Is 6mm ARC a good cartridge? 

I gotta disagree with you here. My 6 arc has been an absolute laser beam. I shoot consistent .75" 5rd groups and I've had success with it out to 1200 yards, and can make very consistent hits to 1000 yards. Noveske 18" barrel and headspaced bolt.

You don't have to like 6ARC, but posting a video to illustrate your technical ignorance was a dumb move😂

The ron spomer thumb nail is misleading, he is pro 6 arc . Did you even watch the video ?

Let me guess. You're still pissed that the 224 val fell on its ass

Ron spomers video you cited was actually a joke title making fun of his previous article on it....the video explains why he was wrong abd that its actually a fantastic cartridge that is better in many aspects than a lot of the common cartridges in part bc its an AR round with better long range ballistics than 6.5 Grendel and a MPBR of 280 yards....thats better than 80% of rounds out there let alone ar rounds

Not to mention, the .223 is safe for gas guns at 55k psi. But is capped at 62k psi for bolt guns. So his same logic to diss the 6arc is true for the .223 and literally ANY other caliber

If Hornady providing two clearly labeled sets of load data where one gets you upset, you would hate to know 45-70 has three load data sets in Hornadys book 😱😱😱 it’s because some guns can handle it and some can’t.

Wow all I can say is I doubt you have any experience behind the 6mm arc. I earn a living behind the arc, I’m about 1200 rounds into my build. Absolutely no issues with it or my bolt has performed flawlessly. It’s a extreme well thought out round. No regrets here.

All gas/bolt hand loads have separate load data.

According to Shooting Times and Shooting Illustrated, Hornady 6mm ARC factory loads are 52,000 psi. The factory loads I use outperform anything I've ever shot in the AR-15 platform. It's not 6.5mm Creedmoor, but that's an entirely different platform.

6mm Arc is absolutely amazing. Factory ammo shoots great and if you want to reload it is absolutely endless on your options. It's a very fast and flat shooting and when I reload for coyotes and use a much lighter bullet it is an absolute screaming round that is a tack driver for long distance. I get sub moa on factory ammo and even better results with reloads (which is to be expected)

6.5 grendel uses the same bolt and has been around for over 20 years and there has been banter online about the thinner bolt face design, and there probably has been some instances where failures have happened. There are always anomalies in everything. But as a whole they have performed great. Even through some very torturous testing. Even 5.56 bolts fail here and there so nothing is 100% guaranteed all the time... I can tell you from my personal experience with both the 6.5 Grendel and the 6 ARC. I personally favor the 6 ARC. I've had great success with 6 ARC. Of course that is just my opinion. We all have our own and that's OK. 👍

All you need is an upgraded bolt, right? What’s your experience with JP bolts?

What you’re doing is called a non sequitur fallacy. Gas guns (most if not all) run at lower pressures than bolt guns. The m14 comes directly to mind. Combine the data comparisons and real world reporting of the 6mmARC. Place that data next to 556 or any non magnum in the ar15 platform. It’s not a perfect cartridge. They all have limitations. The 6mmARC is only going to be held back by lack of ammo manufacturing. It’s an amazing improvement over 6.5g and 556. Walks the 6.8 and stomps a 300. 🤷‍♂️ The more I use it, the more I see clear advantages. Your be well served to do better research.

Thank you for proving that you are clueless. You sound like a 5.56 fanboy. 6mm ARC is gaining alot of popularity. More effective as a hunting round and performs better at longer ranges. The bolts are not an issue unless maybe you shop at palmetto state or any other low end retailer. Buy quality parts from a quality company and you will have nothing to worry about.

Have you looked into JP rifles bolt?

My 6 ARC works great on white tails 🤷🏽‍♂🤷🏽‍♂

For my use under 800yrds, a 6.5 Grendel which costs half as much per shot for good 123gr AAC ammo from PSA is more than adequate and gets very respectable performance from an AR15 platform. AR308 is so much mire cumbersome to carry around and manuver with the only real advantage is that in SHTF you are more likley to encounter ammo by expedient means...of course 5.56/.233, 9mm and .22LR are going to be more common than .308/7.62x51 and still put unwanted holes where you need to put them for your best interests.

