What is the Army's new 6.8 round?
The Army describes these as part of the “close combat force” which includes infantry, scouts and combat engineers. With the new weapon they'll experience two significant changes. The M5 carbine will fire 6.8 mm rounds as compared with the lighter 5.56 mm ammunition fired by the M4 and M249 (light machine gun).
The 6.8mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge (6.8 SPC, 6.8 SPC II or 6.8×43mm) is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge that was developed by Remington Arms in collaboration with members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and United States Special Operations Command to possibly replace the 5.56 NATO ...
The primary difference between the 6.8 Western vs 6.8 SPC is in their case design. The 6.8 Western has a higher case capacity and is capable of firing heavier bullets at higher muzzle velocities from bolt-action rifles while the 6.8 SPC was designed for use in the semi-auto AR-15 as an upgrade to the 5.56 NATO.
Last April, the Army awarded a contract to Sig Sauer to produce the Next Generation Squad Weapon — or NGSW — XM7 Rifle, XM250 Automatic Rifle and a 6.8mm family of ammunition to replace the M4A1 Carbine, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and 5.56mm family of ammunition within the close combat force.
277 Fury or 6.8×51mm Common Cartridge, (designated as the . 277 SIG Fury by the SAAMI) is a centerfire rimless bottlenecked rifle cartridge announced by SIG Sauer in late 2019.
The Army chose the 6.8 mm round following the publication of the 2017 Small Arms Ammunition Configuration Study.
30 Remington case (cousin to the old . 32 Remington and . 35 Remington) necked down to shoot a 6.8mm (. 270 caliber) bullet.
The new weapons use 6.8mm rounds as the Army looked for heftier ammo than the current 5.56mm used in the M4 and SAW to better defeat body armor, protective equipment that adversaries are expected to have in future conflicts and gear that is already becoming more commonplace for terror groups.
Officially known to civilians as . 277 SIG FURY the Army is simply calling it 6.8x51mm for now. Firing a 130-140gr bullet at 3,000 FPS from a 16″ barrel, this has the makings to be one hell of a cartridge.
The 6.8 Western is based on the . 270 Winchester Super Magnum but is . 085 inches shorter than its parent case.
How does 6.8 compare to 308?
308 cartridges are only a little taller than 6.8 SPC but the projectiles for 308 are significantly bigger. This is a larger caliber that will fit the AR-10 platform and you'll find several bolt action rifles chambered in 308 WIN as well.
“The 6.8 allows you to use heavier bullets, like 165-175 grains,” Frank said. “This is more lethal and gets more penetration and retained weight than any of the 6.5 Creedmoor bullets. At 500 yards, you'll have almost 60% more energy in a 6.8 Western than 6.5 Creedmoor.
The military has not, and is not, switching from the 5.56x45MM to a 6.8mm round. At least not yet. The proposal to make such a switch is still being researched and investigated by the Ordnance folks with the Army Marksmanship Unit (and others).
277 Wolverine has shown near-comparable performance to the 6.8 SPC with 110 gr (7.13 g) bullets, achieving similar muzzle velocities of 2,500 fps (762 m/s) vs. 2,700 fps (823 m/s). The smaller case of the . 277 Wolverine (compared to the 6.8 SPC) is more efficient and has less recoil due to its smaller propellant load.
No. The new 6.8mm US military cartridge will be the 6.8x51mm. Which is nothing like 6.8 SPC, as the SPC is made to fire from the AR-15 form factor. The 6.8x51 will be fired from the new M5 (XM5) Next Generation Squad Weapon, which replaces the M4 family of weapons.
What is the difference between 6.8 SPC and 5.56? The difference between 6.8 SPC and 5.56 is the bullet diameter each cartridge fires. The 6.8 SPC fires a heavier 0.277” diameter bullet while the 5.56 NATO fires a lighter 0.224” diameter bullet.
 This collection of new 6.8 SPC rounds offers a broad range of options for different applications in a tactical situation. This is the 97 grain armor piercing, tungsten carbide bullet. The tactical round uses an 85 grain Barnes TSX bullet traveling at 3070 fps from a 16†barrel.
Recommended. Guns & Ammo magazine gave the 6.8 Western the “Cartridge of the Year” award for 2021. It was well deserved, and is one additional fact pointing to the “Six-Eight's” potential. We're just one year in, but indications are the 6.8 Western is here to stay.
The 6.8 SPC delivers 44% more power than the 5.56 on average. It's also a better performer from short barrels. The 223, which the 5.56 is based off, is designed for 20-inch barrels. 20-inch barrels aren't exactly popular options for close quarter fighting.
Ballistic Capabilities. Limited by its mission parameters, what should shooters expect from the 6.8 SPC II? Not a long-range round. True to its roots, even with most handloads, its maximum effective range lingers around 600 yards in most circumstances, but it operates best 300 yards in.
What guns use 6.8 ammo?
- Rock River Arms LAR-15 A4 Mid-Length System AR-15 6.8 SPC 30-Round 16" Semi-Automatic Rifle in Black - SPC1855. ...
- Barrett Firearms REC7 DI 6.8 SPC 30-Round 16" Semi-Automatic Rifle in Black - 15406. ...
- Rock River Arms LAR-6.8 Mid-Length A2 6.8 SPC 30-Round 16" Semi-Automatic Rifle in Black - SPC1294.
No. The new 6.8mm US military cartridge will be the 6.8x51mm. Which is nothing like 6.8 SPC, as the SPC is made to fire from the AR-15 form factor. The 6.8x51 will be fired from the new M5 (XM5) Next Generation Squad Weapon, which replaces the M4 family of weapons.
The 6.8 Western is basically a . 270 Winchester Short Magnum case with a slightly rebated shoulder (reducing the case's maximum powder capacity) that needs a barrel with a 1:8 twist to stabilize 165 to 175 grain bullets.