turned “hunting season” into a year round experience, one that is entirely different than whitetail hunting. Ambush Rifles is a project of Daniel Defense, makers of high end customizable AR-15 platform rifles. The Ambush rifle is an AR-15, and all of the parts are interchangeable with a normal AR, but that is where the similarity ends. Anyone can dip an AR-15 in camo and cal it a hunting rifle, but Daniel Defense has taken the Ambush a step higher, by fitting it with not only premium components and a hammer forged barrel, but also a shotgun like fore-grip and monolithic upper for sturdy performance from your optics. Most importantly, the Ambush isn’t only available in in 5.56 NATO. We have used a version in the devastating 6.8 SPC, and the hottest caliber out these days is the .300 Blackout. All three calibers carry an MSRP of $1749. Our experience with the first version of the Ambush for over a year now has been incredible. Take a look at the pictures. This is only a fraction of the game that has fallen to our 6.8 Ambush. The second version of these guns is now shipping, and they are even better than the originals.
All ARs are not created alike, and a lot are made from scrounged parts from other manufacturers. Daniel Defense makes their own guns, including nearly all of the steel and alloy components. They have to pay to dip the guns and license the camo patterns, and the Geissele triggers on the Ambush are bought, as are the Magpul stocks, but the core components of the gun, the upper, the lower, and the magnetic particle inspected bolt group are all made in Georgia by DD. These components, as well as their hammer forged barrels, are actually purchased by other manufacturers for use in their guns, so you are getting some very high performance components without the additional markup of a reseller. When it comes to “high end” components in an AR, it is hard to explain the significance. Something like magnetic particle inspection sounds good, but you don’t understand how important it can be until you pay $3000 for a prairie dog hunt in Wyoming, level a dogtown with three 30 round mags, and your gun doesn’t break. Or, like you see with our friend Gary Nelson in the game photos here, a 400 lb. trophy hog appears 160 yards away and you know you can’t get closer before he bolts or charges, and the extreme accuracy of your rifle, along with its comfortable balance and weight, allow you to take the animal at distance. The game photos really say it all. When our guide Dwayne Powell at Kissimmee River Hunt & Fish gives his clients the opportunity to the hunt with the Ambush, pretty much none of them say no.
We didn’t review the original Ambush we received, back when the company was just starting out, mostly because the first version didn’t come with what is called a “forward assist.” That is the button on the right side of an AR-15 that allows you to use your thumb to make sure that your cartridge is seated all the way. Forward assists are ugly, and that is probably why they were left off of the first Ambush guns, but we have found that in a hunting situation a forward assist is extremely important. Unless you are very experienced with the sounds and feel of an AR, it is really, really, really, really, really hard to trust the fact that a round stripped from the magazine when you dropped the bolt. That generally leads to a “chamber check” to make sure a round is chambered. Without a forward assist, you have no way to heartily reseat the bolt, and you can end up with a “click” when you fire. This actually happened to us on the first outing with the original Ambush. A very experienced hunter who had never hunted an AR platform went click, and we knew that before we could suggest that you go out and buy an Ambush as your first AR-style hunting rifle it had to have a forward assist, which it now does. We probably should have done the review back then regardless, because we insisted on buying the gun anyway since we loved it so much.
We are not big fans of the term “Modern Sporting Rifle” here at GunsAmerica, because the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting, and today’s AR-15 is nothing more than the current technology of our time, just as the smooth bore flintlock musket was in the late 1700s at the time of the writing of the Constitution. But the Ambush, and the way we have used it, is a shining example of how our hunting rifles have evolved with firearm technology along with self defense arms. On a regular self defense AR-15, it can be a challenge to use all of those rails in the front of the gun without feeling silly. But on our Ambush, we use the top rail for the scope of course, and the other three rails are used for a sling mount, a LaserGenetics ND3, and a Contour camera mount (the latter was removed for these photos). Our Limbsaver Kodiak sling with that cool handle is indispensable on long stalk hunts, and the ND3 allows you to use your regular scope at night. It is a green laser flashlight that doesn’t seem to spook any game we have encountered. The Contour camera produced the footage you have seen in several of our past hunting articles. It is a small video camera that was made to go on the side of a firearm. Everyone loves being able to watch the video of their hunt and show it to friends and relatives. It is like they were there right beside you.
