black gun question

[Goat]

I took the plunge and bought something I know nothing about while the law still allows it. I was impressed by the ballistics of the 6.8 versus the 5.56 and went with it. Now I am thinking more about if the "dooky" hits the fan and realize that I could never afford to stockpile ammo for the 6.8. Should I just try to sell the upper and buy a 5.56 upper or am I better off selling the whole thing and starting over? It is a 16" flat top with a "tower" front sight and standard, ribbed handguards. What do you think ???
Goat

[Blaine]

Like the CSGM said in "We Were Soldiers"..... when the time comes, and if I need one, there will be plenty laying around on the ground....

[MrMurphy]

Buy a spare 5.56 upper.

Ammo will never be cheap on 6.8 but it's a good round. If 5.56mm, you can get a 1 in 8 twist and shoot everything from 40 grain to 77 grain (which will do the job on a deer) and handle most things.

If you're shooting bigger than whitetail, the 6.8 will handle it....or you can get a bolt gun. Single-shot NEF or whatever in a heavier caliber.

[Mescalero]

Go back to basics, how many other calibers use .277 bullets?
How great are your chances of finding .277 bullets to load should something happen?

[1894c]

.223 cal.

[olyinaz]

Keep it and buy another upper.

Oly

[Sixgun]

Keep it and buy another upper.

Oly

Thats my thinking. Its never a good thing to "hurry up and sell" what you think you don't need. You can always sell the 6.8 in the future after your brain settles down.-------------Sixgun

[Streetstar]

Keep it and buy another upper.

Oly

x3 -- the 6.8 is a nice round for the AR and arguably more versatile for sporting purposes.
But another 5.56 upper on hand and a couple of cases of ammo is nice to have too

[Old Ironsights]

Keep it and buy another upper.

Oly

x3 -- the 6.8 is a nice round for the AR and arguably more versatile for sporting purposes.
But another 5.56 upper on hand and a couple of cases of ammo is nice to have too

X4.

Not only get a 5.56 upper, but get one of the fun Thumper calibers too.

The availability of cool uppers to go on a single papered lower is about the best "feature" of the AR platform...

[AJMD429]

Not only get a 5.56 upper, but get one of the fun Thumper calibers too.

I'd get the .223, and get something REALLY different (the 6.8 is 'better' perhaps, but not all that different, and harder to find ammo for).

I'd sell the 6.8, and get a .50 Beowulf (Alexander Arms) - the power of a stout-loaded .45-70, semiauto from your same lower (essentially the same round as a .500 S&W, only with rifle-barrel balistics!). .50 cal bullets are plenty more available, and as your non-primary chambering, you won't require tons of brass. The same is true of the other 6mm and 6.8mm and 300 Whisper and so on, but again, the .50 Beowulf is so unique and powerful it would definitely be my first non-223 upper.



After that, I'd sure consider a .338 Whisper or .300 Whisper, and a Liberty Suppressor "Mystic" to go with it.

[Dave]

Keep it and buy another upper.

Oly

That way you have the best of both worlds.

[pshort]

Howdy,
I recently picked up a basic DPMS .223, put an AR-Gold trigger in it and then got a .450 bushmaster upper.. Uses .45 cal bullets or factory ammo is available.. Seems to be a pretty good combo....
That .450 BM is a real thumper..

Paul

[tman]

IF it does, you want 223, 308 , 9mm, 22lr conversion. If it don't and I think it won't it doesn't matter

[Old Ironsights]

IF it does, you want 223, 308 , 9mm, 22lr conversion. If it don't and I think it won't it doesn't matter

.308 requires a different lower.

[jhrosier]

Anybody check the price of an upper lately?
You can buy a pretty nice used lever gun for that kind of money.
I looked at prices to add a plain-jane .223 upper to my AR about a week ago.
$500 and way up will get you started.

I will buy a bunch of handloading supplies instead of a new upper.

Jack

[tman]

IF it does, you want 223, 308 , 9mm, 22lr conversion. If it don't and I think it won't it doesn't matter

.308 requires a different lower.

Sorry

[MrMurphy]

Handloading supplies get used up.


Uppers don't. Shop around, they're not THAT expensive.

[gak]

+1 upper-"best of both worlds"-now that you've got the platform. I applaud the sentiment around the 6.8 choice--to me it's what the AR shoulda been all along and gives it proper intermediate/medium game hunting cred--even if logistically challenged compared to the .223 in a bad "social" scenario. An extra upper changes all that.

[Old Ironsights]

Handloading supplies get used up.


Uppers don't. Shop around, they're not THAT expensive.

And they don't require "Papers"...

[MrMurphy]

Having an AR (any AR, even a somewhat crappy one) and not having at least one 5.56mm upper is like owning a 1911 in something other than .45.

Yeah, there's parts and ammo, but the 5.56mm has been our issued service round for 40 years. Between us and NATO the only caliber in the entire WORLD more common is 7.62X39mm (even after the Russians switched to 5.45, most of the Warsaw Pact did not....and those ex-WP countries joining NATO went to 5.56). 7.62X54mmR is the 'other' most common caliber due to Soviet machine guns being used by basically everyone. Though they also make those in 7.62 NATO now as well (for the ex-WP-now-NATO guys like Poland). Having a 5.56mm just makes sense.

[piller]

Yes, the 5.56 makes a lot of sense. I also like the idea of the 6.8 SPC upper. At the risk of getting another caliber and having something sit around more often than it is shot, I may just get the 6.8 and have one more choice. I have a .270 and the .277 round would make it where I could find one bullet weight which would work fine in both and have only one type to keep track of.

[BC in TN]

IF it does, you want 223, 308 , 9mm, 22lr conversion. If it don't and I think it won't it doesn't matter

tman, I also think it won't

[Mescalero]

I am on the negative side also.
But I live so close to the border, we have always gone about armed.

[Old Ironsights]

I am on the negative side also.
But I live so close to the border, we have always gone about armed.

The Mexican Army uses G3s/CETMEs (they are impossible to break)... Parts/Magazine/ammo interchangeability is good...

[Mescalero]

Between me and the border is McGregor Range and White Sands missle range.
Tio Sam is not going to let ANYBODY play in his playpen.