Thoughts on new 6.8 Western cartridge

[orionthehunter1]

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.

You've also posted on another thread that 6.8 ammo isn't available and that wasn't true either

 

[wind gypsy]

You've also posted on another thread that 6.8 ammo isn't available and that wasn't true either

Yeah man, I meant factory ammo in general.. Perhaps I should work on the context of my posts. It’s just hard to find ammo in stock. I wouldn’t claim that absolutely nowhere is 6.8 ammo in stock because that’s impossible to check.

 

[DrewFS]

I have to believe there will be all sorts of wildcatting with this new case.

 

[Smithb9841]

So for the hand loaders out there what kind of velocity do you think would be reasonable to
Achieve with this considering the 165 ABLRs are coming in around 2900 according to the box. What do you think could safely be achieved over the factory ammo?

 

[SouthernstyleCallon]

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

That would definitely be great hunting setup! I look for Christensen and Savage to jump on board first though.

 

[unclericco]

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.

Dude you’re lost. Stop posting lol

 

[wind gypsy]

Dude you’re lost. Stop posting lol

In that case, I stand corrected. Thanks for clarifying that.

 

[Ryan Avery]

Marketing is awesome. Go run some real numbers

The 7RM with a 180 grain beats up this case pretty bad. A 6.5 PRC with a 156 is right on its ass.

I am all for the new "Pretty's" and if the 6.8 W tickles your fancy buy it. But let's not pretend is better than a 7 RM.

Dear god I'm defending a .284..... the end is near.

 

[204guy]

Yeah, cool but yawn. If you don't reload it might make sense. Factory Browning and Winchester XPR rifles, meh. Building a custom, might as well build on the bigger WSM case or any # of others with waaay better brass. Another short fat, that needs a medium action. Also the available match bullets, not heavy hunting bullets are what draws guys to the 6, 6.5, 7 & 30's. I dont see to many companies investing many resources into .277 match bullets anytime soon. Who knows though.

 

[unclericco]

It looks like this will be able to stay in a short action and shoot the longer projectiles. They COAL they listed with the 165's was under 3". The reason I don't own a 270 is because the fast twist barrels are basically extinct as were high BC bullets, add a short action and I maybe can see a spot in my safe now haha

 

[steffen707]

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.

That's exactly what i want to do. just started diving into this modern hunting caliber arms race.

Bought my first Ultra 7 suppressor, now have to wait 4-14 months for ATF......

In the meantime, 6.8 Western, 270wsm, 277 fury......going to shoot for under 18" barrel suppressed. Can't wait.

 

[steffen707]

I dont see to many companies investing many resources into .277 match bullets anytime soon. Who knows though.

did you hear the Army is replacing the M14 and SAW with a .277 caliber? Tons of .277 match bullets coming to a Fleet Farm near you.......once the big stockpile is over.

 

[Franger]

The best thing to cross over from the LR world to hunting is better understanding of things like BC, sectional density, and how to use optics to their potential so that we may maximize our effective range and lethality Inside of that range.

That said, the chasing of marginal gains as if it helps to harvest more animals Is starting to get a bit shark jumpy, no?

Let’s take the Nosler ABLR in 6.5, 6.8, and 7mm as an example. The G7’s of the 142gr, 165gr, and 175gr in each of those calibers is .315, .312, and .326. A cursory glance at load data has each of those loads being launched within double digits of one another. Expect anywhere from mid-2800’s to high 2900’s. Felt recoil ranges from low 20’s to high 20’s, depending on deployed weight of setup. All that to say this...throw a blanket over them. Truly.

By the way, when is a new fast twist dumpy-cased 7mm being released that has a 7% gain over the 6.8W being released?

 

[steffen707]

That said, the chasing of marginal gains as if it helps to harvest more animals Is starting to get a bit shark jumpy, no?

By the way, when is a new fast twist dumpy-cased 7mm being released that has a 7% gain over the 6.8W being released?