Each of the Ambush rifles has its own specs because of the different needs of the calibers. The 6.8 SPC model we have tested weighs in at just over 7 lbs. and has an 18″ barrel with a 1:11 twist for the 110-120 grain bullets of the 6.8. The new model of the Ambush of this gun comes with an SPCII (2) chamber, which is safe to fire any regular 6.8, but also the slightly higher pressure SPCII. However, there is no factory ammo we have seen in SPCII yet. All three calibers of the Ambush have mid-length gas systems with low profile gas blocks, and a free floating modular handguard. The camo patterns are REALTREE AP™, MOSSY OAK® BREAK UP® INFINITY™, or MOSSY OAK® BLAZE® PINK, but not all of them are available in every model all the time. Right now the guns come with a 5 round PMI mag that seems reliable, though we have had issues with larger sized PMI mags in the past. The 6.8 SPC magazine is standard AR sized on the outside, but the inside is slightly different and there aren’t a lot of good ones out there.
The most important aspect of our tests with the Ambush have been its trials under fire. Our original Ambush has never missed a day or a shot since that first one due to the lack of a forward assist. Everyone has learned to not “chamber check” the gun, and it has never failed to pick up a round. The nice thing about having the gun for a year before the review is that we can show you where the finish tends to wear off as you carry the gun. After heavy hunting for a year over dozens of hunters, she isn’t exactly ugly or worn looking, and sitting next to the new Ambush, there is only a small difference between the guns. We have had a number of scopes on our Ambush, the latest being the illuminated Tru-Glow you see in the pictures. For the new gun, on short notice we went to Wal-Mart and picked up a Bushnell with a similar camo pattern, and it is serviceable at the 30-100 yards that we see most game shots on the ranch in Okeechobee.
Because of the dreadfully thick reticle on the Bushnell scope, we decided to test the accuracy with the new at 50 yards instead of 100. The middle dot on the 1.5-4x Bushnell more than covered the target at 100 yards on 4x, so it would have been impossible to test it further. Surprisingly, with such a coarse reticle, the Ambush came in at about a one half inch dispersal at 50 yards. That is approximately 1 MOA, or Minute of Angle. If you look at the target with the Hornady 120 grain bullets, 4 of the 5 shots went into one ragged hole slightly larger than the .277 caliber bullet itself (6.8mm = .277 inches). We had never bench rested our original Ambush, but in casual rested shooting it has always been a tack driver. This bench rest test proved it out. The only other ammo we could get right now is called HSM, and they also use a Hornady bullet, and that was only slightly outside of 1 MOA. These Ambush Firearms rifles are every bit as accurate as guns costing two to three times as much.
Take this for what it is worth, but it would be crazy to not share a little secret with you that we have learned about the 6.8 SPC with our Ambush. Hornady makes both a 110 grain and a 120 grain bullet in the Hornady Ammunition brand. The 6.8 SPC caliber is, again, a .277 bullet, the same as a .270 Winchester. Dwayne had noticed over time that the Hornady 120 grain ammo was head and shoulders more devastating a round than the 110 grain, very close to what he has come to expect over the years from his .270 Winchester Model 70. Well surprise, surprise, when we chronographed the 120 grain, it came out at a fairly consistent 2550 feet per second, almost 100 fps faster than it says on the box, which is supposed to be through a 24″ barrel. This is an 18″ barrel. That is only about 100 fps under a .270, also through a 24″ barrel. Unless our chronograph has a chronic case of calibration calamity with this round, something is a little confused. For now, we’re going to stick to the 120 grain. There are no signs of pressure problems, and it kills everything it hits.
