Ep. 360 | The 6mm ARC - Is it Really a Big Game Cartridge? 

My 12 year old son got a large doe in Virginia for youth day. It was the first deer ever for any member of our family. 6 arc Ruger American gen 2 Ranch, 103 ELD-X. The deer appears to have hit the ground dead where she stood. He got at least both lungs and one shoulder. We are very satisfied with the performance but have no experience with other cartridges on game.

I can confirm the 6mm ARC is plenty for whitetails. 2/2 so far with the 103gr ELD-X from an 18" gasser. I plan to add to the statistics this season.

6ARC is going to be my son’s first center fire rifle. Hard to beat for the size, weight and recoil

I went with a 300 blackout bolt gun for my kids to start hunting with. It's worked great with Barnes 110 TAC-TX. If the 6 arc had been out at that point I might have opted for this. Great middle of the road, versatile, low recoil round. I plan to have one at some point.

The hardest part of every week is listening to Mark announce that I am not the comment of the week. #iwillearnoneofthosehoodies

So are you going to do a podcast with Greg Ritz with Thompson center now that they are coming back in 2025?

Missed a good opportunity to do the 360 buckhammer on episode 360

The only thing i wish yall would do (and everyone would do, frankly) is _either_ only talk about off-the-shelf ammo AND rifles, or consider custom ammo and rifles. If i have to consider the 6ARC from a handloaders perspective surely we can consider a .243 with a custom barrel. Id even be more than willing to argue that handloading is more of leap in expense and personal liability than a custom barrel. Handloading requires one to not only purchase equipment but also costs a lot of time, a barrel in a tighter twist can be had for the swipe of a credit card and a shipping label.

I’ve had a couple 6ARC’s now, and i reload extensively. It just flat shoots. I won’t buy another .243 Winchester at this point, and that cartridge has been a staple in my home since i was a child, in fact it was my first true deer rifle and thus my first deer rifle kill. Now enter the ARC, with less recoil, significantly reduced components usage, with 93-95% of the total performance of its bigger cousin the .243 win, all while adding options to its resume of being able to shoot a broader range of projectiles. I’ve loaded everything from 80 grain PSPs to 105Grain Barnes Match Burners and it eats all of it without complaint and in many cases it is faster than the youth .243 Winchester with the same bullet weights (Remington 770 Youth .243 Winchester shoots my Hornady Whitetail 100Gr SP rounds at 2550FPS), which is just mind boggling when you consider the difference in powder capacity. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the 243 win, but it has been all but put to pasture for me.

The bolt gun market will grow as the versatility of the cartridge and the realization of two SAMMI pressure limits become more widely known. I anticipate factory loadings will be made available because of that.

The need for mono bullets to be moving relatively fast is why I opted for the ELDX in my 6ARC. Being that I’m not planning to use this cartridge for big critters like elk and black bear, and that whitetails and antelope aren’t especially hard to take down, I like having a bullet that can expand at longer distances than the mono bullets will

I think people are missing the point of this cartridge. It does a lot, with a little. It fits into a really nice niche of deer sized game capabilities, 300yds and in. Perhaps 400 under the right conditions. Which really that’s more than adequate, since most game is taken inside of those ranges, and most people have no business shooting at much beyond that. There isn’t much a 100gr bullet moving 2,900fps can’t kill at reasonable ranges. Especially using a strong bullet. It also makes for a very light rifle, with marginal recoil, that anyone can utilize. It’s also versatile across platform. Since it can be used effectively in AR’s and Bolt actions. Ryan has shown that the 6ARC turns into another cartridge inside of a bolt gun. Right now the Achilles heel of it, is it’s kind of a Reloader’s cartridge, with only one factory option as of now. Other than that, it’s kind of a perfect little thing.

It is sad that 6 arc is nearly not available in Germany it Sounds like so much fun and i am curios how it would performe

For anyone interested, Ally munitions sells very high quality loads and they differentiate there semi auto ammo from their hotter bolt gun only loads. TPH podcast is their show

reloading with 80 gr be a good choice for coyotes

CMMG Upper 6 ARC shoots Hornady 80CX, 90CX, 95SST, 90ELDX all at 0.75" groups at 100 using LeveEvolution.

Incredibly impressed with this cartridge. Seeing the chronograph numbers with 80 grain Barnes is pretty incredible

I went with the 6.5 grendel for two reasons. I wanted the heavier projectiles, and i wanted to have more factory ammo options. Im not pushing it to the distance limits so the trajectory didnt matter for me.

The Question is - Do you get the 6 ARC in the new Ruger Gen 2 or a how mini action in a chassi?

Shoot a cavity back bullet you should be able to double the expansion than the Barnes bullet.

Hold Mark to this one!

Need more factory loads

Been drooling over a 6arc setup for about a year now since finding out it existed. I’ve questioned why the Army didn’t recaliber the M4s instead of totally changing platform was unaware of the conception of the 6arc so it seems they’ve explored that idea already…also SIG needed another contract

109 berger ht long range works very well in the 6 arc

Another good job, fellas. Thanks!

