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6.8 vs. .308

21K views 26 replies 22 participants last post by  Shaky 
#1 ·
At a gun show today, one of the optics vendors was telling me that as a hunting platform he preferred the AR in the .308 caliber. I have the 5.56 already, but am in the process of building another in 6.8 SPC dedicated solely to deer hunting.

I have already bought a Spikes lower, so I would like to stick to my 6.8 plans, but I am also still learning. Accordingly, those of you who have hunted--particularly deer-- with both calibers, what is your take on a comparison for hunting purposes (I won't be going after hogs)?

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
+1 that. A hog is a tougher to kill critter than a deer is.

If your shots are going to be (on average) greater than 300yds, then I'd look more to the .308.
 
#4 ·
At a gun show today, one of the optics vendors was telling me that as a hunting platform he preferred the AR in the .308 caliber. I have the 5.56 already, but am in the process of building another in 6.8 SPC dedicated solely to deer hunting.



I have already bought a Spikes lower, so I would like to stick to my 6.8 plans, but I am also still learning. Accordingly, those of you who have hunted--particularly deer-- with both calibers, what is your take on a comparison for hunting purposes (I won't be going after hogs)?
well, that's jst his opinion then i guess....

.308 win. in a powerful round...very close to 30-06 in performance. jst not when shot out of a short barrel...IMO if you gonna hunt with a 22 or 24" barrel i would jst use a bolt gun. it would be much cheaper anyways. ar10's are heavy and expensive. you can do two really nice ar15 builds for the price of one ar 10 build. on paper the 6.8 has more punch then a 30/30 and the .270 win. has killed many deer. that's the same bullet diam. as 6.8...only diff. is it's a little slower and a little lighter bullet. i'm hoping to take a deer with it this year. last year i didn't see any when i hunted with mine.
 
#5 ·
The 5.56 is capable of taking deer ethically with the right ammo. Distance is the limiting factor. The 6.8 will get you a good deal further, and the .308 further still. Shot placement is key to all calibers as far as humane kills goes. I have friends that have shot deer with 7 mags and still had to hunt for then deer because it ran off, even with a fairly well placed shot. I also had a friend who's 7 year old bother shot a deer in the aa*&hole with a Beeman high powered pellet rifle back in the 80's and it killed it DRT, busted the liver, or something. Plus it was a really , really old deer, could have had a heart attack from the shock of it all. Those things are hard to determine, ( how long an animal will last after being hit), and is why caliber isn't as important as shot placement. We called him Brown Eye Reid for years after that by the way.
Getting back to the point, How much weight do you want to carry in the woods, and what are your other factors. The 6.8 will do anything you want it to and probably more than you or I are capable of.It's a great choice. Check out the hunting forum here and you'll see that. The gun shop owner is o.k. if that his his preference, as long as he isn't discounting the 6.8 as a deer capable rifle, and misinforming you to sell you what you don't want. A good salesman should help you determine what you need and want and then get you the system that you decide on.
 
#6 ·
Thanks. To be fair to the vendor, he wasn't selling any AR10s. However, I think you are helping to gather my thoughts as to why I initially wanted the 6.8 to begin with. I already have a fine bolt gun with scope in the .270 cal. Moreover, it is not legal in my state to hunt with my AR15 in 5.56 (though I do agree that proper shot placement is the real key). I did not like the weight of the AR10's, and wanted something for deer in an AR platform that would be reasonable up to 250 yds. max. I particularly like the idea of carrying it in the woods (my Savage .270 with scope is not a woods gun!).

Back to my 6.8 build with enthusiasm again. I really appreciate the input.
 
#7 ·
You're on the right track, and having a good discussion is why this forum is here. Obviously there are dozens of effective hunting calibers for deer sized game. The 308 and the 6.8 are two of them. Buy what you want based on what you want to do.

AR10's, DPMS LR308s, KAC SR25's... are all cool rifles. Most here would take one if they ran across a good deal. They are larger and heavier compared to the AR15 platform. No one doubts or dismisses the effectiveness of the 308 Win round. Elk hunting, you probably want the 308.

