Army to replace 5.56 with 6.8mm

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Must … get …

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What ever it is you know it’s bloody awesome.

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I thought that they killed this after Spec II a few years ago stating that the 5.56 with heavier bullets gave the same performance.

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Is the 6.8 perform as well at close-in distances as longer range?

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So it seems like they followed through with their new ammunition development. I remember reading they were developing new rounds. This will be interesting.

I’m looking foreword to getting more Info on the new ammo specs.

Is this going to be a special units replacement or an entire military wide replacement? Or did I miss that bit in the articles?

Can’t wait until the new ammo hits the civilian market.

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This will be quite interesting.

Will it be a failure and fade into the night? Or will it take over the military and become the new .223/5.56?

If it grows, it’ll hit the civilian market eventually. Who knows how eventually.

Thanks for the info so I can be lazy and not watch the entire video. :slight_smile:

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Here is something more official on it

https://www.fbo.gov/index.php?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=0954032272b6d0e198b5263ac57e848e&tab=core&tabmode=list&=

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Hopefully if they do a short barreled SAW it will be more accurate than the 5.56 version…those thing pattern like a shotgun at 100 yards…

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SAW was one of my favorite weapons to use. I love that thing!!!

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A M249 running wide open is better than sex, but they are not accurate at all…very almost perfect reliable though…

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If y’all were only going to buy one more upper would it be 6.8 or .556 ? Lots of reasons.

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We have uppers in both. If only one? Definitely would choose the 6.8 in Carbine or Rifle length. The advantage of the 5.56 is the ammo cost and availability.

Sig’s Spear will have a civilian version shooting the Fury. It isn’t a reloadable case as far as I know, so not much of an attraction for me. When you can get a 6.5 Creed or a 6.8 Western barrel for it I will get interested in the Spear.

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I think a .556, a 7.62x39, and a 6.8spc or the civilian version would be the 3 to have . I don’t know all the differences between the 6.8’s yet but I like to pretend I all ready have something then pretend to shop for various parts to see how expensive and difficult it is to obtain what is needed. It can be a good practice with older cars too if you are getting something unique. I don’t have machining equipment but there is a local shop just in case.

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Between 5.56NATO, 7.62x39, and 6.8SPC, the only parts required to swap an AR-15 between those calibers are the magazine, bolt, and barrel. For ease of swapping, it is of course much easier to just have complete uppers in each caliber, allowing popping two pins and swapping mags to switch between calibers.

The military’s new 6.8mm seems to be a completely different animal, requiring something close to an AR-10 length receiver and mag well. What would be required to swap an AR-10 to the new 6.8mm round, remains to be seen.

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I was thinking the same lower would work for all 3. I will look into it.

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The 6.8 SPC I & ll (and ARP) are AR15, M16 and M4 compatible. Same as 5.56, 300 BO, .458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel, .224 Valkyrie, 6mm ARC etc. The new 6.8s are not.

The 6.8 Western will and the the Sig Fury should work in a large frame AR (308) except for the bolt. The Fury is SAAMI’d at 80,000 psi, and the Western is a magnum and the only AR Magnum bolt I am aware of that seems to work is the KAK WSM Bolt and that takes a high pressure firing pin.

So it seems the large frame will work for the 6.8 Western but not the Fury. So Sig had to design a whole pattern rifle (the Spear) to handle the pressures (80,000 psi) that the hybrid steel and brass cased Fury develops.

The Western and Fury should both get a 140 gr 6.8 projo going to 3200 fps, the difference is the Fury will do it with the Spear’s 10 inch shorter barrel.

IMO the DOD should have gone with 2 new 6.8 cartridges. One to replace the 5.56 and one to replace the 7.62. There are rumors they may be thinking so too. Time will tell…

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