The Special Purpose was a Jazz/Funk Fusion band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in the summer of 2004, the group - consisting of John Fawcett (drums), Stephen Fogg (8-string guitar), Chris Stefanile (guitar) and Tim Symons (keyboards)-- became one of the Pacific Northwest's premier grassroots musical acts. The band's name was a reference to the 1979 cult comedy classic, The Jerk, starring Steve Martin. The Special Purpose allowed the audio recording and free distribution of their live performances. The group stopped playing shows together in 2011.

References

The 6.8 mm Remington Special Purpose Cartridge (aka 6.8 SPC, 6.8 SPC II & 6.8×43mm) is a rifle cartridge that was developed by Remington Arms in collaboration with members of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, United States Special Operations Command to possibly replace the 5.56 NATO cartridge in a Short Barreled Rifle(SBR)/Carbine.

Based upon the .30 Remington cartridge, it is midway between the 5.56×45mm NATO and 7.62×51mm NATO in bore diameter and muzzle energy. It uses the same diameter bullet (not usually the same weight) as the venerable .270 Winchester hunting cartridge.

Development

The 6.8mm SPC cartridge was designed to address the deficiencies of the terminal performance of the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge currently in service with the U.S. Armed Forces. The cartridge was the result of the Enhanced Rifle Cartridge program. The 6.8 SPC (6.8×43mm) was initially developed by MSG Steve Holland and Chris Murray, a United States Army Marksmanship Unit gunsmith, to offer superior downrange lethality over the 5.56 NATO/.223 Remington in an M16 pattern service rifle with minimal loss of magazine capacity and a negligible increase in recoil. The goal was to create a cartridge that would bridge the gap between 5.56 mm and 7.62×51mm NATO.