If you haven’t entered the game of year round hunting but you have that hunting itch, definitely give it a try. Many parts of the US are overrun with hogs, coyotes and prairie dogs. If you are going to hunt year round, you really need a “working rifle” that shoots fast and often, travels small and light, and can withstand just about any weather you can throw at it. The Ambush, in our experience, is the ultimate “Modern Sporting Rifle” on the AR-15 platform, and though it is a little more pricey than your standard AR, you are buying the additional high end features at essentially wholesale cost from the manufacturer. Right now it is still tough to get any Daniel Defense or Ambush Firearms rifle because of the artificially political demand, but once they catch up, see if you can get your hands on an Ambush. For the year round hunter on the go, from what we have seen, there is no better rifle.
 6.8 SPC is about as oddball a round as you will find. Hornady uses small rifle primers but everyone else seems to use large rifle primers, including Remington, for whom the cartridge is named in SAAMI specs.
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 This is a closeup of our Limbsaver and LaserGenetics rig. On the other side is usually the Contour camera, so we actually use the whole rail system. Sometimes we move the green laser to the side or take it off for day hunting and use a long bipod from a sitting position in a ground blind.
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 Big surprise on the chronograph with the 120 grain Hornady rounds. They came in at almost 100 fps over the box rating through an 18″ barrel. Dwayne has noticed that they are devastating in the field.
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 While both the Hornady and HSM 110 grain rounds came in at about their box rating, even though again, it was through an 18″ barrel.
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 The two stage Gisselle trigger is superb and breaks at about 4 1/2 lbs.
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 If you make this picture larger you will see what your gun will look like after a few dozens outings of hard hunting in the Florida outback. The wear on the finish is not ugly.
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 Young hunter Jacob Cooper with Dwayne Powell of Kissimmee River Hunt & Fish, first hog with the Ambush.
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 Gary Nelson with his 400 lb. trohpy hog taken at 160 yards with the Ambush 6.8 SPC.
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 A whole bunch of ham night hunting with Sean Pankalla and the Ambush rifle.
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 Jamie Van Gilder took this almost 10 foot gator with the Ambush using those 120 grain Hornady bullets.
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 A red trophy sized hog with Jake Arnsdorff and his Ambush.
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 Dwayne with Jake and Jordan on a couple more good sized meat hogs.
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Nice rifels for those hogs. If you have any more info please send.
Thank you
Brett/Sentinel Arms LLC
Brett, thanks for your comment! I wish i could post a pic of them, but i don’t see that option here? These rifles are so good out the box, they need nothing but oil and ammo, :-)…. well except that when you mount your scope low, and get it back far enough for proper eye relief, you will have problems charging the weapon. My fix was to install the Bravo Company BCMGunfighter Mod3 large latch 7.62 charging handle, $54.95 direct from their website. Problem solved. My wife used to need both hands on both sides of the factory supplied charge handle to load a round. But now, with the Mod3’s large surface area, she can accomplish this with her left hand only… even with a hog charging at her, i might add. We were on our way to the stand, and startled a 237lb boar at close range (we could smell him, that’s how close)… he was very displeased with our presence and charged at us in full stride, my wife hastily charged her DPMS swine eradication appliance, and administered 168gr of Hornady pharmaceutical grade pesticide to the infidel. The results were tragic for the swine, and for us it was purely self defense, i kid you not. I must also add that this weapon only needed about 18 to 20 rounds for barrel break in, and recoil was pretty stiff for the first 5 rounds, but now runs like butta.
Oh, BTW, a single point sling with said appliance positioned in front while traipsing through the brush…. PRICELESS.
Sean, my wife and i own matching DPMS LR308L AR-10 type rifles. The rifles with the carbon fiber hand guard up front. I paid $1200.00 a piece for them. They weigh 7.9lbs, and the AR platform has low recoil, even though this weapon is very light. Your 30-06 is probably much heavier than this, 10-11lbs? We have tested mucho ammo, and the one that really shines is Hornady Superformance 308win 168gr SST, and Hornady Zombie 168gr. From the bench, both my wife and i can and do get 3 shot groups with bullet holes touching at 200 yds. we do this every year, before every hunt we go on, to verify scope adjustment. Do this check for yourself, go to the store, grab a box of your favorite 30-06 ammo, and a box of the Hornady that i mentioned above… look closely at the trajectory chart on the boxes. You will see that the Superformance 308win is very similar in performance to any other non-Superformance ammo for the 30-06. Zero your scope at 200yds, like we do, and you will see that there is nothing your beloved 30-06 can do that our 308’s can’t do just as well, but with half of the recoil. And guys, think long and hard before you attempt to hammer me on that particular statement… maybe even do the research yourself. Sean, i used to hunt with 30-06 just like you. My 5’3″ wife could not deal with the recoil, and used to cringe when pulling the trigger, which resulted in poorly placed shots, and alot of tracking. The DPMS rifles have eliminated this problem, nothing but short blood trails now, they usually fall over into the spatter. A 314lb red stag doe, at 179yds, promptly succumbed to the above mentioned 168gr medicine. That’s not far enough? How about a 159lb 8 point whitetail at 447yds, with the same results? There are many many more, but space is short. Our freezer stays full.
