What Is the Effective Range of 6.8 SPC?
The 6.8mm Remington SPC was not conceived as a long-distance cartridge. It was designed for carbines, with the idea being that it would supplant the 5.56x45mm NATO in close-quarters combat scenarios.
The U.S. Armed Forces ultimately passed over the 6.8 SPC thanks in no small part to Remington’s bungling of the round’s introduction: they released the 6.8 SPC with inaccurate chamber design specs.
Even though Remington fixed their mistake by introducing the 6.8 SPC II shortly thereafter, that correction proved to be too little, too late. The 6.8 SPC ultimately found its home in the civilian market. It’s compatible with the AR platform, which is pretty much all American firearm enthusiasts have to hear before they start ordering new upper receivers.
A cartridge that excels at close-quarters defensive shooting is appealing to anyone who takes responsibility for their personal safety.
Still, you may wonder what the 6.8 SPC’s effective range is. At which range can you reasonably expect the cartridge to prove effective for self-defense? And at which range is it effective for taking whitetail? Let’s find out!
What Is the Farthest Distance at Which the 6.8 SPC Remains Accurate?
We defer to the United States Department of Defense (USDOD) when it comes to the definition of “effective range.” According to the feds, it is “the maximum distance at which a weapon may be expected to be accurate and achieve the desired effect.”
If you’re only trying to hit a target at the rifle range, then the 6.8 SPC’s effective range is straightforward: 600 yards, give or take. It is possible to hit a target with the 6.8 SPC well beyond that range, but as a general rule of thumb you can reasonably expect the 6.8 SPC to consistently miss its mark once you start aiming beyond 600 yards. Naturally, there are exceptions.
A skilled marksman running match ammo through a high-end rifle might laugh at the suggestion that the 6.8 SPC becomes woefully inaccurate beyond 600 yards. We respect elite shooters’ accomplishments, and hope they will understand that we’re speaking to the average Joe – not members of Delta Force.
What Is the 6.8 SPC’s Effective Range for Self-Defense and Deer Hunting?
Target shooting is solely about accuracy. It does not matter how much kinetic energy the bullet can transfer to a paper bullseye (or any other inanimate object playing the role of target). The bullet only has to hit the target in order to achieve the USDOD’s aforementioned “desired effect.”
Self-defense and deer hunting are different stories. In addition to reaching the target, the bullet should also strike it with a certain amount of kinetic energy in order to “achieve the desired effect” – i.e. neutralizing a threat or humanely killing a deer, respectively. You want your bullet to hit a threat with at least 220 to 300 ft lbs of kinetic energy.
To that end, we can safely say the average of those two numbers is a good minimum threshold for self-defense. Likewise, 1,000 ft lbs is typically advised as the minimum kinetic energy you should strike a whitetail with. That said, let us calculate several different 6.8 SPC cartridges’ effective ranges for self-defense and deer hunting based on the farthest distances at which their bullets still meet the 260 and 1,000 ft lbs minimum energy thresholds.
Leading 6.8 SPC Ammo & Effective Range
| Cartridge | Muzzle Velocity (fps) | Barrel Length (in) | G1 Ballistic Coefficient | 1,000 ft lbs Range (yds) | 260 ft lbs Range (yds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remington 115gr UMC | 2625 | 24 | 0.396 | 310 | 1064 |
| Federal 115gr TMJ | 2675 | 24 | 0.385 | 323 | 1056 |
| Hornady 110gr BTHP | 2570 | 24 | 0.360 | 238 | 908 |
| Hornady 100gr GMX | 2550 | 24 | 0.274 | 140 | 632 |
| Hornady 120gr SST | 2460 | 16 | 0.400 | 259 | 1041 |
| Hornady 110gr V-MAX | 2550 | 16 | 0.370 | 236 | 925 |
| Federal 115gr Fusion SP | 2470 | 16 | 0.378 | 229 | 949 |
| Sellier & Bellot 110 FMJ | 2556 | 16 | 0.307 | 198 | 769 |
So, What’s That Mean?
Let’s interpret that data for the best-selling 6.8 SPC ammo at AmmoMan.com, beginning with self-defense. As you can see, every 6.8 SPC cartridge on the chart retains sufficient kinetic energy to reliably neutralize a threat beyond 600 yards – the 6.8 SPC’s maximum effective range for long-range target shooting. To put it more succinctly: if you can hit a threat with the 6.8 SPC, you can reliably neutralize said threat in one shot. That is comforting.
We would not advise using every cartridge on the chart for deer hunting. You don’t want a non-expanding FMJ for taking medium game, just like you don’t want a shallow-penetrating V-MAX. But if we average all the ranges at which those rounds’ bullets retain 1,000 ft lbs of energy, we get 242 yards. That’s roughly the range over which the 6.8 SPC remains effective for deer.
Realistically, the type of ammo you’re firing actually determines your 6.8 SPC rifle’s effective range for deer hunting. If it’s the Hornady 110gr GMX, it’s 140 yards; if it’s the Hornady 120gr SST, it’s 259 yards. We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it until people get sick of hearing it: ammo selection matters!
