6mm ARC: Has Hornady Struck Gold?

[yellowfin]

https://www.hornady.com/6mmARC#!/

This may have all the right pieces in place: SAAMI spec, works w/ 6.5G bolts and mags, abundant appropriate weight bullets like you'd put in a Dasher that make sense for that case size and capacity, industry support they're putting in place. Not anemic velocities unless out of inconvenient barrel lengths, trading BC for velocity, etc. I had been wanting something like this for a long time but didn't want to invest in a one hit wonder or wildcat. If this works like it should then it is what the 6.5G should have been all long.

[sandsunsurf]

I have to say that I was drinking the kool-aid for the whole video....


https://vimeo.com/424873712?ref=em-v-share

[Furbyballer]

None of this matters if they can't figure out the magazine and feeding problems that are systemic with the 6.5 grendel. I agree it looks promising, but I will remain skeptical and put this in the same spot I put 224 valkerie in until it proved to be anemic. I am cautiously optimistic however. Magpul said they are trying to see if its worth it for them to attempt a magazine but there are spatial geometry problems with TDP sized ar15 mag wells and this new cartridge that make it extremely difficult.

[B Cart]

I'm always excited for innovation and seeing the industry push new boundaries, but i'm not really seeing what performance enhancement this offers over the .224 Valkyrie. I guess maybe a slightly higher speed (2,750fps vs 2675 fps at muzzle) with a slightly higher ft-lbs of energy due to the larger bullet (439 vs 564 ft-lbs at 1,000 yards), but enough to warrant an entirely new cartridge?

From a ballistic perspective, the Hornady 88gr ELDm for the .224V has a G1 BC of .545, which is higher than the .536 BC on the 108gr ELDM they are using for the 6mm ARC, and the .224 is already tested, works reliably in the AR platform, and uses standard 6.8 mags.

But i guess a 6mm gas gun would be cool, and maybe this round will be the bees knees. Curious to see how it will perform in the real world.

[yellowfin]

Things I can see it has over the .224: probably better barrel life with the bigger diameter, more useful bullets available in the higher BC range (.224 exist but they're few and new vs. 6mm having done this for decades), probably wider range of powders that will work with it, resize 6.5G or 7.62x39 brass if you want to or need to, and a 6mm bullet is simply better thought of than anything in .224 diameter when zapping deer or hogs.

Quite honestly the .224 should have been 6mm too and the minute it came out I said so. I think Hornady is looking to do with this what they did with the 6.5CM vs. the already existing .260: trim it back a touch and bring a lot of friends along in the industry with them to popularize the hell out of it.

[fledge]

I'm always excited for innovation and seeing the industry push new boundaries, but i'm not really seeing what performance enhancement this offers over the .224 Valkyrie. I guess maybe a slightly higher speed (2,750fps vs 2675 fps at muzzle) with a slightly higher ft-lbs of energy due to the larger bullet (439 vs 564 ft-lbs at 1,000 yards), but enough to warrant an entirely new cartridge?

From a ballistic perspective, the Hornady 88gr ELDm for the .224V has a G1 BC of .545, which is higher than the .536 BC on the 108gr ELDM they are using for the 6mm ARC, and the .224 is already tested, works reliably in the AR platform, and uses standard 6.8 mags.

But i guess a 6mm gas gun would be cool, and maybe this round will be the bees knees. Curious to see how it will perform in the real world.

If this shoots repeatably straight for most customers, it will show 224 Valkyrie the door. The Valkyrie is too hit/miss to be a reliable caliber to recommend.

[dlrflyer]

None of this matters if they can't figure out the magazine and feeding problems that are systemic with the 6.5 grendel. I agree it looks promising, but I will remain skeptical and put this in the same spot I put 224 valkerie in until it proved to be anemic. I am cautiously optimistic however. Magpul said they are trying to see if its worth it for them to attempt a magazine but there are spatial geometry problems with TDP sized ar15 mag wells and this new cartridge that make it extremely difficult.

I’m with you, Grendel mags may be ok hunting or on a one way range, but the current offerings are at best so-so. I was hoping Barrett would offer mags since they were the first gunmaker for this cartridge.

[Tokarev]

I’m with you, Grendel mags may be ok hunting or on a one way range, but the current offerings are at best so-so. I was hoping Barrett would offer mags since they were the first gunmaker for this cartridge.

The Hornady guys say they've really had no problem with mags.

[Youtube]https://youtu.be/jdiFmouGXWc[/YouTube]

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

[dlrflyer]

Did you expect Hornady to say, “well we had some feeding issues, but we are going to provide it to SOF anyway”?? I’m looking at the reviews for the E-lander 24rd mag, widely regarded the best Grendel mag. Take a look at how many talk about binding, etc. When have you used a quality 5.56 mag and had binding??.
https://www.larue.com/products/e-lan...e/#reviews-tab

[pinzgauer]

The Hornady guys say they've really had no problem with mags.

To me grendel mag issues are a myth. Myself, brother, and friends just have too many of them and never had an issue.

Instead I suspect the boltgun accuracy guys trying grendel for paper and building franken guns in search of accuracy. Without knowing much about ARs.

Where my grendels without magic smith pixie dust feed from pmags. Just proper m4 feedramps, etc.