6.8mm Remington SPC
6.8×43mm Remington SPC | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rimless, bottlenecked | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bullet diameter | 0.277 in (7.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Land diameter | 0.270 in (6.9 mm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Neck diameter | 0.306 in (7.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Shoulder diameter | 0.402 in (10.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Base diameter | 0.422 in (10.7 mm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Rim diameter | 0.422 in (10.7 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Rim thickness | 0.049 in (1.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Case length | 1.687 in (42.8 mm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
Overall length | 2.260 in (57.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
Case capacity | 34.8–36.9 gr H2O (2.26–2.39 cm3) | |||||||||||||||||||
Primer type | Large Rifle | |||||||||||||||||||
Maximum pressure (C.I.P) | 58,700 psi (405 MPa) | |||||||||||||||||||
Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 55,000 psi (380 MPa) | |||||||||||||||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Test barrel length: 410 mm (16 in)
[2][3][4] Source(s): [5] |
The 6.8mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge (6.8 SPC, 6.8 SPC II or 6.8×43mm) is a
Development
The 6.8mm SPC cartridge was designed to address the deficiencies of the terminal ballistics of the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge currently in service with the armed forces of all NATO-aligned countries.[8] The cartridge was the result of the Enhanced Rifle Cartridge Program. The 6.8 SPC (6.8×43mm) was initially developed by Master Sergeant Steve Holland and Chris Murray, a United States Army Marksmanship Unit gunsmith,[9] to offer superior downrange lethality over the 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington in an M16-pattern service rifle with minimal loss of magazine capacity and a negligible increase in recoil.[10]
The program started the design by using a .30 Remington case, which was modified in length to fit into magazines that would be accommodated by the magazine wells of the M16 family of rifles and carbines that are currently in service with the U.S. Armed Forces.[11]
In tests comparing various caliber bullets using a .30 Remington parent case, Holland and Murray determined that a 6.5 mm caliber projectile had the best accuracy and penetration, with historical data going back for decades of US Army exterior and terminal ballistic testing, but a 7 mm projectile had the best terminal performance. The combination of the cartridge case, powder load, and projectile easily outperformed the 7.62×39mm and 5.45×39mm Soviet cartridges, with the new cartridge's muzzle velocity proving to be about 61 m/s (200 ft/s) faster than the 7.62 x 39.[12]
The 6.8mm Remington SPC was designed to perform better in short-barreled
Muzzle velocity from a 610-millimeter (24 in) barrel
7.1-gram (110 gr) Nosler Accubond | 870 m/s (2,840 ft/s) – Silver State Armory (SSA) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) OTM | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) – Remington Premier Match |
5.5-gram (85 gr) Nosler E-Tip | 940 m/s (3,100 ft/s) – SSA |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Nosler BSB | 910 m/s (2,980 ft/s) – SSA |
7.1-gram (110 gr) Hornady BTHP TAP | 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s) – Hornady Law Enforcement "tactical" factory load |
7.5-gram (115 gr) OTM (FMJ) | 831 m/s (2,725 ft/s) – SSA |
7.5-gram (115 gr) Boat tail hollow point (BTHP) | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) Sierra Match King (SMK) | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
7.1-gram (110 gr) Hornady V-MAX | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) |
7.1-gram (110 gr) SCHP | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s) – SSA "combat" factory load |
