A new cartridge is here

Apparently, there can never be enough different calibers, that's why a new cartridge has now come out: the 6mm ARC by Hornady. This new cartridge is supposed to represent the perfect middle ground between .308 and .223 and was specifically designed for the AR platform. Americans love abbreviations, so ARC stands for Advanced Rifle Cartridge.

What can this cartridge do? If we believe the manufacturer, which we do, the 6mm ARC projectile flies faster than 7.62x51 mm (.308) and 5.56x45 (.223)mm, has less "Bullet Drop" and has 54% less recoil than .308. The latter is based on a rifle with just under 5 kg of mass.

With the same magazine dimensions, 25 rounds fit in a magazine for an AR, which is more than the 20 rounds with .308 but five less than in a .223 magazine.

Hornady has also developed a nice table highlighting how their 6mm ARC stands out against other calibers. As a direct competitor, the 6mm ARC is up against the 6.5mm Grendel, a popular cartridge among hunters and sports shooters in the USA. The biggest advantage here is stated to be the availability of several different types of projectiles for reloaders.

As a small drawback, we would like to add that there are not yet many rifles in this caliber and accessories are slowly finding their way to the market. It also remains to be seen when and if this cartridge will make it to the European market.

You can find all the detailed information on the product page of the 6mm ARC in English: www.hornady.com/6mmARC

HORNADY on the Internet: www.hornady.com