Well now I done it. I was looking around the 'net for Contender stuff and stumbled on Mid South discounting a 6.8 Rem rifle bbl (23"). I quickly looked up the Rem ballistics, it seems to be pretty darn close to a 250 Savage as far as energy...

I was looking for a low recoil rifle bbl to set up for my daughter and deer hunting (she's 10). I think this will do nicely. I'm thinking she won't be shooting past 200 yards anyway. She didn't get an elk tag this year, so I don't need anything heavier for her for at least another year.

Any of you guys playing with the 6.8 caliber yet? What do you think of it? Any accuracy reports? Our deer in AZ are almost laughably small in size, so I think it'll have plenty of energy for a 100 pound deer to 200 or so yards.

I know it's not a "JDJ" round, but it sure was cheap!

Just wondering what I got myself into....

Don't believe the quoted ballistics. Do some research on the AR15 forum and you'll see that this round has a very hard time actually achieving the kind of velocity that is advertized.

I have a Ruger 77MKII Allweather that was rebarreled using a takeoff Remington M700 270Win. Mountain barrel. It is 20" finished and makes 2600fps with Hornady factory 110gr V-max loads. They shoot right through whitetail deer and leave a nice 1/2" exit hole.

I think the V-max was designed for up to 3500fps so at the lower start speed they act more like a conventional, non-bonded big game bullet.

It makes a great truck gun.

I've got a Rem 700 LTR with a 22" barrel and can get 2,700 fps with the 110 gr. V-max. Not bad for such a small case.
Few cartridges live up to advertised ballistics...

My barrel showed up today from Midsouth. It fits my early Contender frame with no problems, opens and closes easily, cocks and fires. I've heard some of the new barrels don't always fit right on the old Contenders. I guess I got lucky. I still need brass and dies, looks like I'll be ordering the Redding's, since RCBS doesn't list them yet.

Oh, yeah, I still need scope mounts, rings, and scope for it. Then of course I still need a 22 lr barrel for it (which is what I was looking for when I saw this barrel in the first place).

Man, it never seems to end.....

My dies, brass and some Barnes bullets should arrive from Midway on Friday. Oh, and I stand corrected, RCBS DOES make the dies. They were available on Midway, but they didn't show up on the RCBS website (or I didn't see them?).

I also ordered a .22 lr "match" rifle barrel.

Seems like Ruger is going to sell a Mini-6.8

I wonder if it'll shoot any straighter than their other Mini's? Might do the caliber more harm than good if it doesn't.

I believe Barnes makes a 110 grain tsx specificaly for this little cartridge. It should be a great small shooter outfit for up to deer sized game.

Your right,

I have a box of the Barnes bullets coming in the same shipment with the dies and brass. I hope it'll end up being my daughter's deer rifle when all is settled in and the load development is done.

quote:

Originally posted by f224:
I have a Ruger 77MKII Allweather that was rebarreled using a takeoff Remington M700 270Win. Mountain barrel. It is 20" finished and makes 2600fps with Hornady factory 110gr V-max loads. They shoot right through whitetail deer and leave a nice 1/2" exit hole.

I think the V-max was designed for up to 3500fps so at the lower start speed they act more like a conventional, non-bonded big game bullet.

It makes a great truck gun.

This is probably a good subject for a discussion on its own. I agree with you on using lighter constructed bullets in slower velocity cartridges or lighter skinned animals. I think a lot of deer that are hit & lost, are lost due to too much penetration. I'm a big fan of tough bullets, but some can be too tough for the application. Penetration is (or can be termed) the opposite of expansion. What good is 3000 ft lbs of energy if 2500 of it is expended in a tree 50 yds behind that whitetail you just shot through the ribs? .

Greg:

I think your right on, I have shot through several deer with 308Win 165gr Trophy Bonded bullets and had them run off. But with Sierra 165gr Boattails, they drop in their tracks.

I am very happy with the performance of my 110Gr V-max bullets in the 6.8, but refuse to use them or Ballistic Tips after having had several Bal-tip 100gr 25/06 bullets fail to penetrate on Pronghorn antelope. The difference, about 800fps of starting velocity.

Everything showed up yesterday. The brass looks ok for Rem brass, them bullets sure look small, dies and shell holder are here. Now to select a powder and pick up my 06 from the gunsmith to take the scope off. I still need scope mount for the TC, then I can start development. Hodgdon has several powders listed on their website. Anybody got a good load worked up for the 6.8 and the Barnes 110? Heck, I haven't even looked to see if it takes small rifle or large rifle primers.