Considering the 6mm ARC

[Django11]

I’m considering getting the 6mm arc with a 20” barrel in the AR 15 platform. My intended use is for coyotes as well as a deer rifle for distances not much farther than 100 yards. I was considering the 6.5 grendel, but this round seems like it may be a better choice.

Since I have no experience with this round, I’m looking to hear about any experience, knowledge or thoughts of the round. Any cons or shortcomings? Thanks in advance.

 

[Double K]

I've been waiting for uppers to come out in 16" or 18" in a regular profile myself, looks like it might be a great coyote round with 87gr. V-maxes.

 

[ed308]

At the distances you're hunting, I go with the 6.8 SPCII. Very lethal and light weight in a short barrel AR. 16" barrel is all you need. But you could go even shorter. I don't like a 20" barrel for hunting. The 6.5 Grendel is also good at that distance in a short barrel. The 6mm ARC may be a barrel burner too.

 

[Django11]

Just to be clear, varmint and predator hunting will be done at longer distances. Deer hunting will be done at 100 and in. I also have no problem with having a 20” bbl.

 

[stagpanther]

Go for it--you'll probably be fine as long as you pay attention to the ballistics capability of the bullet you choose. I've yet to know Hornady to be involved in the development of a loser cartridge.

 

[bfoosh006]

Compare barrel life between the 6.5 G and the 6MM ARC.. just food for thought.

If you get a 6.5G or ARC, be sure to buy a quality bolt. The thin walls at the lugs ( surrounding the case head rim ) have kind of concerned me.

I don't own either... but my 6.5CM fills that roll... so YMMV

EDIT... I did not realize the 6MM ARC operates at 52K PSI...

That alone makes me far more comfortable.

 

[mxsailor803]

As previously mentioned, I’d probably go with the 6.8spc. The main reason is proven capability. The 6ARC is just a little too new for me to build a gas gun around it. The 6.8spc has been around for awhile now and has proven itself over the years. Now I’m actually a 6mm fan (I hunt/own 4 700’s in .243win). I know the 6mm sized bullets will kill ethically. What I don’t know is the reliability of the ARC in a gas gun. It’s just a little too new for me to be willing to try and experiment with getting the rifle to work reliably.

 

[jetinteriorguy]

Not to be combative here, but just what exactly would be your concerns regarding reliability? It’s just a slightly tweaked 6.5 Grendel which has already proven to be quite reliable. I would think a reasonably quality build with a good adjustable gas block would be all that’s required for reliability. My biggest concern would be how standardized the chamber dimensions are and barrel twist to optimize accuracy, but it sounds like this shouldn’t be an issue since these things have all been tested before Hornady got behind it to manufacture ammo, at least this would be my assumption. Major manufacturers like Hornady don’t take big risks when coming out with a new cartridge so I think I’m making a pretty reasonable assumption. But, time will tell.

 

[ed308]

A lot of new cartridges have had teething problems. 6.8 SPC, 6.5 Grendel and more recently, the .224 Valkyrie. An establish cartridge is the safer choice sometimes. Hopefully the 6mm ARC won't experience similar teething problems. It really shouldn't since it's a slight variation of ARP's 6mm Predator wildcat. But so was .224 Valkyrie. And look what happened with that cartridge.

 

[ballisticxlr]

FYI, the 24 nosler was specifically designed to do what OP wants. It's designed to work on the AR-15 platform with just an upper and a 6.8SPC mag.