I know we have a few backfire plus members that love the 6.8 Western cartridge, but I just don’t get why you would pick it over other cartridges and wanted to see if anyone had input on what I might be overlooking.
The 6.8 Western shoots a .277 caliber bullet. The ballistics on paper look great and improved over say a .270 Win, but you pay for that in recoil. A lot more recoil. The recoil on the 6.8 Western is fairly close to what you’ll get with your 7 RM/7PRC, so why would you not go with a bigger .284 bullet with similar ballistics?
It was basically designed to give you 270 WSM velocities, and yes recoil, but allow you to shoot the longer heavier bullets that everyone loves with high bc.
It’s recoil may be close to 7 mm RM, but it’s in a short action, doesn’t have a belt to worry about, and yet again can shoot higher BC Bullets then most 7 RM’s.
Ballistically, it’s at a dead heat with the 7 prc. However, you get a little less recoil especially if you step down 10 grains in bullet weight.
For most people, I find 7 prc to be too much recoil to shoot well in a hunting weight rifle.
I think of these cartridges like choosing between two girls who are twins . One is prettier, the other one funnier. Take your pick. Either one will do about the same thing.
I have thoughts of getting both. I have the shinny new object syndrome lol. Ron Spommer had a great article on the 270 vs 7prc. At most all hunting ranges the 270 is very close to the 7prc
i think “better” for most people in most cases of cartridges that are only nominally different is just theoretical. Sure, .30-06 is objectively - in the field as well as on a spreadsheet - better than .243 Win for whitetail. On the other hand .30-06 is better than .270 Win on paper but quite often is pragmatically the same in the whitetail woods. My buddy picked a .30-06 i er .270 Win b/c “it’s the classic American cartridge.” I have a .270 Win b/c it’s just as good where we live (Southeat US) and I like to be different.
As for the 6.8 Western: it performs close enogh to heavier recoiling cartridges in long action rifles as to be a good choice unless one really plans, e.g., to kill elk at extreme ranges.
Re recoil, add a backstop recoil and i’m not at all worried about it; add a suppressor, even better.
Bottom line: When comapring similar cartridges, i think theoratical differences in performance just dont matter in pracitcal use for most people, and they pick what they think is cool or fun or any number of factors unrelated to actual performance
@Steve_M444ss, I appreciate your point about theoretical differences. I’ve said it this way before, pick a cartridge you like, in a rifle that feels good in your hand, practice and get good with your rifle and enjoy the hunt. I doubt any game animal shot at reasonable hunting ranges (see Jim’s milk jug challenge videos) will know the difference between being shot with a 6.8 Western or 7 PRC. They won’t know the difference with a 270 Win or 30-06 for that matter. If your aim is to take elk at extreme distance, say 600+, or long range percision competition, then yes, cartridge choice becomes much more important.
I happen to like the .277 and .308 calibers myself, so I that’s reflected in the rifles I own. If someone else likes the 7mm, good on them. I actually considered getting a 7 PRC, but ended up with a 300 WSM. Who knows, at some point I will likely get a 7 PRC to add to the stable, but in the end I think it is much more important to practice and learn to shoot well with whatever cartridge and rifle tickles your fancy.
. One is prettier, the other one funnier. Take your pick. Either one will do about the same thing.
