Future of the 6mm ARC bolt gun

[CZ527 Guy]

What is holding back the 6mm arc in a bolt gun or do we even need a 6mm arc Bolt gun? For many of us the answer for this question may boil down to another cartridge may scratch our itch better than the 6mm ARC.

For my itch to be scratched I was seeking a caliber/cartridge  that was suitable for deer and Varmint hunting. I like the idea of longer barrel life. I really like the idea of burning less propellant & lower recoil.

Seems many are stuck on rifles set up with a 308 bolt face & if you can't get past that then the good news as there are many cartridges to choose from calling for that bolt face.

I wanted this cartridge for the CZ527 platform & thus 308 bolt face was the furtherest thing from my mind. Was very sorry to see CZ opted to drop the mini Mauser action this year & thus a great platform for the 6mm ARC. Looking like Howa may be the primary kid on the block going forward in my view for a mini action made for the 6mm ARC. Correct me if you see this differently.

Fortunately for me I had a few CZ 527's purchased already with a barrel switch in mind. What can I say other than I tried it & like it. So far she has been loaded with a range of bullets from 80 GMX to 108 GR Elite hunters. My experience has been favorable with everything I have tried thus far.
More folks than myself have had favorable results on deer with the 6mm ARC. In my case there has only been one deer hunting opportunity made available since putting this rifle together. More about the rifle, a CZ 527 barreled with a 22" SS light contour 5 groove 7.5 twist barrel. Hunting load settled on was a 108 GR Elite Hunter that produced 2780 FPS at the muzzle & 3/4 MOA accuracy at 100 yards. Shot opportunity came for the nicest deer I have ever had the opportunity to hunt.

With that 108 gr Elite hunter at 250 yards I did not feel under gunned. So yes shot opportunity presented worked out to be at 254 yards. High shoulder shot placement was selected As it worked out I found a very solid rest or I would have passed on this shot opportunity. 

Anyone familiar with the CZ 527 would be Familiar or at least aware of the set trigger option. I most frequently use the set trigger option. So as the  crosshairs were settled high on the shoulder of the buck, the set trigger was set. When the trigger was touched their was an audible click though she did not fire. Sorry to say this is not uncommon for my experiences with this rifle. No problem just re-set the trigger & try again.

So the trigger was re-set & cross hairs re-settled. This time their was a mild crack and a thwap/crack  to be heard. The scope did jump a bit. Though was quickly resettled & a bit of shock & awe was experienced to witness that the buck was down & out right there.

So based on this sample of one Id dare say the 6mm ARC is very capable of taking a whitetail deer. I have taken deer with Archery Equipment, 6.5 Grendel, 6mm Rem, & 270 Winchester & generally see a quick kill. Never have I seen a deer expire any quicker than this deer had with the 6mm ARC. This is more a testimony of shot placement than caliber choice.

First time I opted for a high shoulder shot & will likely employ this again.

[Thelaststraw]

People are taking note of it among the bolt crowd. There is a lot of jokes and negative comments, probably very similar to when Hornady came out with the 6.5 creed when 260 had already been around and used plenty. I was listening to a podcast today that is PRS focused/precision rifle in general that the 6ARC was mentioned as a go to cartridge for new shooters (along with the creedmoors). He said the same thing I recently saw myself at a match a couple weeks ago....6ARC is just about everything 6BR is in a factory offering, easily obtained. On the hunting side, I have no idea TBH, I don't hunt. I'm sure it is plenty capable though based on performance ballistically and projectile wise. 6mm projectiles are pretty dang popular, so I imagine development is far from lagging behind.

[r.tenorio671]

..It's gaining popularity in pretty much the 3 primary interest groups, i.e., LR Precision, Hunting and Self Defense. Being a commercially supported cartridge, the cost per round is pretty much equal to that of 6.5CM, 223/556 and .308Win, especially in the match grade ammo for those calibers. I think the current limited availability of commercial off the shelf ammo for 6ARC is an obstacle, but I anticipate more ammo manufacturers will soon be adding this caliber to their inventory.

For the PRS/NRL folks, the cost factor in consumables (barrels, components) is less, something that everyone can appreciate, especially those just entering the game. For the youth participants, its a more "manageable" caliber to use and could keep their interest in the sport higher for longer.

For the hunters, the caliber is quite proficient for varmints, hogs and the majority of deer species in N. America. There have even been reports of folks taking Elk with them. This years hunting season may show more types of game taken, especially in areas where COVID Mandates have relaxed from previous year. For the states that have minimum caliber requirements for anything larger than varmints, the 6ARC meets more of those requirements.

A greater majority of AR15 manufacturers are now offering a 6ARC model in their offerings. The models range across the 3 primary groups; PRS/NRL, hunting and defensive. The shorter carbine format is picking up steam, folks reporting use of 12"-14" barrels and still having sufficient energy at greater distances than the typical calibers used in SBR type AR's.

More bolt action manufacturers are debuting 6ARC models as well.

As COVID doldrums and the attendant impacts on manufacturing & marketing decrease, I anticipate an ever increasing, yet gradual surge on the 6ARC market, especially as anti-2A efforts haven't been gaining any traction.

Just the thoughts of an old man....

[CZ527 Guy]

I was in the basement of my parents home today looking at the rack of the largest bodied whitetail deer I have ever seen personally. Dad took this near 400 lb live weight buck in the company of his FIL & myself likely age 10. Caliber of choice at that time was the 6mm Rem.

That deer was a non typical 7 x 11 that would gross a little over 160 I suspect. This year while deer hunting My opportunity came at another outstanding whitetail, perhaps my deer of a lifetime. Another 160 class deer was taken with another 6mm caliber rifle. Found it amazing to recall that after dads first fatal shot at a near 30 yards on his dandy 7 x 11 whitetail he followed up with 3 more fatal shots in the boiler room out to 60 yards with that pump action 760 6mm REM before that brute realized he was done.

Fast forward 47 years later and His son is shooting a much smaller 6mm cartridge that was burning roughly 10 grains less propellant & pushing a projectile weighing 9grains more at a much greater distance just over 250 yards. This time shot selection was the CNS & again well exicuted. Results, the deer has had his lights turned off like a switch. High shoulder hit resulted in a deer that was down for a DRT nap.