6.8 western round ?

[chuckhunter3]

Yes, if a fast-twist 270 floats your boat and you can find the brass/ammo that you need for the foreseeable future, then go for it. And if you prefer to go with a factory option for a fast twist 270, there are not any other options readily available right now. But there are plenty of 264, 277 and 284 options that will kill deer near and far.

I have a Browning Max LR in 6.8 Western. It is probably the most accurate hunting rifle that I have owned. It shoots Browning 175 gr. factory loads in 1/2" for 5 shots. My reloads with the same bullet and H4831sc also shoot into 1/2". I have shot one deer with it and it worked well.

 

[nksmfamjp]

It is basically a fast twist 270 Win or 270 WSM. id rather have either of those, unless I didn't reload. Then the 6.8 Western makes sense.

 

[Bravo 4]

Listening to a podcast the other day that had a rep that said they were pushing the 6.8 Western pretty hard (and my take was could be potentially neglecting other chamberings). I got the impression they were trying to make ammo available as an incentive for guys to buy rifles in that chambering.
Makes sense from a marketing standpoint. I have guys asking me all the time what hunting rifle they should buy and I ask what they currently have. Then if it meets their hunting needs tell them to take that money for the rifle/scope/mounts and use it to buy whatever ammo they can for what they already have. Why buy another rifle you can't feed or afford to feed?

 

[FlyGuy11]

The 6.8 Western is an updated 270 WSM which was crippled due to legal litigation and I personally like the 6.5 PRC if you want the power with less recoil. Check this out:

 

[Jerry M]

6.8 Western is to the 270 Winchester short magnum, what the 6.5 creedmore is to the .260 Remington. Designed shorter to feed heavy factory bullets and with tighter twist barrels from the manufacturer.

 

[Alibiiv]

In my opinion the 6.8 Western is a new, designer cartridge with a new twist and nothing more<<--no pun here!!! This one is "new" and it is getting promoted, and no one knows if this cartridge is going to take off or not?? I would go with the .270 WSM over the 6.5 Western just due to the fact that the .270 WSM has been around for 20 years, components will be easier to get/find than the 6.8 Western and in all likelihood cost less than a new, designer cartridge. And....yes the .270 WSM can be used to "make" 6.8 Western cases if one wants to. If you need to shoot heavies to ranges out to 500-700 yards then by all means try the 6.8 Western, however for my shooting abilities and needs and for my money I would be looking at the .270 WSM for an off the shelve rifle. And.....if you really want a long-range rifle, build a .270 WSM and put a 1:7 or 1:8 twist barrel on it and then you will have the best of both worlds due to the increased powder capacity of the .270 WSM over the 6.8 Western.

 

[Fedwell]

In my opinion the 6.8 Western is a new, designer cartridge with a new twist and nothing more<<--no pun here!!! This one is "new" and it is getting promoted, and no one knows if this cartridge is going to take off or not?? I would go with the .270 WSM over the 6.5 Western just due to the fact that the .270 WSM has been around for 20 years, components will be easier to get/find than the 6.8 Western and in all likelihood cost less than a new, designer cartridge. And....yes the .270 WSM can be used to "make" 6.8 Western cases if one wants to. If you need to shoot heavies to ranges out to 500-700 yards then by all means try the 6.8 Western, however for my shooting abilities and needs and for my money I would be looking at the .270 WSM for an off the shelve rifle. And.....if you really want a long-range rifle, build a .270 WSM and put a 1:7 or 1:8 twist barrel on it and then you will have the best of both worlds due to the increased powder capacity of the .270 WSM over the 6.8 Western.

Exactly what i did. Douglas 26" 1:8 . Havent had it long enough to Develop the perfect load yet, am Trying Hammers and RL-23

 

[Jerry M]

With that logic people should be building 6.5 Remington Magnums over choosing the designer 6.5 PRC...

Marketing is a serious part of pushing a new cartridge.

 

[mbse20]

With that logic people should be building 6.5 Remington Magnums over choosing the designer 6.5 PRC...

Marketing is a serious part of pushing a new cartridge.

No doubt. They are not looking at the clients best interests. Just inspiring to be used car salesman. If the sheeple creedmoor it.. then but if it goes the ways of the short or compact mags consumers have rifles they can't get ammo for

 

[Sid Post]

A lot of things talked about are not practical for most hunters or recreation shooters since they will never notice the differences in a meaningful way. Sure, muzzle blast, recoil, bar stool brags but, the game they shoot, if any, or ranges they use them at, could be humanely taken with any number of legacy mainstream cartridges.

Is a 270 Win a good choice for Elk? Not one I would go to the store and buy one, however, if I was given one it would work pretty darn well at the ranges I would shoot.

A 7mm Remington Magnum will be a whole lot easier to source than a 7SAUM but, does that really matter to a hunter that only shoots ~40 rounds a year? The same goes if I can't shoot some new-fangled mono-metal super long hybrid and have to resort to using "classic" bullets.

Do I care if I use a 376 Steyr or 375H&H or 9.3x62 or 358 Norma Magnum on something in North America over one of these new cartridges on heavy game?

 

[Jerry M]

A lot of things talked about are not practical for most hunters or recreation shooters since they will never notice the differences in a meaningful way. Sure, muzzle blast, recoil, bar stool brags but, the game they shoot, if any, or ranges they use them at, could be humanely taken with any number of legacy mainstream cartridges.

Is a 270 Win a good choice for Elk? Not one I would go to the store and buy one, however, if I was given one it would work pretty darn well at the ranges I would shoot.

A 7mm Remington Magnum will be a whole lot easier to source than a 7SAUM but, does that really matter to a hunter that only shoots ~40 rounds a year? The same goes if I can't shoot some new-fangled mono-metal super long hybrid and have to resort to using "classic" bullets.

Do I care if I use a 376 Steyr or 375H&H or 9.3x62 or 358 Norma Magnum on something in North America over one of these new cartridges on heavy game?

6.8 West was developed for the long range shooting crowd. Yes a .270 Winchester works as it allows has. Again if you're shooting deer with a .358 Norma good for you, but it was never designed as a long range round. Still going to get the job done with a fatal hit. But it is certainly more difficult to shoot at long range than the 6.8 Western.

Good Luck

 

[Sid Post]

6.8 West was developed for the long range shooting crowd. Yes a .270 Winchester works as it allows has. Again if you're shooting deer with a .358 Norma good for you, but it was never designed as a long range round. Still going to get the job done with a fatal hit. But it is certainly more difficult to shoot at long range than the 6.8 Western.

Good Luck

None of those are what I would consider long range rounds. Sure, buffalo hunters could shoot black powder 45-70 and larger calibers significant distances but, that isn't practical or likely for most people these days.

At 200 or 300 yards, those are probably reasonable for most people that can handle the recoil. In the hands of someone truly skilled and well versed in the round, they could be "lobbed in" for good effect on medium and large game at significantly greater distances.

For deer and goats, I tend to think 257 Weatherby/25-06 or one of the small 7mm magnums/280 Remington but, something like a 6.5-06 is probably a real sweet spot for most "normal" hunting situations for medium-sized game in the lower 48 states. YMMV