I'm just researching the 6mm Arc, (old 308 guy), but didn't they say the same thing about the Grendel bolts when it came out? That it was weak and likely to fail at higher pressures? Lots of Grendel ammo choices still so maybe they fixed it? AAC guys making it now.

So is the bolt solution a 6mm Grendel? A 6BR? I’m no gunsmith, Can you get a better bolt/reciever from another similar sized 6mm variant and just chamber/barrel for 6ARC? Why is every 6mm cartridge argued with a deal breaker context? Every cartridge/calibre series has it. I’m quite happy with 6ARC, I like the higher bc 103+gr leaping it out of a varmint category, but also like 80gr idea that I think will probably have similar velocity to 223 throwing 55gr and surely the 6ARC packs more punch. 80gr factory at 52.000psi seems like a great replacement for 223. I think all factory 6ARC ammo is down at the 52,000psi so nobody blows themselves up in the gas guns. Seems bolt 6ARC needs handload to unlock its potential. 6mm is a frustrating bullet from the smallest of cartridge cases.

6mm arc, 22 arc, 224 V, 24 Nosler, 22 nosler, use small rifle primers, which is about the only primer been able to get for the last 4 years. Large rifle are almost non-existent. 4350 powder recently has been selling for $75 a pound which is way through the roof. So all of the cartridges meant to fit in an AR become more appealing when it comes to buying components to reload them. A cartridge that burns 28 grains of powder let you load 250 shots per pound. Which is what most of the AR cartridges are in the ballpark of powder requirements.

Did not believe this info. Love my 6mm ARC!

Just watched a video on Eagle eye shooting, and he loves it. He shoots AR and bolt gun

Nothing you present actually shows its a 'dud'. It is the best thing one can put into an ar15 without going to a ridiculously long barrel =advantage over 6.5. No its not 7mm SPR. But you can't put that in your ar15!

I have found it to be a soothing target rifle from100 to 300 yards. I chose the heavy barrel and keep an extra BCG in my bag but have not needed it as of yet. I have not yet decided if I like the 6.5 Grendel more.

I have three 6arc AR platforms and not a single problem out of any of them. All the tactical mag dump in a berm boys keeping bring in this up. Buy quality parts and you won’t have a problem. Plus the last I checked bolts are consumables.

I agree with your take. Or did. Loading the 6 arc with 100+ grain bullets to get bc just crushed the velocity. However my ar really likes the new 80 grain vt bullet with varget. Id also be curious if youve seen a jp enhanced bolt fail.

Of course there are different loads for an AR. The gun has to cycle. Who has ever had a bolt fail? Ruger builds a 6 shot .454 Casull when every other manufacturer uses a five shot cylinder. They use special steel. The same could be said for AR bolts. I’ve never seen one fail. Perhaps it’s a myth. At least you can put a more potent cartridge into an AR-15 and have a legal deer round in states where .22 caliber is outlawed for deer.

Maybe better do a bit more research

Here same problem as 9 mm Para pistols were chambered for 40 S&W. Simply they have to make thicker bolts for 6 ARC. Why blame good cartridge?

3 spare bolts per match just to be able to shoot a spicy 6 ARC??? My God bro. What else? I was waiting for you to say some other bs like 6 ARC causes Parkinson's Disease.

I would like to see the force of the 52,000 psi maybe it’s still phenomenal compared to the 556??

My x39 ar occasionally shears a lug off the bolt, so what a new one is cheap, I keep a spare, plus other parts on hand, and they typically last around 2-3k rounds, I would expect similar lifespan for 6 arc. This boltface thing is nothing new for ar calibers with larger case diameter calibers, the nice thing is the parts are cheap and readily available, if you can afford enough ammunition to wear out parts, you can afford parts. People using these calibers for just hunting and occasionally plinking and target practice will probably never wear out a bolt anyway.

Ron Spomer's video is PRO 6mm ARC.....big oof 🤦‍♂

6MM MAX is where its at. 6mm arc is done

I had some faith in the cartridge until you mentioned the varying chamber pressure gas, and bolt gun cartridges.

Bwahahaha, is this Chad serious?

Let's start with the fact that the bolt gun data exceeds SAAMI specs. All bets are off from that moment forward. "It just doesn't perform" is a bit too general for me. If you chronograph the factory loads from a gas gun of X" barrel length your velocity readings would be suggestive of the pressure of those factory loads. If you don't like the 6ARC bcz you like more speed then say just that; it wasn't developed as a speed demon, the 240 Wby was though.

