SBR upper for hunting

[Les]

If you were to build an upper to hunt deer/coyote and (maybe hogs), what caliber etc. would you use?  5.56, 6.5, 6.8, 300blk? In an AR-15 platform. Cost is always an issue as well. But accuracy is paramount. 

[shooter]

 go with the larger AR-10. and have upper is 243 and 308. I got a 8.5 inch barreled 308. outstanding on deer

[RobertH]

As long as you achieve the 900 ft/lbs at 100 yds, do whatever you like. 5.56 won't make it. It barely makes it out of a 16" barrel. Of course this is for deer, coyotes don't have a minimum caliber. Not sure about hogs. Remember shot placement and a clean kill is best and ethical.

[gsd]

bkoenig used a 6.8 one season I thought. Like Rob said, as long as you hit 900 ft/lbs at 100yds for deer, you're in the clear.

[tstuart34]

I think I looked into one time and a 11" 6.8 will maintain the power factor. Now you throw a suppressor on it and that changes things again.

I checked with the Game and Parks a year or so about the power factor that they publish. The gentlemen that I spoke with said he knew of no way that the G&P had of checking your loads. It is mainly to keep dumb people from using 22lr on deer(example).

[Les]

I'm fully aware of G&P 900 ft lbs requirement, I'm looking for real world experience hunting mostly deer, I do hunt coyote frequently and not sure if I'd ever travel down to hog country although the thought intrigues me.  Funny thing is before now I never would've considered ballistics like these calibers, always have looked for more speed as long as they were accurate. This SBR thing is captivating.  lol

[Hardwood83]

The only one of those I have experience with is the 6.8, but not in an SBR. That said, my 6.8 is a laser and very effective on 4 deer and a coyote.

Anything adequate for a deer will work on hogs. I've used .308 and .30-30 (similar ballistics to .300Blk) on several with no problems, personally, I wouldn't use .223.

[Mntnman]

If you build it as a pistol with a Sig arm brace, it only has to make 400 foot pounds. My next build will be a 458 Socom, maybe as a pistol.

[bkoenig]

I've used a 12.5" 6.8 upper and a 10.5" 300 BLK.  I don't have either anymore, but both deaded the deer just fine.  I never got the opportunity to take a shot over 100 yards with them, though.

[Les]

From the research I've done sounds like 6.8 would be the better bet with an existing 15 lower, however seems to be some gray area regarding the warranty for an omega in anything larger than 5.56 in an sbr.  It's rated for 5.56 down to 10.5" barrel but minimum length for .308 is 16".  Not really any documentation that I've found regarding the 6.8.  68forums have lots of info. 

[RobertH]

From the research I've done sounds like 6.8 would be the better bet with an existing 15 lower, however seems to be some gray area regarding the warranty for an omega in anything larger than 5.56 in an sbr.  It's rated for 5.56 down to 10.5" barrel but minimum length for .308 is 16".  Not really any documentation that I've found regarding the 6.8.  68forums have lots of info. 

Call up SiCo and ask them. Have them email you the answer so you have it in writing.

[Les]

Agreed I should do that, and will.  I was looking at a thread over on 68forums, seems that someone already did.  The following is what he got back. 

First from Tyler @ SiCo:

Thank you for your question. The differences come from the use of different materials between each suppressor series. The Saker features a full Stellite Core, with all other parts being Stainless Steel. Stellite is selected as the complete core material for its strength, and is 30% stronger than Inconel. This is what allows the Saker 762 to handle the 6.8 all the way down to 7", and thus your 8.5" as well. The other option, which is also made of the same materials, and will offer better suppression is the Specwar 762. This model being of a full Stellite core as well, is also rated for use down to 7". The Omega does use a Stellite Blast Baffle, however the rest of the baffle stack is Stainless Steel.

and the second answer from Jay @ SiCo:

In regard to the Omega minimum barrel length, there was an email sent with incorrect information. It was mistakenly stated that the Omega minimum barrel length was 10" when in fact it is 16". The case capacity and muzzle pressures are such that using anything under 16" may damage the suppressor.We completely apologize for the confusion and will be happy to answer any additional questions or concerns you may have regarding the Omega and its capabilities.

[Les]

On the surface it would appear that they won't cover it, wished I'd known that before I bought one.  I know, it's still operator malfunction, should've done more research.  But I will contact them after the weekend.