Thoughts on new 6.8 Western cartridge

[V-TRAIN]

Never fails I finally get the 6.5 prc couple weeks ago then a new cartridge comes out that really peaks interest.

lol, I here you. I placed a order with Alamo Precision 2 weeks ago for a 300 PRC.
just stumbled across this last night while sitting in the recliner slurping down makers mark and was like son of a gun. oh well

 

[DrewFS]

Very interesting, I have a brand new Savage target action sitting around and I’ve been trying to decide on a short action cartridge to build With. I was already thinking along the lines of 7saum/.270wsm/7SS so this new 6.8 might just simplify my decision.

And hello gents, first post here although I’ve lurked for quite awhile. I’ve always been impressed with the knowledge base on this forum. Glad to be here.

 

[eLightfoot]

I’d be happier with a Standard 270wsm with a fast twist barrel in a med/long action. But at that point I’d be even happier with a 7wsm and some good brass. ADG will be making WSM brass soon. 6.8western has an uphill battle to stay relevant. I hope it generates enough interest for more .277 bullets to come out.

 

[Aaron P.]

They're claiming the 6.8 has as good, if not higher muzzle velocity at the same grain size as a 7 rem mag ammo with less recoil as well. If bullet tech were equivalent, the bc's would be more favorable too.
Definitely a crowded cartridge selection now, but it may be most ideal cartridge for anyone that thinks the 6.5 prc can't handle the bigger game species; especially at distance.

Also first post, been a thread lurker for years. Quality knowledge gained from y'all.

 

[wind gypsy]

They're claiming the 6.8 has as good, if not higher muzzle velocity at the same grain size as a 7 rem mag ammo with less recoil as well. If bullet tech were equivalent, the bc's would be more favorable too.
Definitely a crowded cartridge selection now, but it may be most ideal cartridge for anyone that thinks the 6.5 prc can't handle the bigger game species; especially at distance.

Also first post, been a thread lurker for years. Quality knowledge gained from y'all.

Sounds like magic. 7rm has higher case capacity than a 270 wsm which has a higher case capacity than 6.8 western. Typically if you have the same case with different bore size, the larger bore will be able to be pushed faster. Look at 308 vs 7/08 with same weight bullets for example. Some of this gap is made up in factory ammo because 7rm is limited by COAL but I’m pretty skeptical about 6.8 western outperforming a 7rm.

That claim reminds me of nosler comparing the 28 to a 7 RUM and a 33 nosler to a lapua.. distorted truth to paint a favorable picture.

 

[Aaron P.]

Right? Industry black magic or actual engineering at play? They're saying that it can edge out the rem mag because of the higher sammi rating, and the steeper shoulder angle allows it to push the bullets faster than the 270wsm with less powder burnt ala less recoil than either. If true, its pretty clever. Definitely a cartridge for non-reloaders. But that's kinda been the market trend for... Ever?

 

[ClunesAdventures]

As a non-reloader myself this sounds like the holy grail for where and what I hunt. I hope this caliber becomes popular enough to see a wide array of manufacturers produce rifles chambered in them AND get a big enough following ammo will be easily found. Those two factors will be in play as I make a decsion on whether there is enough value to choose it over a 280ai for the next rifle.

 

[OXN939]

For the 1/10 of 1 percent of American hunters who might ever shoot beyond 500 yards it may show a nominal advantage over some other chamberings. I know I am excited about that.

Lolol. Not to be a debbie downer, but I kinda have to agree. Introducing another niche hunting cartridge into a field of close competitors during the worst ammo and components shortage in recent memory just does not seem like something to bet the farm on

 

[EmperorMA]

I meant I want something I can have a few more options to try, it seems like Nosler and Berger are the only 2 moving in the heavy .277 direction. On paper the cartridge looks good, but until you can get published load data it's hard to say if there's much difference from a 7 SAUM. Either one will shoot a 160ish bullet at around 3,000 from a similar shaped case. All else equal .277 should be higher BC than .284, it's just hard to want to be one of the early adopters before you see components really become available.

Sierra is making the 175 Tipped Gameking for the 6.8 Western.

I also can’t imagine that Nosler isn’t working on a 175 or even 180 ABLR to go along with the 165 ABLR and 170 Ballistic Tip.

Berger will probably make something heavier than the 170 EOL, as well.

Hornady will follow suit eventually. An ELD-X around 170-175 and an A-Tip or ELD-M around 175-180 would make great sense.

