Considering going Grendel yea or nay, your experiences?

[Brutus57]

Hi All,

Am considering getting an 18 inch 6.5 Grendel barrel and building a plinker/varmint rifle....
Right now Grendel ammo seems decent. How about BCGs and mags? Recommended upper receivers?

Anybody a big fan of Grendel, not a big fan, stick with 5.56? Have watched some of the youtubes but want a bigger sample set of experiences.


Brutus Out

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[etrain16]

Interesting question - I've considered that too. Waiting to see what folks have to say.

 

[slimmer13]

I had one



I just sold the barrel and bolt though. I came to the conclusion that it just couldn't push that .264 projectile fast enough to get the most out of it and it it doesn't really do anything a 69 or 77 grn SMK can't do for cheaper. I wanted to simplify and consolidate components and mags. Now I'm looking at building a large pattern .260 Remington.

If you do decide to pull the trigger on the grendel, I had great results from my Black Hole Weaponry barrel, but they are technically a .264 LBC which calls for a type 1 (7.62x39) bolt vs a type 2 which is Alexander Arms proprietary bolt.

Also, the AA mags by Elander are the only ones I had luck with.

 

[mjbskwim]

I think it's a better choice than 300 nota762x39

 

[eldbillbo]

I bought a new factory AA grendel upper back when they came out It had some issues with it and I had a bad experience with their customer service
but in their defense they were really busy at the time. i Fixed it myself and sold it because 6.8SPC came out which at the time i could get better ammo less cost without mail ordering it which I was really happy with.

I recently came across some after market grendel parts and was thinking of building a lightweight compact rifle for one of my daughter to hunt with and based on what i have been reading basically saying They are trowing bigger chunks of lead at longer distances decided to put together a couple uppers now that ammo is available. I really like shooting them. I don't need both so I am selling one its not a mid length though but it shoots great. I don't have quality ammo for it I am using wolf cause some guy was selling some here for online prices minus the shipping . It groups good for wolf and I have had zero problems with vs my first one.

IMHO I think for those wanting to hunt oregon deer with the small Ar15 platform its a lot better than using a .223 which may be fine in southern states with an over abundance of smaller deer but with oregon deer being larger and harder to find I would not want to chance wounding and loosing one with a .223 just my 2 cents and you can spend it any way you want to.

If you would like to shoot it granted its not a 18 I can probably meet you at TCGC (i'm a member) and let you shoot it you just need to buy the ammo from me at $8 a box which it is zerored for or trade me for some soft point ammo in 30.06 or 8mm mauser or brit .303

 

[kato pup dog]

I have looked long and hard at the Grendel round as well. Eventually plan to add an upper to the collection. For now finances keep me from stepping up from 5.56. I'm with the OP, I'd like to see and hear more about first hand experiences with the round. Only a small portion of what is available seems believable.

 

[Twodogs]

I looked at the grendel when they first came out ended up going with the 6.8 spc, I hunt deer and coyotes with it,never shoot it past 300 yrds and it's never let me down.

 

[kato pup dog]

There are so many ar calibers out now. .277 wolverine looks respectable as does several others. This makes choosing a caliber very tough. The ballistics are also askew because most don't measure based off the same length barrel. One measures from a 16, another from an 18...then others on a 24in.

I know I'd sure like more hands on stories from those that have used the 6.5G for a while.

 

[slimmer13]

I dunno. I feel like the limitations of case capacity for larger caliber projectiles out of an AR 15 platform is too much of a compromise for me personally. YMMV.

I feel kinda like what's the point as far as the 6.5 G, 6.8 SPC etc. If its to hunt with in WA, for the cost of the barrels bolts and mags to get up and running, you could easily get a Ruger American in a real hunting caliber. If it's to punch paper, it does great. I used mine to shoot 600 yd F class but I got smoked by a whole bunch of guys shooting heavy bullets out of 223s and it will be a long time before my skills are up to par to really tell if there is any advantage to the 6.5. If its for HD, and want a little more punch at short range, ok but again there are a whole bunch of dedicated rifles that fit the bill that were built from the ground up do exactly that.

Also too lazy to find a picture right now, but when you look at the bolt face comparison of a 6.5 grendel or x39 AR bolt next to a 5.56 bolt and see the lack of meat that had to be removed to accomodate the larger case of the 6.5, I have to figure that there would be longevity/reliability issues sooner than I'm comfortable with.

 

[CV-66]

I built one using a 24" heavy barrel made by john benjamin of portland oregon, mounted to a seekins precision billet upper/lower, timney trigger, magpul ubr and rpa front and rear sights. Mags made by c products and asc work for me. I think some of the relaoding data is alll over the place, pressure curves for some powders listed indicate they should not be used in gas guns, so I recommend you get an adjustable gas block. Theres not much web between the bolt lugs after they've milled them sufficient for the case head so dont push the envelope unless you dont care about breaking bolts. This is a great cartridge and it shoots more accurately as the distance increases. 300 yd groups of2" are very doable. Been using imr 8208 and sierra 120 matchkings. The most accurate for me have been their 107 matchkings but I use them for short range use only (300) and less and the heavier 120 when I shoot cross the course. I've been pleased with this more powerful cartridge in the normal sized ar platform, nice that I can shoot it in matches without the recoil of heavier cartridges but I have shot every bit as good of scores in hp competition with my 556 nato and sierra 77/80's. Only reason I chose this cartridge is the same I had for building one using the russian cartridge. I was looking to build something different without deviating too far from St. Stoners original design. Yeah thats right, I have elevated him to saint hood (john browning too).

 

[Velzey]

Ive thought about it, but thats it. I jumped on board when the I could build an AR10 in .300 SAUM. Then I loaded it to reach way out there and touch stuff. Shot after shot it was amazing..And then throat erosion happened, in less than 500 rounds.
Sooo ive been thinking of a 6.5 now, but funds need to start coming in a little better before that..

 

[WAYNO]

The 6.5 Grendel is what the AR could have been to start with.

If you absolutely like the Grendel cartridge, then go for it. If it's only because of the cartridge, then even then, there are better choices in a 6.5. But if you like the Grendel because it fits in an AR, then proceed. But then if you like the AR because of it's original mission, with cheap, and very available ammunition in large quantities, then the Grendel is no longer the best choice. I can buy quality, domestic 5.56 ammo for 30-cents a round. The same quality Grendel ammo will be three-times that price.

If you're reloading for the Grendel, then cost becomes a push. But if you're out and about, and you run out of ammo, you might shop a while to find Grendel ammo for sale, and when you do, it'll be expensive. If I run out of 5.56 ammo, I can but it anywhere, cheap, or borrow some from the next pickup that comes down the road.

If the Grendel ever catches on, and I can buy unlimited quantities of ammo for 30-cents a round, then count me in.

WAYNO.