6.8 hunting rifle suggestions.........

[ColoXD]

Hi all and I would like to start by thanking everyone in advance for any and all advice you guys can provide for me. I'm looking to do a 6.8 AR build and want suggestions on everything from lowers to uppers and everything in between. This is gonna be my hunting rifle and I hunt Mule deer and Elk ever year here in the great state of Colorado. I wanna be able to shoot up to 500yrds with as little as drop as possible (same thing I think everyone wants). So from the small amount of reading I've done thus far it seems a 1:11 twist would work great, but also seeing something about a 1:12 and 1:13 twist also? Again thanks in advance for any and all help/suggestions.

[paulosantos]

Out to 500 Yards you will want a bulets with high BC like the Nosler 110 Gr. Accubonds. For Elk, you want to use the Barnes 110 Gr. TSX. I also suggest an 18" or 20" barrel for the extra velocity. The 1:11" or 1:12" twists are the best and get the SPCII or DMR Chamber.

[ColoXD]

bump

[marinesg1012]

I agree with paul. I have a 18 inch 1-11 and it shoots all of the good hunting bullets to sub MOA, I am sure if I did my part I could kill anything I felt comfy shooting at.... I wouldn't shoot at a game animal at 500 yards but that is just me.

[tammons]

Set up a 20 inch 1:11 twist SPC II chamber barreled upper or there abouts.

I broke in my latest barrel with half of a Tubbs bullet kit and the max TTSX load below was fine.

Load up TTSXs with RL10X to 2900 fps (hot so work up)
This is running somewhere around 60k.

My rifle is a cav lower, match trigger, dpms flat top upper, dpms carrier, forgot which buffer
Clark carbon fiber handgrip, alum 4 rail gas block, Cardinal armory 20" fluted barrel and bolt, dednutz one piece mount rings, Leupold ultralight 3-9x scope with LR retical.

Zeroed at 200 yards, max of 1.5" high at 120 yards, first dot is 295, 2nd dot is 390, top of bar is at 480yd.

1010 fpe at 380 yds and 790 fpe at 500 yards.

Weighs 7# 6oz dry.

It was much more balanced and a bit lighter, with my old 16" CA lightweight barrel, but its still not bad.

[MortonCo.]

The Extreme Upper from Tim W and Constructor would be a good one. I have one of Constructors 18" 1-11 4 grove uppers in a SBR configuration with a YHM Specter length customizable tube and I love it. It gets a little heavy after a few miles but its because I have to lose some weight, not the guns fault.

Get on the list and get the Extreme. It'll be worth it.

[Tarawa]

The Extreme Upper from Tim W and Constructor would be a good one. I have one of Constructors 18" 1-11 4 grove uppers in a SBR configuration with a YHM Specter length customizable tube and I love it. It gets a little heavy after a few miles but its because I have to lose some weight, not the guns fault.

Get on the list and get the Extreme. It'll be worth it.

The extreme uppers are only going to be 16", how much is this going to effect the distance and ballistics as compared to your 18"? It will mostly be used for hog and maybe deer later on...

[marinesg1012]

There is less then 50 FPS difference the 16 is every bit as good as the 18 to see any real difference you need to jump to a 20 inch barrel but even then the 6.8 was designed for these short rifles so while you still gain fps after 16 you dont gain enough to warrant the extra weight unless you really want a 18 or a 20.

[tammons]

I would agree with above.

With a good bullet, if hunting, a 16 will do anything a 18 or 20 will do.

That said if you were going to use it on the ragged edge like at 350 yards for elk I would go for a
20" min barrel.

I just went from a 16" barrel to a 20" barrel and the fps went up quite a bit, but the actual killing power with a
barnes bullet is about the same.