Will the Army choosing the 6.8 make it as popular as the 5.56 and perhaps even eclipse it?

[Aim1]

It appears that the Army is poised to choose the 6.8mm as a replacement for the long serviced 5.56. The military choosing the 5.56 sent it into history and made it extremely popular, available, and cost efficient.

The 6.8mm is supposed to be able to pierce most available body armor (not plates), have longer supersonic velocity, more stability, flatter trajectory, and softer recoil than the 5.56 it would be replacing. What’s not to like about all of those features if they are in fact true.

The 5.56’s popularity is due much to the fact that it is an extremely versatile round, light recoil, very accurate, small overall size so capacity can be large, good for hunting of varmints and small game up to deer, available, and cost efficient. Then 6.8 could be even better for hunting, being able to take down bigger game in a still small package with less recoil while being used in the AR15 package and also be used now for self-defense, plinking, and competition like the 5.56.



https://www.foxnews.com/tech/new-army-bullets-bigger-bolder-and-harder-hitting.amp

Army sets sights on bigger, bolder, harder hitting bullets

By Allison Barrie | Fox News
Published November 01, 2018

The Army has been working on a new bullet that is bigger, bolder and harder hitting that will help make U.S. soldiers even more unstoppable.

When you combine this new generation of bullet with the new generation of weapons for soldiers – then they will be able to shoot farther – with accuracy – than any known military rifle on earth.

If all of these stated benefits of the 6.8 over the 5.56 are true and the price on this round came down due to availability and common use and availability become the norm for it, would the 6.8 become as popular as the 5.56, maybe even more popular?

 

[ATLDave]

We have been reading stories about this "imminent" change for the last 15 years at least.

 

[Dunross]

longer supersonic velocity, more stability, flatter trajectory, and softer recoil

Sounds like a contradiction to me.

 

[lightman]

I expect it will, if they do adopt another cartridge. Other small arms cartridges have always gained popularity once adopted by the military.

 

[Robert]

Yes! No. Maybe?

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Am I mistaken?
I thought the 6.8 wasn’t an outright replacement but a replacement for a specific role.
The 5.55 was still going to be the caliber for most infantry

As for the question

No it won’t
At least in the short term as there are so many ARs in 223/556

 

[Fiv3r]

It would take a long time to knock the 5.56 off its perch. Nearly a half century of service and millions and millions of guns that chamber it. I'm not sure what the 6.8 will do that 5.56 doesn't do for most AR owners. Most civilian AR owners, such as myself, don't hunt with them. Most don't need to defeat body armor. Most just put holes in paper. For home defense, 30 rounds of soft points is going to shred anything that needs to be shredded. I don't see 6.8 doing that any better.

Now if they would have lifted the suppressor ban I could see a real use for .300 blk. Soft shooting, hard hitting, and sub-sonic.

As it stands, I think we should be more worried about the gun platform being available than the ammunition, but that is a different discussion for a different place.

 

[Mike OTDP]

If the Army were to switch calibers, it would propel the new round to the front of the list. But it's a great, big "If". The Army has had a very long history of looking at new rifles and calibers...and sticking to 5.56x45 fired from an AR-pattern rifle or carbine.

 

[ATLDave]

The Army has had a very long history of looking at new rifles and calibers...and sticking to 5.56x45 fired from an AR-pattern rifle or carbine.

Yep. Of course they're looking. They're always looking. They should be. They have to be. But this isn't a used car lot. Just because they are looking doesn't mean they're about to buy today. Free undercoating or not.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Seems to come up pretty often with no actual change....................

 

[Aim1]

It would take a long time to knock the 5.56 off its perch. Nearly a half century of service and millions and millions of guns that chamber it. I'm not sure what the 6.8 will do that 5.56 doesn't do for most AR owners. Most civilian AR owners, such as myself, don't hunt with them. Most don't need to defeat body armor. Most just put holes in paper. For home defense, 30 rounds of soft points is going to shred anything that needs to be shredded. I don't see 6.8 doing that any better.

