6mm arc vs 300 blk woods/truck gun

[Huntintherain]

Looking at a Ruger ranch gen 2 to run suppressed and carry in the truck when driving around the local hills, would be used for coyotes/small game and plinking but would like to be able to take a bear with it if the opportunity presents itself, I have a 20” tikka 223 and 20” 243 and don’t want to chop the barrels on those, should I go 6 ARC? 300 blackout? Or something different? I also handload all of my ammo and want to stay with something semi-cheap to load plinking rounds.

 

[RWT]

Personally I would go 223 and roll 77TMK’s just to make components easier. I chased my tail with multiple calibers covering what I perceived as real world differences. I had 12+ different calibers and ammo to manage. I am down to 4. 223/556, 6.5grendel, 6.5CM and a 308. I am only keeping the 308 around as some ranches I hunt won’t allow the CM. Yeah I know.

The above chamberings cover all I am capable of shooting accurately with my skill set. Now I spend more time shooting a smaller range of guns and stocking up on ammo I know they like.


223/556 0-400 yards on varmints up to deer if needed.
6.5 Grendel 0-400 yards on deer size game
6.5 CN &308. 0-600 yards on anything I would hunt.

The 6 ARC is far superior to the 300BO. If given a choice I would go 223. If I wanted more components to keep track of I would go 6ARC.

 

[UnckleBob]

The 300 BO's only advantage over the 6ARC is its ability to be really quiet with subsonic bullets. The 6ARC is more of a do everything cartridge and it was designed to be shot from short-ish AR barrels.

It is not as cheap to load as a 223, but I find 6ARC affordable to load due to the small powder charge and the ability to get reasonably priced MidwayUSA seconds 6mm bullets.

 

[Huntintherain]

Personally I would go 223 and roll 77TMK’s just to make components easier. I chased my tail with multiple calibers covering what I perceived as real world differences. I had 12+ different calibers and ammo to manage. I am down to 4. 223/556, 6.5grendel, 6.5CM and a 308. I am only keeping the 308 around as some ranches I hunt won’t allow the CM. Yeah I know.

The above chamberings cover all I am capable of shooting accurately with my skill set. Now I spend more time shooting a smaller range of guns and stocking up on ammo I know they like.


223/556 0-400 yards on varmints up to deer if needed.
6.5 Grendel 0-400 yards on deer size game
6.5 CN &308. 0-600 yards on anything I would hunt.

The 6 ARC is far superior to the 300BO. If given a choice I would go 223. If I wanted more components to keep track of I would go 6ARC

While there’s no doubt the 223 with TMK’s or ELD-M’s is effective, I live in Washington state and there’s a 24/6mm minimum for anything bigger than varmints and cougars.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Hands down 6arc between those two

 

[ProRoad]

I have an 18" AR in 6arc. Such a great cartridge! I really like that 16" short barrel RA Ranch and would definitely get it in 6arc. I have an RA Predator in 7.08 and love it, but a Timney trigger was a must and made the difference. I agree that 6arc is a great short barrel cartridge. I have reloaded the 80 gr ELD-VT and it shoots very nice and fast. 18 inch velocity 2975 with 32 gr of Lever. Next up, some 108s. That RA Ranch on sale today at CalRanch. I am also considering the 22arc for Yotes but not for bear!

 

[hereinaz]

300bo is not close to being as effective as a supersonic round. I have a 300 BO for home defense option with very short barrel, but other than that I don’t see a use for it. It is fun to shoot suppressed subsonic though.

6 arc all the way.

 

[jcaud]

As others have said, IMO the BO only benefits here when suppressed. I got a Howa Mini in 6 ARC a few years back and it sits right next to my .223 as a favorite. It is a blast to shoot and carry around in such a small package. I would highly recommend.

 

[SBR Sarge]

I have guns in 6arc, 300BO, and 223/556.

I think any of them will work for you. The 6arc’s main advantage is in its range.

The 300BO has loads and loose bullets with lighter (85gr) expanding copper and now the NAS3 cases allow a good boost in speed with the venerable 110 and 120 TAC-TX bullets made specifically for it. These can get you out to a few hundred yards. And, you can load some subs and have a ball with slow, quiet plinking.

The 6arc is seeing a great number of loads and bullets for it as well, including some NAS3 cased loads that help it close the performance gap between it and other, faster 6mm loads. If you might want to stretch the range beyond a few hundred yards, this is the way to go.

 

[180ls1]

Another tikka .243 with a shorter barrel length of your choosing.

This keeps you familiar with the rifle, load and one less caliber to deal with.