🙄 never had a problem with my 6arc

Ran my 6 arc to 1550 sub moa out to 600 single hole groups at 100 carries more energy further than any 556 round and at 600 is pretty close to 308.so i dont understand your disappointment, I've got it ina savage 110 and a faxon upper both are fantastic performer's

XCR doesn't suffer from these small bolt face AR problems. 72k psi 5.56? No problem with NAS3

Yeah my 6 arc gas gun has performed extremely well. Not sure what your concern is unless you've broken bolts of your own? Guessing you haven't. 6.5 grendel is very similar and people have been running that for years.. beginning to think you may just have opinions, not opinions based on personal experience.

6.5 Grendel already exists

Bro is onto nothing 🔥🔥🔥🔥

If you Google 6mm ARC AR bolt failure, you find nothing to substantiate this video's claims that the bolt webbing is too thin and is failing.

good video interesting, read a lot of the comments and kinda surprised because usually the gun community is pretty nice however no mercy for you but for a few explain their experience and opinions as gentlemen. I have read about the bolt things before but know zero about reloading. No worries and I don't claim to know everything about anything and our opinions can change as things change. you have a friend in Pennsylvania.

lol no

Making claims like this makes me think you’re heavily biased. And not such an expert on the subject of gas guns. The ARC bolt like everyone knows is basically a Grendel bolt. The bolt diameter is the same as the 7.62X39. Have both and they have all ran well. The ARC gas gun load performance is pretty damn good. There’s pros and cons to it all. Plus claims about the load data difference between a bolt vs gas operated toy is moot at best. I see the same thing (problem as you claim) with the 223, 308, 6.5, etc etc

dude ive competed in numerous matches with my 6arc gas gun and its been wonderful. If youre in the southern colorado area Im happy to show you why i disagree

Yes, you are correct, I built a Howa mini with an Oryx chassis and been chasing 1 MOA for about nine months. Finally found using 87 V-max and Benchmark. Hornady factory loads are only good for the brass, even though Howa guarantees 1 MOA with it! To simply sum it up, money could have been spent better on a different project. Keep up the good work, great channel.

Nice breakdown man, very clear with easy to understand info for the regular Joe. Thanks!!!!

Must disagree, or at the least say you are jumping the gun on your determination.... 4 years, yes you are correct. But covid BS tragically acrewed logistics and many many businesses.this 4 years is really only equivalent to about 18 months pre-covid imo

Ready to take this vid down yet?? Just sayin...

Get a bolt made out of stronger material? Yah.

...My brother in christ, none of this actually applies to the cartridge. You basically just spewed hype speak. Give me ballistic data or dont post a video.

It's a cool cartridge, but I still like 6.5 Grendal more.

A perfect example of the missinformed and technically ignorant guntuber world.

😂

ok boomer

Another failed 6.5 grendel dethroner. 6.8 tried, 224 miserably tried but couldn't compete even with their skewed data, and now another fail. This was the closest though, could be a decent military cartridge

Uneducated Pointless video. 6 arc is great and does perform

I agree. I’ve had three bolts from different manufacturers break lugs next to the extractor in my 6.5 Grendel. I now have two interchangeable bolts, one for the Grendel and one for the 22ARC.

Lost all credibility

I'd like to disagree with you but I can't. I'm looking to step up to high power silhouette from smallbore and the 6mms look good. Most people shoot 260 remington or 7-08 but that recoil for 80+rounds in a day gets punishing. The 6arc is only 4 grains less than 6br which has some users. But like you said there are better choices in 6mm once you go bolt gun. I really like what the 6gt has to offer. It looks like the optimum capacity for velocity without sacrificing recoil. 6 arc gets left behind.

I havent been able to get my cmmg endeavor 6arc to shoot less than 3.5moa. That said, the 6 arc is better than the 223 hands down. It has more energy at all distances and it shoots flatter with higher BC. I agree that it does have the possibility for failure from the bolt. However i strongly believe that the guys having issues are loading hot. Lots of platforms have multiple loads for different guns. 45-70 is one of the oldest and has 3 load tiers.

