Tell me about the 6.5 Grendel

[kirtar]

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

Thanks! I just got a Savage 10 in 6.5 Creedmoor and read the previously mentioned monograph while going through some old club documents, so I had been looking into some of the ballistics.

 

[Ericpwp]

Have you looked at this?
https://www.americanrifleman.org/ar...port-224-valkyrie-rightly-the-next-big-thing/

 

[mcapo]

I know a guy who runs a 6.5 grendel from Alexander Arms on the target range. Its 1/2 moa out to 600 yards (never witnessed him shoot further). It is a 20" barrel, I believe. Let's just says it long.

I have two AR assemblies started. One will be 6.5 grendel for target and Indiana game. The second will be 458 socom for hogs.

 

[phylodog]

Have you looked at this?
https://www.americanrifleman.org/ar...port-224-valkyrie-rightly-the-next-big-thing/

I have. If I were strictly looking for a long range target rifle I think the Valkyrie has potential but I don't consider it sufficient for Indiana whitetail.

 

[LarryC]

I am just completing the assembly of one with an upper from Bear Creek Arsenal, obviously haven't fired it yet. Assembling one for my son, last parts coming in today. We both went with the 24" barrel. You might want to look at the velocity changes from the shorter barrels before buying, I'm sure the 18" would work well for hunting, but if you want to target long range (1000 yd or more), I would consider the longer barrel. One of the main reasons we went with the 6.5 Grendel VS the 6.8 is that cheap ammo is available for plinking from Wolf ~ steel cased ammo is around $.25 a round, several hunting rounds are readily available at both my local GS as well as online. and if you reload many bullet styles are available. 6.8 is much harder to find and is quite expensive at $1.00+ a round. Ballistics are very similar.

If you are assembling your own Grendel, relatively inexpensive barrels and bolts are readily available from BCA and others, as I said I purchased one upper from BCA and the son's barrel from Midway, it was sold as a Stoner barrel but sure looks like BCA made it. Both are heavy SS fluted barrels. Mags are also available purchased my 25 round mags from Cheaper than Dirt for $14 /each, ASC brand. I installed a Vortex Diamondback on mine (4X12 as I remember). Son has irons on now, probably add a Vortex scope later.

 

[Ericpwp]

I don't remember that much of a gain per inch when I looked into it, it was a while ago though.

I have. If I were strictly looking for a long range target rifle I think the Valkyrie has potential but I don't consider it sufficient for Indiana whitetail.

Ah, didn't catch that part.

 

[LarryC]

Quoted below is information from Alexander Arms re the Grendel barrel length:

"What are the differences in barrel lengths and what length is better for given circumstances?

This mainly refers to the 6.5 Grendel as the .50 Beowulf® is best in a 16" barrel. The two 6.5 Grendel barrel lengths that are best suited for hunting are the 24" and 20" barrels. Shorter barrels may be applied, but, beyond slightly lighter weight and handier silhouette, they have no advantage and give up velocity. However, they are superb choices for general shooting or a utility rifle. A 24" 6.5 Grendel is well-suited to most hunting applications and, if one can live with the longer barrel, it is the most versatile of the 6.5 Grendel barrels. Accuracy is superb and the rifle is capable out to 1,000 yards and longer with the right ammunition. The balance of the gun assists stability in most position-shooting and it is excellent for use from a bipod. This one barrel length can bridge across a range of shooting tasks including long-range varmint work. A 20" barrel 6.5 Grendel is both shorter and lighter than the 24" gun, which is a big consideration if the gun must be carried. While it gives up some stability from a bipod, it is just a versatile."

There is a ballistics chart shown for various bullet weights and barrel lengths on the site: file:///C:/Users/Larry/AppData/Local/Temp/grendel_ballistics-1.pdf

 

[King31]

Build the Grendel. It is better than the 6.8 in every aspect! Even SBR Grendels perform well, but for hunting I would honestly get a 16". My 20" isn't bad packing around the woods, but my primary focus when I built it was target/long range shooting. Alexander Arms, Odin Works, and Faxon all produce mid-range/price barrels that would work great for your wants and needs. If you desire a more expensive one, those would be Lilja, Precision Firearms, JP Enterprises, or Shilen. Whatever you do, buy a SAAMI spec chamber and I would also recommend a matching bolt. Type 2 (.136 boltface depth) is better than Type 1 (.125 boltface depth) and 264 LBC is not a 6.5 Grendel regardless of what people say.

