6.8 Western, Winchester

[MountainWalk]

  I'm not really current with all the new offerings out there nowadays.   Today I was messing around and came across the 6.8. Upon more research, the more I liked. Thoughts?

[Chesapeake]

What is it you like about it?

It’s just a 270 SAUM or 270PRC, or 270WSM for the most part. Where it has improvement is the slightly shorter case allowing bullets to be seated out, and the rifles should come throated for the long bullets and the barrel twisted for those bullets.

The big negatives currently are lack of availability of ammo, brass, and bullets.

Bullets being a big issue as there are only a few that are suitable. They were made for the 270 Nosler. Those current offerings are quite soft bullets.

.277 diameter is a bit of a sweet spot. You get the long high BC bullets in the 150 to 170 grain weight. This is a good weight for manageable recoil and killing power. Always been hamstrung by the 1:10 twist barrels though.

The thing is 7mm does it all equally as well, but is much more supported in the bullet and brass realm. 7mm SAUM, 7mmWSM, 7mm REM MAG, 280, 280AI, all will do everything the 270 Western will do.

Not being a fan of Winchester or Browning, there isn’t anything about the current rifle offerings that would interest me.

[emac]

Well I went to look for some ammo the other day and the only ammo they had in stock was this.  Wished I had owned the gun at that point

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[MountainWalk]

 big negatives currently are lack of availability of ammo, brass, and bullets.
     


    Isn't that everything nowadays?

[Chesapeake]

I wasn’t framing it in the current COVID market.

Even without covid none of the good brass manufacturers support it. None of the good bullet manufacturers support .277 bullets. There has never been a need due to 1:10 factory twist rates.

Might be 5 years or never that folks get on board with heavy for caliber .277 bullets. Same for brass. If it never catches on as a competition round, it may never see premium market support. Little chance of competition happening, it doesn’t offer anything new there.

[MountainWalk]

You do know it is brand new,  right?

   I got ya. Different strokes. 
 I've owned 7 rum and 7saum, liked them ok, the sauna better than the big one. 
 I do like 270's, and I  do like modest amounts of blast for such a high return, and I do like Winchester m70's.
 Maybe you dont. 
 I think it would be a fantastic chambering to have up here in Alaska.  Especially as a wolf rifle. My wolf hunting is split between using an AR, which is nice when you've called a pack down onto the beach at low tide, but seriously lacks punch, or my 35 whelen, which crushes even the biggest wolf with authority,  but is slow to shoot multiple wolves with prone.
And for our tiny deer. And for our masher bears. Alaska is great!

[northwesthunter84]

they had ammo for this at Sportsman's last week.

[zwickeyman]

they had ammo for this at Sportsman's last week.

 

They had more 6.8 on the shelf than all others combined

Its a great cartridge but like said. Already some good .277 out there

[hunter399]

they had ammo for this at Sportsman's last week.

 

They had more 6.8 on the shelf than all others combined

Its a great cartridge but like said. Already some good .277 out there

Seen it a few weeks ago.
They seem to be able to make ammo for Western.
But 308,30-06,270,243,7mm mag ,and other common caliber can't find jack.
I'm sure demand is low for Western since not Alot of people own it yet. Heck I don't know.
I'm sticking with 7mm mag though,don't see any reason to change to a "western" ...

[Chesapeake]

Yep, aware that it’s new.
You recall you asked for our thoughts, right?


For wolves 6mm or 6.5mm would be much better. Maybe a 6.5 grendel or 6mm grendel  in an AR if ranges aren’t too long. Maybe step up to 6 or 6.5 creed if wanting for wolf and blacktail or longer ranges. 270 western will have too much recoil for spotting impacts and quick follow up shots in a sub 10# rifle.

[MountainWalk]

 Well, I guess I'll just have to be disagreeing with you, mister.

      Idk about your wolf killing experience,  but 243-6mm is too light. Especially for fleeing wolves. A wolf is a stout critter.

  After years of shooting 338 win mags and 35 whelen,  you'd be surprised how fast this old boy can shoot 30 cal and smaller. Just because you couldn't get back on, doesn't mean I cant. Speak for yourself.

   Ive loaded woodliegh bullets. I consider them a "good" bullet company.  They offer 180 grain for 270.
  Gunbroker has two pages of nothing but 6.8 ammo. There goes your availability argument.
    I appreciate your wanting to educate us dummies, and dazzle us with your knowledge.
   There's is nothing new under the sun,  and the majority of sporting cartridges are varying degrees of redundancy.  You obviously like the creedmore. It too, at one point was new. I'm sure someone compared it to a 260 rem, or a 25'06. That's just the way it is,  mister.

[Bill W]

Moses Lake SW has ammo for it.  I was asked what I thought about it.  "Just another revised caliber to generate more gun/ammo sales.  What does it do that a .270 Win doesn't?"

[Stein]

Everybody wants a 6x cartridge and to capitalize on the growing numbers of long range shooters that go through the ammo.

With the long range community, the new entrants will get weeded out quickly and if you are a hunter I would be extremely wary of buying a rifle chambered in something that isn't already established or isn't getting quickly adopted by long range communities.  In addition to bullets, brass, rifles and magazines, you need to consider dies including the specialized ones and other tools for measuring and reloading.  After that, reloading data itself needs to be prevalent and tested long before I pull the trigger.

With the 6.5's available and adopted, I'm not sure what niche this fits.

[MountainWalk]

By that line of thinking,  we would have called 'er  good with the 30'06.....and quit.

[bustedoldman]

I see ammo for it everywhere, only 1 or 2 rifles tho. If it interests you go for it! The guns/ammo world is similar to any other production where they are always coming out with the next latest and greatest......Some people don't like change, some people enjoy it.