My grendel will never replace my 5.56. .223/5.56 parts and ammo are so common and cheap that it’s hard to heavily invest in any of the other AR15 calibers.
I love the 6.5 Grendel I built an AR15 to hunt with this year mainly because of the hog problem we have down in Louisiana... So far I've shot 2 deer and tons of hogs with it and it hasn't let me down yet!!!!
@@kyle18934 it will never go down in numbers unless there is a government incentive for hunters. Sows can breed several times a year, they are ready at a young age and can do 4-6 piglets average... we might have dented the population in the US, but not enough to make a difference. So I expect to see wild hogs in norther states in less than 5 years
@@kyle18934 You can't get rid of these hogs down here I hunt sherburne and it's ridiculous they are killing the deer population and have demolished the turkeys I havnt seen the first turkey since they invaded they eat the nests turkeys already have a very low poult survival rate add hogs and it runs them into extinction sherburne use to be full of turkeys and deer it's going to sht and they won't do anything about it they won't let people hunt them year round or trap them they put out a few traps and claim they use a helicopter to shoot them during summer but it's to many woods no way they can kill many from air and I've seen their trapping they suck they will never get rid of the hogs unless they take extreme measures were going to lose a very good piece of public land to hogs if they won't allow hog hunting in summer I say make everyone kill 2 hogs before they are allowed to kill deer every year which won't be hard to do and maybe it will knock them down a little
@@thesouthernlife4061 thats crazy! those suckers should be hunted until they are nearly gone. they are not natural, or play nicely in the enviroments they inhabit.
I've had a 6.5 Grendel for the last three years and love how it shoots. I changed to a 24 inch barrel made by X caliber with 7 twist and rifle plus 2 gas. It puts 129 grain ABLR's out at 2540 fps with AR Comp powder. I've sighted it in at 200 yards and hit everything I shoot at with it out to 700 yards, I haven't shot at anything beyond that because I haven't seen anything I want to shoot at beyond that range. I am 75 and really don't think I want to try to run down any animals at that range anymore. I like this in the AR platform, nice to my shoulder that has survived two replacements also.
Nice. A highly efficient episode on a highly efficient cartridge. 6.5 Grendel is my preferred choice in the AR15 platform. Glad to see it getting some love.
I've been running a 24" Sanders Armory upper for 3 years now and absolutely love it. My pet load is a 105gr MKZ over a stout charge of N530. It runs around 2850 (with a .490 BC) and holds 1/2 MOA or better. Took a prairie dog with it last year at 600 yds. I've filled all of my (Indiana firearms) deer tags with it for the past 3 years including a very heavy quartering shot on a decent 8 pt last year at 297 yds. Total pass through right through the heart. Love the cartridge and the load. Its so accurate its boring... ;)
Ruger has been offering the American Predator series 6.5 Grendel bolt gun since 2018! And they added the American Ranch series Grendel the end of last year.
Right I was like pulling my hair out when they didn’t mention the ruger Ruger ranch!! I’ve been drooling over their 6.5cm predator for the last 2 years and finally built it last month with a magpul stock and timney trigger 😁now I want a 6.5 grendal ranch for my boys and nephews to play around with on the farm.
@@ssgslaughter4639 I did the same thing, definitely a whole new animal with the Magpul stock!! I have a ranch in .223 didn't know they made one in grendel might be next on my list.
I have more 6.5 Grendel rounds for my AR than any of my other guns combined. With the efficiency of a 5.56/223 round and the stopping power of a 308 round, it’s truly an incredible round! 🤘
@@harpreetsinghpannu408 it's designed for an AR-15 - where the 6.8 Fury is an AR-10 - and it outranges a 6.8 x 43 SPC because of the long higher BC bullets. It's exterior ballistics are better than typical 7.62 x 51.
@@harpreetsinghpannu408 so they say. But that's only supposed to be in line infantry, where our guys would expect to run into body armor issues. SIG Fury full power ammo is 80,000 PSI, which is Magnum levels.
@@anthonykaiser974 5.56*45mm round is not giving good results actually even after being hit the tangos r still returning fire,same experienced by the Indian army in ci ops..
