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Where is 6arc going?

At the NRA show in Houston, I spoke with the Geissle reps and they had the 6ARC on display. They claim that they solved the mag issue a while ago and what they did is proprietary. Release of the rifle supposedly will be late July.
 
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Talked to Brenton and their mags not dropping free is ā€œnormalā€ per their spec, so they say. šŸ˜’
 
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My 18" Proof CFW barrel likes the Hornady 108 ELD-X. Correction: ELD-M.

It was interesting to watch the velocity pick up (20 fps) and the SD drop as the barrel got the first 200 rounds through it. I think it is the best shooting precision small block AR' I've ever owned.

I always shoot suppressed. I've tried the following suppressors on it:

Thunder Beast Dominus CB
Thermal Defense Solutions Nocturnal
OSS HX-QD 7.62 TI
CGS Helios QD TI

It's sub-MOA with all four. More dirty with some than others.

Velocities out of shorter barrels with this same lot of ammo:

14.5" Proof CFW 2502 fps
12.5" Bartlein by Craddock Precision 2392 fps
@MSTN - what gas block are you running under the G handguard? Getting ready to order same proof CF barrel and have same HG laying around. Ive had issues with some adjustable blocks making contact with G handguards. Thanks!
 
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My 20" Proof with factory 108 ELDM is doing 2640-2660. No excessive fouling that I have noticed. It seems to be about the same or slightly less than my other 556 AR's as far as carbon. Barrel cleans easily and the JP carrier just wipes clean. It's an AR, they can run dirty with lots of rounds through them without cleaning contrary to what the internets says.
My 14.5 Proof CF today after 100 rounds suppressed. 103 ELDX. To make matters worse, it's running a Superlative Arms bleed off too, should be sending minimal gas back. It does function fine, but it sure does get filthy fast.

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My 14.5 Proof CF today after 100 rounds suppressed. 103 ELDX. To make matters worse, it's running a Superlative Arms bleed off too, should be sending minimal gas back. It does function fine, but it sure does get filthy fast.

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Yeah, the bleed off has block isn't doing what you think. The schmutz in your receiver is coming back down the barrel as the gun unlocks, because of the suppressor. Itā€™s not coming from the gas tube.
 
Yeah, the bleed off has block isn't doing what you think. The schmutz in your receiver is coming back down the barrel as the gun unlocks, because of the suppressor. Itā€™s not coming from the gas tube.
I understand that, but it's still far less gas in the action than a standard gas block. Adjustable or not.
 
What does your hand guard and barrel beyond the gasblock look like?
It's got some carbon on it but nothing crazy. It is extremely close to the end of the handguard since it's the "Intermediate" length. There isnt much handgaurd there for carbon to build up on.

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I understand that, but it's still far less gas in the action than a standard gas block. Adjustable or not.
Comparing the barrel bore diameter to a gas port diameter, then accounting for the fact that the majority of the gas in the gas tube is supposed to go down the tube into the action; suggesting that the small amount of gas that is vented in bleed-off mode will substantially affect the dirtiness of the receiver is a fallacy.
 
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Comparing the barrel bore diameter to a gas port diameter, then accounting for the fact that the majority of the gas in the gas tube is supposed to go down the tube into the action; suggesting that the small amount of gas that is vented in bleed-off mode will substantially affect the dirtiness of the receiver is a fallacy.
To each their own.
 
Interesting find at the range. These are just a few of the many left here by the person who fired them. By any standard I use, these are extraordinarily dirty, even for a gas gun. And yes, they are 6mm ARC.

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ETA: when I see cases like this, I have to wonder if: A. They are too low pressure to seal in the chamber upon firing, our B. The upper is over gassed and ejecting then too early.
 
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Interesting find at the range. These are just a few of the many left here by the person who fired them. By any standard I use, these are extraordinarily dirty, even for a gas gun. And yes, they are 6mm ARC.

View attachment 7908941

ETA: when I see cases like this, I have to wonder if: A. They are too low pressure to seal in the chamber upon firing, our B. The upper is over gassed and ejecting then too early.
They are shooting suppressed.
 
Interestingly enough, i recently start to do a little surface research on the round and it seems interesting. It seems like most of these longer range/ alternate rounds has its own quirks but overall are pretty efficient cartridges.

