Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting 6.8 SPC for elk- is it enough gun for 250+ yards?

Mike, thanks for your service. Hate to break it to you but there is no rule on any internet site that says you have to use the same handle on every place you post. Further, I have no other handle on this site, if you think I do, why don't you PM me with the names? ISP search software is not too expensive, so why don't you invest in some and track down your obsession.

Now as to the thread topic..... you have killed how many Elk with a 6.8? You have tried it on ballistic gel at 250+ yards and have photos of results to share with us?

I suggest you actually read some books on comparative ballistics and see just how marginal the cartridge is for Big Game.

In my life,I have had the honor to know quite a few Marines and Army troops who actually fired shots in anger. Yet to meet one who would prefer any 223 based cartridge to the 308.

Work on being annoyed by such a minor distraction as life is too short to lose it because you disagree with someone.

DOH! PM sent oldman1942

Sam nailed it on the first page. Sheesh.

Brooksrange.....Now what does it take to get your mind to open the doors and understand that people with experience have given you the answer to your question. I will go on further by saying that a TOP from Montana has also given you some excellent advice.

Now if you truly wish to hunt bull elk in the Rocky Mountains, I will suggest you purchase a good bolt action rifle in any caliber you choose from 30-06 on up the ladder. I personally have hunted with a model 70 Winchester in the .300 Win mag and .338 caliber for the past 25 years. Elk are tuff critters and not antelope or jackrabbits savvy...Geez.

I wasn't aware the 6.8 was a .223 based cartridge (time to google) I have one and being able to use .223 brass would make life a lot easier. I wouldn't dream of hunting elk with a 6.8. The troll brooksrange has been MIA ever since he was outted as a phony by Rancho Loco. This thread needs to end since it was just one of brooks contentious threads. IMO CH

Tonk, the collective wisdom of most here is truly exceptional. I will refrain from wanting to use the 6.8 SPC for all but selective cull/cow elk hunts. I will continue to use my 300 Win mag for my trophy elk hunts as per usual, along with the 180gr TTSX or good Nosler Partitions.

It's not based on the 223 Rem, but based upon the powerful and accurate .30 Remington cartridge and is ballistically similar to the 1950s-era .280 British. Further, improved propellant powders allow the 6.8 mm to have a smaller case and thus is very efficient.

For this reason alone, not to mention, excellent bullet choices, platforms, etc, it should be a useful cow/raghorn bull cartridge at short ranges.

Hence my original question for wanting some user feedback at slightly longer ranges.

Despite the critisims of Tom264, ballistics remain factual.

By adopting 6.8 SPC, a hunter gains the ability to use the versatile and ergonomic AR15 platform for hunting.The combination of the cartridge case, powder load, and projectile easily outperformed the 7.62x39mm cartridge, with the new cartridge proving to be about 200 feet per second faster.[8] According to Wikipedia.

Wikipedia?

A troll, liar, and a retard all mixed into one..

Way to go, "brooks".

Lee24's twin

I just verified the velocities and they come within 95% of what I originally stated as my source for initial info. CLearly, the lighter cartridge carries less ft. lbs. of energy, but at the ranges that we are talking about, still seems reasonable to hunt with, especially for deer, boar, cows and rag bulls.

Hey Brookie....gonna start posting some more pics of someone elses animals claiming them as yours?

Hows that lying thing working out for ya?

I never claimed anyone elses animals as my own nor have I claimed any pics. You are the one caught in dishonesty and lack of interity for breaching privacy by posting numerous misleading quotes from me in a troll alert and:

Yawn!

+1, perfecto!

Yeah, right, this is bad BS. The .30 Rem is the ballistic twin to the 30/30 (basically a rimless 30/30). You can even use the same loading data. Except for the powerful and accurate part this is a direct quote from Wikipedia.

The 6.8 is not based on the 223 but it is designed to fit 223 magazines and function through a 223 upper, just need to change the bolt and rebarrel. The military were looking for something more powerful with more energy down range without making major changes to the platform.

all i can say is WOW! just when i thought i had heard of some bad ideas, i read this thread and found some whoppers! seriously, "double-tapping" game, wounded or not? i guess i have been screwed up my whole life as i was taught to make one killing shot and not just throw multiple rounds down range and pray for a hit. i don't have a problem with guys hunting with ARs. everyone likes to hunt with something diffrent know and then, but i've never heard of the "spray and pray" approach to hunting. i guess i grew up with bolt-actions and muzzleloaders for hunting and i'll probably never get used to a semi-auto for hunting. i don't even own a semi-auto shotgun! anyway, as for the 6.8SPC, i'm sure everyone has a story about an "inadequate" caliber killing something big. i've heard of elephants killed with 22lr as are grizzlies, moose, and probably a bunch of others. that doesn't mean i'm toting a 22lr. on my next bear hunt! quite the contrary, i take the rifle that is sure to provide a clean humane kill with ONE shot. my elk rifle Might be a 270 with 130gr. TSX's, but most likely it will be a 375H&H and will be sporting 270gr. TSX's or 260gr. Accubonds. do the hunting community a favor, do the quarry a favor, use enough gun and keep the ranges sane to deliver one clean shot for a quick kill.-keith

do the hunting community a favor, do the quarry a favor, use enough gun and keep the ranges sane to deliver one clean shot for a quick kill.-keith

Keith, that all sounds good and fine but rest assured just because you pack a 270 or 375 H&H you are never guarenteed a one shot kill. I have seen "big" bulls take more than one shot to put them down with the first shot be a good one. Chit happens and we all must do the very best to be a humane hunter.

This double tap chit from that numbnutz poster is just plain BS from a Troll.

jimmyd223, you are right. you are never assured of a one shot kill. what i am getting at is that you should strive for a one shot kill. if one shot doesn't do it, then fine, you have a responsibility to kill the animal humanely. so, if that takes more than 1 shot than you do what it is needed to get the kill. my point, is that, as a responsible hunter your goal should be to make one well aimed shot that results in a quick kill. having the intent to make multiple shots ("double-tapping") as some kind of substitute for a reasonable cartridge is not only unethical, but stupid, retarded, asinine, etc.-keith