 

[AkRyan]

This new cartridge is going to spawn a bunch more just like it. I shoot a 300wsm with a 18" barrel and I have wanted to load 220g but it just doesn't work right. I believe we will see shorter barrels and heavier bullets become a thing in the years to come.

 

[307]

Would this cartridge be a "large" version of 6.5 creedmoor? Same principles of high bc, heavy bullets, high spin rate, moderate powder/recoil... Similar elements but about 30% bigger?

Seems like it worked pretty well for the 6.5c.

 

[brad407210]

I've been wanting to make an 18" or 20" barrel whitetail rifle for a while now and thought about doing a normal .270 Win, but heard the muzzle blast would be a lot in that short of barrel. I'd be curious to see if anyone puts this in a short barrel, in theory it might work well in shorter barrels without creating a lot of flash.

 

[unclericco]

Ooooooof.....I don't need another rifle and should probably sell a few but what do we have here??? A short action .277 that can shoot the heavies. 170 Bergers would be the bees knees

*checks 4D Reamer Rentals...

 

[Smithb9841]

If Kimber decides to chamber this in there Mountain Ascent I will be all over it!!

 

[wind gypsy]

Sierra is making the 175 Tipped Gameking for the 6.8 Western.

I also can’t imagine that Nosler isn’t working on a 175 or even 180 ABLR to go along with the 165 ABLR and 170 Ballistic Tip.

Berger will probably make something heavier than the 170 EOL, as well.

Possible but I wouldn’t be confident in these predictions in the near term. The nosler 165 accubond lr is 23 gr heavier than the heaviest 6.5 (which has a pile of factory chamberings twisted fast enough for a heavier pill) and only 10 gr lighter than the 175 7mm.. why would they go heavier for caliber on a 270 than they do on 6.5 or 7?

Berger has yet to release more than 1 EOL option at any bore size, much less a heavier option. 6.5 and 30 ca EOLs are still pretty new on the market so I’d be surprised to see them focus on a second .277 offering before a first option for .243 or .257 or a second offering for 6.5, 7, or 308.

 

[unclericco]

Possible but I wouldn’t be confident in these predictions in the near term. The nosler 165 accubond lr is 23 gr heavier than the heaviest 6.5 (which has a pile of factory chamberings twisted fast enough for a heavier pill) and only 10 gr lighter than the 175 7mm.. why would they go heavier for caliber on a 270 than they do on 6.5 or 7?

Berger has yet to release more than 1 EOL option at any bore size, much less a heavier option. 6.5 and 30 ca EOLs are still pretty new on the market so I’d be surprised to see them focus on a second .277 offering before a first option for .243 or .257 or a second offering for 6.5, 7, or 308.

Incorrect.

 

[gerry35]

Because this isn't yet another 6.5, 7mm or 30 cal is precisely one of the reason's I like the new round. Still loving our 260 and 6.5x55 though..... have an email into a Canadian barrel maker here on a 7.5 twist and hope to find out early this next week what he says. If that's a go ahead then I'll see what we can get for factory ammo up here.

 

[wind gypsy]

Incorrect.

Fill us in.

 

[unclericco]

Fill us in.

My 26 Nosler and 6.5 PRC have been happily shooting 156 grain Bergers for close to a year now.

We've been waiting for somebody, anybody to start making fast twist barrels for quite some time. The 170's have been sitting there collecting dust while the potential of the .277s have been lost on 1:10. I'd say there will be many more heavies coming down the pipe.

You throw out posts with the wrong information quite alot on here lol

 

[wind gypsy]

My 26 Nosler and 6.5 PRC have been happily shooting 156 grain Bergers for close to a year now.

We've been waiting for somebody, anybody to start making fast twist barrels for quite some time. The 170's have been sitting there collecting dust while the potential of the .277s have been lost on 1:10. I'd say there will be many more heavies coming down the pipe.

You throw out posts with the wrong information quite alot on here lol

EOL 195s were out in 2015, 170s on 2016. In comparison 156s are “pretty new” and to me shooting them for a year doesn’t change that but pretty new could be different by person.

My opinion is that ABLR and EOL are pretty well covered in .277 and wouldn’t be prioritized for heavier yet bullets. I believe other bullets will come out with heavier .277 options though. I thought maybe you had knowledge of something that would prove that opinion incorrect, if so you haven’t shared it.