Now if they would have lifted the suppressor ban I could see a real use for .300 blk. Soft shooting, hard hitting, and sub-sonic.

As it stands, I think we should be more worried about the gun platform being available than the ammunition, but that is a different discussion for a different place.

If they did switch to 6.8 already having the AR platform available and in common use by millions of people that many people are familiar with and love would be very helpful in getting the 6.8 to be popular, a leg up that the 5.56 didn't initially have.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

If it uses the same mags, maybe.

if not, it will be a 7.62x39 vs 5.45x39 kinda thing.

 

[ontarget]

I'm not rushing out to buy a new upper for my ARs. It would probably take decades for a new military cartridge to catch up with 5.56 let alone eclipse it in popularity. Too many millions of 5.56/223 ARs out there.

 

[Olon]

I hope it does... supposed to be way better for hunting

 

[Ohen Cepel]

They have done this every 3-5yrs. I'm not going to run out and buy another cartridge. I can also see it ending when no allies want to go with it, they realize you can't carry as much of it, and it will be heavier.

For civies it will cost more simply due to a heavier bullet and more powder.

In the end I don't see the 5.56 getting beat out in my lifetime.

 

[0ne3]

Follow the river, Follow your compass, Follow the military, Follow that ever you want. So many cal. People have been hunting and getting game for years with old tried and true cal . Seems as though some one is always trying to reinvent the wheel. Guess that is how the gun companys and the ammo companys stay in busness. Just like the tool companys.

 

[Shawn Dodson]

If Army Chief of Staff General Milley's claims are true then it is not the existing 6.8 SPC.

"It will fire at speeds that far exceed the velocity of bullets today, and it will penetrate any existing or known ... body armor that's out there," Gen. Mark Milley told Military.com at the 2018 Association of the United States Army's Annual Meeting and Exposition.

6.8 SPC does not and cannot deliver this kind of velocity performance.

 

[joed]

For use in Vietnam the 5.56 was superb, but they weren't long range use. Desert warfare brought out the short comings of the 5.56. If the military adopts the 6.8 it will become very popular and eventually surpass the 5.56. But it will take a long time to do it. You can't beat the 5.56 for cheap ammo.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Regardless of what the military does I can guarantee you capitalism will keep the 5.56 alive, with all of the guns out there that use it.

Theres not an ammo manufacturer in the world that going to slow production of the 5.56.

 

[Aim1]

Regardless of what the military does I can guarantee you capitalism will keep the 5.56 alive, with all of the guns out there that use it.

Theres not an ammo manufacturer in the world that going to slow production of the 5.56.

Definitely no doubt that the 5.56 will remain as popular as ever. Just wondering if the 6.8 will take off in popularity like the 5.56 did.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Definitely no doubt that the 5.56 will remain as popular as ever. Just wondering if the 6.8 will take off in popularity like the 5.56 did.

My guess is no.


I think a good analogy is the 6.5C. Sure it's gained popularity but the .308 is alive and well.

I don't know if there is any database out there that manages ammo sales but I would bet the farm .308 still outsells 6.5C.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Interesting
No one commented on my comment that it’s my understand8ng that this is only for snipers and SAM.

So it would be a special use caliber.

So again, am I missing something, or folks just spun up on OPs question and not looking at the whole picture?

 

[Old Dog]

I don't need to comment as I agree with you ...

And no, and yes ...

[fluffs pillow, rolls over, goes back to sleep]

 

[Hokie_PhD]

I don't need to comment as I agree with you ...

And no, and yes ...

[fluffs pillow, rolls over, goes back to sleep]

Woof!

 

[greg_r]

Will the round become popular if the military adopts it? History says yes.

But I do not believe this is the 6.8 SPC that many think it is. It’s a different cartridge. And it not the M4 with a new upper. It’s a new rifle midway in size between the AR15 and AR10. At least from what I have been able to read on it.