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6mm small frame AR

Tex_ponch

Ponch
Full Member
Minuteman
Dec 6, 2018
161
69
Baltimore MD
I am an avid coyote hunter and currently use a 6creed RPR (thermal, suppressed, gitzo carbon fiber tripod, and RRS leveling head). I am looking for a lighter gun to use, and have been reading about 6BRX, 6mm Turbo 40 Improved, 6x6.8, etc. Does anyone have any practical experience with these in an AR15 frame coyote hunting? I am not worried about barrel wear, I don't shoot much...just zero and then hunt. I have lots of experience handloading so I am not worried about availability of factory ammo. I rarely get a shot over 400yrds where I am , but I like to be able to reach that far confidently.
 
I am an avid coyote hunter and currently use a 6creed RPR (thermal, suppressed, gitzo carbon fiber tripod, and RRS leveling head). I am looking for a lighter gun to use, and have been reading about 6BRX, 6mm Turbo 40 Improved, 6x6.8, etc. Does anyone have any practical experience with these in an AR15 frame coyote hunting? I am not worried about barrel wear, I don't shoot much...just zero and then hunt. I have lots of experience handloading so I am not worried about availability of factory ammo. I rarely get a shot over 400yrds where I am , but I like to be able to reach that far confidently.
6mmAR 105 BT berger 5 shots 567yards
26" 2750fps 28.5 h4895
7080372

7080371
 
I'm waiting on a barrel, then I'll have a 243 LBC (essentially a 6mm Grendel). I plan to use it on yotes as well.
I don't have any practical experience yet, but from what I read, I should be able to make a 87 v-max go over 2900 FPS with a 22" barrel.
That's plenty of kill.
I used to have a 20" 243 Win large frame that I dialed in at little over 3000 FPS with the same bullet. Nothing that was hit with that thing went anywhere but straight down.

I went with the 243 LBC due to ease of use. Just neck down 6.5 Grendel brass.
 
I'm waiting on a barrel, then I'll have a 243 LBC (essentially a 6mm Grendel). I plan to use it on yotes as well.
I don't have any practical experience yet, but from what I read, I should be able to make a 87 v-max go over 2900 FPS with a 22" barrel.
That's plenty of kill.
I used to have a 20" 243 Win large frame that I dialed in at little over 3000 FPS with the same bullet. Nothing that was hit with that thing went anywhere but straight down.

I went with the 243 LBC due to ease of use. Just neck down 6.5 Grendel brass.
I am REALLY thinking about a 6x6.8 just for ease of loading. not sure if I want to take the FULL plunge into wildcatting.
 
AR15PERFORMANCE has the TAC6 which is a 6.8 SPC necked down and the shoulder bumped back a bit.

Rumor had it in the running to be SAAMI spec'd and possibly renamed 6 Valkyrie. I don't know if that has gone anywhere.

The good news is that it uses bolts and magazines from the 6.8 SPC/.224 Valkyrie world. Those bolts and especially the ARP super bolt are more durable than any bolt made for Grendle.

The ballistics seem to be right up there with .224 Valkyrie because it starts with higher muzzle velocity and the 95 grain .224 doesn't really catch up until after 1,000 yards so it's a nice combination of an efficient case with a high BC 105 grain bullet.
 
The jury is still out....finding dies seems to be the real issue, unless you just buy a reamer and send in spec to redding.
 
I am REALLY thinking about a 6x6.8 just for ease of loading. not sure if I want to take the FULL plunge into wildcatting.

The 243 LBC and other 6mm Grendel variants are just as easy to load, and more tolerant of heavy bullets if that's your thing. The main advantage to the 6x6.8 will just be if you already have a bunch of 6.8 brass.
 
22 Nosler necked up to .243 is better suited to high pressure than a 6.8SPC necked due to rebated rim-Specialized Dynamics has them usually available, Scott’s been running it as a Super6SD for a good long while now.
 
Its 99% identical of what i got 6mmARturbo 40°

Had the 6mmART40 and now own the FatRat. I didn't buy the Whitley again because I think it's not worth the money over the FatRat and also he called me out in a thread after I complained about the extension coming loose. I won't be buying anything from that Co again.