The odd ball mags, bolt face and heavy fouling sorta of give me pause. I wouldn't call any of these things show stoppers, but something to consider before jumping head first into the 6 ARC game.
 
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@MSTN - what gas block are you running under the G handguard? Getting ready to order same proof CF barrel and have same HG laying around. Ive had issues with some adjustable blocks making contact with G handguards. Thanks!
SLR.

It appears Geissele has for some time chamfered the corners of the gas tube channel, correcting this previous issue.
 
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The odd ball mags, bolt face and heavy fouling sorta of give me pause. I wouldn't call any of these things show stoppers, but something to consider before jumping head first into the 6 ARC game.

I agree. In my mind the Grendel, ARC, SPC, Valkyrie are not stand-alone rifle cartridges but performance specific adjuncts for someone with a 556NATO or 300BO AR-15 already.
 
Interesting find at the range. These are just a few of the many left here by the person who fired them. By any standard I use, these are extraordinarily dirty, even for a gas gun. And yes, they are 6mm ARC.

View attachment 7908941

ETA: when I see cases like this, I have to wonder if: A. They are too low pressure to seal in the chamber upon firing, our B. The upper is over gassed and ejecting then too early.
Those are like gold. Cartridge is so new that new brass is very hard to find. Pick ā€˜em up
 
...as more ammo is making it to the shelves, along with powders I suspect the cartridge progress will increase correspondingly. Brass is still an issue, but cursory looks online show Grendel brass coming up more frequently for those that don't mind converting...

All in all, we haven't seen it come close to what it "can be" yet, but it's moving forward, not backward...
 
I am not shooting suppressed since my shitty state doesn't allow them. My cases look like normal AR 556 with a little carbon on the neck, but nothing on the body of the cases. I am running an adjustable gas block and the Proof has a rifle +1 gas system.
 
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ARC is definitely a little bit sootier than 5.56, but I agree the most of the difference in how the cases and upper receiver look is from suppressed vs. unsuppressed, not cartridge.

My match 6mm ARC AR-15 that runs a Hellfire Match brake all the time and never a suppressor has 500 rounds through it and I don't know if I've ever cleaned inside the upper yet. No undue filth.
 
I think I have ~5 rounds of 6ARC downrange without a suppressor; the cases come out nice and clean (function test). I have ~5000 downrange suppressed and the cases are dirty. They clean up and reload just fine. The upper fouls like any suppressed AR15 upper, but cleans up just as easily as any other upper. I don't tend to go more than 500-1000 rounds without cleaning (I clean after every range trip, and don't often do days with that many rounds), but I haven't had a stoppage at the range yet.
 
Wanting to build a 6arc, looking at bartlin or krieger barrels from a couple makers but im hesitant since they are expensive for how new the cartridge is. Wouldnt mind if there was a couple more major ammo companies like federal winchester or remington and a major mag like a pmag or lancer for the 6 arc/6.5grendal before i spend that kind of money on a barrel. Anyone know anything about if its growing in popularity or if its dying? Really like the concept and want to handload for it but dont want to be stuck handloading only in 5 years. Thanks. Also, whats you favorite barrel length for the 6arc?
I've been running the ASC steel (aluminum?) mags and Hornady Black 105 BTHP ammo in my Proof barrel. The mags work great and the Hornady ammo is okay, I just needed a bunch of something that I could harvest the brass from. Now, I'm running 105 Hybrids out of that brass and she's a good shooter. The ARC kinda got off to a bad start, it seems to me, because of COVID, but if the industry ever recovers I think it'll do well. I was going to do a 22" Krieger but it was double the cost and would've taken a year to get. I just dont care about an AR that much so I was able to find an in-stock Proof and jumped on it. Except for the length, I haven't regretted it.
 
Its a been around for 20ish years (Robert Whitley and the 6mm AR). The ARC is just a stadardized version w/ incremental changes. Its not going anywhere.
243 LBC, 6mm AR, and, my favorite, the 6 Fat Rat are all precursors to the standardized 6 ARC. These cartridges deliver the most fun you can have with an AR platform.
 
I think I have ~5 rounds of 6ARC downrange without a suppressor; the cases come out nice and clean (function test). I have ~5000 downrange suppressed and the cases are dirty. They clean up and reload just fine. The upper fouls like any suppressed AR15 upper, but cleans up just as easily as any other upper. I don't tend to go more than 500-1000 rounds without cleaning (I clean after every range trip, and don't often do days with that many rounds), but I haven't had a stoppage at the range yet.
is this on a single barrel?
 
