AND.... Another 'special' cartridge that will fall into the niche category with limited supply/mfg. coverage... The Browning 6.8 Western.

[Blue Sky Country]

As someone who makes near-future predictions based on historical observations, I try to give new introductions to the shooting and hunting world benefit of the doubt... TRY being the key word here... For example, when Hodgdon came out with Triple Se7en and Pyrodex black powder substitute in pellet form, I was like "cool"... As a revolver and break-action carbine shooter though, I don't really have much use for pelletized propellant, and neither did my other friends in the Civil War skirmishing sphere. So pellets were mostly relegated to those folks who tried to milk as much window as possible in state hunting seasons by using a special type of modern muzzleloading rifle known as an "in-line". Hodgdon can drop those products from production at any time, with little warning, and if it wasn't for the in-line hunters keeping the small consumer pool going, they probably would have dropped pellets from production a long time ago. So if someone came up to me right now and asked me, out of the blue, if I wanted to purchase a rifle that only shoots pelletized BP substitute propellant, my answer would most likely be... "Um, but why tho?"...

The same applies to cartridges. How many cartridges we already have on the market that "gets the job done?" Not counting 5.56/.308/.300 Win Mag and other mainstream chamberings that we KNOW will have PLENTY of components, parts, and commercial support for, even in the middle of an ammo drought like we have right now...

A LOT. I can probably jumble up some random three digit numbers starting with numbers from 1-4 and there would probably be a friggin' rifle chambering in that number...

So Browning decides to come up with YET ANOTHER 'new' and potentially 'groundbreaking' chambering for 2021... The 6.8 Western.

Browning launches new 6.8 Western cartridge for 2021

A look at the 6.8 Western after hunting with it this fall

www.gohunt.com

�

6.8 Western Ballistic Information​ 175 grain Sierra Tipped GameKing
Range	Muzzle	100 yards	200 yards	300 yards	400 yards	500 yards	600 yards	700 yards	800 yards	900 yards	1000 yards
Velocity	2835	2686	2541	2402	2266	2135	2008	1886	1769	1657	1552
Energy	3123	2803	2509	2241	1995	1771	1567	1382	1216	1067	935
100 yard zero	-1.5	0.0	-3.3	-12.0	-26.8	-48.3	-77.4	-115.2	-162.8	-221.5	-292.8
200 yard zero	-1.5	1.7	0.0	-7.0	-20.1	-40.0	-67.5	-103.6	-149.5	-206.5	-267.2

----------
"More energy than a 6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 PRC and 7mm Rem Mag… plus increased penetration versus existing .277 and 6.5 bullet offerings." That’s what you get with the new for 2021 Browning 6.8 Western cartridge! When I heard that first sentence, I was instantly intrigued. Browning and Winchester set out to build one incredible long-range hunting cartridge and what they created is something hunters will love.
----------

Um, I appreciate your enthusiasm... But, there ARE existing cartridges already, many with more than one hundred years of proven military and hunting prowess and still widely available right now that can meet or exceed ALL of the criteria that you have listed.

TLDR version... *Laughs in M-14/M1A/AR-10... Oh yeah, and the bolt guns too...

----------
This new cartridge is absolutely ideal for hunting and produces match-grade accuracy and works wonders when it comes to terminal performance for big game across the entire spectrum of yardages. I received and tested a Browning X-Bolt rifle this past fall chambered in 6.8 Western and instantly built the rifle for an upcoming mule deer hunt.
----------

Okay, I have heard of the exact same language being used to describe other new rifles and compound bows being released onto a market already saturated with existing and proven products that are definitely NOT going to be pushed into the bleachers by those new releases. And because of that, MANY of those 'newly released' items over the course of the last 20 years are no longer in production or circulation. As a result, those who had placed all of their eggs in one basket to stick with one and one platform only are finding themselves needing to replace their "trusty" rifle or bow now because specific parts and components required to repair and keep them functioning are industry-specific and no longer available as these items are out of circulation. The Ruger 5-7 handgun, released in early 2020 and was to have supposed to be an affordable and ergonomically improved competitor to the FN Five Seven pistol, had been deemed a failure already due to sheer lack of market and consumer support for the FN 5.7x28mm cartridge. Sucks to have to borrow your friend's humble ILF recurve bow to fill your long awaited tag on bow season opening day because your "revolutionary, lightning fast, and new" and unfortunately now defunct compound just snapped a cable and you can't find a replacement in time for the big day, huh?...

