6cm vs 6arc

[Unckebob]

AR- 6 arc
Bolt- 6 creed

I went with the 6ARC because it was designed from the start to shoot from a 20." It will easily have enough velocity to kill a deer at 400 yards.

With a suppressor, there is zero recoil.

The 6CM would be my choice for a longer range rifle.

 

[Bluumoon]

Boring answer is you already have rifles that aren't hampering much of anything, get a .223 if you don't have one, that's the bigger gap vs what you have. Cheaper and more readily available ammo, will never wear it out. The 6.5CM is fine.

I say that, but am waiting on a 6cm to round out the options on hand.

Edit: Just realized this is an old post. Hopefully you scratched the itch and still need a .223

 

[SloppyJ]

6 Creed would be a straight rebarrel, expect about 25% less recoil than a 6.5 creed.

6 ARC is a different bolt face so you'd have to research if you can have your existing bolt bushed smaller. I'd also research if people have used the standard bdl magazine that CA uses successfully with 6 ARC sized cartridges. If putting in a rokstok you could revise bottom metal set up as well for something more specialized for 6 ARC but that's more $ again.

I think I could be happy with 6 ARC velocities in 22"+ barrel but i would not be happy with 22"+ barrel with a suppressor. Thus my current primary hunting rifle is a 18" 6 Creed.

Putting factory 108 and 140 ELDm ammo in a calculator with assumed powder charges i get the following recoil results in a 9# rifle:
6 ARC: 6.9# recoil
6 Creed: 9.7# recoil
6.5 Creed 12# recoil

The differences are greater if you use a lighter rifle.

This all day. I was in the same boat. I chose an 18" 6cm for the same reasons. I wanted short, suppressed, and fast. The 6arc lost on the velocity. I have no regrets but still want a 6arc. Current plans are building a thermal AR rig in 6arc where I think it shines.

 

[teph45]

6ARC is super popular in AR15s - it's actually designed for that.

 

[TaperPin]

Or a boring old 243 and get 10x the selection of ammo, more taper to the case so fewer clicker issues, and every hardware store has a box or two. We’ve bought numerous used $125 to $250 243s mounted a scope and headed to the range the same day with no drama at long range.

The nephew inherited a 243 and he was talking about trading it for a some new cartridge because, “nobody uses a 243 anymore,” and,”it’s not good at long range.” I called bs on that, we stopped by the farm and ranch store for a few boxes of ammo, slapped a fixed 20x scope on it and we killed a lot of little rocks waaaay out there. He was impressed old gramps had a rifle that shot that well way back before his parents had even started swapping spit. *chuckle*

 

[IDVortex]

I went 6arc, kept wanting a 6cm but with the extra cost of ammo. And barrel life i chose a 6arc. If I come to the point I'm maxing out my range with my arc I'll go to the 6cm. But realistically, it should be around a 600 yard gun. Plenty for elk, deer, bear, MT goats.

The 22cm was also a contender when I started looking at the arc.

 

[BigEd36]

Or a boring old 243 and get 10x the selection of ammo, more taper to the case so fewer clicker issues, and every hardware store has a box or two. We’ve bought numerous used $125 to $250 243s mounted a scope and headed to the range the same day with no drama at long range.

The nephew inherited a 243 and he was talking about trading it for a some new cartridge because, “nobody uses a 243 anymore,” and,”it’s not good at long range.” I called bs on that, we stopped by the farm and ranch store for a few boxes of ammo, slapped a fixed 20x scope on it and we killed a lot of little rocks waaaay out there. He was impressed old gramps had a rifle that shot that well way back before his parents had even started swapping spit. *chuckle*

 

[Tahoe1305]

6 Creed would be a straight rebarrel, expect about 25% less recoil than a 6.5 creed.

6 ARC is a different bolt face so you'd have to research if you can have your existing bolt bushed smaller. I'd also research if people have used the standard bdl magazine that CA uses successfully with 6 ARC sized cartridges. If putting in a rokstok you could revise bottom metal set up as well for something more specialized for 6 ARC but that's more $ again.

I think I could be happy with 6 ARC velocities in 22"+ barrel but i would not be happy with 22"+ barrel with a suppressor. Thus my current primary hunting rifle is a 18" 6 Creed.

Putting factory 108 and 140 ELDm ammo in a calculator with assumed powder charges i get the following recoil results in a 9# rifle:
6 ARC: 6.9# recoil
6 Creed: 9.7# recoil
6.5 Creed 12# recoil

The differences are greater if you use a lighter rifle.

this are my thoughts. I want to use a tikka because my sons been practicing with a t1x.

It is much easier to go 6C due to bolt faces and magazines.

My plan is to handload it way down. Working it this weekend with 80g ELD-VT and 40g of powder. In 18” barrel hoping for about 2750fps.

This should be about what a full power ARC pushes. As he handles it better and better I can likely load up to 3200 fps or so fairly easily (or likely switch to 103g bullets).

The 6C is less efficient than the 6ARC at these velocities. I don’t have an ARC but load data says 32g or so to hit the same velocity that I likely will be at 40g. That 25% more powder is blast….so that’s a downside.

But I can grow with the rifle a good amount vs being maxed out at ARC velocity.

I just compared to my 22” 6.5C with my hunting loads. The 6C load above is exactly half the muzzle energy.