Can you hunt with the AR 57 with 5.7x28mm ammo? What type of game? Thanks Rick
You don’t need to open your bolt for chamber check as this article states – necessitating use of the forward assist. Before inserting your loaded mag check to see if the top round is on the right or the left. Once you drop the bolt forward, re check the mag and the top round will be the opposite of what it was if it did chamber. This can be done by feel in the dark, which is why you need to learn to do this and not chamber check by sight by pulling back the bolt. So the forward assist is sort of a fix for a problem that doesn’t exist. Ok, it doesn’t hurt anything to have one it just adds a bit of weight.
I have a neck and upper back injury. I hunted whitetail for years with a 30 30 marlin. After my injury I purchased a DPMS ar15 in 223/5.56. I have had no problems hunting with it and the recoil is very manageable. I would recommend it for anyone who had health problems and need a rifle with minimum recoil.
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned trying a muzzle brake for Sean since she is already used to and has access to a 30.06?
I recently bought a DPMS LR-308 that I absolutley LOVE I am ex-navy and I appreciate a good weapon and this is definatly one
While its good to see another postitice Ambush 6.8 review. The person who wrote this like most of the others did not do their homework.
Statements that were wrong
1. No SPCII Ammo. Incorrect. Silver State Armory and Wilson Combat make factory SPCII Ammo loaded to much higher velocities over the old SAAMI specs.
http://shopwilsoncombat.com/68-SPC/products/409/
http://www.ssarmory.com/tacticalloads.aspx
2. “Oddball Caliber” only Hornady uses small rifle primers. This is incorrect. ONLY Remington uses large rifle primers.
SSA, Hornady, Federal, Wilson Combat use small rifle primers. I do not know what HSM uses, but not many people shoot it.
3. Velocity on the box of 120 SST is for a 24″ barrel. Velocities used on boxes with the exception of Remington are for a 16″ barrel. The 120 SST has a velocity of 2460fps from a 16″ barrel. The 2550 fps the author got is pretty close though slightly more than what you should expect from the 2 extra inches of barrel.
http://www.hornady.com/store/6.8mm-SPC-120-GR-SST/
4. Are not a lot of good magazines. PRI Magazines are the gold standard and have had zero problems with either the 15 round or 25 rounders. Also C-Products defense makes an excellent magazine for only $17 (old pre panic price was $12).
http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/c-products-defense-6-8-spc-25rd-ss-magazine.html
Amen – please do your homework before writing material other shooters may rely on. I like my 6.8mm SPC as well.
Good review. Love the 6.8!
Why no Grendel? You ask? Just took out a nice 8pt from 426yds with the 6.8. & the 68 doesn’t benefit much from a longer barrel. So a 16″ w 110smk is doing 2600 via magneto chrono. Also how many brass choices do you have with the g? 1. With the 68 you have ssa (sm primer) Rem, (lar primer) Hornady (small primer). I have no respect for Alexander Arms,want you to onbuy their
Hi-Point Model 995TS
Is the biggest piece of crap I have ever shot.
