Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 6.8 SPC or 243 AR for youth rifle

I am undecided between a AR in 6.8 or a 243 for my 8 year old daughter. The 6.8 probably would be a 16 inch barrel RRA & the 243 would be a 20 inch barrel DPMS. This will be used inside of 125 yards for whitetail, shot from a shooting house with a rest. Both rifles would have coll. stocks & scopes. Which rifle/cartridge is the better choice?

The 6.8 will give you a much shorter, lighter and cheaper rifle. I have taken deer with my 6.8, and I think the .243 is a better all-around choice, but the 6.8 got the job done.

If you hand-load, the .243 Winchester is a great cartridge. It does a much better job of crossing-over between big-game/varmint/predator.

I'd say 6.8, but if you're feeling .243, it's surely a fine round.
However, the 6.8 will have a little more punch, and be accurate to the ranges you noted, but not as much as a .243. It'd be a suitable rifle after your daughter grows up for the same-size game, as well.
In short; I think the 6.8 is a bit better because it has a little more stopping power, but you'll probably sacrifice a bit of accuracy for it.
Eric

AR 10 platforms are big and bulky and heavy to me. Much more so than the AR15.

I'd go 6.8 spc or 6mm woa, drive a TSX in it and it'll do anything. My 6mm woa, drives an 85 tsx around 2800 or less, it'll stem to stern any deer up to 150 pounds so far...

Jeff

No actual experience, but I'm thinking a 110 TSX from a 6.8 would be hell on whitetail (and a coyote here and there ).

George

Back in Nov, this 150+ sow succumbed to a 110TSX from my 6.8SPC. Then the day after Christmas, a near 200 lb smelly boar also went down cleanly to the same combo. Both were neck/head junction shots.
And the same rifle/load accounted for two TX small whitetail bucks this past season, one by me, and also as a loaner gun.
Longest shot was on the sow...about 125yds. Good SPC range.

Greg
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I built a 243 WSSM AR I have no experiance with the 6.8 but have read that is is ballisticly very close to the 270 wityh a light bullet. My 243 WSSm works fine in the AR platform but it is heavy 10 Lbs with a 24" Barrel, scope, Harris Bipod and loaded seven round Mag. It is also laser accurate out to 400 Yards I just have not had reason to check accuracy at longer ranges yet. BTW it will DRT a ypte at that range with a 87 Grn Hornady V Max

It's not a fair comparison to compare the 6.8 with a 270W, regardless of the bullet weight. A 110gr out of a 6.8 works hard to reach 2700fps (22" barrel)...not sure on 270 data, but likely it would do >3400 fps with a 110gr.
Though I like it and use it, the 6.8 is a niche cartridge, no great performer, but easy on the shoulder.

Mulerider,

Is that a Rem 700 Tactical in your pic? If it's the one I'm thinking of it's essentially a matte parkerized version of the stainless LVSF varmint models, though yours doesn't look to have the bluish/gray stock I remember the 700 Tactical model having.

Any bullet penetration issues w/ the pigs and deer? Of course dead critters speak volumes, but wondering if your bullets went through & through?

Big: good eye; that is a 700 Tactical in a LVSF stock.

The 110TSX went thru 3 of 4 critters; only the boar had no exit. Both hogs dropped and did a circle while kicking, the deer just dropped.

Greg

Thanks guys 6.8 SPC it will be.

7.62x39 isn't anything to sneeze at either...

I agree.

FWIW:

My daughter is getting a 44 magnum lever, cut down with a decelerator.

BMT

Go with 6.8, have a DPMS 20" light recoil use 110grn Hornady V-max one. Shot 2 whitetails opening morn in WI. But for Her get a 16in Adjustable stock, carbon fiber forarm, Aluminum gas block.

vmax is a frangible bullet. NOT a good choice for deer.

I have used Win. BST before in other calibers and my Panther V-max. I have yet to have a deer take one step after being hit. I don't know if BST's and V-max are alike. I recovered 1 BST and after going 3/4 way through the body it was peeled back all the way to the boattail. Was in tact.

BST and Vmax are not the same.. hence the warning, had you said BST, I'd have bit my tongue(since I don't like BT type damage to meat) but not said a word.

VMax is frangible varmint bullet. Same I gave to a buddy for a hog hunt the ohter week, with the warning, ear canal only... and it worked super in the ear canals.... but would have been a disaster on ribcage shots...

Thanks for the info. I thought all polymer tipped bullets were the same. I will rethink my choice of ammo in my 6.8 again Thanks.

Anybody aware of the 6.8 being available in a "light" bolt action ...... my daughter is turning 10 and thinking it would be the place to start her " big game " rifle ....... sorry but I think the AR platform is way to heavy for a kid

Here is what I did for a light wieght bolt action in 6.8SPC
Take a Ruger MK II in .223 to your favorite gunsmith, remove barrel, have bolt face opened to .422, pick a good barrel blank - I used a Douglas #1 premium air gaged 1:10 twist finished at 22", it will fit in the factory stock but I used a MCM hunter. My load is a 130gr Sierra SBT over 26.5grs of H322, 5 shots at 100yds measures .75" to outside of group. My 6.8 16" RRA AR wieghs as much or more than my bolt action.