Experiences with 6.5 Grendel AR-15s?

[Kirk Freeman]

Anyone have any experience with 6.5 Grendel in the AR platform?

Niece is graduating high school this year and for her 13th I got her a Howa Mini-Action in 6.5 Grendel. She loves it, calling it the "Goldilocks round".

Since I usually get the kids an AR for graduation (well, #2 got a G3, but #1 got a Colt 6920, #3 Centurion CM4 Mid, #4 LWRCI) I thought an AR in this caliber would be a good fit.

I have ZERO experience with 6.5 Grendel in any platform. How about you? What do you have? What do you wish you had?

Magazines? Optic?

 

[84VETTE]

Here is the one that I built for private property deer hunting. Its an Aero upper/lower with Criterion hybrid 16"barrel. I think it is about the perfect whitetail round for Indiana, I just wish ammo was a little more prevalent. I run it suppressed now and it is awesome.

I used a YHM flip up front sight but I should have went with an adjustable gas block, but I put the rifle together before I had a suppressor.

I have had luck with the E-Lander magazines.

 

[92FSTech]

It depends what you plan to do with it. I had one that I played around with for a while, and had no issues apart from accuracy with the original bargain-basement BCA barrel. I fixed that by swapping it out for a Faxon. It was a really nice shooting gun, with more punch than a .223/5.56 but still had very manageable recoil.

I ended up selling it off because I ultimately realized that my use for it...shooting paper from 200 yards an in...could be just as adequately accomplished by a .223/5.56 as the Grendel, for a lot less money and with much simpler logistics.

Factory ammo was hard to find and expensive. I reload, but being an AR it liked to throw brass and I was always spending a bunch of time hunting for it and still coming up short. The brass also didn't hold up super well...the Hornady stuff in particular would start cracking necks after one or two loadings, and that was a bummer because that was the easiest stuff to find in the stores around here. I did order some Starline brass that was much more durable, but then I was back to crying over the cases I lost in the grass on the range. This would be mostly a non-issue with a bolt-action, but were I shooting a bolt-action and not limited by the size of an AR receiver, I'd probably just step up to 6.5 Creedmore anyway, as it's more versatile and easier to source.

I ended up selling it, along with all my brass and dies, to a buddy who wanted to use it for deer hunting. Last we talked about it, he was complaining about looking all over for ammo or components and not being able to find any. I told him I warned him when I sold it to him that that's what you do with that gun, lol.

IMO it's an excellent round for a specific purpose....shooting things very far away out of an AR platform. For my purposes and with my range limitations, I found that regular old .223/5.56 was a better choice.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I built one after early this year for the upcoming deer season. I built the lower and bought a Bear Creek 20" upper. I also have a Texas Silencer Co. 308 Hunter suppressor on it now. It is a great shooting gun, just a bit long, probably should have just went with a 16" barrel but it will do just fine in my blind on the edge of a field.

 

[drm-hp]

Terrific hunting round for varmints (although it could be overkill), and deer, pigs, etc.
As previously mentioned it is not the cheapest volume shooting rig, but it works for its purpose.

 

[KLB]

@melensdad

 

[Kirk Freeman]

It depends what you plan to do with it.

She likes to shoot targets, paper and steel. Real whiz in math like her dad (not her uncle).

She cannot hunt deer with a semi-auto.

 

[CheeseheadHoosier]

I bought an 18” PSA upper 2 years ago. I had problems with the adjustable gas block on mine, and ended up scrapping it for a regular gas block which solved my issues. I use ASC mags (blue follower) as I read they are the most reliable. They’re ok, I think the magazines are the downfall of the cartridge. Wish Magpul made some. For an optic, I have a Bausch and Lomb 4200 Elite 1.5-6x36 I bought off a guy for cheap, since my hunting distances are well within 300 yards.

Very fun cartridge for hunting and to reload. I shot a doe two years ago with a Hornady 129gr Interlock and she did not make it far. Currently working on load development with Nosler 120gr Ballistic Tips to use on hogs/antelope eventually. For now, it’s my deer rifle.

 

[edwea]

It's just fine in an ar. May be overkill for paper punching, but it sounds like she is familiar with the round and likes what it is and has to offer. Since she already has one, I vote yes.

