6mm arc?

[Shadow9mm]

Hey. Just heard about this cartridge a few months back, based on my research it has been around for about 3 years now.

I really like the performance. 1000-1200 yds on paper.

Bullet selection is leaner than i would like, but there seem to be some good options.

Brass looks like it might be a pain, only from Hornady and regularly out of stock. Apparently you can form brass from a couple other more commonly available cartridges.

I am slowly working on a dmr/precision build and am considering this as an option. It would also be legal for deer on private land here in Indiana . I really like the increased bc of the bullets and the 1000-1200 yd extended range over 223.

I did do a seatch on TFL and google. Seems all 6mm arc posts are kinda old here. As far as google/youtube lots of good info and praise. But that does not match up with the limited component selection i am seeing.

So, 3 questions

Is 6mm arc a good cartridge?

Is is on its way out? Or will it stay with a small cult following?

Is it easy to load for as a cartridge? Or is it 224 valkyrie fickle, sensitive to bulet weght/length and powder charges?

 

[kmw1954]

Question is this rifle you are considering is it a gas gun or a bolt action? Hornady offers load data action specific with the bolt getting much hotter..

A friend and fellow co-worker now has a Savage 110 bolt that he is shooting in our league and doing rather well with it. He purchased factory, shot it and is now reloading it.

 

[Shadow9mm]

Question is this rifle you are considering is it a gas gun or a bolt action? Hornady offers load data action specific with the bolt getting much hotter..

A friend and fellow co-worker now has a Savage 110 bolt that he is shooting in our league and doing rather well with it. He purchased factory, shot it and is now reloading it.

Gas gun. I looked as the savage 110s last night though

 

[hammie]

@Shadow 9mm: Since you're looking at savage 110's and possibly considering a bolt gun, you may also want to look at a mini 1500 howa, which is now chambered in 6mm ARC. You can get the mini Howa with a 20 inch heavy barrel in either a synthetic stock or bedded in an aluminum Oryx chassis. During the past year, I bought the 1500 howa chambered for 7.62x39mm russian and 6.5 grendel. I would take a Howa over a savage any day. And if I didn't already have a 6.5 grendel, I would be seriously looking at the 6mm ARC.

 

[Shadow9mm]

@Shadow 9mm: Since you're looking at savage 110's and possibly considering a bolt gun, you may also want to look at a mini 1500 howa, which is now chambered in 6mm ARC. You can get the mini Howa with a 20 inch heavy barrel in either a synthetic stock or bedded in an aluminum Oryx chassis. During the past year, I bought the 1500 howa chambered for 7.62x39mm russian and 6.5 grendel. I would take a Howa over a savage any day. And if I didn't already have a 6.5 grendel, I would be seriously looking at the 6mm ARC.

So I am doing my gas gun DMR type build first.

I'm really debating 223 vs 6arc more than anything as I am already set up for and reload 223.

I have a number of concerns with 6 arc, and while I looked at bolt guns, I probably wont get one in 6 arc if I build a gas gun due to the risk of mixing ammo, or will have to load them all at gas gun pressured mitigating the benefit. The main reason I was looking at a bolt gun was that they tend to be easier on the brass than gas guns, meaning it it did die off I could really make it last.

I just don't know. I am really concerned 6 arc is on its way out. Been doing a lot of article and forum reading, and watching a lot of vids. Seems like almost everything I am finding is from 2022 or earlier. Brass availability has been poor since the cartridge release as only Hornady is making it. 6mm arc factory ammo seems very limited as well. Also I put this post up yesterday, and while I found threads from here of people building 6arc guns in 2020, and over 80 people have viewed this thread so far, no one with experience with the cartridges has chimed in yet.

If i got a bolt gun I would go savage, just due to the after market options. trigger, stocks, new barrels. I was looking at the sportsman's warehouse Switchback exclusive. good looking stock. heavier profile 22in threaded barrel.

It seems 6mm Arc is almost falling in the, great idea everyone loved but no one bought, category at this point.

 

[hammie]

@shadow9: You may be right. Can't argue with anything you said. The availability of EVERYTHING for the past two years has been disastrous, and that may have adversely impacted the 6mm ARC roll - out. Just as we had a magnum - "itis" fever a few decades ago, there seems to be an opposite trend toward smaller capacity, higher pressure, and more efficient cartridges today. Who knows how that will shake out.

 

[kmw1954]

Try looking here;
https://forum.accurateshooter.com/ then look into the 6mm subforum.