Broke in the 6mm arc barrel from CLE cleaning every round like the instructions suggested that came with the barrel. Then shot these 3, 5round groups. Factory 105gr hornady black ammo chronod an average of 2693fps out of my 20in barrel. Sweet groups, excited to see what else it can do.
 

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I run all of my AR's (except my 3 gun AR) suppressed and it naturally dirty but for some unknown reason my buddy's 6 ARC ar is STUPID dirty. I don't know if it's the powder used in factory 108 eldm ammo or a larger case volume. He will stop using factory ammo once he accumulates 500 pieces of Hornady brass. Once that happens he'll be using LeveRevolution or CFE 223 which we'll keep an eye out for how dirty it is.
CFE is pretty dirty and worse when suppressed. That's the case with my Grendel, haven't finished my 6 ARC yet
 
This is why all of a sudden you have a hard time getting 6.5g brass.

The 6arc guys are snatching it all.

So if you shoot 6.5g don't post where or when brass becomes available thinking you're helping a guy with a grendel out.

The mfg's have not kept up at all with the arc
I have kept all my Grendel brass, had a couple people run out and start grabbing it. They weren't happy when I told them I was keeping my brass and would like it back m
 
I got 500 new from starline and several hundred first fired in my gun and another couple hundred range pickup.

Primers and powders gtg, now short on projectiles .

My 223 is taken a beating lol.
 
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The ARC isnā€™t new, it was a very popular Grendel wildcat for a long time. I think itā€™s here to stay, a fantastic little cartridge. It kind of got released at the worst possible time as it relates to supply chain. I think had this come out in 2016 weā€™d have seen Starline jump in with brass etc. Currently they canā€™t keep up with std offerings. Iā€™m hopeful that we may see some new brass & powder options for these if/when things settle down.

Cartridges like the ARC & Valk require slower burning powders vs .223/.308/300BO/6.8. Nothing is free so increased fowling Is a penalty.

It can be minimized if you pay close attention to maximizing gas system efficiency. Tight bolt tail - bore clearance, best 3 pc rings, & tight smooth finished ring run bore. Rifle + 1 on 18-20ā€ or + 2ā€ on 21ā€+ make sense for these. Iā€™ve got a RL +2ā€ on a 22ā€ ARC with light wt carrier & std JP silent capture. Still runs dirtier than a well built AR on a diet of fast powder, but not terrible. I have heard of gas tubes clogging with lever so Iā€™ll keep an eye on that. I can go 100+ round match or whatever without issue.

Do yourself a favor. Replace the 1 pc JP gas ring for a 3 pc ring set. 1 pc rings are DAF. That alone will lower gas requirements and the better seal will reduce fowling.

Lever is the dirtiest powder Iā€™ve ever used. It also gives the best speed with heavy pills in ARC & Valk. You can also turn the gas down some with Lever.
I agree with most. What do you mean one piece rings are daf?

I have seen no issues with them.. only a few thousand rounds. To be honest... it seeks the mcfarland seals better and is more smooth.

Dad has a 18" +1rifle gas arc. It runs ok. With a heavy a5 buffer.. it only runs suppressed. Does not lock open unsuppressed. With a sup arms gasblock.. it seems no more dirty than a 5.56 with can on end.

Anyone saying it is more dirty must be running low mass carrier, using restriction gas control - thusly dumping back into their receiver and far too low of a reciprocating weight.

Too many grendel wildcats have been around with 6mm bullets for the last twenty years. This one is going to take off. Just like 6.5crapmore. Hornady is an expert about fluffing numbers and raping the profits out of stealing some small gunsmith's hard work.

In short - fuck hornady. This cartridge was overhyped in the claims, much like valkyrie. It is here to stay.
 
I agree with most. What do you mean one piece rings are daf?

I have seen no issues with them.. only a few thousand rounds. To be honest... it seeks the mcfarland seals better and is more smooth.

Dad has a 18" +1rifle gas arc. It runs ok. With a heavy a5 buffer.. it only runs suppressed. Does not lock open unsuppressed. With a sup arms gasblock.. it seems no more dirty than a 5.56 with can on end.

