[pabucktail]

I have received preliminary approval for a 6.8 from my chief and now it's time to do some ammo research. What are my fellow LEOs carrying as duty ammo? I think something that would perform similarly to how the Federal 62gr bonded 5.56 round did in the FBI tests would be ideal. Any ideas?

 

[paulosantos]

I have received preliminary approval for a 6.8 from my chief and now it's time to do some ammo research. What are my fellow LEOs carrying as duty ammo? I think something that would perform similarly to how the Federal 62gr bonded 5.56 round did in the FBI tests would be ideal. Any ideas?

Pretty much any 6.8SPC bullet will get the job done. I would check out the SSA 110 Gr. Pro-Hunters Tactical and the SSA 115 Gr. SMK Tactical loads as they will be very affordable, especially if your Department buys it for you. Even if you pay your department back, it is a nice savings.

If you are just looking for pure penetration, check out the SSA 85 Gr. TSX, SSA 110 Gr. TSX, SSA 110 Gr. Accubonds, and the Hornady 110 Gr. BTHP.

If you are looking for an all-purpose round, The SSA 110 Gr. Pro-Hunters and SSA 115 Gr., and Hornady 110 Gr. BTHP would be my top choices.

If you are looking for an entry round, the Hornady 110 Gr. V-Max and SSA 90 Gr. Sierra HP and 90 Gr. Speer TNT would be great choices.

RCrandall uses the 6.8SPC for work and he can help you out some. But I would see if your department would buy the SSA ammo for you as it will be much cheaper.

 

[rcrandall]

My general purpose duty round is the SSA 115gr OTM Tactical load. This is not bonded and fragments well but because of the heavier bullet it will still get through barriers like windshields in a pinch. I use the SSA 85gr TSX for a barrier defeating round, this acts most like the 62gr Federal Tactical in gel tests. The gel tests put both of these rounds between the 12 and 18 inches of penetration the FBI recommends. The 115gr OTM has a cannelure for crimping and the TSX has the grooves that SSA crimps into. The powder SSA uses is clean, has low flash, and is temperature insensitive. The only thing I wish SSA would do is add a primer sealant in the event the ammo gets wet. As for using the 110gr TSX or Accubonds, they are excellent bullets but they penetrate well past 20 inches and I would be concerned about over penetration in a crowded/urban environment. You know how admin is always concerned about liability...

I also have a few mags loaded with Hornady 110gr Tap Urban (vmax) for swat hits when we go into thin walled apartments and duplexes. Mostly, though, I use the 115gr OTM Tactical. It may seem like to many options but a trained operator should have no problems switching ammo when needed. In the event there is no time to switch out mags, the 115gr OTM's will pretty much do it all. Good luck.

 

[pabucktail]

Thanks for the info! How would you compare the performance of the OTM and the pro hunter? Also, what barrel length are you using? I'm going the SBR route with probably either an 11 or 12 incher. I thought about going with the 85gr triple shock, looking for the best of both worlds for defeating barriers without over-penetration. I also thought about utilizing the pro hunters and the lighter triple shock. How much difference do you get in your points of impact?

 

[rcrandall]

50 yards and in impact is about the same. The 85gr TSX is a great round but it will penetrate further, like the 62gr FedTac, maybe a little more. The 115gr OTM's fragment more where the Pro Hunters seem to fragment a bit less and drive a little deeper. If you go with the TSX then the Pro Hunter isn't necessary since both are considered barrier bullets. I use a 14.7" barrel and the 115gr OTM's are pushing about 2520 average and the 85's averaged a hair over 3000. I also have an 8.5" that I am considering using, but haven't decided if I want to go that route for my job. The Pro Hunters were around 2450 from the 14.7". One of the nice things about using the 6.8 over the .223 is you have a bigger, heavier bullet to push through things like car bodies and windshields. With the .223 you have to be very selective, use a hollow point and it is likely to explode on the windshield, getting little, if any, penetration on the suspect behind. The exception would be the TSX. The problem with the bonded soft points is over penetration, though if you hit center mass most pass throughs will have eaten up most of the bullet's energy. With the 6.8, even the 115gr OTM (which is fancy talk for hollow point boat tail) which fragments heavily in soft tissue will still have enough mass to get through a windshield. Is it optimal? Nope, but there is no free lunch. I lock and load the 85gr TSX's when we are conducting a vehicle assault or on a high risk stop. Otherswise, I stick with the OTM's.

 

[marinesg1012]

After talking to randal I use the hornandy VMAX tap in my go to house gun, with a 10 round mag of accubonds sitting around incase whatever is knocking on my door is large, black furry and walks on four legs... and when driving around I have mags of the OTM (for my world has ended scenario) with a 10 rounder full of Vmaxs for whatever I see that may need killing like coyotes and such