So tell me, in 20 years from now when I decide to hand my 6.8 Western rifle down to my next generation... What would guarantee that they can continue to enjoy availability of ammunition for this gun, as well as spare parts and accoutrements? It's not like the market is not already saturated with proven existing platforms and calibers already...

Let's discuss...

 

[Supersubes]

My views are mostly like yours, but the true test will be a few years down the road. If they support the hell out of it, maybe it will turn in to something.

Edit: What was that new vortex cartridge that was unveiled a few weeks ago. Seems like it’s about the same thing but in 6.5mm.

 

[Steel head]

Seems like a pretty anemic speed for a 175.

 

[AFGWS]

I'll pass. To me, it doesn't surpass my 28 Nosler in any category. And I honestly doubt that it carries more energy than a 7mm Rem mag or is any improvement over the 7mm mag. Some people will jump on this, but I think it'll fizzle out or just be a Browning offering only.

 

[GMZ]

We’re wasting primer production capacity for this shit?

 

[Numb_Skull]

No need for this cucketry, just start production on M1918's in 30-06 again. They'd sell millions a year.

 

[b6graham]

so a 270SS thats 200 FPS slower

makes sense to me

 

[Steel head]

so a 270SS thats 200 FPS slower

makes sense to me

Almost as much as the last stimulus Bill!

 

[J-Ham]

Almost as much as the last stimulus Bill!

Oh if you liked the last one, then you'll LOVE the next one...

 

[drwood96]

Edit: What was that new vortex cartridge that was unveiled a few weeks ago. Seems like it’s about the same thing but in 6.5mm.

The 6.5 Bitch Cat. That was them playing around with wildcatting.

 

[pmclaine]

Listen to me peeps....

.50 Browning
30-06
.308 Win
5.56/.223
.22 rf
.45 ACP
.357/.38 Spcl
12 gauge

and if you are sensitive 9mm

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Oh if you liked the last one, then you'll LOVE the next one...

"Daily chocolate rations have been increased to twenty grams from thirty grams..."

Oh and by the way, compare the ballistics of the 6.8 Western with 175 gr projectile versus the .300 Win Mag 175 gr MPR from Cor-Bon...

Go home Browning, you are drunk...

 

[DJL2]

My hope is that we get decent .277 projos out of this. The round itself is...late. It’s hard to see established 7mm shooters thinking to themselves “man, this 175 is awesome...my 180 is totally defunct now.”

Decades of 6.5 and 7 winning at long range while the 6.8 sat it out. Decades of new 6.5 and 7 for hunting guns, some positioned to stick with us. Meanwhile, .277 had nothing save Wby and now Nosler and Winchester hot rodding it a bit. Everyone said “nyet, .277 is fine, comrade” (and it was for 99% of hunters and hunting in America, I bet).

The 6.8/.277 is going to need to win converts from the .284 and .264 crowd in order to survive...and that’s gonna be tough.

 

[Steel head]

Regardless,,,,what a great time to release a new cartridge.

 

[srt-4_uk]

Listen to me peeps....

.50 Browning
30-06
.308 Win
5.56/.223
.22 rf
.45 ACP
.357/.38 Spcl
12 gauge

and if you are sensitive 9mm

Did you make that list in 1940?

 

[5RWill]

Dunno what 7 mag they’re comparing it to but i disagree with that claim.