Howa mini action 6.5 grendel, shooting 123 gr Hornady SST. 240 yard shot, skimmed the facing shoulder, caught ribs upon entry, both lungs and heart, ribs upon exit, just missed the second shoulder (arm pit exit wound) about ⅝ inch. Deer took 2 jumps away for a total of maybe 30 feet before dropping.
If CZ chambered either the 527 Carbine or the 527 Carbine Synthetic in it, I'd have to give it a good hard look. As it is, I may just go with a 6.5 Grendel AR.
The ultimate in ar-15 ammo. Greatest range, power, and lightest ammo an ar-15 can fire without any external modifications. A polymer cased 6.5 grendel is probably the fist major change we'll see to military small arms in the near future. In the far future, the future is going to be either 6.5 grendel CT, 6.5 creedmoor CT, or 6.8 spc CT. For now though? 6.5 is easiest, cheapest, and most impactful small arms change we could make.
@@concernedaussie1330 6arc is good. But overhyped. Highest bc 6arc is Hornady 108 grn match ammo. Velocity 2670. Bc .536. 6.5grendel has Federal Gold Medal Match Berger 130grn. At 2550 bc 560. So higher bc hevier bullet moving almost as fast. And 6.5grendel has cheap ammo available like wolf ppu and s@b. Maybe if 6arc catches on more I would consider it. But both are supersonic to 1200yds. But cheap ammo is more of my concern as I doubt I'd ever need to shoot past 800yds. Maybe even 600yds. In any real world scenario. And if I did I wouldn't use either preferably
@@djl5634 yeah all good points. 6.5 Grendel & 6mm arc IMO are great little rounds worth investigating, especially with polymer case technology. Saving weight & efficiency, coupled with down range external ballistics , use of already existing platform systems is a great stop gap measure. From what we are seeing in Ukraine right now , I don’t believe we need the new 6.8 round. Far overkill, Russia’s body armour & or any of their systems aren’t performing the way most people thought. To be honest I was quite shocked by their poor performance “ or Ukrainian “ fantastic performance.
@@concernedaussie1330 we aren't that worried about Russia. More like china. It produces 80% of the body armor in the world it's cheap and very effective. I have a 30 06 specifically because it can pierce body armor better than 308. And factory laloaded M2 AP at 2750fps can be stopped by level 4+. Only when u upload it to 2900 can it Pierce level 4. So I see the need as common as body armor is becoming and as fast as it's advanced. Not to mention drones might be lightly armored and may be part of the army's consideration
I own 3 rifles in 6.5 grendel and one is a very nice cz 527 bolt gun my hand loads are averaging 2820 fps. I really like the performance, I have hunted caribou in alaska for 4 years with it and it does a great job.
the 6mm ARC is a direct descendent of the 6.5 Grendel, and the 224 Valkyre is a direct descendent of the 6.8 SPC. Also pistol (12.5 inch barrel) AR Grendels are still whitetail getters at 300-400 yards
I actually wonder if the 6 arc might be better in 12" or a pin/weld 14.5, sure the narrower bore means inferior powder burn per barrel length, but it being a faster round than d syol hyper efficient case, means it has more velocity to spare for bullet performance, albeit with less mass/diameter, so perhaps less penetration, but wider performance envelope of a given expanding bullet from an sbr.
