Tell me about 6.5 Grendel

[Meety Peety]

I am interested in 6.5 Grendel but I don't know much about it. I have read claims that it out performs 308 and being able to run it in an AR15 platform with SRP's is of particular interest to me. Primary use would be target shooting so not too worried about taking game or stopping a threat. More interested in the performance and reloading aspect of this round.

So tell me what you know.. the good and bad. From what I've read, it looks like a cool round with great ballistics and a lot of potential out of a long barreled AR platform.. but it doesn't seem like it really has a lot of traction in the market.. why?

[Khromo]

I think commercial excitement about this round has been somewhat hampered by the cost of Alexander's guns. They're only going to sell so many rifles (and carbines!) chambered in a non-mainstream cartridge at the prices they command. The cartridge seems to fit in between more widely accepted cartridges, so the limited choices in factory ammo probably keeps a lot of shooters away.

For the shooter who doesn't handload, an AR-10 is probably an easier choice, and cheaper to feed over the long run. For the shooter with a bolt action, the .260 Rem or 6.5 Creedmoor are bigger ballistic performers.

But I don't care about any of that. When I started looking for more performance in an AR-15 platform, I liked the efficiency, reduced recoil, excellent barrel life, and 6.5 caliber of the Grendel. It should push a 130 grain bullet with a fine BC to 2,700 fps with 15 grains less powder than my .260.

I'd rather sit at the reloading bench than do most other things, so I got one of the 20" Shilen HBAR's from Midway, some Lapua brass, and some Redding dies. Later this week I will cobble an upper together and get it out to the range. Not a cheap proposition, but everything I've read leads me to believe it should be accurate and reliable.

It will be interesting to see how magazine length rounds perform out of that Shilen barrel.

[Meety Peety]

Thanks Khromo, it sounds like we are on the same page for the most part. I think you're right on the ar10 vs Alexander ar15 aspect. Not a whole lot of people assemble their own uppers out there and the alternative is really expensive. My plan was the same as yours for the most part. I have been wanting to do an 80% for a while but I don't really want to go blackout as I find myself wanting to shoot farther and farther out. Grendel seems like the perfect fit for what I'm looking for. In a weird way, I may be more excited to reload a new caliber than build a new gun

I'm interested to know how you like that set up and what kinda performance you get out of that barrel.

[liber]

I have read claims that it out performs 308

I 'spose that matters on what you define performance as.

I've heard it more powerful than 5.56 but not nearly the punch of 308.

One advantage of 6.5 Grendel is that it will fit in the AR-15 platform.

[Khromo]

...In a weird way, I may be more excited to reload a new caliber than build a new gun ...

I see absolutely nothing weird about that!

It sounds like guys are having an easy time reloading the cartridge. The dies are not cheap, but components are easy to come by. Hornady has published data, but they used a 14.5" barrel. Most folks seem to feel that the round needs a longer barrel to get up to speed. There is a lot of data on the boards, and it seems that the round is not fussy about powder selection, so I am looking forward to developing a good target load or two.

I'll bring a few different weight buffers out the first time, but I haven't heard of any issues with function, so I don't anticipate any problems.

I am at P2K once or twice a week, so let me know if you want to try it out!

[David-K]

I have another complete lower just begging to have an upper placed on it and I too, have been giving seious thought to the Grendel. I've seen a few well priced uppers on gunbroker ($500-ish w/ BCG and CH). Any thoughts on those?

[Khromo]

...I've seen a few well priced uppers on gunbroker ($500-ish w/ BCG and CH). Any thoughts on those?

My only thought is:

"Life is too short, and ammo is too expensive or labor intensive, for inexpensive barrels."

There are some good barrels out there, and they are worth owning. A used upper with a good barrel, in good condition, is a great deal. A low priced upper with a barrel chosen to keep the cost down is not such a good deal.

I'm reminded of all the $600 AR "builds" which sound great when the owner is bragging about how smart he is for paying so little. Those guns tend to be uninspiring when the line is hot. What's the point? "Hey, look at this, I have an inexpensive gun that shoots like an inexpensive gun."