9mm
I have been hunting Whitetail and Coyotes with my 6.8SPC for a number of years and handloading 6.8SPC for the same number of years. I use the 85gr Barnes TS and the Hornady 120gr exclusively. I have NEVER had anything I have shot with either round take so much as a single step. I also have an Armalite AR-10A4SPR that I shoot long distance with using my load data from my Logbook used during my days in the U.S. Army. With either a 168gr SMK or an 175gr SMK bullet over 42.8grs of Reloader 15 in a Winchester .308 case and a Federal 210M Primer, I can take any critter weather 2 legged or 4 at any distance out to 1,000 yards. Both calibers are excellent and it’s my humble opinion that you can’t go wrong with either and it’s best to have both.
My name is Sean. I am a soon-to-be 45 year old black female who loves the great outdoors and shooting with my family. Over the last several years I have been battling breast disease and surviving 5 different breast surgeries on both breasts. My favorite weapon was a 30-06. Because of the surgeries, I have been unable to hold and aim the weapon without any success whatsoever due to butt placement. This has caused depression on a whole different level. Is there any weapon that you could suggest that would enable me to enjoy firing that I would be able to control and hold with the same amount of power as the 30-06 or greater?
The power of a .30-06 no, but the effectiveness of a .30-06, yes, definitely. A 6.8 will do everything as good, but you might consider a regular .223 AR-15 as well. It is a devastating round and with the right bullet and shot placement can take any north american game animal, and it is ideal for self defense. See if you can find a rental range or a friend who would let you take a couple shots with one, just to see the recoil, of which there is almost none.
I have read all of your blogs about the different rounds but if you look up at the pictures above the 6.8 Hornady coming out of the ambush will take down anything you want with the right shot placement.
I was hunting with Dwayne Powell from Kississime Hunt and Fish.
We were hunting for coyotes and had given up for the night and heading out with the pick up truck on the way out of the ranch when I saw that BIG BOY
I yelled STOP, leaped out of the trunk and swung that rifle around like it was an extension of my arm.
The first shot was a kill shot but while it was kicking on the ground I threw another one into him and it was over
When I walked up on that beast I was astounded at the size and kept my distance until Dwayne got there .
About 5 or 6 months ago I read an article by Guns of America titled “Bigger is not always Better”
The gist of the article was about shot placement with out fearing the kick of the rifle as it will cause you to jerk your shot and you will have to track down the animal.
With the Ambush there is no fear and with 8 rounds to spare I believe I can stop anything.
Bottom line is Dwayne will put you on anything you want to hunt and supply you with the best guns available so all you have to do is be able to shoot with confidence.
.223 works just as well on deer too. I took one at 242 yards last year. Hornady 75grn Superformance match.
Sounds good. Would like to see something in 7.62×39. Just a thought.
Most companies have stopped making the 7.62×39 AR.
WHY 6.8? Why not 6.5 GRENDEL?
Great work! Now, let’s have some recommended recipes for the excellent “free range, organic, gluten free, no added antibiotics or hormones” pork! Barbeque,chili, stew, etc. Let the good times roll! Any reports on what the various ammunition types do to the meat? Did the bullets remain intact? (I hate picking bits of hollow point fragments out of my barbeque sandwich!:-)
I have four 30 rounders – two from ASC and two from C Products – both from Connecticut. They both work fine and feed just great. I have heard some people say that the AR47 mags were a problem but I have never had one single failure due to a magazine failing to feed or anything else and I shoot a lot of ammo, FMJ, HP & JSP, Tulammo, Brown Bear, Silver Bear, Golden Bear and others no problem at all. I did once have a problem with my bolt. I cracked it after I put several thousand rounds through the rifle. I think it was due to a gunk build up on the face of the bolt causing a few light firing pin hits and finally causing the round to pound back into the bolt face and crack it. I replaced the bolt and have had no more problems. I think the gunk was related to the lube I was using.
By the way, I have no issues with the 7.62×39 magazines. I bought a five round mag and a couple of 10 rounders and they work fine. I have never had any trouble with my 30 rounders. It may have been a problem in the past but I’ve never had a magazine issue. Also, you can use standard 5.56 magazines reliably for 7.62×39 as long as you limit them to less than 7 rounds. The .300 BO is a great round but not good on price or availability. I’m really happy with my AR47. It’s a great alternative to a standard AR that won’t break the bank.