7.1-gram (110 gr) BTHP OTM & Barnes TSX | 840 m/s (2,750 ft/s) – Wilson "combat" factory load |
5.5-gram (85 gr) Barnes TSX | 970 m/s (3,180 ft/s) – SSA "tactical" factory load |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Speer Gold Dot | 930 m/s (3,050 ft/s) – Federal(ATK) "tac/mil" load |
Muzzle velocity from a 510-millimeter (20 in) barrel
7.1-gram (110 gr) Nosler Accubond | 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)- Silver State Armory (SSA) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) OTM | 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)- Remington Premier Match |
6.2-gram (95 gr) Barnes TTSX | 880 m/s (2,880 ft/s) – Doubletap |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Bonded Defense JSP | 910 m/s (2,980 ft/s) – Doubletap |
6.5-gram (100 gr) Nosler Accubond | 855 m/s (2,805 ft/s) – Doubletap |
7.1-gram (110 gr) Nosler Accubond | 830 m/s (2,710 ft/s) – Doubletap |
7.5-gram (115 gr) Full metal jacket boat tail | 806 m/s (2,645 ft/s) – Doubletap |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Speer TNT | 910 m/s (2,980 ft/s)- SSA |
Muzzle velocity from a 410-millimeter (16 in) barrel
7.1-gram (110 gr) Nosler Accubond | 820 m/s (2,700 ft/s)- Silver State Armory (SSA) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) OTM | 800 m/s (2,625 ft/s)- Remington Premier Match |
5.5-gram (85 gr) Barnes TSX | 920 m/s (3,030 ft/s) – SSA |
5.5-gram (85 gr) Nosler E-Tip | 900 m/s (2,950 ft/s) – SSA |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Nosler BSB | 870 m/s (2,840 ft/s) – SSA |
7.1-gram (110 gr) Hornady V-MAX | 810 m/s (2,650 ft/s) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) Sierra Match King (SMK) | 810 m/s (2,650 ft/s) |
7.5-gram (115 gr) OTM (FMJ) | 785 m/s (2,575 ft/s) – SSA |
5.5-gram (85 gr) Barnes TSX | 940 m/s (3,070 ft/s) – SSA "tactical" factory load |
5.8-gram (90 gr) Speer Gold Dot | 880 m/s (2,900 ft/s)- Federal(ATK) "tac/mil" load |
6.2-gram (95 gr) Barnes TTSX | 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) – Wilson Combat factory load[15] |
7.1-gram (110 gr) SCHP | 810 m/s (2,650 ft/s) – SSA "combat" factory load |
7.1-gram (110 gr) Hornady BTHP TAP | 780 m/s (2,550 ft/s) – Hornady Law Enforcement "tactical" factory load[16] |
7.1-gram (110 gr) BTHP OTM & Barnes TSX | 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) – Wilson "combat" factory load[17] |
9.1-gram (140 gr) Berger VLD | 732 m/s (2,401 ft/s) – SSA factory load. (Discontinued) |
Comparison to other military calibers
Cartridge | Muzzle velocity | 180 m (200 yd) drop | 180 m (200 yd) velocity | 370 m (400 yd) drop | 370 m (400 yd) velocity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5.56×45mm 3.6 g (55 gr) M193 | 937 m/s (3,073 ft/s) | 56 mm (2.2 in) | 717 m/s (2,353 ft/s) | 710 mm (27.8 in) | 531 m/s (1,743 ft/s) |
5.56×45mm 5.0 g (77 gr) OTM | 817 m/s (2,679 ft/s) | 84 mm (3.3 in) | 675 m/s (2,216 ft/s) | 830 mm (32.7 in) | 550 m/s (1,810 ft/s) |
6.8×43mm SPC 7.5 g (115 gr) SMK | 810 m/s (2,650 ft/s) | 89 mm (3.5 in) | 653 m/s (2,143 ft/s) | 900 mm (35.4 in) | 511 m/s (1,677 ft/s) |
6.8×43mm SPC 7.1 g (110 gr) V-MAX | 810 m/s (2,650 ft/s) | 84 mm (3.3 in) | 673 m/s (2,208 ft/s) | 790 mm (31.1 in) | 552 m/s (1,811 ft/s) |
7.62×39mm | 700 m/s (2,300 ft/s) | 84 mm (3.3 in) | 545 m/s (1,787 ft/s) | 1,370 mm (53.8 in) | 404 m/s (1,324 ft/s) |
7.62×51mm 10.9 g (168 gr) SMK | 790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) | 86 mm (3.4 in) | 681 m/s (2,235 ft/s) | 820 mm (32.3 in) | 576 m/s (1,891 ft/s) |
Typical trajectory information from carbines with drop and velocity calculated at sea level with a 91 m (100 yd) zero.[18]
Applications
Military and law enforcement adoption
By late 2004 the 6.8×43mm SPC was said [