I feel like if you are going to go to the trouble of feeding a gun chambered in a non-mainstream cartridge, it is worth the extra $200-300 to get a butt-kicking barrel. That small extra cost is peanuts compared to the cost of ammo over the life of the barrel.

[Khromo]

...One advantage of 6.5 Grendel is that it will fit in the AR-15 platform.

That is a big one for me. Better-than-.223 performance with a magazine length cartridge, and without fussing with the eccentricities of an AR-10.

The efficiency, long barrel life, higher BC, reduced recoil, and ability to use 130 grain expanding bullets at moderate range makes for a handy in-betweener, for me.

If the internoogie stories about accuracy and reliability are half-true, which is never a good bet, I think it will be useful enough to make it worthwhile.

And I don't need much of an excuse to tinker with a new upper assembly, and a new cartridge to reload for. I don't expect it to replace a .308, but it will make a long day at the range a lot more comfortable. And that's what I do 95% of the time!

[LowThudd]

Big deal with the Grendel is the long range accuracy and precision. It is also a good deer round, out to @400 yards. There is cheap steel case ammo available for it, but the better hunting rounds are on the pricey side.

If you do decide to go with it, here is a deal on a BHW barrel with free upper and free shipping. http://www.surplusammo.com/new-category/

[Brewtality]

I have been shooting Grendel for a couple years now. Lots of fun. Fast round. Straight shooting round.
A chronograph showed my 120gr wolf rounds shooting considerably faster than a buddy's 6.8 SPCs. My Grendels were over 2500FPS out of a 16" barrel.
Grendel got me reloading. I invested in a Dillon 550b, a complete work bench and all the giggles & grins.
Current load is
Hornady Brass
Sierra Match King 1715 107gr bullets
Remington 7 1/2 small riffle primers
29.5 grains of Tac

After loading and shooting over 500 of these, I can say they are shooting straight. No chrono work with them though.

[Rusty Scabbard]

I've had a Grendel AR for a few years.
24" Satern barrel.
Current load worked up is
123 gr A-max
30.5 gr BL C 2
CCI 450
2.250 OAL
Chrono at 2610 at around 60 F.

[USMCM16A2]

Go with the Grendel, you will not regret it.

My experience with the Grendel,



Has been nothing short of awesome, it is accurate, .308 punch in a 6.5. I have 3 uppers built on BHW barrels. Black Hole Weaponry makes some of the best barrels out there. I have used AeroPrecision M4E1 uppers and handguards to put together some of the most accurate rifles I have ever owned.
I took a 16 inch I just finished out to Angeles, 5 shot group .64 inches at 100. Then shooting at the silouette steel at 600, was able to ping 5 inch gongs, 4 of 5 shots. Awesome round, will never go back to .223. A2

[ar15barrels]

I am interested in 6.5 Grendel but I don't know much about it. I have read claims that it out performs 308 and being able to run it in an AR15 platform with SRP's is of particular interest to me. Primary use would be target shooting so not too worried about taking game or stopping a threat. More interested in the performance and reloading aspect of this round.

So tell me what you know.. the good and bad. From what I've read, it looks like a cool round with great ballistics and a lot of potential out of a long barreled AR platform.. but it doesn't seem like it really has a lot of traction in the market.. why?

The published 6.5 grenade ballistic comparisons are most often comparing premium quality 6.5 bullets to typical 308 milsurp (ball) ammo.
When 308 is loaded with similar quality target bullets in similar barrel lengths, the 6.5 grenade can not keep up with the 308.

[Meety Peety]

Thanks for all the input guys. I am pretty sold on the Grendel and I think when funds allow I will start putting some parts together. Thoughts on 20" vs 24" barrels? 20 really *feels* like the sweet spot, but it's going to be a bench gun so I don't mind the extra length if it will help me really reach out there.

[ar15barrels]

Thanks for all the input guys. I am pretty sold on the Grendel and I think when funds allow I will start putting some parts together. Thoughts on 20" vs 24" barrels? 20 really *feels* like the sweet spot, but it's going to be a bench gun so I don't mind the extra length if it will help me really reach out there.

Extra barrel length will absolutely be helpful beyond 400yds.