But at least Berger launched a 135gr 25 cal hybrid today and not some new 6.8 bullet for this shit.

 

[Blue Sky Country]

Did you make that list in 1940?

You think THAT is old school???

I still live by:

.44-40 Win.
.45 Long Colt
.56-50 Spencer
.45-70 Sharps
.52-40 Smith (external ignition),

.........buddy...

Ain't nothin' them new nitro calibers can't do and if you can't find components one day for some reason you just break out the old ramrod, knapsack lead melter, and powder measure and do it the old fashioned way. Nothing needs to be switched or switched back when you do find new ammo again...

 

[carbonbased]

and if you are sensitive 9mm

I love this part.

 

[carbonbased]

You think THAT is old school???

I still live by:

.44-40 Win.
.45 Long Colt
.56-50 Spencer
.45-70 Sharps
.52-40 Smith (external ignition),

.........buddy...

Ain't nothin' them new nitro calibers can't do and if you can't find components one day for some reason you just break out the old ramrod, knapsack lead melter, and powder measure and do it the old fashioned way. Nothing needs to be switched or switched back when you do find new ammo again...

Pfffffffffft…still wet behind the ears young whippersnapper…

Those calibers are space-age-computerized-platinum-quark-junk to MY five calibers, which tain’t going nowhere unless I have a mishap at the tablesaw.

Old as time itself.

No…

Older.

(yeah, I said “taint”. Haauuuuuggghh spit!)

 

[BurnOut]

My hope is that we get decent .277 projos out of this. The round itself is...late. It’s hard to see established 7mm shooters thinking to themselves “man, this 175 is awesome...my 180 is totally defunct now.”

Decades of 6.5 and 7 winning at long range while the 6.8 sat it out. Decades of new 6.5 and 7 for hunting guns, some positioned to stick with us. Meanwhile, .277 had nothing save Wby and now Nosler and Winchester hot rodding it a bit. Everyone said “nyet, .277 is fine, comrade” (and it was for 99% of hunters and hunting in America, I bet).

The 6.8/.277 is going to need to win converts from the .284 and .264 crowd in order to survive...and that’s gonna be tough.

That's where I'm at. I can see some validity in the dimensions of the cartridge, given the compromises required of the WSM case in true short actions. IMO, WSM chamberings are best utilized in medium/long actions (looking at you, Tikka), while this kind of seems like a SAAMI'd 270 Sherman Short Mag that will fit in a short action while allowing the projectile to be seated properly.

BUT... I'm happy to see this, and the "official" release of the 277 Fury if for no other reason than it means that the .277 bore is finally getting some love from someone besides Berger.

 

[Long Range 338]

Comparing this to aftermarket specialized cartridges is a total waste of time. This is what the original 270 WSM should have been. All they did was follow the Creedmoor pattern established by Hornady and use a correct twist barrel for the heavier bullets. IF you can actually get components this is a good thing. I wonder how close the case dimensions are to a 7SAUM?

 

[Ravenworks]

I'll be keeping my FN 5.7x28mm only because I have a shit load of ammo for it.

Did you make that list in 1940?

Nothing wrong with that list.
I'm pretty sure it offers a high survival rate anywhere you go and a high resupply rate as well.
As for the 9mm, save weight and use 22 LR, you know for the grunt work of getting dinner on the table.

 

[5RWill]

Comparing this to aftermarket specialized cartridges is a total waste of time. This is what the original 270 WSM should have been. All they did was follow the Creedmoor pattern established by Hornady and use a correct twist barrel for the heavier bullets. IF you can actually get components this is a good thing. I wonder how close the case dimensions are to a 7SAUM?

I mean you don't have to go aftermarket to call out some of their claims. They cherry picked a 160gr accubond factory loading for the 7mm rem mag and are claiming more energy than a 7mm rem mag as if it's across the board. That is disingenuous at best.