224 Valkyrie is better

I agree that removing metal from the bolt lugs is a bad idea, so why not rebat the rim down to 5.56 deminsions? It's a lot easier to mill off some brass than it is to mill tool steel!!! This is the very reason I went with the 25-45 Sharps. If I were going to build a better cartridge I would take the 6.5 Grendel because brass is more readily available, rebate the head to 5.56 specs. And give it a 40 to 45 degree shoulder. I would do it is .257 and call it the 257 Shull. It would be the 25-45 Sharps on steroids and I'm getting 3000 fps with 80 grain ttsx out of it. At 52k to 54k pressure I think you could probably get 3200 fps or more .

6mm max?

🤣🤣🤣

Arc shooters gonna have a rude awakening to 6 MAX. Solves the bolt and pressure issues, while being nearly identical in velocity and bullet weight range to full pressure 6Arc.

6mm MAX > 6mm ARC

Yeah its velocities are underwhelming.

6mm MAX from SOLGW is better

News flash, factory ammo from Hornady was made to work in all 6arc guns. The point of 6arc is that in the gas gun load data it still shoots flatter and hits harder than 556.

My 6ARCs have been freaking awesome . I built all mine for practical distances like 600Y and in . That's all I have access too . It hits way harder than 556N and works wonderfully as dual purpose Hunting and Mid Range Rig . Surely it's not perfect but it does everything I need it too . I've shot couple PRS Gas Gun Matches with it . I'm not that good at LR but it was easier to connect at 589Y with 16" 6ARC vs 16" 556N . 6ARC is perfect for Deer or Hoggs . Hornady 103g ELDX works extremely well on game . I live in mid Atlantic area so 150Y is super long shot on deer . I have little 12.5 6ARC that I use all the time . Super Lightweight and I have 0 issues banging 10" piece of steel at 500Y . 6MAX does look promising but I just dont see the point for practical purposes. I favor heavier bullets with higher BC vs Lighter bullets with faster Velocity. Shot placement is king but I'd rather have more umph than velocity.

BRO YOUR LITERALLY THE ONLY PERSON WHO SAYS THIS ROUND ISNT THE FUTURE!!! 😂😂😂😂😂

All cartridges and rifle combinations have "Limits". For what the ARC was designed for, it is a Home Run indeed. If you want greater velocity in a gas gun at 52k pressure tolerance, all one has to do is go to a longer barrel to acheive greater velocity. For hunting purposes the limits of bullet construction for terminal performance and loss of energy delivered at a certain distance, is more important. Therfore the ARC is a great little cartridge made better with fine tuned Handloads and good marksmanship.

LOL...The price of a spare bolt vs. the price of ammo for a very brief range day? Probably not a significant difference. This is your one end-all, be-all gripe against the 6arc? Just curious, how many arc/grendel bolts have failed for you in your experience shooting 6ARC?

did you buy subscribers? lolololololololololol

Thank goodness for individual opinions. Sorry it doesnt work for you, for others is great... Ce la vi...

it cleary doesn't work for you, but clearly works for others.

with my experience shooting a 223, 308, and a 6br in F-class, and then shooting those cartridges against other shooters, it seems 600 yds and beyond there is still an advantage to the 6arc with a heavier bullet even at the lower speeds. especially with what you would be using in mag feed situation. This is something that deserves a test to see what the difference actually is.

at the 45 sec mark you showed pics of people who ABSOLUTELY LOVE this round but indicate they dont like it! WOW! 4 years into the mix and IT ABSOLUTELY HAS LIVED UP TO THE HYPE! Get a Job Bro and stop RU-vid!

Another genius behind a weapon 😂😂😂😂😂

Swing and a miss!! Haha

@reeseontherange 6 mm arc, suppressed, coyotes only. Whats a better caliber? Besides the Grendel

