7mm WSSM as hunting alternative to 6.5 Grendel/6.8SPC

Boom Stick · October 20, 2008, 09:37 AM

***Note*** I have posted this on many other forums, but realizing that not everyone frequents every gun forum, I have decided to post it here as well because knowledgeable parties whose opinions I respect frequent here as well.***

I'm assembling an AR15 right now for hunting purposes only. I'll be using barnes bullets exclusively and reloading everything by hand. I had been debating the issue between a 6.8spc and the grendel, but I've recently found another alternative that has been projected into the forefront. Mike over at Dedicated Technologies makes custom built WSSM uppers in a variety of calibers. One of them just so happens to be the 7mm WSSM. Since I was looking at getting performance as close to the 7mm 08 as I could when I began my journey down the ar15 road, I think that the 7mm WSSM would be a pretty good alternative. I think the fact that it would be a heavier 7mm bullet would help aleviate the problem of wearing out the barrel that other WSSM cartridges face. And since I'm not yet convinced of the longevity of either the 6.5 Grendel or the 6.8SPC round I'm not sure there's much of a downside to going the wildcat route (from an ammunition availibility perspective.) Also I wouldn't need the high capacity magazines as this would be for hunting only (who goes hunting for deer with a full 26 round magazine anyway?) But ultimately, I just wanted to see what you all thought of this idea.

Also, I've got very little interest in going the AR10 route due to the increase weight/lack of accessories. Plus I already have an AR15 lower

Bitmap · October 20, 2008, 10:43 AM

I don't have a problem with the idea. I like having more performance. However, I think that as the bolt face is opened up the lugs will be weaker and will break more often. For an upper dedicated to hunting that isn't as big a deal. It would be easy to carry a spare BCG and swap it out if you broke the bolt before your hunt was over.

As far as ammo availability goes, what head size is the WSSM series based on? Having something based on the WSSM series might not be as bad as something based on the .348 Winchester case. As long as parent cases are available I wouldn't worry too much about that part.

Remington just announced a new .30 caliber hotrod for the AR. It might be another place to start, especially with the backing of a big name like Remington.

As far as the .308 ARs being heavy, I've always thought most of the weight was in the barrels not in the receiver. One of those with a pencil barrel like a Steyr Scout or a carbon fiber wrapped barrel and add a handguard aimed at weight savings and I think you would narrow that weight gap a lot. Especially if you are willing to compromise on the heat issue because that upper would be dedicated to hunting and high volume of fire wouldn't be an issue.

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do on this.

Hawkeye_FH · October 21, 2008, 04:13 AM

I'm not sure if this helps, but and alternative could be the 6.8x45 which is a necked up 5.56NATO instead of the necked down .30 carbine that the SPC uses. Brass should be readily available for years to come and it can be used with a standard AR with only a change of the barrel and mags. The creator of the round also claims that he can achieve ballistics comparable to those of the SPC. Like i said I'm not sure if this helps but it might warrant some research.

Good Luck!

October 20, 2008, 09:37 AM	#1
Boom Stick Junior Member Join Date: January 9, 2008 Posts: 1	7mm WSSM as hunting alternative to 6.5 Grendel/6.8SPC *Note* I have posted this on many other forums, but realizing that not everyone frequents every gun forum, I have decided to post it here as well because knowledgeable parties whose opinions I respect frequent here as well.*** I'm assembling an AR15 right now for hunting purposes only. I'll be using barnes bullets exclusively and reloading everything by hand. I had been debating the issue between a 6.8spc and the grendel, but I've recently found another alternative that has been projected into the forefront. Mike over at Dedicated Technologies makes custom built WSSM uppers in a variety of calibers. One of them just so happens to be the 7mm WSSM. Since I was looking at getting performance as close to the 7mm 08 as I could when I began my journey down the ar15 road, I think that the 7mm WSSM would be a pretty good alternative. I think the fact that it would be a heavier 7mm bullet would help aleviate the problem of wearing out the barrel that other WSSM cartridges face. And since I'm not yet convinced of the longevity of either the 6.5 Grendel or the 6.8SPC round I'm not sure there's much of a downside to going the wildcat route (from an ammunition availibility perspective.) Also I wouldn't need the high capacity magazines as this would be for hunting only (who goes hunting for deer with a full 26 round magazine anyway?) But ultimately, I just wanted to see what you all thought of this idea. Also, I've got very little interest in going the AR10 route due to the increase weight/lack of accessories. Plus I already have an AR15 lower

October 20, 2008, 10:43 AM	#2
Bitmap Senior Member Join Date: November 12, 2001 Posts: 388	I don't have a problem with the idea. I like having more performance. However, I think that as the bolt face is opened up the lugs will be weaker and will break more often. For an upper dedicated to hunting that isn't as big a deal. It would be easy to carry a spare BCG and swap it out if you broke the bolt before your hunt was over. As far as ammo availability goes, what head size is the WSSM series based on? Having something based on the WSSM series might not be as bad as something based on the .348 Winchester case. As long as parent cases are available I wouldn't worry too much about that part. Remington just announced a new .30 caliber hotrod for the AR. It might be another place to start, especially with the backing of a big name like Remington. As far as the .308 ARs being heavy, I've always thought most of the weight was in the barrels not in the receiver. One of those with a pencil barrel like a Steyr Scout or a carbon fiber wrapped barrel and add a handguard aimed at weight savings and I think you would narrow that weight gap a lot. Especially if you are willing to compromise on the heat issue because that upper would be dedicated to hunting and high volume of fire wouldn't be an issue. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do on this.

October 21, 2008, 04:13 AM	#3
Hawkeye_FH Member Join Date: October 21, 2008 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 61	I'm not sure if this helps, but and alternative could be the 6.8x45 which is a necked up 5.56NATO instead of the necked down .30 carbine that the SPC uses. Brass should be readily available for years to come and it can be used with a standard AR with only a change of the barrel and mags. The creator of the round also claims that he can achieve ballistics comparable to those of the SPC. Like i said I'm not sure if this helps but it might warrant some research. Good Luck!