6.8mm SPC as a hunting caliber?

[Howard_Krebs]

Ladies and Gentlemen:
 
I own three 6.8 rifles. One, a custom shop Remington AWR in 6.8. I live in New Hampshire. All my shots on game are under 300yds, excepting wood chucks. I am a machinist by trade and have a lathe in my garage where I rebarrel and chamber rifles to by liking. I am 51 years young and was born in Seattle, raised in Nebraska and settled in New Hampshire after marring a yankee woman from Massachusetts, whom I met in TGIF in Playa Del Ray, Los Angeles.
 
I chose the 6.8 because it fits my needs. Just like the .250 Savage, .243 Winchester and 6mm Remington, it crosses the line from varmint rifle to big game. It takes advantage of the new rifle powder formulations in a smaller cartridge. To me, it is an updated varmint/big game cartridge where one can reload with 100% density. It is simplicity in its 115 grain bullet offerings. I can concentrate on increasing my proficiency with the rifle instead of trying a multitude of different reloading options.
 
It is not, IMHO an all around big game cartridge. Unfortunately, in this day and age, power is used to replace good marksmanship. It is to some extent, not the fault of the hunter, but a response to the gun writers pimping new calibers to make a living, reacting to firearm manufacturers trying to keep their doors open through sales.
 
I do not hunt Elk, Moose, or Grizzly with the 6.8. For that I Have a 30-06. Which many will argue is under gunned. But for all around hunting, I cannot fault the mini .270, or .270 Remington, as I call it. It provides all the power and accuracy to place a shot exactly where I want it with adequate power and minimum recoil. It has been my experience, that if the hunter does his/her part in shot placement, the 6.8 will get the job done. If placement is bad, any caliber will produce less than desirable results.  How often have we read about some yahoo bringing a .XXX magnum to camp, only to be not able to hit the proverable side of a barn with it.
 
There are several calibers that offer better paper balistics and some that have worse. The bottom line is the person pulling the trigger. Only you know your limitations. A good shot is a good shot. A bad shot is a bad shot.
 
The 6.8SPC was designed by active duty military personnel to provide a desired effect on enemy targets. No one will argue that it doesn't achieve its desired goal. As a hunting cartridge, only time and marksmanship will tell. I am willing to give it a try. If you are not, that's fine. Just don't come down on me because I am.
 
H. Krebs

[Brithunter]

Hi Howard,

    Glad your having fun with the 6.8. It's just not for me as I have other things on my agenda like that shortened .303 using .308 bullets and then if I can swing the finances it's time to hunt down a .280 Ross! Which I have been wanting for many years.

[kombi1976]

Geez, I almost forgot the most important reason why I won't be buying a 6.8 SPC!:o
I could be spending the money on a 303/270!!:D
It was designed by legendary gunsmith and innovator Jack Black with the aim of creating a more suitable sporting cartridge than the 303 for medium game like roos but still used the entire original cordite charge.
Black pulled the 174gn FMJs from military rounds, necked them to 270 cal and then loaded a 100gn bullet, all without removing the charge.
It propelled the 100gn SP to 2850fps and could also push a 130gn to 2625fps or a 150gn to 2350fps with adjusted loads.
As you can see those ballistics are awfully reminiscient of another cartridge this thread has been focussed on.
However, with modern powders a little more velocity can be wrung out of the 303/270 and in a P14 it'll clock well over 2900fps with 130gn load.
But using a P14 is cheating really.......you may as well use a M98.
So I'll be looking for a No1 MkIII for that real 1950's roo shooting experience and they mostly fetch $250 or less.
They're usually an iron sighted affair with the standard mil stock cut back but who wants a safe queen anyway.
The dies, which are only made by Aussie reloading company Simplex, are $130 but cases are formed with a quick pass through the FL sizing die and are a much simpler affair even than 303/25(which I load for presently).
Besides, would a 6.8 SPC really have as much character as a 303/270?
And the 303/270 has already proved it's pedigree in the field.:)

[Brithunter]

Ahh kombi,

      Don't you feel better now you remembered that? :LOL

    I nearly brought a 303/25 once. It was of course of Australian origin, possibly a Lithgow, however the man decided he didn't want to sell as his son had taken a fancy to it.