In April 2022, after enduring over 100 technical tests and firing more than 1.5 million rounds, the Army awarded a contract to Sig Sauer to produce the Next Generation Squad Weapon — or NGSW — XM7 Rifle, XM250 Automatic Rifle and a 6.8mm family of ammunition to replace the M4A1 Carbine, M249 Squad Automatic Weapon and 5.56mm family of ammunition within the close combat force.[22]
While there are many rumors of evaluations of the cartridge by several major federal and local law enforcement agencies, the
Semiautomatic action
The first major manufacturer to offer a 6.8mm Remington SPC-chambered version of the
See also
- .224 Valkyrie, 6.8 SPC derivative cartridge
- 6mm ARC
- 6mm SAW, similar cartridge developed to approximate both 7.62×51mm and 5.56×45mm cartridges
- .277 Fury
- .280 British, similar cartridge developed during the 1940s in the UK
- .276 Pedersen, similar cartridge developed in 1923 in the US
- 5.56×45mmcase
- List of AR platform cartridges
- List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces
Notes
- ^ a b c "C.I.P. TDCC sheet 6,8 Rem. SPC" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-04-13. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ "Silver State Armory specializes in 6.8 SPC Ammunition, 115gr OTM, and custom brass cases – 6.8 Ammunition, 6.8 SPC Ammunition, SSarmory.com, SilverStateArmory.com". Ssarmory.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Rifle :: Choose by Caliber :: 6.8mm SPC :: 6.8mm SPC 120 GR SST". Hornady.com. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "6.8 SPC 110 grain Sierra Pro Hunter Ammunition, 20 rounds/box., SilverStateArmory.com". Ssarmory.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
- ^ "Not So Special: A Critical View of the 6.8mm SPC -". 4 April 2015.
- ^ Not a private endeavor or fully sanctioned government project
- ^ "30 Rem". Chuckhawks.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ John Pike. "5.56-mm Cartridges". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "6.8 Project". Wilson Combat. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
- ^ "6.8 mm SPC Cartridge History & Development. Hornady's Ammunition. The Stag Carbine". Demigodllc.com. 2006-07-31. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ Paul, Gary (2011-01-04). "The 6.8mm Remington SPC". Rifleshootermag.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "6.8 mm SPC Cartridge History & Development. Hornady's Ammunition. The Stag Carbine". Demigodllc.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ Fortier, David M. "LWRCI's Great SIX8" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-10.
- ^ "DTIC.mil". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "6.8 SPC WC Ammo".
- ^ "Hornady : Law Enforcement | Products | 6.8MM SPC - 6.8MM SPC 110gr. V-MAX?". Archived from the original on 2012-04-23. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ^ "110 gr. Hornady BTHP, 2600 FPS - 16" Barrel-Wilson Combat". Shopwilsoncombat.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "6.8mm SPC article". Demigodllc.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ Another 7.62mm Bullet For M-16s – Strategypage.com, 8 January 2012
- ^ The 6.5×40 Cartridge: Longer Reach for the M4 & M16 – SAdefensejournal.com, 26 March 2014
- ^ Dan Lamothe. "Corps to pass on Army upgrades to M4". Army Times Publishing Company. Archived from the original on 2010-09-25. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
- ^ "Army moving forward with Next Generation Squad Weapon program". United States Army. 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
- ^ "LWRC rifles to be license-produced in Jordan". Thefirearmblog.com. 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
- ^ "Information on the 6.8 SPC Mini". Ruger-firearms.com. Retrieved 2011-09-15.
External links
- Definitive history of 6.8 SPC- The 6.8 SPC, Is it all that?
- 6.8 SPC FAQ
- Remington Ammunition Information Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- M468 Rifle Archived 2019-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Defense Review
- Gunblast.com article
- Sharper Shooting: Upgrading Ammunition Lethality
- First Look: The 6.8mm Remington SPC