I have a LR-308 by DPMS and a Springfield M1A. They are both devastating on hogs and have the range for long shots in places like West Texas but in dense forest areas where shots are no more than 200 yards and usually less than 100 the 7.62×39 just can’t be beat. The .300 blackout is essentially a 7.63×39 with the same rim as a 5.56. Power and ballistics are virtually the same as the 7.62×39 Russian. In these days when you can’t find ammo why go with the .300 BO? It costs three or four times the Russian ammo and is impossible to find. Even now, with ammo hard to find, I can still find 7.62×39 ammo if I look and it’s still less than $10 a box of 20. I would stack up my AR-47 (AR15 in 7.62×39) against anyone’s .300 BO rifle any day. It would be close ballistically at a fraction of the cost and I can still find ammo. I have also used the 5.56 to great effect as well as long as I hit them right behind the ear. Anywhere else they would probably still die but they will run 100 or 200 yards into the brush and you have to go in after them. Then you need that bayonet in case they turn on you!
I think the issue is that AK rounds don’t behave in a straight AR type magazine, therefore you can’t just change the follower, adjust the lips, and make a mag that works in an AR magwell. That is the nice that the .300 is trying to fill, and that the 6.8 tried to fill before it came along. We have also experienced great success with AK rounds on hogs, even with less than perfect shot placement.
I have a RRA coyote carbine in 6.8 it shoots 1/2 moa,it has taken down my lunch and dinner it’s here to stay.
I like my coyote fricasseed for lunch but parboiled for dinner… with a nice glass of chardonnay..
I like my coyote fricaseed for lunch, but spit roasted over a campfire for dinner, with a nice merlot…
I have a Les Bauer custon 308 on AR-15 platform, 1/2 MOA any day of the week-the 6.8 is a fad–I’ll have it for lunch
And you paid over $1,000 more for it. The .308 is too much gun for hogs, but it can be used of course. Problem is, unless you are in a stand, that 3 lbs extra weighs on you.
Does anyone have experience with 308 versions
of the AR format and how does it rate against
The 6.8 ?
For many years now I have been hunting hogs with an AR15 outfitted with a 7.62x39mm upper, an extended charging handle, a Hogue overmolded grip, a 2×6 variable scope, traditional foregrips, a picatinney rail front sight mount. I use cheap soft point ammo in a 30 round mag. It does a great job and knocks the pigs down flat. The upper cost me less than $500 and came with two 30 round mags. I have been very happy with it and the NcStar scope. The upper and the ammo are cheap yet devastating to hogs.
You think like me. If it works and the price is right, I use it. 7.62 x 39 ammo is easy to get and load with soft point bullets and it is good for 300-400 yards from my experience. I try to make my hunting shots under 200 though. I hate having to track a bleed out! All these new fangled cartridges really DON’T do any better than the older ones! It’s like the .357 Sig…why would you want it since the 10mm is around and can be loaded to devastating velocities?
Good points and I love the low cost and versatile 7.62 x 39 ammo. However, the .357 sig has nearly the velocity of the 10mm and the .357mag but is 30% smaller, lighter and much easier to conceal carry. The .357sig can also be purchased (Doubletap) with hard nose penetration rounds up to 180 grains. The 10mm factory rounds cost much more than the .357sig and though larger and more powerful, the .357sig more than gets the job done.
The .357 Sig has been around for a lot longer than your defunct 10mm that no one uses anymore since almost the same ballistics as the .40 and both are less accurate than the .357 Sig which at 25 yards will put all rounds into the same hole. The .40 is not a great round either as the new 9mm ammo can almost match it for take down with much less recoil and better follow up, and the .357 Sig is better. Look around no one uses your 10mm anymore not even the gov’t and there are gov’t agencies and police departments that shoot the .357 Sig due to its knock down power and excellent accuracy. Also the 6.8 SPC was developed by 2 Army MSG under authority from SOCOM to develop a round with better ballistics and knockdown power than the 5.56 but that fit in the same rifle with minor changes, oh and beat the 7.62×39 for power distance and accuracy with less recoil. Next time before you comment do some research your 7.62×39 is a close in inaccurate round that can’t hit anything past 300yds with any type of accuracy and your 10mm is carried by you and Ted Nugent and I think thats pretty much it!