The simple fact they're trying to hype up some new hunting cartridge as if a 6.8 short action magnum is needed or sought after inbetween the 6.5s and the 7s is hogwash. 277 has been dying for a while. I'd rather see the resources go to supplies for established cartridges. Or maybe idk produce a proper 7mm short action cartridge that doesn't need a medium action to run with. 7mm is already established with great BCs from every manufacturer ranging from 150-195gr. What in the hell is the point of shoving 6.8 into the mix?

I guess what i mean to say is they should be focusing on supplying existing cartridges that are established given the current predicament of supplies and not using supplies to push a new cartridge for profit.

 

[BND2763]

A true short action, high BC, heavy for caliber, magnum with factory support. I like it, why not?
Would have preferred 7mm, though.

 

[CMP70306]

This is basically Browning and Winchester fixing the .270 WSM before Hornady can come out with a .277 PRC.

 

[wpeach1912]

seems interesting, but I don’t understand why they wouldn’t do 7mm of some kind. Many more bullet options and might sacrifice a tiny bit of speed in a similar case

 

[carbonbased]

But when do the 6.8 Eastern, and most importantly, the 6.8 Mid-Western come out?

 

[Tchitcherine]

Can't find a bullet length spec for the 175gr .277 TGK, but suspect they are crammed deep in the case in order to fit SA magazine -- ?

 

[Schw15]

Its perfect timing to release it though huge short fpr ammo but im sure they have a ton stocked up to release so people will flock to it. But i do think its great more and more improvements for bullets and calibers. The 25 cal is getting woke up and now the 270 with the newer bullets. But i guess if they would just mainstream the popular cals there wouldnt be a shortage

 

[BurnOut]

The simple fact they're trying to hype up some new hunting cartridge as if a 6.8 short action magnum is needed or sought after in between the 6.5s and the 7s is hogwash. 277 has been dying for a while. I'd rather see the resources go to supplies for established cartridges. Or maybe idk produce a proper 7mm short action cartridge that doesn't need a medium action to run with. 7mm is already established with great BCs from every manufacturer ranging from 150-195gr. What in the hell is the point of shoving 6.8 into the mix?

I asked myself this question, and the answer I came up with is that it looks at this point (so far as I can tell, anyhow) like there is going to be a 6.8mm round for the military, so they may be planning on kind of riding those coat tails. In all honesty, would .308 Win and .223 Rem be as popular/common as they are if not for military usage (of more or less the same chamberings)? Supposedly one of the reasons that the military went for the 6.8 bore is that they found it to be a balance between ballistics/drag and sectional density. I don't know how much truth there is in that finding/line of reasoning, though.

I understand that no one is pitching the 6.8 Western as a military round, but IMO there is an argument that could be made that a lot of the development of 30 caliber projectiles over the years can be traced to the popularity of .308 Win in the civilian world... and that a lot of the popularity of the .308 Win in the civilian world can be traced to its standardization as a NATO/military chambering. In that, I can see a business case for other cartridges/chamberings that use projectiles of the same caliber.

Worth noting is that both Sierra and Nosler released heavy/high BC (for the .277 bore) projectiles, despite Berger being the only game in town for the last couple years.

 

[wpeach1912]

Supposedly one of the reasons that the military went for the 6.8 bore is that they found it to be a balance between ballistics/drag and sectional density. I don't know how much truth there is in that finding/line of reasoning, though.

I would assume it is a balance between BC and velocity they can get out of the action size they want. Bullets BC potential increases with diameter increase. Like if you had the same form bullet in 6mm and .308, the .308 bullet would have a higher BC. The problem is that .308 diameter bullets with high BCs need a lot more powder to get similar speeds as smaller diameter bullets with slightly lower BCs.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

Helluva time to release a new caliber.

Unless theyre selling a rifle and ammo bundle.