Anyone saying it is more dirty must be running low mass carrier, using restriction gas control - thusly dumping back into their receiver and far too low of a reciprocating weight.

Too many grendel wildcats have been around with 6mm bullets for the last twenty years. This one is going to take off. Just like 6.5crapmore. Hornady is an expert about fluffing numbers and raping the profits out of stealing some small gunsmith's hard work.

In short - fuck hornady. This cartridge was overhyped in the claims, much like valkyrie. It is here to stay.

People need to get over this whole ā€œstolenā€ garbage when it comes to people/companies paying for and going through the process of SAAMI standardization. Every modern cartridge is a derivative of an older cartridge/cartridges, including your beloved wildcats.

How, in any way, is this theft? What wildcat was this ā€œstolenā€ from? Bet it has a parent cartridge itā€™s a slight modification of, too. Letā€™s see what completely unique wildcat youā€™re discussing that isnā€™t based on an existing cartridge thatā€™s been slightly modified.

How has it hurt small gunsmiths? They can cut 6ARC chambers. If anything, theyā€™ll cut more since more people will be interested in a cartridge they can (in theory; thanks shortages) buy ammo on the shelf for, if for some reason theyā€™ve restricted themselves to only cutting a single chamber. If they cut others, then this point is entirely moot.

Itā€™s also a win for consumers; most do not want to run one-off wildcats. Additionally, now you can buy factory ammunition for a really nice cartridge balance (6mm/good powder capacity) in an AR15 or other small platform rifle. Not everyone is a reloader like myself/others on this forum.
 
People need to get over this whole ā€œstolenā€ garbage when it comes to people/companies paying for and going through the process of SAAMI standardization. Every modern cartridge is a derivative of an older cartridge/cartridges, including your beloved wildcats.

How, in any way, is this theft? What wildcat was this ā€œstolenā€ from? Bet it has a parent cartridge itā€™s a slight modification of, too. Letā€™s see what completely unique wildcat youā€™re discussing that isnā€™t based on an existing cartridge thatā€™s been slightly modified.

How has it hurt small gunsmiths? They can cut 6ARC chambers. If anything, theyā€™ll cut more since more people will be interested in a cartridge they can (in theory; thanks shortages) buy ammo on the shelf for, if for some reason theyā€™ve restricted themselves to only cutting a single chamber. If they cut others, then this point is entirely moot.

Itā€™s also a win for consumers; most do not want to run one-off wildcats. Additionally, now you can buy factory ammunition for a really nice cartridge balance (6mm/good powder capacity) in an AR15 or other small platform rifle. Not everyone is a reloader like myself/others on this forum.

Not only that, but people act like a big company that has pressure and velocity test equipment is going to use (on faith?) the load data developed by a single guy or small company that doesn't have any test equipment beyond a chronograph.

It's not a slight on the small guys, it's just a simple fact that the efforts are going to be nearly the same whether a company like Winchester, Remington, Hornady, Federal, etc... sets up for a new cartridge regardless if the new cartridge dimensions are entirely different, or if they're partially or completely the same as an existing wildcat (which the engineers at said companies may or may not even know exists, let alone who developed them). There's testing and R&D and feedback loops of development in every aspect of tooling up to make a new cartridge and the "little guys" offer almost no help in much of it.

How many million gun owners? This entire community of fairly serious precision shooters is probably in the tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands?), and it's a big drop off even yet again for how many reload, and even bigger drop-off for wildcatters.

Regardless, there's a gigantic bulk of the shooting US that wants to drive down to Scheels, buy a few boxes, and go shoot at the square range without getting anywhere near as deep into the weeds as most of us do, and that's what makes the world turn. Love it or hate it, that's reality. And that's why making things mainstream, SAAMI approved is beneficial to supply for the entirety of gun owners. It doesn't change much for the guy custom forming every piece of brass from a parent case, but it makes a world of difference to the rest of shooters.
 
I wish it was possible to make a cartridge fit in a small frame AR and match the performance of the 243 Win.
Iā€™m hoping the new Ruger small frame 308 can be an answer to this. It looks like a AR15 size with an enlarged mag well.

Sigh, something else Iā€™ll have to build.
 
Just so you deplorables keep your hands off my 6.5g brass.