@@taylorcleblanc A lot of hype surrounding the 6.5 caliber lately probably has a lot to do with it. A myth has been propagated that the 6.5 caliber has better BC bullets than larger calibers. The opposite is true. Though the bullets that the Gendel is capable of firing do have higher BCs than the SPC is capable of firing. I own both. Have a 6.8 SPC in a 16" barrel and a 6.5 Grendel in a 24" barrel. When it comes to hunting Whitetails, I'll grab the SPC everytime. Neither of these are powerful cartridges, so I would never fire over 300 yards with either of these. Probably much less. At that range neither cartridge has a significant advantage. For long range target shooting or maybe varmint hunting, I would grab the Grendel. In this video the guy does a good job explaining some of that SPC advantages VS Grendel advantages. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DwGmR60Jrh0.html
@@andrewslagle1974 Good shooting. The longest shot I can get on my land is the field which is just under 300 yards. This is another reason I will grab the much lighter 6.8 SPC build I have. Don't hunt fields much anyway. My 6.5 Grendel is a 24" Alexander Arms Overwatch upper. Very heavy. No advantage for where I hunt. Don't get me wrong. I like the 6.5 caliber but since buying the Grendel I purchased a 6.5 Creedmoor AR10 upper and a 6.5-284 bolt action. These are the guns I would prefer to use at long range due to their flatter trajectory and increased energy over the Grendel and SPC. The 6.8 SPC is my woods gun. Haven't used the Grendel upper in a few year and have considered selling it.
The 527 in 6.5 Grendel is the most underrated rifle ever. Absolutely gorgeous rifle, and the Grendel is a truly special caliber. There's a reason it's rare to find them for under about $1400 now.
A lot of people are hung up on max velocity and are willing to shoot small bullets with a bad BC as long as it starts out over 3,000 fps. What they miss out on is the higher BC allows the velocity to continue longer. Many people scoff at the 6.5 Grendel and praise the 243 Win. What they don't realize is they are ballistically very similar and past 400 yard the 243 velocity falls below the 6.5 Grendel even though the 243 started out 500 fps faster or more. That's because the 243 Win is typically about 95 grain bullet with a G-1 BC of .335. The lower limit for the Grendel is 95 grain but can go to 130 grain with a nominal bullet weight of 123 grain with a G-1 BC of .510. That means better performance downrange.
My last built was the 6.5 Grendel I sold my AR 6.5 Creedmoor and my AR 308 because they were on the AR 10 platform both bigger than I wanted to use for hunting The 6.5 Grendel is great for the hunting I do.
6.5 Grendel was the first chambering I assembled an AR15 in. Built it with a 16” barrel for hunting out of a climber, and I’ve since acquired a Howa mini in 6.5 grendel as well. Great cartridge for whitetail, especially in southeastern Va where my shots are almost always inside 200 yards. I also have a 6.5 PRC, but the size and weight of my grendel rigs usually win out when I’m headed out to the woods, plus they’ll be great starter options when my kids get old enough to hunt
I believe the Serbian military is now using the Grendel as their standard military round. They're the ones that make the PPU (Prvi Partizan) line of ammo. In fact, they recalled a ton of 6.5 Grendel ammo here in the US a few years back that was overpressured or something to that effect. It's a great round, I love it!
@@dukisa8791 Yes, there is much similarity between the 7.62x39 and 6.5 Grendel. Although the Grendel is a very good round for long range, up to 800 metres and beyond. There are many shooters here in America that can shoot up to 1,000 metres with the Grendel with excellent accuracy with match grade ammunition. It's not a high velocity round, but you can reach 3,000 ft per second with light, 90 grain bullets. That is pretty fast. If they offered 90 grain ammunition with a full metal jacket, it would make an excellent battle round.
@@dukisa8791 Yes it does. A lot of AR 15 manufacturers here have been starting to make them in 6.5 Grendel. I have 3 of them in different barrel lengths. Very accurate round. Unfortunately, the military doesn't want to use it. They considered it a few years back, but decided to stay with the very old 5.56mm that has been in use since the 1960s.
I'm honestly surprised that more people aren't using the 6.5G. Light recoil, wide ammo weight selection (85-130 gr), better ballistics than almost every other SAAMI approved AR15 compatible cartridge (6mm ARC might barely nudge past it), and a truely good general purpose cartridge.