[kombi1976]

Ahh kombi,

Don't you feel better now you remembered that? :LOL

I nearly brought a 303/25 once. It was of course of Australian origin, possibly a Lithgow, however the man decided he didn't want to sell as his son had taken a fancy to it.

Well, you missed out, Brithunter.
The 303/25 is a great round, so much so that my mate who's a professional roo shooter has been using his for years and on the windy nights when the 55gn .223 bullets are blown about he pulls out the '25 and sends the roos to hoppy heavy with an 87gn softpoint.
He recently acquired a lovely 303/270 P14 that is also now fulfilling those duties.
Truth is, 303/25 is one of those cool little wild cats that's realitively easy to get together.
A decent No4 MkI action and a .25 cal bbl, preferably with a 1:10 twist , will give you plenty of oomph but low recoil.
Either stick with the Singer sight and fit a suitable front ramp for irons, or get a Lynx bridgemount and pop a 3-9x on it.
I think they look most authentic with tastefully cut military wood but by all means blow as much money on your timber as you like or go synth.
Lyman makes dies and you can trim to the correct length using a Lee 6.5x55 case guage.
A friend in Canada has just recently completed this, excpet he built his on a P14 for 250 Savage style performance.

[Brithunter]

Hi Kombi,

OK .................. OK don't rub it in .


However I do have this BSA sporter P-14 which needs a new barrel:-


 
 

It's the bottom one of these two complete with P-H 6E peep sight .
 


Do you think it would make a good 303/25?

   This Model D as I think it is  is in dire need of restoration as you can see it's been painted and abused in the past . Although even with the rust pitted and worn barrel it still shoots quite well. I paid £25 for it for parts :D .

[gitano]

The .303/270 or any other xxx/270 is actually a .303 or xxx-'06. The 270 is simply the '06 necked to .277. In the process the neck is slightly lengthened. It's still a .277-'06 or a .303-'06 or an xxx-'06.
 
Paul

[kombi1976]

The .303/270 or any other ###/270 is actually a .303 or ###-'06. The 270 is simply the '06 necked to .277. In the process the neck is slightly lengthened. It's still a .277-'06 or a .303-'06 or an ###-'06.
 
Paul

Actually, it's not.
For the most part (or until quite recently) Australian wildcats were named using British nomenclature.
For example, which case is the 577/450 based on and which cal is it?
The 577 Snider necked to 450 cal.
And what about 450/400 Black Powder Express?
450 BPE necked to 40 cal.
As such the 303/25 and 303/270 are based on the 303 Brit case and in 25 cal and 270 cal respectively.
If I end up creating a 9.3mm 303 wildcat it'll be called the 303/366 in true tradition.
 
Brithunter, that P14 looks ideal for conversion to 303/25.
I really love the PH-3E sight.
Do they still pop up now and again?
Just make sure you get a bbl with a 1:10 twist.
The standard twist for 303/25 here in Oz is 1:12, which is perfect for parent cartridge, but limits the 25 cal cartridge to 100gn bullets.
A good 2nd hand 25-06 bbl would probably be ideal.
If you need the dies you can send me a bank cheque, money order or travellers cheque and I get them for you and send them over.
My mate in Canada did the same.

[Brithunter]

Hi kombi,

Hmm must be either very early or late for you, it's a P-H 6E . Now look as this photo carefully and see it has the oppostite hand P-H6EH :D :-


 


The P-14 due to the bolt release has the sight on the right but the Majestic and it's varients ahs the sight on the left. The top sight arm is the same for both. Yes this sight is still (or was last year) available as I brought this one new. The body is now alloy instead of the old steel.

   Now NO they are not common in fact this is the only P-14 one I have seen and it was on this rifle when I aquired it. I intend to get another one  for the Majestic/Monarch/Viscount rifles when I can afford it .

    Hmmm your ides of trying to use a 25-06 barrel will not work due to the large thread shank of the P-14/17 rifles it would have to be a new unchambered blank which means getting a reamer :o . Oh well another good idea going down due to cost. The BSA will probably end up with a new .303 barrel as the same source that has the sights had some new BSA Marked sporting barrels for these rifles :D .

