6.8mm Remington SPC

6.8×43mm Remington SPC
6.8 SPC (left), 5.56×45mm NATO (right)
Place of origin	United States
Production history
Designer	Remington Arms, USSOCOM
Designed	2002–2004
Specifications
Parent case	.30 Remington
Case type	Rimless, bottlenecked
Bullet diameter	0.277 in (7.0 mm)
Land diameter	0.270 in (6.9 mm)
Neck diameter	0.306 in (7.8 mm)
Shoulder diameter	0.402 in (10.2 mm)
Base diameter	0.422 in (10.7 mm)
Rim diameter	0.422 in (10.7 mm)
Rim thickness	0.049 in (1.2 mm)
Case length	1.687 in (42.8 mm)
Overall length	2.260 in (57.4 mm)
Case capacity	34.8–36.9 gr H2O (2.26–2.39 cm3)
Maximum pressure (C.I.P)	58,700 psi (405 MPa)
Maximum pressure (SAAMI)	55,000 psi (380 MPa)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy 7.45 g (115 gr) Full Metal Jacket 2,575 ft/s (785 m/s) 1,694 ft⋅lbf (2,297 J) 7.78 g (120 gr) SST 2,460 ft/s (750 m/s) 1,612 ft⋅lbf (2,186 J) 7.1 g (110 gr) Sierra Pro Hunter 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s) 1,525 ft⋅lbf (2,068 J) 5.5 g (85 gr) Barnes TSX with "tactical" factory SSA load 3,070 ft/s (940 m/s) 1,780 ft⋅lbf (2,410 J)
Test barrel length: 410 millimetres (16 in) Source(s):

The 6.8mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge (6.8 SPC, 6.8 SPC II or 6.8×43mm) is a rimless bottlenecked intermediate rifle cartridge that was developed by Remington Arms in collaboration with members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit and United States Special Operations Command to possibly replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge in Short Barreled Rifles (SBR) and Carbines. Based on the .30 Remington cartridge, it is midway between the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO in bore diameter. It uses the same diameter bullet (usually not the same weight) as the .270 Winchester hunting cartridge.

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. 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, 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.

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.

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.

The 6.8mm Remington SPC was designed to perform better in short-barreled CQB rifles after diminished performance from the 5.56 NATO when the M16A2 was changed from the rifle configuration to the current M4 carbine. The 6.8 SPC delivers 44% more energy than the 5.56mm NATO (M4 configuration) at 100–300 metres (330–980 ft). The 6.8mm SPC is not the ballistic equal of the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge, but it has less recoil, has been said to be more controllable in rapid fire, and is lighter, allowing operators to carry more ammunition than would otherwise be possible with the larger caliber round. The 6.8 mm generates around 2,385 J (1,759 ft⋅lbf) of muzzle energy with a 7.5-gram (115 gr) bullet. In comparison, the 5.56×45mm round (which the 6.8 is designed to replace) generates around 1,796 J (1,325 ft⋅lbf) with a 4.0 g (62 gr) bullet, giving the 6.8 mm a terminal ballistic advantage over the 5.56 mm of 588 J (434 ft⋅lbf). One of the enigmatic features of this cartridge is its being designed for a short barrel carbine length rifle than the standard rifle length is (usually 41 cm (16 in)). The round only gains about 7.6–10.7 m/s (25–35 ft/s) for every 25 mm of barrel length past the standard 410-millimetre (16 in) barrel (all else being equal) up to barrel's length around 560–610 mm (22–24 in) with no gain or loss in accuracy. It also does well in rifles with less than 410 mm (16 in) barrels. In recent developments (the period 2008–2012) the performance of the 6.8 SPC has been increased by approximately 61 to 91 m/s (200 to 300 ft/s) by the work of ammunition manufacturer Silver State Armory LLC (SSA) and a few custom rifle builders using and designing the correct chamber and barrel specifications. The 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge weighs, depending on the manufacturer and load, between 16.8 and 17.6 grams (259 and 272 gr). Also, more recently, LWRC, Magpul and Alliant Techsystems (ATK) introduced a new AR-15 designed for the 6.8 SPC which allows for a proprietary 6.8 Magpul P-mags and an overall cartridge length of 5.9 centimetres (2.32 in). The personal defense weapon (PDW) known as the "Six8" is SPC II w 1:250 millimetres (10 in) twist and is able to use all current 6.8 SPC factory ammunition.

Muzzle velocity from a 610-millimetre (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-millimetre (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-millimetre (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
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
7.1-gram (110 gr) BTHP OTM & Barnes TSX	790 m/s (2,600 ft/s) – Wilson "combat" factory load
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 metres (200 yd) drop	180 metres (200 yd) velocity	370 metres (400 yd) drop	370 metres (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 metres (100 yd) zero.

ATK Gold Dot

When the LWRC Six8 was being developed, Alliant Techsystems was contracted to develop a new 6.8×43 mm round for the weapon. Unlike smaller commercial firms, ATK is a large ammunition supplier that delivers products for the U.S. Army, so it has large resources and manufacturing capabilities at its disposal. Commercial cartridges varied in case capacity and thickness, but LWRC wanted a thick and durable case for military uses. A 90 gr (5.8 g) load was developed specifically for a high muzzle velocity and low felt recoil from the Six8's 8.5 in (220 mm) barrel. Effective range is over 300 yd (274 m) and the bullet still has enough energy to penetrate intermediate barriers. Three 90 gr loads were constructed for testing that included Gold Dot, Monolithic Hollow Point, and FMJ. The Gold Dot bullet was selected with a .035 in (0.89 mm) jacket and a bonded core. The propellant was designed for reduced muzzle flash stable performance at temperatures between -29.2 to 125.6 degrees F. Muzzle velocity averaged at a 200 ft/s (61 m/s) difference at the required temperature extremes from the 8.5 in barrel. From a 24 in (610 mm) barrel, the round produced a group of 1.56 in (40 mm) at 200 yd (183 m).

