Please educate me on the 6.5 Grendel

[glassparman]

I built one on an AR platform about a year ago. Loaded up 100 rounds but haven't had time to go sight it in and shoot it.

Too hot here in the Mojave to go do it now. Will have to wait until fall.

 

[Rushcreek]

It's basically almost .250 Savage power in an AR15. I killed a small boar with one the other night, he only ran about 50 yards with ruptured lungs.
It and the 6.8 SPC work very well for deer and hogs. I built an AR15 Grendel, but I didn't like the heavy barrel and high cost of component bullets so I sold it. 5.56 and .300BO are fine for where I live and hunt.

 

[CZ93X62]

When the using services cobbled up the first-series 6.8 x 43 SPC, then took it hunting for whitetails and used it with some success. That got my attention focused. It is an idea that I swat around from time to time, but whether I pour time and money into such a venture......dunno. It's not like I lack rifles to make venison with.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

The short/fat cartridges tend to be very efficient. I have long admired the 22 PPC and 6mm PPC. We also see the trend in the WSM family.

The 6mm AR, 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC are all variations on this same theme, and all designed around the AR platform.
I've often wondered what history would have looked like if the U.S. Military had required a 6mm or 6.5mm projectile instead of the 5.56mm? But history is what it is, and I snap back into reality when my mind starts playing "what if".
I do think that at extended ranges the 6mm, 6.5mm & 7mm projectiles have far better terminal performance than the 5.56mm projectiles. I also think they are less affected by wind drift.
Several states, including mine, require calibers greater than 23 to take deer. So 6mm becomes the default floor for that legal requirement.
I think our collective quest for extreme velocity may have got a little out of hand in the late 1950's and early 1960's and it took a little while for that to work itself out.

Within the confines of an AR platform, the 6 through 7mm options are well represented.
Focusing on the 6.5 Grendel, it appears the bullet weights range between about 85 to about 130 grains. The 85 grain loads can exceed 3000 fps with the right powder and a long enough barrel….but if you need all that speed the 5.56mm can get you there.
The 130 grain bullets are down around 2400 fps and probably slower in most AR length barrels; that seems a bit counter-productive to me. There are better options in other platforms.

The 100-120 grain bullets seem to offer the best compromise. Considering the relatively small case capacity of the Grendel, the performance of the 100-120 grain bullets is impressive.

 

[Ian]

I used to watch a Texas utoober who specialized in wild pig control. He developed an affection for the 6.8, both based on its performance for him and I imagine some sponsorship he acquired. I remember being particularly impressed once when he tried some new ammunition some maker sent him and he and a buddy lit up a field of pigs at night, suppressed. Normally these guys lay down half the herd before it's over, I should mention all the guys on his show can really shoot well, especially at running game. Not with that new ammunition though, most of the pigs ran off even after clearly being hit several times. A long discussion ensued where various factory loadings were compared and he opted to go back to what he had been using before. Once again, it isn't so much the cartridge as it is shot placement and choosing the right bullet for the job.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

A friend of mine Brian, Carpe Sus also on uTube does same with specfics of bullets and what they do in the recovered pigs. Nicely displayed all with the 6.5 Grendel. Tell him CW sent ya!

https://youtube.com/c/HornHillRange

Second site with bullet preformance.

https://youtube.com/channel/UCnqJoGlKC2vGn33hGPI312w

 

[Trapperscott]

After watching Brian, “Carpe Sus” on YouTube and visiting with him about the 6.5 Grendel I went with the Grendel when I started night hunting hogs. I’ve had very good luck on hogs with Hornady 123 SST’s out to about 200 yards. That’s as far as I’ve had to shoot. I always try to get close enough to see them blink before shooting. LoL

But if I had to pick one bullet to do everything I do for the rest of my life in the Grendel it would be the 120 gr Speer gold dot. It’s a great bullet out of my 16 inch barrels. Not quite as accurate as the SST’s but accurate enough. It shoots 3/4-1 inch at 100 with my loads. It doesn’t expand as violently as the SST but, it penetrates better on big hogs and deer. I’ve yet to recover a gold dot on a broad side shot on a deer.

My go to powder for it is IMR8208xbr. But it’s non existent at the moment and I’ve only got 2 lbs left. So I’ve started working up a load with H335.

I like the Grendel so well that I bought another one. One dedicated to night hunting with my Pulsar thermal and my daytime rifle that wears a 3x9 Leupold.