Well NO!!! There must be thre of us. Him, Ted and me. 🙂 I also carry a 10MM Glock when I hunt and when I take it when going into a really risky situation. I carry a 17 most other times because it is lighter and I have used one like it to fire hundreds of thousands of rounds during my combat shooting classes. The problem with the 10MM is they do not make small primer brass that is designed for higher pressures. When Hornady comes around to do that (they seem to be the ones who help us with performance) then you will have a truly great round. Your 357 Sig on major steroids that still is quite manageable. Actually with Cor-Bon ammo the 10MM is a good deal more than a .40. Just to be clear, I have and shoot pretty much every Glock in every caliber including .357 Sig. I like the Sig round, I think of it as one of my toy rounds.
As for the 7.62X39 it can be a very accurate round – just not from most AK format guns. My son has a small bolt gun that shoots sub .5 MOA using that round. I do think the 6.8 is a wonderful round and have used one for years including a very handy AR pistol in SPCII. With 120 grain bullets even from that 12.5 inch AR pistol it far outclasses any 5.56 round and far out classes the venerable 30-30 cartridge from a model 94 lever gun. If I had to go into a major gun fight with bad guys in droves or gangs I can think of nothing better than a 6.8 AR, a Glock , and of course my Bennelli. 🙂 My black plastic trio. Same goes for shooting four legged pigs. I do know that a 5.56 will kill pigs nicely, but having once had to stop a 300 pound one charging with intent to eat me at about 6 feet I was REALLY glad to have a 12 gauge. So I am a little prejudice when walking through brush looking for fun. And having a bit of personal experience in the difference between a 5.56 and a 7.62X51 on a body of someone disagreeing with your choice of tropical vacation spots I do believe something a bit more umph is required. Again just personal prejudice. By the way the best way to do a 7.62X39 AR is to buy a quality barrel and put the parts together yourself. Same with the 5.45X39. You get a much better gun at a bit less money and even a monkey can put one together as proven by my having done so. 🙂
Gem
Well NO!!! There must be thre of us. Him, Ted and me. 🙂 I also carry a 10MM Glock when I hunt and when I take it when going into a really risky situation. I carry a 17 most other times because it is lighter and I have used one like it to fire hundreds of thousands of rounds during my combat shooting classes. The problem with the 10MM is they do not make small primer brass that is designed for higher pressures. When Hornady comes around to do that (they seem to be the ones who help us with performance) then you will have a truly great round. Your 357 Sig on major steroids that still is quite manageable. Actually with Cor-Bon ammo the 10MM is a good deal more than a .40. Just to be clear, I have and shoot pretty much every Glock in every caliber including .357 Sig. I like the Sig round, I think of it as one of my toy rounds.
As for the 7.62X39 it can be a very accurate round – just not from most AK format guns. My son has a small bolt gun that shoots sub .5 MOA using that round. I do think the 6.8 is a wonderful round and have used one for years including a very handy AR pistol in SPCII. With 120 grain bullets even from that 12.5 inch AR pistol it far outclasses any 5.56 round and far out classes the venerable 30-30 cartridge from a model 94 lever gun. If I had to go into a major gun fight with bad guys in droves or gangs I can think of nothing better than a 6.8 AR, a Glock , and of course my Bennelli. 🙂 My black plastic trio. Same goes for shooting four legged pigs. I do know that a 5.56 will kill pigs nicely, but having once had to stop a 300 pound one charging with intent to eat me at about 6 feet I was REALLY glad to have a 12 gauge. So I am a little prejudice when walking through brush looking for fun. And having a bit of personal experience in the difference between a 5.56 and a 7.62X51 on a body of someone disagreeing with your choice of tropical vacation spots I do believe something a bit more umph is required. Again just personal prejudice. By the way the best way to do a 7.62X39 AR is to buy a quality barrel and put the parts together yourself. Same with the 5.45X39. You get a much better gun at a bit less money and even a monkey can put one together as proven by my having done so. 🙂
Gem
Where did you get you 7.62x39mm upper? I’ve been trying to find one at a reasonable price.
sotaarms.com. I ordered one about 3 weeks ago. $499 complete with BCG & CH. Nice free floated aluminum handguard too. Says it takes 8-9 weeks for delivery. They are G2G.