The FatRat was less than half the cost as well.

Nevertheless I got a double/yotes at 330 -ish with the 6mmART40 with 105 amax, they both fell over. Just missed the 3rd, it was going about 40 mph by the time I shot.

I'm not sure I'd go with a 6mm since the 224V is out now but I've got the dies and brass for the FatRat so I'll just stay with it. Well and Lapua brass which is very strong.

I like the 95 grain SMK at 2870 fps which fits well for mag constraints without eating a bunch of powder space. Also one of the two 6mm FatRat reamers throating is specific to mag length whereas the 6mmART40 has a long throat for single feeding.
 
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Had the 6mmART40 and now own the FatRat. I didn't buy the Whitley again because I think it's not worth the money over the FatRat and also he called me out in a thread after I complained about the extension coming loose. I won't be buying anything from that Co again.

The FatRat was less than half the cost as well.

Nevertheless I got a double/yotes at 330 -ish with the 6mmART40 with 105 amax, they both fell over. Just missed the 3rd, it was going about 40 mph by the time I shot.

I'm not sure I'd go with a 6mm since the 224V is out now but I've got the dies and brass for the FatRat so I'll just stay with it. Well and Lapua brass which is very strong.

I like the 95 grain SMK at 2870 fps which fits well for mag constraints without eating a bunch of powder space. Also one of the two 6mm FatRat reamers throating is specific to mag length whereas the 6mmART40 has a long throat for single feeding.

I have a 224 val, and I am working up some load data for a good coyote load for it too. I am not overly impressed with the 224V accuarcy, but I am still working up some different loads to try.
 
Why not just go with 6.5 grendel? Ammo is readily available, soft shooting and has plenty of range for 400 yards. Unless you enjoy doing your own reloads that require doing a bunch of brass work.
 
Why not just go with 6.5 grendel? Ammo is readily available, soft shooting and has plenty of range for 400 yards. Unless you enjoy doing your own reloads that require doing a bunch of brass work.
I enjoy having more reach and I am going for the flattest trajectory I can get.
 
Ah, I thought your original post said something about rarely getting a shot past 400 yards. I'm still new to all this different caliber stuff and shoot what I can buy in the stores. Never heard of 1/2 the stuff being talked about...
 
Why not just go with 6.5 grendel? Ammo is readily available, soft shooting and has plenty of range for 400 yards. Unless you enjoy doing your own reloads that require doing a bunch of brass work.

Even inside 400 yards, the 6mm Grendel variants are noticeably flatter shooting than the 6.5 Grendel. I do have both, but the 6mm wins easily for flat shooting. The heavier 6.5 bullets can be an advantage for heavier animals, but on coyotes IMO the higher velocity 6mm is more effective.
 
Probably the flattest shooting 6mm cartridge for a small frame AR is the 243 WSSM. Historically, the availability of brass was poor, but Hornady and Winchester brass has become readily available. In addition, if you get a fast twist barrel, you can shoot out to 1k yards with the higher BC bullets.

 
I just got back my 26” bartlien barreled 6br ar15 build on a voltor upper. So far I’ve had a couple problems with it but hope to have them squared away this weekend to see what she will do. I just switched from a lee wells built 6fat rat with a Krieger barrel. I Found the fat rat to be a little to finicky for me.
 
I got my 243 LBC barrel a few weeks ago from Black Hole Weaponry.
So far I'm really impressed with the cartridge, especially the efficiency. I'm pushing the 87 v-max right at 3000 with a 22" tube using 29.1 gr H4895.
I have a 6 Creed also in a 22" tube, in a large frame AR where I run the same bullet at 3150, but it takes 42.5 grains of powder to do it.
 
Did you just watch the 6mmAR video by IraqVeteran8888 on Youtube as well? I'm tempted to try it out myself. The AR10 is a heavy beast compared to the AR15.
 
If you decide to go 6mmSPC I might know someone who has a brand new set of custom dies.... ?
 
I hadn't shot my 6mmFatRat in 3 or so months, but dang, weekend before last it was a hammer, that thing sure does shoot well!

Kept them well centered on a 1/2 IPSC at 792Y, easy in medium winds.