building a ar. looking for suggestions between 6.8, 7.62x39 and 223 im leaning toward 6.8 for defense deer hogs an all around gun for tx. but ar newby so want pros and cons pls. i think 6.8 should give distance over 7.62x39. seems real close to 243

also varmint rifle

My next upper will be a 6.8, I have a 5.56 now

The 7.62/.308 will reach out and touch with one hell of a punch 400-600yds and with the right setup and scope I can honestly see it going out to a 1000yds the only downside I see is weight the AR-10 platform will be a tad bit heavier.

i agree on 308 but already hava ar15 dpms lower and building for wifes hunting rifle and my just love em rifle

Then I would say go with the 6.8 with a 20" barrel

I have been shooting A bushmaster 7.62X39 upper here lately. I am very happy with it. It's pretty accurate with surplus ammo and it has been 100% reliable using the Cproducts 7.62X39 dedicated mags.

Oh yeah, I bought it from budsgunshop.com for $500 delivered. Complete M4 profile upper with one magazine.

The 6.8 is not a big enough advantage to go that route in my opinion. You gain 200 pounds of energy but lose it at 300 yards ish and they almost even out (5.56). In addition ammo is crazy high for 6.8. I would go 5.56 or 7.62x39.

Use 77 SMK in 5.56 and you can kill anything, damage is devastating. Here is my thread on it

http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=10&f=9&t=639143&page=2

Edit: No a .243 smokes a 6.8 at distance, probably similar at closer range. A .243 will get you to 1000 yards loaded correctly, with ease.

My partner just built a custome SBR 6.8 upper with Gemtech sandstorm suppressor for himself, and he regrets doing it now. A heavy 5.56 round will do just as good for most people.

hey thanks that was what i was looking for

DSS, 6.8 ammo is almost as cheap as the others. I can get SSA and Hornady ammo in several different flavors for under $20 a box.

Hunting ammo is about the same, but cheap plinking ammo is non existant for these. I like 6.8, but recommend it as a second AR. Not a first AR, unless you have deep pockets for plinking. Ammo for 223 is in freefall, you can get 1k rounds for 215 if you look. I can shoot my 308 AR for the 50 cents a round which is what 6.8 is. The big 6.8 advantage is that it is awesome to SBR. Several hunting guides I know use SBR'd 6.8's so the silencer doesn't make the gun as long. 6.8 doesn't require a long barrel to burn its powder like some other rounds do.

223 VS 6.8 comparision


Hornady 75 grain match BTHP 223
Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
2790/1296 2561/1092 2344/915 2137/760 1941/627 1757/514


6.8 Hornady match
Muzzle 100 200 300 400 500
2550/1588 2313/1306 2088/1065 1877/860 1680/689 1500/550

Right around 200ish pounds more energy for first couple hundred yards. The 308 is 1000 pounds more energy at every distance over 6.8, and cost is same for ammo.

with a 6.8, if you handload,the thing comes alive

pretty much staying with car. 16barrell collapsable stock. m4a3

I have at the house no less than 3 boxes of various cheap plinking ammo. Even the SSA OTM is cheap. I got the 6.8 because I knew I wouldn't do any long range work. I already have a .308 and 30-06.

SSA is cheap? I don't see is less than $20 a box. My dealer cost on it is $16. Who makes cheap ammo for it? I like 6.8 just don't recommend it for someones first AR. Paying .75 cents a round for the cheapest ammo will get old fast.

You can buy the pro-hunters, OTM, and some others directly from SSA for $19.xx. The accubonds are still something like $24.00 Midway is cheap too. I've seen the Hornady v-max for $17.xx. Of course it only comes out cheaper if you order in bulk.

Yea the hunting ammo is not bad, but there is not any cheap plinking ammo for it. Its ranging between 75 cents and 1 dollar per round. If you don't shoot it much then it doesn't matter, but I know alot of high volume shooters including myself and that makes practicing much with a 6.8 a VERY expensive. If its gonna be used for hunting only it doesn't matter, but would hate to take a class with it paying 1 dollar per pull.

Thats right at 20 bucks for every mag you shoot.

I don't really forsee myself shooting it that much. Handguns are way cheaper and there's more places that'll let you shoot rapid.

lol i love to burn rds thats how you get good

I totally agree, I shoot the piss out of mine as well. If thats the case I would get a .223/5.56 AR and be done with it. Ammo is cheap, much better ballistics than 7.62X39, and close enough to 6.8 to not worry about. In addition you can drop in a .22 kit and hunt squirrels with it, takes 30 seconds to put the kit in.

By the way, I have killed over 100 hogs with mine and most are boars over 200 pounds. If it will kill a boar, it will kill a deer easily.

yes very plan on hogs. love short barrels. whats deal on m1 sales they ok or go dpms

Out of those two I would go DPMS. PM me if you want me to check some prices for you, I sell them all (Spikes, Bushy, CMMG, Armalite, Colt, DPMS and many more). We do short barrels as well. I will beat anyones price, but don't mind one bit if you go elsewhere. We have distributor level pricing which is much cheaper than what a normal FFL gets theres at.I have silencers and other goodies I can show you as well. I'm here to talk hunting and guns.

Do yourself a favor and go with Spikes for the same money as a DPMS ! You can get them for around $750 !

What Brandon said, I just ordered a Spike's AR complete in a mid length
http://www.spikestactical.com/z/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=113&products_id=443