Aint that the truth! I've been diving into this world for 2 months, this rabbit hole is DEEP. 270, 270WSM, 260AI, 6.5PRC, .277 Fury, 6.8 Western, 30-06, 7rem..... All are viable options. When you graph all of them, they're all very very close out to 200 yards and pretty close out to 400yards. Past 500-600 they can start to deviate a bunch.

I'd guess if anybody already has one of these chambered in a gun they, like, its not worth pissing around, but for somebody that's buying a new gun, its worth some time to see which is best for their application, longevity, cost, ect ect.

If you're a hand loader.....you can probably make any of these be beter than the factory version of the other.

The .277 fury may have a 7% gain over the 6.8 Western once it has a 165gr bullet in factory ammo.

 

[Franger]

Aint that the truth! I've been diving into this world for 2 months, this rabbit hole is DEEP. 270, 270WSM, 260AI, 6.5PRC, .277 Fury, 6.8 Western, 30-06, 7rem..... All are viable options. When you graph all of them, they're all very very close out to 200 yards and pretty close out to 400yards. Past 500-600 they can start to deviate a bunch.

I'd guess if anybody already has one of these chambered in a gun they, like, its not worth pissing around, but for somebody that's buying a new gun, its worth some time to see which is best for their application, longevity, cost, ect ect.

If you're a hand loader.....you can probably make any of these be beter than the factory version of the other.

The .277 fury may have a 7% gain over the 6.8 Western once it has a 165gr bullet in factory ammo.

The fury is so interesting because of the hybrid case and the pressure it can withstand. Which brings me to a question: it has an insane SAAMI pressure maximum (reported 80,000psi), how will one take advantage of that? Are factory rounds going to be compacted loads? Won’t recoil be the same as the rounds it purportedly outperforms?

 

[Finn16]

The 6.8 Western has got my attention as my current 270 Win won't shoot anything over 130's accurately - but I love the gun. Wondering what I'd get velocity-wise on 165 LRAB's if I re-barreled it to an 8 twist, 24 inches long? Just trying to figure out how much slower it would be than the 6.8 Western.

 

[Aaron P.]

I'd love to see what a 277 fury can do with a heavy for caliber bullet and a standard 22-24" barrel. I just don't see it taking off for a long time because of it's unique case design and over built action to withstand the high pressure. No mass production manufacturer is going to want to have a separate action production for a single cartridge. Who knows, maybe 20 years from now we're all hunting Sig Crosses. Till then I think the 6.8 Western will likely be more commercially viable.

 

[Ryan Avery]

I'd love to see what a 277 fury can do with a heavy for caliber bullet and a standard 22-24" barrel. I just don't see it taking off for a long time because of it's unique case design and over built action to withstand the high pressure. No mass production manufacturer is going to want to have a separate action production for a single cartridge. Who knows, maybe 20 years from now we're all hunting Sig Crosses. Till then I think the 6.8 Western will likely be more commercially viable.

I tested the .277 Fury last year in the Cross rifle. They sent me two different batches of the 140 bullets. Neither would shoot over 2900 FPS. That's a far cry from the 3000 FPS Sig is claiming.

 

[steffen707]

The fury is so interesting because of the hybrid case and the pressure it can withstand. Which brings me to a question: it has an insane SAAMI pressure maximum (reported 80,000psi), how will one take advantage of that? Are factory rounds going to be compacted loads? Won’t recoil be the same as the rounds it purportedly outperforms?

Sig apparently designed the cross specifically with the increased chamber pressures in mind so the whole system can handle it. its doubtful it'll be recommended or safe to modify a "regular" bolt action to shoot the .277Fury rounds. It does sound like other manufacturers will make catridges for it though, especially if SIG wins the Army contract. Sig used some special powder to achieve this, i'm sure other makers can develop or already have similar powders, but most guns aren't spec'ed for more than 60,000 psi?

 

[steffen707]

I tested the .277 Fury last year in the Cross rifle. They sent me two different batches of the 140 bullets. Neither would shoot over 2900 FPS. That's a far cry from the 3000 FPS Sig is claiming.

Well that's a bummer. maybe the production rounds will actually hit their claimed 3000fps?