 

[ma smith]

Here's the drawing for SAAMI spec

https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/6.8-Western-Public-Introduction-Orig-2020-11-01.pdf

The 6.8 Western is a beltless short action cartridge that is made by taking a 270 WSM and shortening the case. Bullet diameter for the 6.8 Western are 0.277". Factory options will be offered in 165 grain Accubond LR and 175 grain Sierra Tipped GameKing Long Range Pro.

 

[Steel head]

Pretty close to saum dimensions

 

[5RWill]

Worth noting is that both Sierra and Nosler released heavy/high BC (for the .277 bore) projectiles, despite Berger being the only game in town for the last couple years

That’s a fair point i saw the Nosler today actually just looking at the 7mm 168gr ABLR BC. I guess time will tell. But id have really liked to see a 7 PRC or some factory 7 short mag offering. It might be impossible to really make use of the heavy 7s in a short action with anything that doesn’t have a 40 degree shoulder and a long neck like the Sherman’s. But there is still so much potential with 150-175s that it would still be very doable to have something launching a 168~175 at 2850-2900

Wonder if Sierra is carrying its tangent ogive from the new match kings to tipped gamekings and calling them long range pro variants.

 

[Charger442]

Just what we need, another failure labeled "6.8"

 

[Ndbowhunter]

This round is dumb.

Prof that most people within the firearms industry and kooks and fudds.

 

[hlee]

But when do the 6.8 Eastern, and most importantly, the 6.8 Mid-Western come out?

Point one- No one wants a shotgun with a bore that small...

Point 2- Straight walled cartridges suck for rifles...

 

[hlee]

Helluva time to release a new caliber.

Unless theyre selling a rifle and ammo bundle.

Buy a rifle, get one box of ammo at CTD pricing. For the intended audience, that would be a lifetime supply...

 

[TxWelder35]

Buy a rifle, get one box of ammo at CTD pricing. For the intended audience, that would be a lifetime supply...

2 boxes. It usually takes them 5 rounds to figure out what side of the berm they are on when zeroing the scope, and the rest of it chasing zero with pie plate size groups. But then the scope wiggles loose at about shot 16....

make that 3 boxes

 

[HousePlant]

There should be no new cartridges launched in 2021. Only getting the existing ones on the shelves as soon as possible.

 

[hlee]

There should be no new cartridges launched in 2021. Only getting the existing ones on the shelves as soon as possible.

Browning doesn’t care about selling ammunition. They care about selling rifles.

 

[TurdFerguson]

No need for this cucketry, just start production on M1918's in 30-06 again. They'd sell millions a year.

Screw that... Take BAR design and scale it down to 223/556 or 308..... Shave a pile of weight since the action wouldn't need to be long action anymore. Take the HCAR concept and go one step further.

 

[JakeM]

 

[Charger442]

Screw that... Take BAR design and scale it down to 223/556 or 308..... Shave a pile of weight since the action wouldn't need to be long action anymore. Take the HCAR concept and go one step further.

i would probably agree. my grandpa hated the BAR he carried into Italy. Any chance he could he'd throw it in the ditch and grab something that didnt weight 20 lbs and was more useful.

 

[JakeM]

 

[oldiephrt]

Wish I would have known this earlier last July when I ordered my new barrel 270wsm. I could have got a new gun, new dies, find out no brass, primers, bullets. Maybe even no loaded ammo. A win for the safe this new year.

 

[The D]

Meh, I’ll just keep reloading the .30-06 cases I have. Hopefully I don’t miss out on anything doing this though...

 

[JMGlasgow]

No need for this cucketry, just start production on M1918's in 30-06 again. They'd sell millions a year.

M1918A3

You mean like this?

 

[paulwardd]

I read into it a few days ago when it was announced... I still don't quite get it. Just get a faster twist 270 wsm barrel with a longer freebore?? Same bullet they're running but larger case so faster velocity? Seems like they circumvented a problem that wasn't actually there in the first place.