Also seeing more talk as of late on The High Road forum regarding the 6ARC.

 

[MarkCO]

Is 6mm arc a good cartridge?

Is is on its way out? Or will it stay with a small cult following?

Is it easy to load for as a cartridge? Or is it 224 valkyrie fickle, sensitive to bulet weght/length and powder charges?

Yes, I think we will see more acceptance if the whackiness subsides. It is similar in nature to the .224V in the gas guns, less so in bolt guns. For me, based on casehead, it is .223, 6x45 or 6.5PCC. I want commonality in my AR15s and the 6 ARC leaves that. the 6x45 is not as fast, but very accurate and had a pretty good following in the 1980s/1990s until the whiz bang of all the new calibers started.

I'm really debating 223 vs 6arc more than anything as I am already set up for and reload 223.

Debate 223, 6ARC and 6x45 then. And recall, a lot of folks fail to use the 5.56 loads, that closes the gap between .223Rem and .224V, 6ARC a good bit. But if you want to hunt deer, 6mm and up if the law requires it.

For me, in a bolt gun, I'd go .243 Win, .243AI or 6 CM over 6 ARC everytime.

 

[Shadow9mm]

Yes, I think we will see more acceptance if the whackiness subsides. It is similar in nature to the .224V in the gas guns, less so in bolt guns. For me, based on casehead, it is .223, 6x45 or 6.5PCC. I want commonality in my AR15s and the 6 ARC leaves that. the 6x45 is not as fast, but very accurate and had a pretty good following in the 1980s/1990s until the whiz bang of all the new calibers started.

Debate 223, 6ARC and 6x45 then. And recall, a lot of folks fail to use the 5.56 loads, that closes the gap between .223Rem and .224V, 6ARC a good bit. But if you want to hunt deer, 6mm and up if the law requires it.

For me, in a bolt gun, I'd go .243 Win, .243AI or 6 CM over 6 ARC everytime.

Was looking at a gas gun build. Just poked my nose in to bolt guns when I looked at the separate load data. But chances of that happening are slim.

Took a look at 6x45. The main benefits of the 6 ark imho are its heavier high bc bullets. 6x45 is stuck below 85-90g from what i can tell negating a lot of the high bc benefits.

Your right, in a bolt gun, not restricted by ar mag size limits, you have lots of better choices.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

I built an AR in 6mm ARC last year... or the year before?... I haven't even hardly had a chance to shoot it.

Factory ammo is available for more or less the same price as any other round ($27-$35/20) and is the same brass you'd buy to handload.
Cases can also readily be made from 6.5 Grendel.

Regarding if it's "on the way out"... my answer for me is, "Who cares?" That's the magic of handloading. I bought .357sig, .243AI, even 7mm-08, because they are somewhat rare/unique, the road less traveled.

I don't think the comparison to 223/556, or looking at it as an either/or makes sense. There is really no comparison. 6mm/243 bullets for long range can have BCs well above 0.5, while 223/556 will rarely see much over 0.35.
In a 10mph crosswind, this equates to over 5 inches better at 400 yards.

The ARC has 40-50% more muzzle energy than a 223/556, which means that at 200-300 yards it is matching the 223/556 ME and since the BC is much better, the gap only grows.

My advice is that I don't have any advice. If you like the ARC and think it meets your needs, or it's cool, go ahead and build one and enjoy it. If you're bothered that it might "go away", then don't build one. The .223/556 is a fine choice. The ARC is a fine choice. Do what makes you happy.

 

[mkl]

If you go with a bolt gun, I'd go with a .243 Win.

If you want a gas gun, build an AR-10 in .243 Win.

An AR-10 would also let you get into the serious 6.5mm cartridges.

 

[Shadow9mm]

If you go with a bolt gun, I'd go with a .243 Win.

If you want a gas gun, build an AR-10 in .243 Win.

An AR-10 would also let you get into the serious 6.5mm cartridges.

Not interested in an AR-10, have shot one, too big and heavy IMHO for my uses.

243 does not have enough twist or throat to support the bullet length/weight I am looking at unless I have a full custom barrel done, which is not an option for me at this point.

If I were to go bolt I would have a lot of options. However I am looking at a AR15 pattern DRM/precision build.

 

[mkl]

Well good luck with the ARC. Probably as good as you will get given the constrains you impose.

