Hey Guys, looking at a new light weight distance shooter for western big game. I'm sitting on the fence between 7mm and 300WM and I came across some new articles chatting up the new Winchester/Browning developed 6.8 Western. Looks great on paper! I can find a few rifles for sale in Canada, but no ammo. Anybody have any experience with this cartridge and/or the ability to buy ammo for it?
6.8 Western - Sweet New Cailber or Non Existent in Canada!?
- Thread starter Radghostrider
- Start date
New cartridges are hyped every year. 6.8 Western is a very good cartridge. But lots of good cartridges come & go.
270 WIN was a cartridge in decline but now the US military is looking real hard at 6.8 SPC to replace 5.56x45 (MIL 223). If this happens, there will be endless projectile manufacturing which could help the other 6.8's like .270 WIN & 6.8 Western.
Another thing is 6.8 western is usually paired w/ twist rate ~1:8 which should work great for long and monolithic projectiles. So, certainly a modern hunting cartridge.
The safe bet is that 6.8 Western is at peak hype w/ peak supply coming up shortly. If you do go for it, get enough brass to keep you going for a long time.
If you don't reload/handload, I would think it best to stay away.
The "right" caliber is the least important factor in a successful hunt.
270 WIN was a cartridge in decline but now the US military is looking real hard at 6.8 SPC to replace 5.56x45 (MIL 223). If this happens, there will be endless projectile manufacturing which could help the other 6.8's like .270 WIN & 6.8 Western.
Another thing is 6.8 western is usually paired w/ twist rate ~1:8 which should work great for long and monolithic projectiles. So, certainly a modern hunting cartridge.
The safe bet is that 6.8 Western is at peak hype w/ peak supply coming up shortly. If you do go for it, get enough brass to keep you going for a long time.
If you don't reload/handload, I would think it best to stay away.
The "right" caliber is the least important factor in a successful hunt.
Blastattack
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg MB
I fail to see how it is appreciably different from the .270 WSM, and I equally fail to see the value over the regular old .270 Winchester. Performance is all in the same ballpark, and you’re spending a whole bunch more money and recoil for little in return. Put the round in the right place, and whatever you’re shooting will die just as quick. Fail to put the round in the right spot, and you won’t be much better off. You can probably buy 2x as much .270 Win ammo, and it can also be found literally anywhere ammo is sold. That makes practice more available, and your rifle isn’t a paperweight if you forget your ammo, or if your ammo has problems.
Twist rate is the only thing it offers, would be able to shoot up to 200gr 277cal high BC bullets. Hardly anyone making anything over 160 presently, and the ones available are better for paper then game.
It's like the 6.5PRC in 277 basically.
freddyfour
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Brant County, Ontario
Wow, a 200gr bullet traveling at 270WSM speeds would be a devastating combo. The BC and SD I presume would be pretty good.
Comparisons aside, it is a cool little cartridge and has the design and ballistics to be an ideal hunting cartridge. The question is, would you want to wade through the hassle of finding brass and bullets or ammo, and are you willing to pay the increased costs involved? I have done my fair share of dumb projects, so I am an ideal marketing target for this cartridge, however I do have a mild dislike for the .277 bore, which hopefully, will tip the scales for me to go in a different direction... time will tell.
Seems to be a lot of excitement around it online. It's an "optimized" version of the .270 WSM - similar performance but ultimately designed to fire much more aerodynamic projectiles. I saw a few boxes of 165s on the shelf at Cabela's. Not sure if they had any rifles or not, it was more of a "oh look, there's some 6.8 ammo, neat" kind of moment.
It's neat in that it's just "more" than a 6.5 PRC, but not as much as a 7mm Rem Mag. It would suit for anything the .270 would, just out to longer ranges. Those long bullets retain energy like crazy and the high SD will help them penetrate.
I *do* question the idea of a 6.8mm as the .270 WSM is very similar and still popular even though it's factory twist rate is slow, seems that the 7mm WSM is not really much of a thing and would have been better off as the one being replaced - can only imagine it launching the >175gr bullets at elk over vast distances and retaining truckloads of energy on impact, but whatever. In this modern age I'm sure the numbers pointed at .277" as being the right one to pick.
In the meantime, anyone with a .270 Win or 7mm Rem Mag isn't missing much, just get the most aerodynamic bullet your gun can stabilize and push it as fast as it will go. Fine for anything aside from the big bears
It's neat in that it's just "more" than a 6.5 PRC, but not as much as a 7mm Rem Mag. It would suit for anything the .270 would, just out to longer ranges. Those long bullets retain energy like crazy and the high SD will help them penetrate.
I *do* question the idea of a 6.8mm as the .270 WSM is very similar and still popular even though it's factory twist rate is slow, seems that the 7mm WSM is not really much of a thing and would have been better off as the one being replaced - can only imagine it launching the >175gr bullets at elk over vast distances and retaining truckloads of energy on impact, but whatever. In this modern age I'm sure the numbers pointed at .277" as being the right one to pick.