But what will it do to A 150 lb. whitetail?
Well considering that most people consider the .270 to be the best whitetail cartridge, and this is essentially a 120gr .270 (it is the same bullet literally), the 6.8 has become a favorite among whitetail hunters as well.
Power: The 6.8 and .270 share bullets, but while the 6.8 SPC has a muzzle energy of about 1,600 fp — not much higher than the 1,300 of the .223 — the .270 Winchester has a muzzle energy of about 2,600-2,900 fp.
Gun type: Of course, a .270 has a much longer case (64.5 mm vs. 42.6 mm) and so needs a receiver and magazine well about an inch longer. I don’t think anyone has put out an AR with one, or could make a .270 upper that fits standard lowers.
Availability: other than shotgun, the .270 is one of only 3 calibers I’m still seeing at Wal-Mart (along with .243 and 7mm-something), whereas I don’t think they ever carried 6.8, and .223 is never in while I’ve visited.
Economy: Inherently, if it catches on, and once ammo supply meets demand, the 6.8 should be cheaper than .270 as it takes less brass and powder.
The .270 is in the length/power class of the .308. One of the companies that make a standard .308 AR-10 might just offer a .270 upper for the AR-15s big brother.
Actually, the .270 is the same length as the .30-06 (which is the parent case), which is much longer than the .308. That’s why the .308 was made, so as not to have to use a long action.
Federal 115 gr FMJ 6.8 is kicking 2580 out of an 18″ barrel, and the 90 gr Gold Dots are hitting 2890 out of same. Both make outstanding deer cartridges (I hunt big northern bucks) and great hog cartridges. I’ve shot 3 hogs with mine, including one that was charging me. None ran more than 10 feet. The charging hog dropped on the spot and did the funky chicken. That armor frontal plate is hard to crack with a 5.56 or sub-sonic .300 mall-ninja
But any platform that can handle the .308 can handle the .260 Remington (a necked-down .308). I’d love to have a rifle in that caliber, if I thought the ammo could ever be easy to find. It has 2,300 to 2,400 fp muzzle energy, is much flatter shooting than a .308 (and supposed to duplicate the trajectory of of the .300 Winchester Magnum with lower recoil than the .308).
DS Arms used to make their FAL (A.K.A. SA-58) in either .260 or .270 (I don’t remember which). They no longer do, but if you like the FAL platform you might just find one second-hand..
OK I have a standard AR-15 with 5.56 16″ barrel. So if I want to hog hunt, would it be better to change out to a 300 blackout?
David
5.56 is fine for hogs with the right shot placement. Check out this article on DRT ammo as well though:
http://www.gunsamerica.com/blog/drt-frangible-223-ammo-vs-charging-wild-boar/
Hi Dave,
I was kind of skeptical in hunting wild hogs with a 5.56 / 223, as well. I just hunted with Triple M Outfitters in Florida, on March 5th & 6th. With Matt at Triple M, I took 5 wild hogs and a 9ft alligator using my standard 5.56 / 223 AR-15. One thing I did do was hand load using 65 gr. GameKing bullets. I used these on both hogs and the alligator, with one shot kills. Shot placement was placed in the head of tree of the hogs and one running body shot that clipped the heart and both lugs. The alligator was shot from 25 yards with one shot just under it’s right eye.
But in short, your standard AR-15 in 5.56/223 will work very well and get the job done.
The 6.8 has quite a bit more terminal performance and distance over the 300BLK or 5.56. The 6.8 holds apx 25% more powder and there are more dedicated 6.8 hunting bullets than the 300 has 30 cal bullets that will expand at the slower velocity that the 300BLK can reach. The 6.8 will push the same weight bullets apx 250fps faster than the 300 can.
Hornady, SSA, Barrett and Wilson Combat all use small rifle primers, Rem is the only co using large primers.