As far as mags go, I have e-lander and a couple others I can't recall right now. Honestly, I usually use 10 round pmags and can't recall ever having a failure with them.

 

[CheeseheadHoosier]

It's just fine in an ar. May be overkill for paper punching, but it sounds like she is familiar with the round and likes what it is and has to offer. Since she already has one, I vote yes.

As far as mags go, I have e-lander and a couple others I can't recall right now. Honestly, I usually use 10 round pmags and can't recall ever having a failure with them.

Magpul doesn’t make a pmag for Grendel. Do you have the polymer Amend2 mags?

 

[edwea]

Nope. Just regular old pmags.

 

[CheeseheadHoosier]

Nope. Just regular old pmags.

For 5.56? I’ve heard they will fit some Grendel rounds but never tried it.

 

[BrassBandit]

No experience with 6.5 Grendel but 6 arc is similar. I do really like the added terminal performance from these 6mm’s in a small frame AR. Was debating a .308 or 6.5 CM large frame build but can’t justify it just yet until I get property I can shoot further than 500 yards on. The only theoretical downside to both 6.5 Grendel and 6 arc is the larger bolt face/less material on face of the bolt due to the larger casing.

 

[92FSTech]

She likes to shoot targets, paper and steel. Real whiz in math like her dad (not her uncle).

She cannot hunt deer with a semi-auto.

How far away are the targets? If inside of 500 yards, I'd say stick with the .223/5.56 (or if you want her to be able to shoot steel closer in, maybe a .300 blackout set up for subsonic). Unless her family owns an ammo company, she'll get a lot more range time out of a cheaper and easier to source caliber, and have just as much fun doing it.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

How far away are the targets? If inside of 500 yards, I'd say stick with the .223/5.56 (or if you want her to be able to shoot steel closer in, maybe a .300 blackout set up for subsonic). Unless her family owns an ammo company, she'll get a lot more range time out of a cheaper and easier to source caliber, and have just as much fun doing it.

There is a gong at 300 at my brother's club. No, no ammo company, lol. My brother is the man of steel, he runs the Brackenridge, PA ATI mill (the new one).

So, just get her a M4gery like her bros?

 

[92FSTech]

There is a gong at 300 at my brother's club. No, no ammo company, lol. My brother is the man of steel, he runs the Brackenridge, PA ATI mill (the new one).

So, just get her a M4gery like her bros?

That's an option. Or you could get her an accurized national-match type rifle with a free-float tube and 20" barrel. Better ballistics and shooting irons at intermediate to longer ranges is a hoot!

 

[roscott]

It’s probably my favorite caliber, but only because it fills very specific needs.

For a hunter, it allows about the most energy possible from an AR15 platform while still fitting through a 30 caliber suppressor. Ballistic coefficient is solid, which makes up for the velocity being a little slow. Recoil is very light.

It’s enough of a mainstream caliber that I don’t have to worry about it going extinct.

Plenty of energy for deer, hogs, antelope, coyotes, (steel gongs,) etc.

For paper punching, it’s solid but not incredible. For do-it-all hunting inside 300 yards, it’s one of the best.

 

[DadSmith]

Love the 6 5 Grendel.
Very accurate, light recoil, much more powerful than a 556, has the same ballistics as a 308-win. Not the same energy but bullet drop, and in an AR-15 platform.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

It’s probably my favorite caliber, but only because it fills very specific needs.

For a hunter, it allows about the most energy possible from an AR15 platform while still fitting through a 30 caliber suppressor. Ballistic coefficient is solid, which makes up for the velocity being a little slow. Recoil is very light.

It’s enough of a mainstream caliber that I don’t have to worry about it going extinct.

Plenty of energy for deer, hogs, antelope, coyotes, (steel gongs,) etc.

For paper punching, it’s solid but not incredible. For do-it-all hunting inside 300 yards, it’s one of the best.

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Please tell me about your firearm there, ros.

BTW, gorgeous animal.

 

[yetti462]

Love the Grendel. I reload for mine the Hornady black groups like buckshot for some reason. My rifle doesn't like the 120 gr bullets. 130 it shoots and 95-108 shoot good.

My next rifle is going to be a bolt gun in 6.5 grendel.