   I have read that the Majestic Featherweight came about due to demands from places like New Zealand, Australia and Canada for a lightweight rifle. I understood that the Professional Cullers in NZ used them perhaps they did in OZ too. There should be some about "Mate" Barrels new are still available if quite few calibres.

[gitano]

As such the 303/25 and 303/270 are based on the 303 Brit case and in 25 cal and 270 cal respectively.

Must be 'cause your on the opposite end of the world. :)
 
I stand corrected.
 
Paul

[Mauserfan in TX]

Hey Gang, not to get off the subject of the thread. A friend of mine just finished a rifle for a customer who wanted a .270 short of some type. He had a Remington action barrelled in .308 . My friend took a .270Win. barrell and cut the rear of the barrel down to .308 dimensions and viola, a 27/08 . I guess it would pack a little more oomph than the 6.8 SPC but i think the 6.8 SPC has re-newed intrest in the .277 caliber again, and Howard, we won't come down on you for using it. I might get an upper in this caliber for my AR one o' these days.

[kombi1976]

I actually think the best new 270 is the 270 WSM.
I don't think I'd actually go out and buy one but if anyone is feeling kind a blued/synth Weatherby Fiberguard in 270 WSM would be lovely.

[Brithunter]

Oh dear Kombi ,

      A Weatherby  what ever happened to your good taste? Not even if I won the big jackpot on the lotto so that the amount for one of these Fibreguards? would be so triffling as to not notice  would I spend any money on a Weatherby. Ole Roy was good salesman and thats the only god thing I have to say about Weatherby's

     I simply destest them with a passion.

     In fact I dislike them more than Remington 700's   .

    Of the Weatherby's I have shot or come into contact with not one has impressed me. Mediocre accuracy seems to be the norm except a Vanguard in .223 which you had to strip the bolt after about every 15 shots as it punched neat holes out of the primers and they collected in the bolt until the stopped it working . Yes different ammo was tried and the result was the same  .

Yeah the importers were contacted but were not interested :frown . Another club member brought the same model Vanguard and his was OK in the bolt aspect but accuracy was about double the group size of the first one not matter what ammo they tried and  who shot it. A right lemon .

    Oh yes then there was the .257 Weatherby Magnum on the top of the range MkV  lots of noise a sharp kick and  about 3MOA groups at 100 yards with exhobitantly priced Weatherby ammo  forget the factory guaranty again the importers were not intersted saying it was within specs :frown The only nice thing about was the figuring in the wood stock. This fool also brought a .300 weathery Magnum and that was a bit better giving about 1 1/2-2MOA with Weatherby ammo. The idiot had more money than sense  and I told him so.

Funny thing he took the hump :LOL and wouldn't speak to me oh that's his loss not mine .

   Now Kombi I am sure we could find you a much more suitable rifle . Ahh I will try phoning that Bill this morning so see what they want for P-H stocks . I am intrigued .

[Mauserfan in TX]

Now, Now Brithunter pull in your fangs. I would LOVE to have a weatherby rifle. I could use it as a trade in  for a new Ruger  Frontier Scout.

[kombi1976]

Well, BH, every Vanguard I've come across was accurate and trouble free.
I have no explanation for the problems your acquaintances had.
My friend has a blued/walnut Vanguard Deluxe in .243 that can put 3 bullets in one hole.
Every review I've read and all other reports have been good apart from one guy I ran into, but than he was rubbishing a lot of stuff.
I'm not calling you a liar, just saying that it seems to be the exception, not the rule.
And for the record, MkVs do nothing for me as do the deluxe custom jobs with the big ugly diamond inlay in the butt.
If anything I'd say alot of those Weatherby customs represent the ultimate in excess and garishness.
Nope, I'd go a $4000 European rifle over a $4000 Weatherby one anyday of the week and a plain stock of good walnut is better than stacks of chequering & inlays.
Actually, correction, I'd go about 5 good Martinis and classic sporters over a $4000 Weatherby.
Feel better now.