The 6.8 in the lighter handier AR15 platform gives you around 80% of the 308's performance in a lighter handier package. Outstanding hunting bullets available for the 6.8 demonstrate its popularity among hunters.
 
#8 ·
There are some guys here who've taken deer out to almost 500 yards, ( not that I would attempt it, and they were using specific equipment and hand loads), so your 250 is easily doable. I would take a shot out to 350 which is as far as I have right now. I can't hunt the farm at this time, and even then I wouldn't feel comfortable past that.
 
#9 ·
I would say a lot depends on the range you're hunting at and how you hunt. The 6.8 should be good to 300 yards or beyond, depending on detail like barrel length but the .308 is good for longer shots. Likewise the 6.8 is a great caliber if you're going to carry it around, much less cumbersome than the .308 in most platforms but if you're sitting in a blind waiting for a shot at 3-400 yards, I'd probably choose the .308.
 
#11 ·
I love my LR308... but it weighs in at about 14 pounds. The 6.8 is a treat to haul around compared to that.
 
#21 ·
Man, that's four pounds heavier than my M1 Garand with a full mag and guys complain about it. Is that just the base rifle or is that with all the junk hanging on it? And to think I used to lug around a little 7x57 carbine bolt gun -- 6.5 lbs with a 4x Redfield! Even that little jewel could take the starch out of you in rough country and hot weather after a day of humping the ridgebacks.
 
#13 ·
In general I like gun shows. But sometimes the gun show "experts" really wear me out. I don't have much patience for the BS that you sometimes hear.
i don't like gun "salesmen" who pray on ignorant (not stupid or dumb jst not as knowledgable - for lack of a better term) people and twist their words around to comfort them into thinking they got an extreamly good deal. i always kind of like when they start asking me questions.
 
#14 ·
Well the 6.8 SPC can go easily out to 300 yards for proper performance in most rifles for deer.

I've taken deer with my Then SAMMI chambered then 1 in 10 twist Ruger Mini 6.8. Its Spec II now.

Just make sure the barrel is Spec II and has a 1 in 11 twist for starters.

I'm awaiting the Upper for my AR build got every thing but the optics...oh dang...guess I need some magazines as well. :a11:
 
#15 ·
Killed two bucks with my 6.8 last year... and many with my .308's over the years...I don't think the deer noticed the difference...they all died. Like all have said, the light AR-15 in 6.8 sure beats a heavier AR-10 in my opinion. BUT ....to be fair the .308 is a fine caliber...I still hunt with both; but the 6.8 is my favorite with my .308 in a close second.
 
#16 ·
Whatever you do, don't end up with BOTH!! That is what I did! I have a DPMS AR10 that I just loved smacking whitetails with last year. Now I got a super cool pair of 6.8s. The problem?? I can't figure out which one to carry. The AR 10 is super accurate and speaks with typical .308 authority and put the smack down on some deer last year for me. It was a pure pleasure to carry and use. Now I got the 6.8 that is about two or three pounds lighter!! I have not killed any deer with the 6.8 yet but if it kills with the efficiency and authority that I expect it to kill with, I figure the .308 may be looking for a new home.
 
#19 ·
Two guns, two hands. Problem? I think not.
 
#17 ·
Save the AR10 for elk then. (Just helpin' with justification). :a01:
 
#26 ·
killed plenty of deer and hogs with both
frankly they were all exhibited the same behavior and seemed highly contagious to ether caliber resulting in immediate departure from this earth

Bolt 308 comes out when I am stand hunting for deer and there's a good chance of over 300 yard shots
rest of the time it's the 6.8
 
#27 ·
I'm in the process of ordering a 6.8 SPC upper for my RRA LAR15, but not as deer rifle. I intend to use it for predators. I own a CZ 550FS in .308 that is my dedicated bambi gun. It offers greater bullet selection, range and power over the 6.8. The 6.8 will let me reach out further with more energy than my current 5.56 AR when hunting animals larger than P dogs, but smaller than hogs. It will fill a gap in my hunting rifle selection that currently exists with a simple purchase of an upper and a couple of magazines.
 
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