Barrel length	Muzzle velocity	Muzzle energy
220 mm (8.5 in)	750 m/s (2,450 ft/s)	1,626 J (1,199 ft⋅lb)
410 mm (16 in)	880 m/s (2,900 ft/s)	2,280 J (1,680 ft⋅lb)
610 mm (24 in)	930 m/s (3,050 ft/s)	2,519 J (1,858 ft⋅lb)

Applications

Military and law enforcement adoption

By late 2004 the 6.8×43mm SPC was said to be performing well in the field against enemy combatants in special operations. However the cartridge was not used by conventional US military personnel. It was not adopted for widespread use due to resistance from officials. The 6.8 SPC was designed for better terminal effectiveness at the shorter ranges of urban combat experienced in Iraq. When fighting in Afghanistan began to intensify, engagements began taking place at greater distances, where the 6.8 SPC begins to falter. Experiments suggested that the comparatively short 6.8 mm bullets became ineffective at longer ranges. In 2007, both the U.S. SOCOM and the U.S. Marine Corps decided not to field weapons chambered in 6.8 mm due to logistical and cost issues.

While there are many rumors of evaluations of the cartridge by several major federal and local law enforcement agencies, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has allowed individual agents to purchase the M6A2 D-DEA – which uses the 6.8mm Remington SPC – as an authorized alternative to their duty weapon. In 2010 the Jordanian state-owned arms manufacturer KADDB announced that they would be producing 6.8 mm rifles and carbines for the Jordanian Army. There is also a contract between LWRC, Magpul, Alliant Techsystems and the Saudi Royal Guard for around 36,000 Six8 PDWs and an undisclosed amount of ATK/Federal XD68GD (90gr Gold Dot "training" ammo) and proprietary Magpul 6.8 Pmags specifically for the LWRC Six8.

On April 20, 2022, the Department of Army awarded a 10-year contract for a new Rifle, to be chambered in 6.8mm NATO.

https://www.defenseone.com/business/2022/04/soldiers-will-have-wait-until-next-year-new-rifle-ammo/365906/

Current chamberings

There are several different chambers for the 6.8 SPC which yield different results. They are:

• Original Murray 6.8×43 ERC developed in 2002
• The Remington SAAMI submitted specifications. It was supposed to have a 1.3 mm (0.050 in) freebore, 45° cone angle, 7.1 mm (0.278 in) ⌀ freebore. The reamers and PTG prints had an 80° neck to freebore cone angle, which was a result of a mistake in the reamer drawing submitted, and was never corrected by the reamer maker or Remington during the process of tooling up for the testing protocols that eventually drove the SAAMI submission.
• SPC II is the current standard chamber used by most barrel manufactures. It has been said to be very close to the original Enhanced Rifle Cartridge Program chamber. It has a 2.5 mm (0.100 in) freebore, 45° cone angle, 7.1 mm (0.278 in) ⌀ freebore, and 7.84 mm (0.3085 in) neck.
• Murray DMR chamber, which was meant to address improved accuracy expectations for the ERC Special Purpose Rifle Program in SOCOM.
• 6.8 ARP created by AR Performance. It has a 2.4 mm (0.095 in) freebore, 45° cone angle, and a 7.05 mm (0.2775 in) ⌀ freebore, and 7.84 to 7.85 mm (0.3085 to 0.309 in) neck.
• Noveske Mod 1 designed by Noveske Rifleworks. It has been said to have a 2.5 mm (0.100 in) freebore.
• Bison Armory 6.8 Bison, introduced December 2017, which decreases the freebore of the 6.8 SPC II chamber to1.8 mm (0.072 in).

Semiautomatic action

The first major manufacturer to offer a 6.8mm Remington SPC-chambered version of the AR-15 was Barrett Firearms Company, offering the Barrett M468 and later the REC7. By 2007, most major manufacturers of AR-15-type rifles for the civilian gun market were offering rifles in this caliber. Dedicated AR upper receiver assemblies chambered for the round are produced by a number of smaller firms, including Daniel Defense. Ruger Firearms no longer produces a 6.8 mm for their Ruger SR-556 piston-driven AR-15 variant. The Stag Arms hunter and tactical models utilize the newer chamber (SPC II) and specified twist rates to accommodate higher pressure loadings, as well as upper receivers in left-handed configurations. Rock River Arms has an LAR-6.8 X Series rifle and uppers. Microtech Small Arms Research offers their version of the Steyr AUG in 6.8. Robinson Armament Co. offers the XCR-L in 6.8, which can be easily converted between 6.8, 5.56, and 7.62×39. Bushmaster delivered a 6.8 SPC II conversion kit to the market as of October 2018. Ruger Firearms chambered their Mini-14 ranch rifle in this round for several years; however, it has been discontinued.

In late 2021 Valinor Arms have announced they are working on a 6.8 SPC II semi-automatic rifle platform and a light machine gun caliber based off a modular rifle system.

See also

• .224 Valkyrie – 6.8 SPC derivative cartridge
• 6 mm caliber and 7 mm caliber — other cartridges of similar size
• 6mm SAW — similar cartridge developed to approximate both 7.62×51mm and 5.56×45mm cartridges
• .280 British — similar cartridge developed during the 1940s in the UK
• .276 Pedersen — similar cartridge developed in 1923 in the US
• .277 Wolverine — 6.8mm AR-15 wildcat based on 5.56×45mm case
• List of AR platform cartridges
• List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces

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