@@justinlance4174 its a terrible ar cartridge. bolt life is 20,000 rounds on these. just as awkward as 7.62x39 ar’s. this is at home in the AK as it shares the same boltface as 7.62x39
@@genghisghost not true. Maybe cheap ar15s bolts only last about 20000 rds. Plus my failzero 6.5grendel bolt has a lifetime warranty. And aks are less accurate 2 to 3 in guns at best. My ar15 shoots 1/4 in witch is impossible in a ak. In 6.5grendel u can only get 10 and 20rd mags in the vepr ak rifles and they cost 40dollars a piece. Compared to 15bucks for acs mags for the ar15. Aks are Less ergonomic. aks are heavier. And less modular. Plus if i shhot out my barrel i can replace it myself something u cant do on ak platforms. And ur barrel will shoot out before ur bolt ever thinks about failing
@@genghisghost and the cmmg anvil AR hybrid uses a modified 308 bolt head on a 223 carrier packed into essentially a ar15 reciever. if bolt failure is what u are worried about. Even though it doesnt really happen anyway especially with a 9310bolt or s7tool steel ar15 bolt head. As opposed to 158carpenter steel. And it still cost less than a modified vepr. And its bolt head is bullet proof mayby even more durable than any ak bolt
I am finishing up my Grendel build with ammo testing. Hornady Black 123 shoots very well, along with the Nosler 123. Both hold about the same at the 100 yard sight in range.
I got into the Grendel (semiauto platform) & absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I haven't harvested any game yet but my paper trail is excellent. I have a hard time using any of my other hunting rifles now. To me, it's just that good.
I have 2 Grendels one gas and bolt, if i take 2 guns to the range one is a 6.5gr if i onle take one its a grendel the same goes for hunting and i always use the 6.5gr. they are just TOO SWEET to shoot, they do it all.
I love my 6.5 Grendel CZ bolt rifle. CZ discontinued, so I recommend: Howa 1500 or Ruger American (22" barrel). For both, get them with no stock and buy a Bell & Carlson stock. Bed the recoil lug and get a Timney trigger and you'll have a 1/2 MOA rifle with little recoil (for your daughter put a muzzle brake for even less recoil). Comfortably hunt out to 300 yards.
6.5 Grendel is just amazing. It's easily my favorite all round cartridge in a mini action and AR. Pretty sure Serbia did adopt it or got on the train to adopting it which is one of the reasons IMO that wolf makes ammo for it. Ruger has been chambering it in the american for a long while now. It had feed issues when it first came out. Chamber specs were.. here and there.. you also saw .264 lbc.. which was the same thing but different. Some early bolt face differences.. That's all worked out now and IMO it'd make a great military cartridge. Even in ~12 inch barrels it's a beast.
My Grendel is a sanders armory upper. Easily shoots sub moa at 1000 yds. Very fun to shoot too. More power than you would think. My kids can shoot it all day.
I love the Ruger American Predator with the chopped 18.5" barrle and the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8×... 31.0gr of CFE-223 and 123gr SST makes for a very nice set up... 1/2 MOA for me out to 300 yards... and hit Milk Jugs out to 600yards... love the 6.5 Grendel
The CZ 527 American in 6.5 Grendel and 7.62x39 are wonderful bolt actions with both hammer forged barrels and actions that are stand alone true caliber length actions called Mini-Mauser. Shooting Times did a write up on the CZ rifle in 6.5 Grendel and it was nothing less than Stunning to say the least for all the different handloads as well as factory loads they fire through the rifle. As I remember out of about 20 different mixed loads, only one load grouped larger than 1-MOA (1.078") at one hundred yards consistently.
Really nice cartridge. It's the only 6.5 that I find interesting, because it's the only mainstream .264 or 6-7mm cartridge that is more efficient then the original 250 Savage. Less powerful but more efficient.
I love my 6.5 Grendel AR15! I'm not at all worried about the bolt ever breaking. I have a Toolcraft Nickel Boron BCG with a lifetime warranty. Its incredibly strong. I also have 25 round steel Elander magazines that have zero feed issues. It shoots like a dream and with far better performance and accuracy at double the range (1000 plus yards) than .223/5.56 can give you.
The Grendel in the AR platform is limited power wise by the bolt! Opening up the bolt face for the Grendel, doesn't leave a lot of meat supporting the bolt lugs. That is why you can hotrod it in a bolt gun.
