Nevertheless, it started to gain followers among hunters to become one of the most popular big game hunting calibers of the time, mainly due to the development of affordable rangefinders, which reduce the advantages of flat trajectories within moderate ranges as the shooter doesn't need to "guess" distances anymore.
[5] Based on this new market trend for high ballistic coefficient bullets, fast twist barrels and short actions, Winchester in collaboration with Browning designed the 6.8 Western as a new alternative.
The higher ballistic coefficient of the 6.8 Western results in a flatter trajectory at distances beyond 600 yards, which may be controversial for hunting purposes.
The 6.8 Western is an adequate cartridge for hunting mid size big game species such as whitetail and mule deer up to considerable distances.
The possibility of chambering this cartridge in short action rifles as well as its capability to resist cross winds effectively makes it a very good option for mountain hunting.