6.5 Grendel vs. 6.8 SPC

[awittmer]

What are your views on both of the rounds?
Which would you pick? And Why?

 

[starbreather]

The Grendel is far a superior round than the limp, overrated 6.8 there's a ballistic chart posted somewhere on ingo. If I remember the Grendel seems more comparable to the .308. IMHO go Grendel save yourself the trouble.

 

[awittmer]

I believe both of them are being looked at by the US Military, now my main concerns are going to be the availability of ammunition for the 6.5. Although if the Military decides to begin using one or the other, that wouldnt be an issue.

 

[IndyGunworks]

grendel the 6.8 is nothing more than an american version of the 7.62x39

 

[John Galt]

The Grendel rocks! This round will only to continue to grow in popularity once its benefits are fully realized and accepted, it will be the new round of the future.

 

[awittmer]

Does anybody make or have a grendel in a bolt gun?
the only thing i have seen available on the market is the AR uppers
And from what i understand about the AR uppers is you can use a standard .223 receiver? Is that correct?

 

[bstewrat3]

No contest. The Grendel has a much cooler name and the ballistics aren't bad either.

 

[melensdad]

I've owned 3 different 6.5 Grendel based AR15s and 1 6.8 SPC AR15. Currently I still own 2 different Grendels and ZERO 6.8 SPCs.

The 6.8 SPC is nothing short of disappointing and full of hype that can't deliver. The ballistic coefficient of the 115 grain 6.8 bullet is worse than a 1982 Volvo station wagon and is akin to tossing a brick through the air and expecting it to fly. Not gonna happen.

The 6.5 Grendel, with a 120 grain bullet will deliver the same energy at nearly TWICE the distance as the 115 grain 6.8 bullet.

With Wolf offering a couple different 6.5 Grendel loadings I've been able to get factory ammo for as low as 50-cents a shot and it delivers acceptable accuracy.

Below is an outtake directly from a Stag Arms brochure, it is nothing short of deception and facts prove it to be wrong:

And here is a ballistics table that proves the claims about the 6.8 to be wrong:

More proof of 6.5 superiority:

And more:

And at 200 yards here is a .45 MOA grouping shot at the Winamac range with one of my current 6.5 Grendel rifles (7/8ths of an Inch at 200 yards)

 

[awittmer]

Great Post Reply!
Thank you for the info!
Now, does anyone own a 6.5 bolt gun?

 

[melensdad]

I don't own a bolt gun, there are a lot of Grendel bolt guns built on the CZ short action frame and I think there is a Remington Grendel bolt gun for sale here on INGO in the classifieds (or there was?).

 

[awittmer]

What kind of upper do you have for your grendel

 

[jselke]

thanks for the info melensdad and what do u think would be more accurate a bolt gun or an ar platform in the grendel

 

[melensdad]

What kind of upper do you have for your grendel

The one that shot that group is a custom built heavy barrel long range type upper.

I also have a 19" barreled semi-customer Sabre Defense upper on my other Grendel. I owned, but sold, an Alexander Arms upper. The only reason I sold the AA upper was because it was very similar to the custom upper I have and didn't shoot any better.

 

[awittmer]

That is a mighty fine looking gun you have there!
I am totally jealous and sold now!
Im going to have my local gunsmith make an upper ASAP!
Did you just use a standard .223/5.56 receiver or do you have one for the 6.5?
I am curious as to how many people have experience with this round and how much it is going to grow to become as popular as the .223!

 

[melensdad]

Did you just use a standard .223/5.56 receiver or do you have one for the 6.5?

Yup its just a standard RRA upper with an AA bolt carrier group.

I also shot this 5 shot group, but this is a cheater group, its at 70 yards.

 

[gunowner930]

Melensdad- Do any of your 6.5 rifles have a 16 inch or under barrel length? If so how does it perform? I've researched the 6.5 grendel, and it sounds like a great cartridge, I just need to learn to reload.

 

[melensdad]

Melensdad- Do any of your 6.5 rifles have a 16 inch or under barrel length? If so how does it perform? I've researched the 6.5 grendel, and it sounds like a great cartridge, I just need to learn to reload.

My yellow Grendel has a 19" barrel, which is the shortest barrel I own in that cartridge. The Grendel picks up velocity with barrel length and while it still puts out a whole lot more energy than the 5.56 out of a short barrel that is not what I personally wanted. I'd think a 16" barrel Grendel would be a great pig gun out to about 300 yards, but out of a 19" barrel it probably is a great pig gun to 400 yards. Me, I don't shoot that far (yet) but when I started playing with the Grendel cartridge it was because I really want to try to push out to 600 yards and beyond.

As for reloading, no you don't need to reload. Wolf offers a 120 grain MTP round that can be had for about 75 cents a shot and it delivers pretty darn good accuracy. Their 123grain jacketed soft point would be suitable for deer size game and is accurate enough for hunting, its probably a 2 MOA round and I've gotten that for 50 to 60 cents a shot (depending on the deal, quantity ordered, etc).

 

[Mordred]

Nope

grendel the 6.8 is nothing more than an american version of the 7.62x39

Not true at all sir. The Grendal ammo is a much better round. You'd be hard pressed to get any accuracy on a 7.62x39 after 300 yards. Grendal 6.8 can shoot 1000m with descent accuracy.

 

[HogDaddy]

I have never seen a 6.5 bolt gun, but would be interested in knowing if one is made. Is there a special reason you want to go with a bolt vs the AR platform? I believe some custom shop could make a 6.5 bolt gun for you but the money factor might not be pretty.

 

[Hop]

I did some research a couple years ago and everything pointed to the Grendel being better. I heard that the short comings of the 6.8 had been addressed by twist rate and tweaking loadings. You guys are saying the 6.8 is still a Volvo?

I ended up going with a .458 SOCOM as I don't have anywhere to shoot >100 yards with a 6.x. I'd still like to build one some day. I'm just waiting to see if one of them wins out over the other.

I'm still rooting for the mythical monster.