 

[General RE LEE]

2K rounds on my Howa 6 ARC and virtually no wear in the throat when bore scoped.

 

[Hurley88]

this are my thoughts. I want to use a tikka because my sons been practicing with a t1x.

It is much easier to go 6C due to bolt faces and magazines.

My plan is to handload it way down. Working it this weekend with 80g ELD-VT and 40g of powder. In 18” barrel hoping for about 2750fps.

This should be about what a full power ARC pushes. As he handles it better and better I can likely load up to 3200 fps or so fairly easily (or likely switch to 103g bullets).

The 6C is less efficient than the 6ARC at these velocities. I don’t have an ARC but load data says 32g or so to hit the same velocity that I likely will be at 40g. That 25% more powder is blast….so that’s a downside.

But I can grow with the rifle a good amount vs being maxed out at ARC velocity.

I just compared to my 22” 6.5C with my hunting loads. The 6C load above is exactly half the muzzle energy.

Why grow with it? 6ARC is plenty for all stages of life!

Kidding, mostly…

I’ve now had the 6ARC, 6CM, and 6.5CM for a while and have shot them in field positions next to each other quite a bit. All identically set up Tikkas, all 8lbs. Had a couple buddies come out twice now just to run them through for their impressions.

I can say as far as magazines, the M factory Tikka mag is where it’s at. M+ works equally well but the M already has enough air in the mag. The S does have occasional problems bc the feed lips are longer and hold onto the cartridge too long before letting go. So if using M mags, no problems whatsoever.

Bolt face…again wasn’t an issue. Sent to Kinport Peak, came back, easy easy.

Barrel…well as long as we’re talking about sticking with Tikka, they both need a barrel swap. And then there’s the obvious difference in barrel life (however important that is to your use).

The real difference comes when talking recoil & barrel length. In a 20” barrel with the 6ARC you can hit 2750fps with the 108 ELDM. But, you’re kinda stuck with LeverEvolution or CFE223 for powder. With the majority of powders, you lose quite a bit. I’m testing StaBALL Match & Varget now, don’t expect to really get even 2600fps (but we’ll see).
Both cartridges have factory ammo available. But, the ammo for the 6ARC will be way lower in velocity. Roughly 2560fps in a 20” barrel (on average) for the Hornady 108 Match ammo.

Recoil…the 6ARC is closer to the 223 and the 6CM is closer to the 6.5 Creed. Especially in less-than-ideal field positions. None of them will cause a flinch in a grown man, the 6.5 Creed definitely could in a smaller statured kid though. The difference is in recovery & spotting shots. Here the 6ARC shines. Yes even above the 6 Creed…it’s definitely noticeable. But, chop a 6CM down to 16” and use a suppressor? No personal experience but you may get recoil fairly similar and have the best of both worlds.

 

[Hurley88]

I’m not advocating for 6ARC over 6 Creed; the two cartridges are kind of a perfect pair. Really just depends on your personal needs/wants.

For me, I wanted the most anemic recoil/cartridge possible that could reach out to 500-600yds (depending on atmospherics) while still being legal for everything I hunt. My mountaintop is the 95 TMK over Varget for that rifle.
For others, they may want to grow with the cartridge as mentioned above. They may want a 16” barrel & can, large primers bc they already have a ton of them, the ability to be less hemmed in with powder choice, etc etc.
Really the answer will change for any one person’s build plan & use case.

For kids, just grab a cheap Howa in 6ARC. They’ll learn, grow, have an oops moment & let it rust…who cares? It’s cheap. You don’t start a kid with the best stuff IMO. But keep in mind that opinion’s worth what you paid for it.

 

[liveaxle]

My self imposed limit in the mountains is 500 yards however I do shoot out to 700 at my local range. Again seems like both are capable of this

A shorter barrel would be preferred as I plan to be putting a suppressor on it, I know length affects velocity which affects bullet performance but not sure how to determine how short I can go with each of these calibers

Based on these 2 thoughts, I would direct you to the 6 Creedmoor. The extra 200 fps (+/-) you will see out of the 6 Creedmoor will give you significantly more tolerance for range or wind estimation errors when hunting.

The Arc is designed for predictable velocities in shorter barrels, but those predictable velocities are low. This gives you lower energy down range, larger drops and more wind drift. If I am target shooting, those "issues" plus the minimal recoil that allows me to shoot more in a session, contribute to high quality practice sessions.

When I am hunting, I work on the assumption that I am the weakest link in my shooting solution, so I look for anything that can reduce the possibility of an animal suffering due to my mistakes.

 

[liveaxle]

(Verify this before buying) I think the Mesa can use a Remage threaded barrel. A benefit of the 6CM is that Outlier barrels chambers them. With a MTU contour 20" barrel you are looking at $220 threaded/chambered/shipped. If you pay an extra $45 you can get it Nitrided and their "Shootout Guarantee". Which claims you can get the barrel replaced if it ever shoots worse than 1moa. Keep in mind that they haven't been around long enough for anyone to really test this.

You need a coupon code to get the 25% off, your favorite YouTube creator likely has one, but if not, you can use "Lowest" to get the discount. I am planning to use "whoteewho" to get a 6CM barrel like this once I find a good Tikka donor.