"The 6mm ARC takes the best features of popular calibers like the 5.56 NATO and .308 Remington and improves upon them. It has a high effective range, better aerodynamics, more versatility, more stopping power, and less recoil. It’s a no-compromise caliber that we’ll see taking over the market in the next few years."
Over the years, rifle ammunition has evolved quite dramatically. Going back to the world wars, most armies used very large calibers since the typical range of engagement was quite long. Gradually, armies moved on to smaller calibers that were faster and more efficient. These intermediate cartridges, like the 7.62 NATO, 5.56 NATO, and the Russian 5.45x39 and 7.63x39, are great for close-range engagements and hold their effectiveness at medium range.
However, now the ammunition needs of militaries are changing again, as body armor is becoming more effective and widely available. Calibers like 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendal are becoming quite popular since they deliver more power downrange while still being as controllable as intermediate calibers.
These days, 6mm ARC is one of the hottest new calibers on the market. It has shown exceptional performance in hunting, competition, and combat roles, and many call it the future of rifle ammunition. So, in this post, we’ll talk about this famous caliber and tell you everything you need to know about it.
Table of Contents
- Background of the 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge
- Applications (Tactical, Hunting, Match)
- 6mm ARC vs. 5.56 NATO
- 6mm ARC vs .308 Remington
- Final Thoughts
Background of the 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge
The 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge (ARC) is an intermediate rifle cartridge that Hornady recently designed in 2020. The caliber was designed for the AR-15 platform to offer militaries, law enforcement, and civilians a low-recoil caliber that maintains high accuracy and long-range effectiveness.
This cartridge was designed for the multipurpose combat rifle program; a specialized group started within the U.S. DoD. It has incredible potential for military use and is excellent for hunting and competition shooting.
Applications (Tactical, Hunting, Match)
This was designed to be a cartridge that can do everything. It can be used by militaries and law enforcement as a combat cartridge, which, when compared to 6mm ARC vs 5.56 or .308 (the calibers currently used by armed forces), has several benefits.
Smaller intermediate calibers, like the 5.56 NATO and 5.45x39mm, are great for shooting at close to medium ranges, but they start to lose their energy at distances of around 500 meters. They’re still effective against body armor at these longer ranges but don't do as much damage as a larger caliber like .308. However, calibers like the .308 also have their drawbacks. They are a heavy platform, which means every shot comes with a lot of recoil. Moreover, comparing 6mm ARC vs .308 rifles like the AR-10, you usually have lower magazine capacities as well. The ARC bridges the gap between the intermediate and battle rifle calibers while maintaining low weight and high capacity. This gives it an excellent tactical advantage.
It’s also an excellent cartridge for those who use their AR-15 for hunting. Not only does it have a long effective range of up to 1000 meters, but the larger bullet size gives it more stopping power than alternatives. This makes it much more effective in taking down big game like deer and elk.
Like other cartridges designed by Hornady, the 6mm ARC was also designed so that every aspect is in harmony with its chamber design for maximum accuracy down range. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s a great caliber for competitions. The profile and extra mass of the bullet allow it to efficiently cut through air without weighing it down and causing massive bullet drop. It’s also a relatively smooth-shooting cartridge, especially the premium match-grade ammunition that Hornady manufactures.
6mm ARC vs. 5.56 NATO
5.56 NATO is a very capable cartridge. However, it does have its limitations. On paper, the effective range of 5.56 is 650 to 700 meters, but in reality, even if you do hit something beyond 500 meters, 5.56 doesn’t carry very much energy. On the other hand, the 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge has a wider casing, more powder, more mass, and a better ballistic coefficient than 5.56 NATO. This means it retains enough energy to be effective at ranges up to 1000 meters.
The cartridge has several significant advantages for military use. Its rounder bullet makes it easy to adapt to a variety of roles. For instance, 6mm bullets are easier to turn into tracers, armor-piercing rounds, and incendiary rounds. In contrast, the small .22 caliber bullet of a 5.56 NATO cartridge doesn’t have enough space for such variations.
If you have an AR-15 chambered in 5.56 NATO, changing it to this brand-new 6mm caliber is easy. You just need to change the AR-15 barrel, bolt carrier group, and magazine.
6mm ARC vs. .308 Remington
The .308 Winchester and the 7.62 NATO (the same size but with slightly more pressure) have been the go-to calibers for militaries and law enforcement when intermediate calibers like 5.56 aren't strong enough to get the job done. However, the .308 Winchester is a very old caliber. Our understanding of ammunition and firearms has come quite a long way since it was first designed.
There are a few differences between the 6mm ARC vs .308 Winchester. The .308 is bigger than the 6mm cartridge in size and has much more significant recoil. However, the 6mm Advanced Rifle Cartridge offers similar effectiveness at long ranges while also remaining effective at short ranges. It has low recoil and a better ballistic coefficient than .308. It’s also more accurate and flat-shooting.
Being larger, .308 magazines are typically lower capacity on most platforms. With their smaller size, 6mm magazines offer higher capacity while remaining lighter than .308 ones.
Final Thoughts
The 6mm ARC offers the perfect middle ground between an intermediate and battle rifle cartridge. It is effective at all ranges up to 1000 meters, and it’s very accurate. Though it’s a relatively new caliber, it is slowly catching on, and many firearm manufacturers are making AR platform rifles chambered for it. At Wing Tactical, we’re already stocking AR-15 parts that are compatible with this new standard. You can contact our team for help choosing the parts that are right for you.
So, is this new 6mm caliber the caliber of the future? Only time will tell; however, it has much potential!