If 6 ARC is so dead then why are there suppressors being made for it? Why is Hornady still producing ammo for it? Why are retailers who make barrels advertising for it? Say like Geissele and Noveske? They also have Rifles built in it. Adding to that there are barrels out there that are 12.5” doing .75 in groupings. It’s caught on more than people wanna admit. I hate to say it but it’s superior to 5.56. Although I have a military background and loved my M4 & M16 days it’s just not a cartridge able to perform at greater distances. Very effective in ranges up to 500 yards but beyond that wind is going to be a bigger issue. 5.56 will never die. And it shouldn’t! But if I wanted an SPR in it or 6 ARC? I’m going with 6 ARC all day every day. Combat Rifle? 5.56 CHF barrel all day every day. However, I do agree with the limitations 6 ARC has in a gas gun and be that as it may, it’s still worth it. Pressures aren’t everything. When it comes to precision work. Loading consistency, Annealing, and other things come into play when it’s loading precision cartridges. Most people won’t see the benefits of loading ammo this way cause trust me it does cost a lot of money to upgrade to higher end equipment. Consistency in grains are important as well. And most the “machines” aren’t up to par for precision loading. Everyone I know had the lab grade scale that is very consistent in its measurements. So yeah not very cheap. You want SDs down in the single digits? You want consistent velocity? It’s gonna cost you. There’s no way around it. So those that are loading to Bolt Rifle psi then yes they surely can afford new bolt faces to through on. However, manufacturers have made BCGs that actually could handle this round as well. Type 2 6.5 Grendel bolt face is what it takes. All my BCGs are Cryptic Coatings. And I’ve not had any issues breaking bolt faces.

6.5 Grendel is my goto

Have you personally broken a bolt?

I don’t think you know what you’re talking about

My 6 mm Arc had a 20-inch faxon Barrel keeps keyholing.

Lots of loads can load heavier for bolt guns.

2 points, the first, I guarantee Hornady is loading to 52k psi because they want to avoid the possibility of people loading hot rounds in a gas gun. Second, most small frame AR cartridges (excluding NATO cartridges) are ran at 52-55k psi. The larger case head does limit the arc on pressure in a gas gun but so far, it's proven itself to show what the small frame AR is capable of. With the entrance of 22 arc and 6 max, it'll be interesting to see if those take over.

Swing and a miss bud. I can understand some of the points you made (like the larger bolt). But the cartridge itself is great, and the bolt issue comes up in 6.5 Grendel and that's still a popular round.

Dont sleep on the 6.5 Grendel! its the best in the ar15 for what I do.

Like 6.5 Grendel, you're limited by case capacity and the amount of bolt thrust that the lugs can handle without shearing off. 6mm ARC is essentially a 6mm PPC, which has been around for decades, but you may not have heard of it unless you shoot 100 yard benchrest matches.

From the Perplexity AI Pro which is a web scrapper style AI. The AI makes a summary of the majority of web entries out there. Looks like you are WRONG! The 6mm ARC (Advanced Rifle Cartridge) has been a very successful and popular cartridge since its introduction by Hornady in 2020. Here are some key points about its success: It has become one of Hornady's top selling rifle cartridges and the most popular chambering for AR-15 style rifles at many manufacturers. It delivers substantially better ballistics than the .223/5.56x45mm while having 30% less weight and recoil than larger .308 Winchester cartridges. This optimal balance of performance and light recoil has driven its popularity. It stays supersonic past 1,000 yards in standard conditions, giving it an effective long-range capability from the AR-15 platform. Major manufacturers like Aero Precision, Ballistic Advantage, and Sgt of Arms have embraced 6mm ARC by offering barrels, uppers, and complete rifles in this caliber to meet high demand. Hornady has released several match-grade and hunting bullet options in 6mm ARC, showing their commitment to expanding the cartridge's uses. Shooters praise the 6mm ARC's accuracy potential, flat trajectory, and versatility for hunting, long-range target shooting, and even self-defense. So in just a few years, the 6mm ARC has achieved significant commercial success by filling the niche for an accurate, flat-shooting, and hard-hitting cartridge in the popular AR-15 platform. Its performance has lived up to Hornady's claims, driving strong adoption by manufacturers and shooters alike.

I fell for the Hornady marketing wank but i still like my Arc , it anchors deer in my back yard so I'm pleased with it . at least it didn't kick my balls like the 8.6 blackout brass issues 😂😂

It’s not a dud. It’s a bolt action cartridge. Better cartridges for AR are 6mm max or 6mm mongoose.

I realize post-recording that there are a number of holes I could poke in my own argument. And maybe I've got some aspects of the context of sequence of facts portrayed in a way that doesn't come across correctly. Still, the pressure restriction and bolt weak points are the driving forces behind why this cartridge will struggle to perform as well as it otherwise could.