In the meantime, anyone with a .270 Win or 7mm Rem Mag isn't missing much, just get the most aerodynamic bullet your gun can stabilize and push it as fast as it will go. Fine for anything aside from the big bears
A 200 gr Bullet out of the 6.8 would be at 30-30 speed
so really not much good for any long range - there is a LIMIT to bullet weight - there's only so much BOILER room ! and the 6.8 is pretty much MAXED out with a 175-180 gr ! jmo RJ
Last edited:
The 6.5 Creed is the .260/6.5x55 done correctly for the bullets of today and the 6.8 Western is the 270 WSM/270 counterpart of that. When the WSM cartridges came out 20 years ago nobody was really thinking about this stuff so the 270WSM was designed around typical .277 hunting bullets of the time.
This doesn't really matter to many hunters who typically shoot a deer or moose at 50-200 yards. But like any cartridge new or old, different people want different things.
I can't see ammunition being readily available any time soon. There are huge ammunition backlogs everywhere and the factories can't churn out enough common cartridges as it is. A year from now may be a different story.
Generally speaking, Winchester is better than Remington with new cartridge introduction and support but they fall way behind Hornady who has been rolling out the hits the last few years like 6.5 Creed, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC and 375 Ruger.
This doesn't really matter to many hunters who typically shoot a deer or moose at 50-200 yards. But like any cartridge new or old, different people want different things.
I can't see ammunition being readily available any time soon. There are huge ammunition backlogs everywhere and the factories can't churn out enough common cartridges as it is. A year from now may be a different story.
Generally speaking, Winchester is better than Remington with new cartridge introduction and support but they fall way behind Hornady who has been rolling out the hits the last few years like 6.5 Creed, 6.5 PRC, 300 PRC and 375 Ruger.
I seen a good amount of Browning ammo and RCBS dies in 2021. Of course, things go quickly these days.
Myself, I have 6 boxes of ammo, die set, a few hundred Sierra 175gr TGK and a couple hundred Berger 170gr EOL...I'm just missing a rifle!
Myself, I have 6 boxes of ammo, die set, a few hundred Sierra 175gr TGK and a couple hundred Berger 170gr EOL...I'm just missing a rifle!
well I can tell you a Berger 195gr from the 280 Ackley will hit 2700 fps 24" barrel no problem.
With a G7 BC of .380, the 195gr Berger @ 2700 fps will retain 2200 fps impact speed to 470 yards (that is what a 30-30 170gr does at the muzzle). From a 200y zero, drop at 1000 yards is only 25.8moa.....1000 yard velocity is 1700 fps / 1255 ft lbs...wind deflection per mph crosswind is 5.1"
Let's compare that to a good 300 Win Mag factory load, the 200gr Hornady ELDx Precision Hunter [2200 fps @ 480y...25.5moa drop...1595 fps impact 1000 yards...1125 ft-lbs energy....6.3" wind deflection]
So in a nutshell, the heavy 280AI, mirrors the trajectory of the 300 Win Mag, gives about 10% more energy on target at long range, has 20% less wind deflection....and oh, about 25% less recoil in the same weight rifle
A 6.8 Western, with a similar weight bullet will be right in the same ballpark to the 280AI, since case capacity is just a smidge more than the Ackley. With a 7.5 twist barrel and a SAAMI 2.955" OAL, the 6.8 isn't hampered loading a potential bullet in the 190-200gr class. It will certainly outperform a 300 Win Mag, let alone a 30-30 Winchester
nowarningshot
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Twist rate, long neck, shorter case to accommodate long/heavy for caliber/high bc...SD bullets. The .277 bore with a creedmore treatment.
If it spawns interest in production of new projectiles for .277 then that in itself has great value. However, those long sleek high bc bullets, catch and pass, old commonplace bullets 》500yds. Personally I'm not much of a target shooter, try to limit myself to 《= 300yds at game. If I was.buying new, into the bore, it would make sense. But I own 3 270win, not.enough advantages or gain to switch.
If it spawns interest in production of new projectiles for .277 then that in itself has great value. However, those long sleek high bc bullets, catch and pass, old commonplace bullets 》500yds. Personally I'm not much of a target shooter, try to limit myself to 《= 300yds at game. If I was.buying new, into the bore, it would make sense. But I own 3 270win, not.enough advantages or gain to switch.
Haha, yes!
I am a 270 fan but find the new cartridge to be somewhat pointlessly redundant so I do not expect it to gain a foothold as either a hunting or target cartridge. I love my 270WSM, cherish my Plain Jane 270Winchesters, and intrigued by the military research into the 6.8 but disappointed in the Western as it is almost identical to the WSM. The only change is longer bullets can be seated further out and still fit in a short action magazine well. Great for obscure handloads but when shooters really wants bigger and heavier bullets they typically jump into a 7mm or a .30. Most 270 fans already know they can do everything with a 130 but can still find a 140 or 150 if they feel a touch of insecurity.
6.8 Western isn't for obscure handloads. It's bringing the advantages of a custom handloaded cartridge to factory rifles with factory ammunition, like the 6.5 PRC but with bullet weights in the 165+ grain range