I do not believe you well ever get the volume of gas you need to push a heavy 6mm bullet 1000 yards with accuracy out of a 223 size case. I seem to recal that many bullets tend to tumble when transitioning from supersonic to subsonic. Not sure just how heavy a bullet you want to use, but I hope the ARC can keep it supersonic at the ranges you want to reach.

Nothing personal, but I have to chuckle at the thousands of folks that want to try and turn a 223 gas gun into a 375 magnum elephant gun

 

[markr6754]

Built my 6mm ARC AR last year. Love shooting it, and love loading it even more. Brass is hard to come by. Most of my current brass was Nosler 6.5 Grendel, the rest, 6mm Hornady Black ammo that I shot and recovered.

Starline is not making 6mm ARC, and can't order 6.5 Grendel...but Grendel Basic Brass (unformed, no headstamp brass for wildcats) is available for backorder. My order has been sitting since 2 February.

I load 100gr Barnes MatchBurners and 87gr Hornady V-Max. Only indoor, short range, no chrony shooting thus far. Looking to change that up this year. Great, quiet, soft shooter. No issues at all to date...except for the scarcity of brass, and rather costly ammo...although in line with most ammo besides 223 Rem.

I don't hunt and my state only allows straight wall anyway.

 

[mkl]

I don't hunt and my state only allows straight wall anyway.

Well in that case, I would suggest some sort of a puny gun as opposed to one over 100 years old with a "straight case."
Used to do pretty well with buffalo a few years ago! Still does with a straight case game now.

My 45-70 works quite well against the wild hogs we here in Texas.

 

[Shadow9mm]

I don't hunt and my state only allows straight wall anyway.

Well in that case, I would suggest some sort of a puny gun as opposed to one over 100 years old with a "straight case."
Used to do pretty well with buffalo a few years ago! Still does with a straight case game now.

My 45-70 works quite well against the wild hogs we here in Texas.

Not sure were you pulled that from. No, i have not hunted in several years. But i do plan to hunt again at some point. And as i stated in my first post in this thread, bottle neck cartridges are legal for deer on private land here. They do however require a min .243 diameter bullet.

As far as straight cases here, there are length restrictions that eliminate 45/70. I tried a 44mag, long story but it didn't work out.

But none of this is relevant or helpful in relation to my 6amm arc question.

 

[std7mag]

Since it's parent case is the 220 Russian, it would lead me to say, the 6PPC by any other name..

For a gas operated rifle at long range, i think i would go the 6.5 Grendel.
But if your handloading, bullet options are widely available in 6mm & 6.5mm.

As far as bolt gun.

A friend of mine who is VERY competitive in the benchrest game is VERY interested in the cartridge.
He already shoots 6BR, 6BRX & 6PPC.

Side note.
While my friend shoots custom actions, his biggest competitor is shooting a Stevens 200 action.
So Savage haters can take it for what it's worth.

 

[markr6754]

He pulled that quote from my last sentence in #14. My post was more to the point. I wanted another cartridge to load. 6mm is fun. In essence, I load so I can shoot, and I wanted to see what .243 shooting was like. My opinion, with 6mm ARC I have no need for .224 Valkyrie. My main complaint about the 6mm ARC is the present lack of brass. Powder, pew-pews, primers....no issues. Factory ammo is too expensive, and also scarce. And now the poor 6.5 Grendel loader is fighting the 6mm ARC loader for brass.

 

[Brian Pfleuger]

Factory ammo is too expensive, and also scarce. And now the poor 6.5 Grendel loader is fighting the 6mm ARC loader for brass.

The ammo really isn't hard to come by right now. Both Sportsman's Warehouse and Midway have it in stock at $32.99 for 20.

If you do some figuring, that's $82.47 for 50 rounds. Brass is "coming soon", pegged at $47.99/50. Hornady .308 brass (for comparison) will run you $42/50 from a reputable source (Powder Valley), so you're paying about $40 for 80 primers, bullets and about 1/4 pound of powder.

Those bullets (108gr ELD) are $48/50.

In other words, the brass and bullets alone would cost *at least* $90 for 50 rounds (and that's if you paid 308 brass prices). Add in the primers and powder and you're paying pretty much $100/80 rounds to load your own.

The ammo is *cheap* by comparison.

 

[Unclenick]

It is about half that for the subsequent reloadings of the same brass, but for that first loading, unless you don't like the commercial ammo, it makes better economic sense to get your brass from buying and firing the commercial loads.