Ammo is honestly pretty cheap if you are not opposed to buying online. My last purchase included Hornady Black (sub-moa in my rifle) for $0.78 a round. Hornady SST for hunting was slightly more, but still under $1.00 per shot. 123gr is a very popular bullet and can be found from several different manufacturers. Some lighter weight bullets are also being made for varmint hunting which are supposed to be top notch.

If you really want to read into the caliber some more there are many great posts here:
6.5 Grendel Forum : : For the 6.5 Grendel Aficionado

My 20" Odin Works build from a year ago:

 

[Jakal]

Here is a good post for your review....

Talk to me about SBR 6.5 Grendel setups

 

[BrianT]

It's the best intermediate AR cartridge in my book. It has a decent supply of magazines, and cartridge manufacturers. The Hornady Black loaded with the 123 eld are very nice rounds and I can find them at several different sporting goods stores. I find it far more frequently (and lower cost) than I do 6.8spc. The only annoying thing are the type 1 and type 2 bolts. Both have a different recess depth. There are also 3 chambers that take the Grendel cartridge, 6.5G, 6.5G II, and .264LBC. I highly recommend you make sure you know what you're buying before you assemble. Mixing parts is a little more complex than a typical AR build.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

I lucked into a "scratch and dent" 20" upper (they must be a lot pickier than I am) and built up a lower for it for my son. Cheap top to bottom The bolt had to be changed, and magazines were a maddening thing for a while, but we got it straightened out. If you try to use a standard AR mag, you can't get very many rounds in, but they seem to feed. You need special mags without the lengthwise ridges on the sides, and I think the best you can get is 25 rounds in one the length of a 30. He has it down in Houston now, so I don't know how it's treating him. He hasn't complained about it.

 

[ScouT6a]

I just assembled a 20" AR, in 6.5 Grendel, a few weeks before deer gun season.
It has a 20" heavy barrel upper from Bear Creek Arsenal. I mounted 4-16x40 AO glass.
It is shooting sub MOA. At 200 yards, I am getting 1-1/4" groups. That's with factory Hornady ammo.
I shot a nice bodied buck with it, the second weekend of season.
362 yard broadside shot. The 123 grain ballistic tip bullet knocked a handful of hair off of his far side, on exit. He ran 47 yards and piled up into a tree.
Low recoil, mild report, flat shooting, accurate round, in an AR platform. What's not to love?

 

[smythe012]

​SBR Length based info from Precision Firearms, poached off 6.5 Grendel’s Site

7.5 Bartlien at 100 Yards. Groups averaged 1.5 Inches 2000 FPS 123 Match King
8.5 Bartlien at 100 Yards. Groups Averaged 1.4 Inches 2100 FPS 123 Match King
10.5 Bartlien at 100 Yards. Groups averaged .9 Inches 2200 FPS 123 Match King
12.5 Lilja Blank Chambered by PF at 100 Yards. Groups .75 2300 FPS 123 Match King
14.5 Lilja Blank Chambered by PF at 100 Yards. Groups .5 2350 FPS 123 Match King
14.5 Krieger at 100 Yards. Groups averaged .38 2375 FPS 123 MatchKing

We have most of these available for shipment with 2 weeks. They are chambered - Just need Muzzle Threaded.

We also have 7.5, 8.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12.5 in Criterion although we have not tested accuracy extensively. 12.5 we tested shot under 1 moa.


Short barrels with Grendel

 

[phylodog]

Doing some looking around for barrels this evening and it seem the 6.5 barrels bring quite the premium. Not exactly sure why that would be the case but the wallet is gonna be smoking for awhile once I break down and buy one.

 

[smythe012]

Doing some looking around for barrels this evening and it seem the 6.5 barrels bring quite the premium. Not exactly sure why that would be the case but the wallet is gonna be smoking for awhile once I break down and buy one.

What length are you thinking of starting with?

edit: never mind read your first post

 

[phylodog]

It'll be 16" or 18", anything longer is too cumbersome with a suppressor.

 

[smythe012]

Join the horde! Group Buy Central

 

[edwea]

Doing some looking around for barrels this evening and it seem the 6.5 barrels bring quite the premium. Not exactly sure why that would be the case but the wallet is gonna be smoking for awhile once I break down and buy one.

Cbc industries has some pretty affordable offerings in the area. I have not ordered from them before, but think I have heard they are gtg.

 

[phylodog]

I've got to do some more research before buying. I'm solidly in the "only accurate rifles are interesting" bunch and if it won't hold under MOA consistently it'll get sold off and I'd like to avoid that. I've been down that road several times now with the AR platform and various attempts at accurate versions.

 

[Ggreen]

Wise waiting, I've never regretted a quality AR, but I've regularly regretted cheap ARs and parts. Spend the money once.