From left to right: .223 Rem, 6.8 SPC, .308 Win

More specifically:

• On the left is a .223 Remington caliber rifle round. It’s a Federal P223S, which is using a 55 grain Barnes TSX bullet (.224″ diameter). Published factory data has a muzzle velocity of 3200 fps, muzzle energy of 1250 ft-lbs.
• In the center is a 6.8 Remington SPC caliber rifle round. It’s from Silver State Armory using a 85 grain Barnes TSX bullet (.277″ diameter). Published factory data lists a muzzle velocity of 3030 fps (not sure if that’s for the commercial or tactical load, but the above is a tactical load), and that calculates out to a muzzle energy of 1733 ft-lbs.
• On the right is a .308 Winchester caliber rifle round. It’s a Federal P308H, which uses a 165 grain Barnes TSX bullet (.308″ diameter). Published factory data lists a muzzle velocity of 2650 fps and a muzzle energy of 2573 ft-lbs.

Yes, I like Barnes bullets. 🙂

I wouldn’t say any one of these is necessarily better than the other. I would say that each has a place and role.

Regular readers know I am interested in the 6.8 Remington SPC round. I won’t rehash why I’m interested in this round, because this post is to say I’ve taken the next step.

I purchased an upper. 🙂

I wasn’t planning on purchasing a Wilson Combat 6.8 upper, but the opportunity was there so I jumped on it. I know Wilson Combat makes high quality stuff. A buddy of mine has a complete Wilson 6.8 rifle and it’s sweet. There were a lot of things I liked about it. You can check out the specs yourself. It’s top-notch. Yes, I was originally planning to go with Bison Armory, but I got a deal on the Wilson plus the Wilson was here and now instead of waiting a few weeks. This is not a slam on Bison at all. The only reason I went with the Wilson was because I knew it was top-quality, it was immediate gratification, and I got a sweet deal on the price.

Here’s the rifle, all mounted up:

So again, this is a Bushmaster 5.56 lower with the Wilson 6.8 upper on it. The scope is a Burris Fulfield II with a PEPR mount. Originally the scope was mounted on the Bushmaster upper, but I transferred it. The original Bushmaster upper is on top.

A closeup of the receivers:

The marriage of 5.56 and 6.8. 🙂

I should note. The trigger in here is a Rock River Arms 2-Stage Match trigger.

Here’s a closeup of the back-end of the rail.

I really like this rail. I like how the back-end of the side rails are smooth. As well, there are no sharp edges anywhere on this rail. It’s very comfortable to hold in your hand.

One gripe? Look at the back end of the top rail. You can see how the rail and the top of the upper receiver don’t perfectly mate so the rail is not continuous. Minor nit, but it’s there.

Low profile gas block. The rail is carbine-length but the gas system is mid-length. I am happy with the mid-length gas system, but I must admit a carbine length rail isn’t what I want. I’d prefer a longer rail, maybe even rifle length. Why? More rail out front to put things. For instance, bipod or front sights; mostly the front sights, for that extended sight radius. However, I can live with this at carbine length. This is not going to be a fighting gun, it’s primarily a hunting rifle. Thus do I really need BUIS? No, not really. So I’ll be alright. Besides, it’s a rail… easy to change if I really want to.

Notice as well the Wilson flash hider. Never experienced one. I’ll be curious to see how well it works.

A shot of the bolt carrier assembly. According to the Wilson site it’s a LMT enhanced bolt and carrier with NP3 coating. It does feel slick. I’ll still oil it tho.

Anyway, there she is.

I have magazines on the way, and ammo. Starting out with some factory ammo from Silver State Armory, and then I’ll collect the brass and eventually reload. I hear the forthcoming Barnes 95 grain TTSX are going to be awesome. Once I get the ammo and magazines in, I’ll get the scope zeroed. I hope to take her hog hunting soon. 🙂