Guide

6.8 Western Ammo Guide

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

We checked the factory 6.8 Western loads on Winchester's and Hornady's own pages on November 5, 2026: 5 Winchester loads and 1 Hornady load. The bullet weights, ballistic coefficients (BC), muzzle velocities and muzzle energies below are copied from the maker pages. We don't use retailer prices or third-party ballistics. The Hornady load is announced for 2027 and is not shipping.

What 6.8 Western is

6.8 Western is a Winchester/Browning short-action magnum rifle cartridge. Winchester lists factory loads for it on its rifle ammunition page, and Hornady lists a Precision Hunter load for it. This guide covers those loads only. The 6.8 Western is not the same cartridge as the 6.8mm Remington SPC. For that one, see our 6.8 SPC ammo guide.

Every factory load we found

Winchester figures come from Winchester's rifle listing filtered to 6.8 Western. Hornady figures come from the Hornady product page.

Maker	Line	Item	Bullet	BC	Muzzle fps	Muzzle ft-lb	Box	Status/notes
Winchester	Expedition Big Game Long Range	S68WLR	165 gr AccuBond LR	0.620	2,970 fps	3,226 ft-lb	20	Listed by Winchester
Winchester	Ballistic Silvertip	SBST68W	170 gr Rapid Controlled Expansion Polymer Tip	0.550	2,920 fps	3,218 ft-lb	20	Listed by Winchester
Winchester	Power-Point	X68W1	170 gr Power-Point	not listed	2,920 fps	3,218 ft-lb	20	Listed by Winchester; no BC listed
Winchester	Copper Impact	X68WCLF	162 gr Copper Extreme Point	0.564	2,875 fps	2,973 ft-lb	20	Listed by Winchester
Winchester	Supreme Long Range	S68WBC	175 gr BC MAX	0.682	2,825 fps	3,101 ft-lb	20	Listed by Winchester
Hornady	Precision Hunter	80561	176 gr ELD-X	0.680 (G1)	2,825 fps	3,118 ft-lb	20	Announced / new for 2027. See our tracker entry and new guns for 2027.

Winchester's item pages often say "There is no ballistics data available at this time," so the Winchester numbers come from Winchester's filtered rifle listing for 6.8 Western, not the item pages. Hornady's figures are from a 24 in test barrel. Hornady item 80561 is announced for 2027. Do not read it as available now. "Box" is the round count per box. All pages checked November 5, 2026.

Hornady 176 gr ELD-X downrange figures

Hornady prints this table for item 80561, using a 24 in test barrel. Trajectory is in inches.

Range	Muzzle	100 yd	200 yd	300 yd	400 yd	500 yd
Velocity (fps)	2,825	2,688	2,555	2,425	2,300	2,178
Energy (ft-lb)	3,118	2,823	2,550	2,299	2,067	1,854
Trajectory (in)	-1.5	1.7	0	-7	-19.9	-39.3

Picking a load by use: what the table shows

The makers don't say one load is right for every shooter, so this only points out what the numbers show. Check your state hunting rules and your state wildlife agency before you buy.

Copper bullet: Winchester Copper Impact (X68WCLF) is the load in the table with a Copper Extreme Point bullet, at 162 gr and 0.564 BC.
Long-range BC: Winchester Supreme Long Range (S68WBC) lists the highest BC in the table at 0.682, followed by Winchester Expedition Big Game Long Range (S68WLR) at 0.620. Hornady's 80561 lists 0.680 but is announced for 2027.
Budget-style option: Winchester Power-Point (X68W1) is the plain Power-Point load in the table. Winchester lists no BC for it, and we don't list prices.

6.8 Western is not the same cartridge as 6.8 SPC; see the 6.8 SPC ammo guide. For what is coming, see new guns for 2027 and SHOT Show 2027. For more ammo, see all ammo releases and new ammo for 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the fastest factory 6.8 Western load in this guide?

Winchester Expedition Big Game Long Range S68WLR at 2,970 fps (165 gr AccuBond LR), from Winchester's filtered 6.8 Western rifle listing checked Nov. 5, 2026.

Which factory 6.8 Western load has the highest BC here?

Winchester Supreme Long Range S68WBC lists BC 0.682 (175 gr BC MAX) on that same listing.

Is Hornady 6.8 Western Precision Hunter out yet?

No. Item 80561 is announced for 2027 on Hornady's page and tracked as Announced on our /new-guns-2027/ list. Do not treat it as shipping.

6.8 Western Ammo Guide

What 6.8 Western is

Every factory load we found

Hornady 176 gr ELD-X downrange figures

Picking a load by use: what the table shows

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

What 6.8 Western is

Every factory load we found

Hornady 176 gr ELD-X downrange figures

Picking a load by use: what the table shows

Related

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

The Gun Release Report