Now we need a 6 Arc AR review with all factory loads

Great content and discussion, as usual!

I bought a 6.5 Grendel over the 6 arc in a howa mini action do to a lil heavier bullet and factory ammo for plinking with it. My goal is to get into hand loading to spice up my hunting bullets. Mainly northeast whitetail and predators.

For those interested in a Gas Gun Loading with the 90Gr STGK (since nobody has it listed) Gas Gun Loading not published with any Reloading company. >400 rounds tested. 18” Barrel 82F° 2630 FPS 16” Barrel 92°F 2615 FPS 90gr Sierra Game Changer 26.5gr Hogdon Benchmark Federal GM205 SRP Starline Brass We tested a 26.8gr loading, and gained 40 FPS, but it showed ejector swiping and you could feel the difference. So we’re running 26.5 because it’s a safe bet. I will likely try to work it up by another 0.2 gr down the road. Other powders I tried: 27.8 varget came in at 2568 FPS

Why are we saying “specific customer”? Instead of just saying who it was designed for?

Im a bit behind on my guns and ammo, but I had never heard of a 6mm arc... guess what I'm looking to buy now! Please don't tell my wife😅

I've got everything I need to finalize a bolt action build with the 6arc for antelope hunting in the west. Built with MDT LSS-XL Chassis, Zermatt TL3-SA action, PPC bolt, Triggertech Diamond 2-Stage trigger, all I need now is the prefit barrel. I think this convinced me that yes, the 6arc would be an excellent choice for this hunting application, with the right bullet and out to about 400yds max. If I'm off here, please chime in, but I'm close to closing the deal and getting barrel on the way. Then a call to Coppercreek to assist with the loads. Thoughts?

In regard to the Sierra TMK ( Game Changer ) I haven’t ran the 6mm variety but have been running a bunch of the 6.5mm 130 & 140’s for several years in 260 REM, 6.5 CM & 6.5 PRC’s, they shoot fantastically well in every rifle I have ran them in producing very consistently small groups, have shot them to 1100 yds…the BC gets tricky to true up past 75-800 yards in my experience, at hunting distances 500 and in they perform fantastic…I have taken 3 pronghorn antelope and 4-5 whitetail deer with the 6.5mm Game changers…ranges from 100-525 yards…all critters very dead in short order, I have yet to recover a bullet they have all been complete pass throughs with devastating damage internally…great hunting bullet with match bullet accuracy!

I have a 22” Rainer barreled gas gun. It is so fun To shoot, POI barely moves from 80 gr VT to 105 black to 108 match. For me, it is a varmint round that could work on Antelope. Med size deer with the right bullet. Not my 5th choice but it is so fun to shoot and economical at the bench. And I love that factory ammo shoots so well. My Cooper in 6mm rem is way more effective on target but has to be hand-loaded for really good performance and 9 twist still struggles with the high BC stuff. Great topic and interesting results. Shoot the TGK at 40 yards with a rack of ribs in front of it!

I've got a 6ARC gas in with a Mos-Tek custom 12.5" barrel and it really does shoot just lights out. Velocity is 2,520 fps with the 103gr Hornady loading. I always find it interesting what we view as marginal, and what we don't view as marginal when it comes to hunting. We get hung up on "caliber", when all we should be looking at in this day and age is the bullet and velocity. For example, I just loaded up some 110gr Barnes TTSX in 308 Win for a light recoil sub 400 yard deer gun. Bunch of guys told me that is "way too light for caliber". Yet they're absolutely fine with taking large muley's with an 80gr-100gr bullet from a 243 Win that is going roughly the same velocity. Or using a 6mm ARC, or 6.5 Grendel, or 7.62x39, or 300 BO, etc etc. It's just interesting what we get hung up on. Heck, I'd much rather have a 6mm ARC at 100 yards on an Elk than I would a broadhead at 40 yards on an Elk, shot placement and all other things being equal (just to use as an example of what we view as marginal, and what we view as not marginal).

The SAAMI spec max pressure was designed to give good bolt life with a standard AR15 ARC/Grendel bolt. A lot of these bolts get broken when pressure is pushed up. Hornady has two sets of loading info, with the "gas gun" at 52,000 psi at "bolt gun" at 62,000psi.

I have 6mm ARC inside 500. I have 6mm creedmoor further than 500 on target. I personally don't long range hunt

26:47 actually first time hunting I panicked pulled my first shot completely missed the easy broadside shot, it was when the buck turned and charged that I was suddenly calm, right through the heart dropped instantly. .243win NEF Handi Rifle, I'm a little biased against any of these new 6mm challengers. Just not worth the switch to me.

I'm a simple man. I see vortex has a new podcast, I listen. I see a podcast about 6mm arc, I listen. You guys sure know how to reel me in. Thanks for doing the testing that I can't afford and don't have time to do. Loved it! Love my 6mm ARC

Can’t wait for 22 arc podcast over Christmas! Will Mr.243 (Aka Ryan) and myself (22-250 enthusiast) finally find common ground?

Had good luck with the 6 arc on late cow hunts last winter using the 103 eldx, killed one at 495 and one right at 700. Both were one shot and got a pass through on the 495 cow. I'm sold on it for deer and antelope for the kids and wife!!

6 arc has to be downloaded for ar platforms. The boltface can't handle the pressure of fullpower loads. i think it's fine for a bolt action, but don't see the upside for the ar platform.

I'm shooting 6.5 grendel out of gas gun 120gr gold dot at 2600 fps. Deadly on whitetail

6.5x55 is that for me I can shoot it all day long fantastic cartridge great accuracy! Have competed with it in Sweden trust it all day long!

any chance for a dive into the 6.5-300 Weatherby ? i know there are a ton of long range rnds out there, but seems like a show about the "ludicrous" omg facepalm headshaking rounds would be entertaining at the least, as more than a few of the insane rounds exist. most are somewhat based on the 300 in some way shape or form. how long would the block of gel need to be to stop the crazy 300 case based rounds be.

Sorry fellas, I ain’t seeing in a bolt. 243 or even better 6 Creedmoor. As far as a gas gun. I’d like to see a comparison in equal length gas guns with the 6ARC and the 6.5 Grendel.

When I discovered 6.5 Grendel I was like, that’s the one. Then a little while later I found the 6 Arc and again was like, no this is the one. For real now I know what is the one, it’s the 6mm MAX. If you’re a hand loader this is the one you want.

If you consider rabbits big game then sure. I personally would prefer to pallet gun over 6 anything

In relation to this and the last video "top non-shtf guns", i would really like to see a video on the 6.5 prc since the guys were so behind it

Was thinking of going ARC... but decided to go GT because... can't really get a hunting rifle off the shelf. Sure browning has some target rifles, but went ultralight 6GT to pack around the breaks for mule deer. Been trying to baptize it on a black bear, but shot placement, shot placement and size of bear

Nice 2 part bullets and cartridge review bang on seeing the performance of some of the top 6mm bullets worth watching even if your not interested in the 6 arc

52:30 I'd be careful of my comments on mark's field dressing skills as he's holding a 10" knife in his hands 😂

Thanks for covering 6mm ARC especially using bolt-action rifles for hunting. I have taken a whitetail with a 100 gr InterLock and a conservative load of Ramshot TAC. The results were ideal for the situation. Next, do 6mm Creedmoor!

They should come up with a 6mm B-arc chambering for bolt rifles

This or 6.5 creedmoor in leu of a polymer framed striker fire pistol for one of my top 5 non-shtf firearms?

YYYEEESSS!!!!!

Since vortex nation is doing videos on 6 mm arc, can the next lead balloon be on 243 wssm?

Would of been nice to see burger 87vld bullet in 6 arc and how it would of done

RJ gum chewing face in meant for radio...not youtube

Mark shutup and buy one 😂 you won't regret it

Would work, but if buying a new hunting rifle i am going bigger.

Need more gel testing of cartridges and bullets

6mm ARC or 6.5 Grendel?

I've been waiting for these 2 videos since the first cartridge talk. The green tips are really good shooting and fast. LVR powder behind it is awesome from an 18" barrel getting 2900 fps. I'm shooting it at 2875. All hunting has been with the TTSX and CX. Did get 2 100 lbs pigs with 1 shot with the CX. Ear hole on the front and bread basket on the second. Both tipped over next to each other. Next pig will be with the ELD X.

But doesn't 6 ARC have a problem with bolt failures, due to the very thin area of the bolt surrounding the case head?

But did it pass the chicken test?

But did it pass the chicken test?

15:10 it's trigonometry isn't it

I have a six millimeter arc, seventy five grain hotnady vt, as well as 90 some grain black.

For gas guns, 6 MAX > 6 ARC

6arc vs 243 side by side

Do 32 H&R mag

Its alittle bit behind the 243 which has been used effectively for alot of game. So it should do good on small to medium size game. But not my first choice when the grendel exists

Any cartridge capable of 20”+ penetration is a big game cartridge given a CNS shot. Just ask the many ghosts of the elephants killed with a 6.5x55 SE. Now, for anything but a CNS shot this little thing is just adding risk to the game for enduring a longer suffering and for the hunter risk of a longer tracking job or a complete failure to track it down. Physics is real so more energy on target and a larger frontal diameter will translate to more damage and blood loss when all other things are equal

Is it useable? Yes. Is it ideal? Absolutely not.

Good small game cartridge for squirrels and rabbits. 270 minimum for anything over 100 lbs. 375 H&H for anything over 200 lbs

NO!!! It is not!!!!

Stupid round

So how much is Hornady paying to push this thing?

6mm arc is not a great cartridge. Sub MOA 1/2 inch consistently is a pipe dream.

No

Not really, medium game, maybe. Is a .243 a Big Game cartridge? If not, no way in hell this guy is. That being said- Whole Lotta large game been taken by guys w/ .22lr while working their trap lines up North

6.5 PRC isn't enough so 6 ARC definitely isn't enough.

I see lots of injured deer running away from moronic "hunters" in your future