I love the Grendel but the amount of 90-110gr hunting bullets for the 6.5 are not there. Some of the problems that I've found is lack of velocity with heavier bullets 120-135gr to be able to have the bullet performance needed to take whitetails. I would really like to see more bonded bullets in the 95-110gr range for the 6.5 Grendel. Then we can get the velocity needed for those bullets to perform perfect. Like 2650-2750 fps that would be the perfect combination for the 6.5 Grendel.
The 35 Whelen is basically a direct copy. Townsend Whelen wanted 9.3x62 performance but based on a common US cartridge (30-06). Like the Whelen it will flatten anything in North America but, like most of the 358 bores, will knock the shit out of you with a heavy load in a light rifle. It's also super uncommon in the US.
Just built a 6.5 Grendel with the Ruger American Ranch action and 16" barrel, timney trigger in a MDT LSS-XL chassis with ARCA rail topped with a Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8 FFP EBR-8. So excited to get it tuned up for my kids!
My first AR build was in 6.5 Grendel. I got hooked after taking my first pig with a buddies Grendel. Was sold on it after that. Mine was built with an 18"" Atheris Barrel. Took almost a year to get the barrel but well worth it. Talk about a tack driver this set up is it.
I've had my Grendel for about five years now. I was going to hunt pigs in Texas so I had this Grendel built for that. I never got to Texas but I have killed several antelope, deer and prairie dogs with this rifle. I ordered a Grendel upper from Alexander Arms for this build - this is a heavy duty upper (not made by Alexander Arms any more) and it added significant weight to my ar - I married this upper to a 20" match barrel which also came with a 6.5 Grendel bolt - the bolt carrier was also included with the upper - the lower is a Spike's Tactical with the old WWII P-40 shark's teeth on the front of the magazine well - the butt stock is a Luther - the rifle is topped off with an Aadmount cantilever scope mount and a 4x12 Vortex Viper scope - cosmetics include a spiral fluted barrel and Kryptek camo coating - this rifle shoots sub moa and is extremely acurate - Alexander and Hornady brainstormed a bullet specifically for the Grendel, a 123 gr SST and it shoots just fine in my Grendel - This is my go to gun for small and light to medium game. It is a real accurate killer.
6PPC would be a good one. I feel like it's kind of the grandfather of our precision cartridges today: It brought us the 6/6.5mm bullet (at least to the US), the short, "fat", efficient cartridge designs, and the moderate velocities. Bench resters were using the 6PPC to print 0.001" groups with a 6mm bullet at 3000-3300fps for decades while everybody else seemed to either be pushing 30+caliber 160+ grain bullets 3000+fps for long range or trying for 4000fps with 22s.
I have taken bull elk at 300 yards with 129 gr nosler no issues. One shot drt. I also have smaller family who can shoot it very accurately due to less recoil. I enjoy it in the ar platform much more than a bolt rifle.
I do like how you compare the 6.5 Grindel to the lotus that is a good comparison. The main thing I like about it is you’re still in the AR 15 platform so all you have to do is just pull two pins and change it out with the magazine and you’re back to the 556 orany of the other rounds with the same AR 15 lower you can go from the 556 to 6.5 Grindel to the 50 caliber Bearwolf and all you need is the upper vault carrier group and magazines. You just keep the same lower that you like.
I'm a Grendel fan! I shoot a Howa Mini-action in the caliber. I try to keep shots under 400 yards (using 123 to 130-grain bullets) because I have heard that at the lower velocities (1200 fps and below) bullets are still supersonic, but they don't expand in tissue. Still, the 6.5 Grendel gives my old 243 a run for its money, even with Federal Premium (100-grain Nosler Partition bullet) ammunition. I have one fun load using a Nosler 140-grain RDF and 27.8 grains of PowerPoint Varmint for 2386 fps. I have also had good luck with my varmint load: 90-grain Varmageddon 30.7 grains Benchmark for 2895 fps. My best load uses the Lapua Scenar 123-grain bullet with 28.9 grains of Varmint for 2552 fps. I'm now working with CFE223 as a possible substitute for Alliant Power Pro Varmint since they seem to have stopped making it.
Howa, CZ, and RUGER! Ruger has the American Predator and the american ranch both running 6.5 Grendel. Ruger also made a 6.5 General Mini 14 when the cartridge first really became commercial.
Elise comparison is spot on even when you start asking why they don’t just Grendel everything. Both are oddly designed, finiky, quirky, and more difficult to live with.
I got my son a Howa 1500 mini light in a 6.5 Grendel and got a youth stock. I topped with a Diamondback HP 3-12x42 and added a Jefferson drop floor plate. It is so sweet! Recoil is same as a 243.
I don’t regret picking it up as a hunting round. Where I hunt, most shots are under 100 and a few might go out to 200. That leaves me not caring to run something like a .308 since the extra power doesn’t make anything anymore dead at those ranges.
With the coming resurgence of .277 bullets with the .277 Fury, 27 Nosler, and others...I third the 6.8 SPC. Great AR hunting round out to 200-300 yards.
I feel like the 6.5 gr is suddenly eye catching to reloaders because we are living in want when it comes to powder and primer availability.. It is pretty impressive as far as powder charge and bullet options.
My reloading journey started with the purchase of a 45/70. The cost per cartridge prompted the move and I find reloading very cerebral in reloading’s demand for precision. It was an only a small investment then to begin to consider the Grendel in both an upper for the AR platform and the reloading components. I shoot a 270 also and wanted something more of a pleasant recoil. Oddly, I would rather shoot the 45/70 Marlin than the 270 Remington. I migrated to the Grendel to achieve a cleaner kill with pig hunting in Texas vs the 223/556. With deer lease going rate at numbers around $5k per gun now, hog harvesting is a viable alternative to deer hunting with leases now out of range monetarily for many including myself. Most of my hog kills are less than 300 yards and velocities are maintained allowing the bullet to be very effective. The more I learn about the Grendel, the more satisfied I am having chosen this cartridge.
.303 British is one helluva round and I was shooting it out of a surplus Lee Enfield MK4 NO.2 I was able to fire that rifle without ear pro and never get a ring or feel my ears pop from the sonic boom. It was always audible, but positionally, it was approximately 20 ft in front of the bore, that it originated. At Usary Shooting Range here in Phoenix metro area, I shot the 300 with the adjustable flip up sight in a single shot. Didnt need to range it even after 80 years. Let's not even get into the bren... let's just not go there. Its overkill for one of the best rounds ever made.
Ryan keeps talking about bolt face. Some options for him are the Howa mini bolt The CZ, the mauser was available in a mini action when it was imported. The m77 was available in the 7.62x39 which can be converted to either 6mm ARC or 6.5 Grendel. The Ruger American is available in the 6.5 and 7.62x39 and the Savage 110 and Axis are available in the 6mm ARC. If you are building a rifle these actions are available. If i was building his ultralight I'd get the 6.5 Grendel lightweight from Howa. If you prefer the ARC you can rebarrel. It's about 4.5 lbs and with a lightweight scope is just over 5lbs. Granted the Howa magazine isnt great but Oregon Gunsmith offers an all metal lower with a hinged baseplate.
Biggest practical thing 6.5 Grendel offers you in the AR-15 and micro action bolt guns is a replacement for .308, with half the recoil. For me, it made all my large frame AR-10 investment obsolete, except for cartridges other than .308 Win. I can do what would normally be done with .223 Rem or 7.62x39, then turn around and do what I would normally do with .308 or even the bigger 6.5s, with maybe 200yds of performance shaved off .260 or 6.5CM. For long guns, I can go with a little bit more barrel length and close that gap between a 6.5CM. I personally like the short barrel Grendel package for a do-all. It works great for Close Quarters, will kill any game within 200-400yds, and has supersonic reach to 1000yds with higher BC bullets.
Killed 4 hogs and a nice old 9 point in Texas one year with my 20” AR platform 6.5 Grendel. Loaded 129 grain Hornady SST over some IMR 8208XBR. Longest shot was 135 yards. Between the five animals, they ran less than 3 yards combined. I’m a believer.
I have two 6.5 General's a 12.5" and an 18" in the AR platform. I've taken deer, pronghorn, & hogs. My stepson lives in colorado and he has shot elk inside of 200 yds.
My first AR i got this year was an 18 inch 6.5 Grendel and i immediately out the gate put a vortex 1-6 strike eagle on it. Love the setup, i was looking for a hybrid defense/hunt gun. It fit that better than i expected
It seems to me like 6.5 Grendel is the ultimate compromise cartridge for the AR-15. It can do everything decently but isn’t great at any one thing. Want to shot far? It’s pretty good but can’t accommodate ultra high BC bullets like 6.5 Creedmoor or 6mm ARC. Want knockdown power up close? It sure is better than 5.56 but doesn’t hit as hard as 6.8 SPC, 7.62x39, and definitely not like the 350 legend, particularly with a carbine length barrel. It’s like my minivan. It does everything I need to in a compact package at a price I can afford. I hate compromises. Except my minivan. Hauls like a truck, drives like a car, good fuel efficiency, AWD, part time camper van, the best road trip vehicle ever. I love that minivan.
RUM bolt face is the same as standard magnum bolt face... The only thing different for a RUM-chambered action over a standard magnum action, is the width of the feed rails and the magazine and follower. A RUM requires the feed rails to be opened up on a standard belted-magnum action, and a different mag box and follower. Also, the 7.62x39 came out before the .220 Russian. The 7.62x39 is the parent case for the .220 Russian, which is the parent case for the 6.5 Grendel.
My thoughts on the Grendel is why no one is making an AK using this cartridge? I've heard of military's around the world doing trials but no one adopting it in the AK platform. I think it would be an up grade over the 7.62x39.
I’ve had very good success with 6.5 Grendel for hunting. I have shot four Mule Deer bucks, three does and a Pronghorn with it from ranges up to 500 yards. As long as you know the cartridge limitations and do your part as the shooter it is affective enough to get the job done. Note: from my perspective experience I wouldn’t want to push this cartridge to 500 yards for any animal larger than a pronghorn.
I have an AR-15, 12" 6.5 Grendel with a 1-4x24 LPVO on a cantilever mount that I will be using on Whitetail this year. 3/4" groups at 300 yards from a rest. If I do my part, the 123 grain SST will do it's part.
I built a Savage model 10 bolt gun with a Pacific tool bolt face, a 20" Criterion 1:7.5 prefit barrel, aftermarket aics bottom metal and modified magazine, in a hogue stock. It loves 120gr Speer gold dots, ar comp, and cci 450 primers in starline brass. It's a pretty sweet setup!!
*UPDATE* 2nd deer with my grendel. 150 yards on a big, old doe. Shot her just below the head, exit wound through the back of her neck than traveled about 6 inches along her spine. I had a little fragmenting, recovered bullet weighed 117, so it held together VERY well. The more I use this rifle, the more I love it for deer.
The military should have adopted the Grendel!!! I mean .308 trajectory with less recoil in an AR-15 platform is absolutely perfect. Also the Grendel has more penetration through sectional density.
303 Brit??? One of the very very few that made the transition from black powder to smokeless ( with a brief stop at cordite). It can humanely stop any animal outside the big 6 in Africa. Was still issued to military personnel until a few years ago.
Howa has a 6.5 Grendel bolt setup in their Mini line. It's supposed to be a tack driver and very easy to built out. I'm drooling over one. You can get the receiver from Brownells for around $450 and then buy a chassis and have a sub-MOA bolt with light recoil and a decent optic for around $1200.
A number of years ago and I'm thinking almost 30 now I saw a 6 mm PPC 14 inch pistol the form of a Thompson Center shoot a true 3-inch group at 600 yd.
My very best bolt action is chambered in 6.5 Grendel. It is so versatile that I only have 1 other caliber (30-30 win.). My "go to" one rifle choice began life as a Ruger M77. It is so good I am building a second rifle. My "battle rifle" is a Ruger Mini-6.5 Grendel. Yep that is all. My 30-30 win. has been around since I was 12 yrs. old 60 yrs. ago. Essentially I have 1 rifle caliber and some 20 ga. shotguns.
