Tell me about the 6.5 Grendel

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  • phylodog

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    Long story short I have a billet AR15 upper/lower/15" Mlok rail coming that I don't need and probably shouldn't have bought but whatever..... Gotta do something with it.

    What I don't currently have in the arsenal is a good deer rifle. I've never paid much attention to the .300blk/6.5G/6.8SPC offerings in the AR15 platform but I've started doing a bit of research recently and the 6.5 Grendel seems to be a pretty decent way to go. What I'm thinking about is putting a 16" barreled AR15 together which is capable of carrying sufficient payload for Hoosier whitetail and is also capable of the occasional long range plinking trip without causing me to regret putting it together. I sold all of my reloading gear a few years back and if I go down this road I'll end up buying it all over again as I don't expect commercially produced ammo to cut it, I need to do it anyway so that's not much of a roadblock.

    So...who runs/hunts with/loads for the 6.5 Grendel? Share your experiences if you don't mind and help me finalize my decision on a rifle I don't really need but kind of want anyway.
     

    Ggreen

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    Sounds like the Grendel is exactly what you want. I think if we all only had rifles we needed we would have 2 in the us. A 22lr, and a 30 06.
     

    KJQ6945

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    I'm curious about this also, but for different reasons. 6.8 seems to be the preferred hog hunting caliber, but the 6.5G has its following also. The commercial ammo prices are similar, but the 6.8 seems to have more offerings. On Gunbroker, 3 pages of 6.5G ammo, versus 5 pages for the 6.8.
     

    sadclownwp

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    I want to buy or put together a 6.5 Grendel upper bad, really bad, seems like the perfect hunting round for the US.
     

    phylodog

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    I saw a comparison of exterior ballistics of the .204, .223, .300BLK, 6.5G & 6.8SPC and 7.62x39 (assuming they were correct) the 6.5 Grendel held a pretty clear advantage out to 800yds when considering drop, wind deflection and energy. There's some confusing aspects to it with the type 1 & type 2 bolts and two different chambers, I won't claim to have a solid understanding of it all just yet. It does appear to be capable of consistent near half MOA accuracy which is certainly good enough for my needs.

    ETA: Here is the video I mentioned

    [video=youtube;m5mqta79ZuU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5mqta79ZuU&t=830s[/video]
     

    Ggreen

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    I'm curious about this also, but for different reasons. 6.8 seems to be the preferred hog hunting caliber, but the 6.5G has its following also. The commercial ammo prices are similar, but the 6.8 seems to have more offerings. On Gunbroker, 3 pages of 6.5G ammo, versus 5 pages for the 6.8.

    Federal makes 6.8 for the Saudi's mil so you will likely find more 6.8 than 6.5gren. I have not yet found a military or police force equipping Grendel. Both rounds rounds are close enough ballistically that neither really has an edge over the other, other than the Grendel shooting a little bit flatter longer. The Grendel also shares a bolt with the .50 Beowulf. Pick your flavor kind of thing when choosing between 6.8 and 6.5

    I've shot a 16 Grendel and it was fun, I would like to shoot one that is built more suited to the accuracy and range of the round tho. redxarms has been selling off the sabre defence buyout for a while and a range acquaintance bought one of the 16" carbine length gas system with the standard plastic mil handguard. It is not what I would call a precision rifle, but it is fun to shoot.
     

    Ggreen

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    If the charts in that video are accurate the 6.5 definitely has an edge over the 6.8

    That's what I went with when I was shopping between the two. Practical ( forum biased knowledge) puts the two so close on paper past 400 that it really Sparks debate. I decided wait and get my hands on a Valkyrie.
     

    KJQ6945

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    If the charts in that video are accurate the 6.5 definitely has an edge over the 6.8
    I didn't make it through the video yet, I was summoned by the wife, but I would be curious if the barrel lengths were the same for those charts.
    I might be wrong here, but I think the Grendel likes a longer barrel to get the edge in the distance. Not positive, I've read to much info lately.
     

    kirtar

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    It probably does since 6.8 SPC was optimized for shorter carbines. If you look at Hornady's velocity numbers they test 6.8 SPC with a 16" barrel and 6.5 Grendel with a 24" barrel. Oddly enough in the Lyman reloading manual this is reversed with 6.5 Grendel tested out of a 16" and 6.8 SPC being tested from a 24". Based on SAAMI testing, 6.8 SPC is slightly higher pressure, but is typically using a lighter bullet than 6.5 Grendel (this holds true to factory loads). As an extension of the bullet weights, this means that higher ballistic coefficients are usable which translates into better performance at range. Interestingly, both cartridges are mentioned in an interesting monograph by Major Thomas Ehrhart entitled "Increasing Small Arms Lethality in Afghanistan: Taking Back the Infantry Half-Kilometer." I've included a sample ballistic graph below using the heaviest Hornady factory loadings for 6.8 SPC and 6.5 Grendel below. I used the higher muzzle velocity specified in the monograph that was for a lighter bullet, and included a 168 gr .308 loading as well.

    ShootersCalculator.com | Ballistic Trajectory Calculator
     
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    phylodog

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    Could be. One would hope for an apples to apples comparison considering the apparent quality of the video but I live by the "trust but verify" mantra, hence this thread.
     

    phylodog

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    From what I've been reading, 6.8 is great for 0-200. 6.5 is better for 200+

    Kind of what I'm coming to understand also. I have no doubt the 6.8 would be great for taking deer but I'd also like to be able to stretch it out from time to time which pushes me more toward the 6.5.
     

    kirtar

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    What's the difference between the 6.5 Grendel and the 6.5 Creedmore?
    6.5 Creedmoor is a longer and higher max pressure cartridge (length of .308 vs length of .223). Performance wise where as above, 6.5 Grendel overtakes something like 6.8 SPC at around 200-300 yards, 6.5 Creedmoor overtakes .308 in energy at around 300-400 yards. I put an updated set of ballistics charts below with a 147 gr 6.5 Creedmoor loading by Hornady.

    ShootersCalculator.com | Ballistic Trajectory Calculator
     
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    Mgderf

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    6.5 Creedmoor is a longer and higher max pressure cartridge (length of .308 vs length of .223). Performance wise where as above, 6.5 Grendel overtakes something like 6.8 SPC at around 200-300 yards, 6.5 Creedmoor overtakes .308 in energy at around 300-400 yards.

    Thank you for that concise response.
    It is greatly appreciated, and Welcome to Ingo! :ingo:
     

    Mgderf

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    The Creedmoor would be nice but I'm limited to the AR15 receiver and the Creedmoor won't fit.

    NOW you tell me!
    I just finished building another .308 AR.
    You do have me thinking though.
    I've got a stripped AR15 upper and lower in the safe...
     

    phylodog

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    NOW you tell me!
    I just finished building another .308 AR.
    You do have me thinking though.
    I've got a stripped AR15 upper and lower in the safe...

    The Faxxon match barrels seem to be performing well but I'm holding off to see what all is out there.
     
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