#6.8x43

Each day a different image from the World of firearms. We call this POTD, short for Photo Of The Day, and it is our daily article series where we go to great lengths trying to find the most interesting pictures for you out there. Today the image itself is very basic, but it shows another gem from the Heckler and Koch Gray Room: The Heckler & Koch HK416D in 6.8mmx43.

If we can make a round that is significantly better than the existing 5.56mm or 7.62mm ammunition, shouldn’t the military just bite the bullet and switch, to the benefit of the servicemen and women in harm’s way? What’s stopping the powers that be from making the incremental improvements that everyone knows are possible?

With the recent push for small arms ammunition with increased range, power and capability, are military customers in danger of being taken for a ride by industry marketeers working to sell rifles in new calibers? Is the primary driving force behind new infantry calibers not in fact a need to be addressed, but a desire to sell weapons in a stagnant small arms market?

I’ve written quite a lot about the ballistics one of the first Western competitors to 5.56mm in the new millenium previously, and you can read that by following the link here. The 6.8x43mm Remington SPC was developed in the early 2000s by MSG Steve Holland and civilian US Army Marksmanship Unit gunsmith Cris Murray as a second iteration for the Mk. 12 SPR precision upper receiver for the AR-15. The 6.8 SPC was never adopted by a Western fighting force, but it subsequently became a popular civilian hunting cartridge, and it still features prominently in discussions about next generation military calibers, so let’s take a look at the ballistics of two popular 6.8 SPC loads:

This post was written as a companion to an upcoming Gun Guy Radio podcast, hosted by Ryan Michad. The discussion below will be expanded upon in the show when it’s released later this month, but for now, read on to learn more about the past, present, and future of infantry weapon calibers!