Olin (Winchester) received SAAMI approval for the new 6.8 Western cartridge in early November, 2020. It is now on the market with plenty of hype and hoopla to boost sales. If you’re looking for an excuse to purchase a new rifle then by all means follow the hype and go for it. But if you're the type who thinks more rationally...
The 6.8 Western is based on the 270 Winchester Short Magnum cartridge. It was made by shortening the 270 WSM case by a mere .08 inches as shown below. Their marketing campaign is a bit confusing because it compares the 6.8 Western with the 300 Win Mag, 300 WSM, and 7mm RM (see their comparison chart at the bottom of this post), but their chart doesn't compare it with the parent 270 WSM cartridge. That seemed a shortcoming, so what you see below is that comparison with the 270 WSM.
I'll be honest, I'm not seeing such a huge difference between the two, especially in the common hunting ranges between 100 and 300 yards. Is all the hype and hoopla warranted, or is this just part of the latest trend in new cartridges that aren't that much different from existing ones? Maybe y'all can help clarify what makes this such a bang-up cartridge that I should invest in it because looking at this comparison I'm not feeling compelled.
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Here's their comparison chart used to market the 6.8 Western against 7mm RM, 300 WM, and 300 WSM, but not 270 WSM:
![159646]( "159646")
The 6.8 Western is based on the 270 Winchester Short Magnum cartridge. It was made by shortening the 270 WSM case by a mere .08 inches as shown below. Their marketing campaign is a bit confusing because it compares the 6.8 Western with the 300 Win Mag, 300 WSM, and 7mm RM (see their comparison chart at the bottom of this post), but their chart doesn't compare it with the parent 270 WSM cartridge. That seemed a shortcoming, so what you see below is that comparison with the 270 WSM.
I'll be honest, I'm not seeing such a huge difference between the two, especially in the common hunting ranges between 100 and 300 yards. Is all the hype and hoopla warranted, or is this just part of the latest trend in new cartridges that aren't that much different from existing ones? Maybe y'all can help clarify what makes this such a bang-up cartridge that I should invest in it because looking at this comparison I'm not feeling compelled.
Here's their comparison chart used to market the 6.8 Western against 7mm RM, 300 WM, and 300 WSM, but not 270 WSM:
