6.5 grendel

Va243hntr

New member
I would like to build a 6.5 grendel for my son to deer hunt with. I tried to put him behind a youth model marlin and he is just not big enough yet he is 7 but a little small for his age. A six position stock on the first setting fits him well and he is all about the military so its a win win. I am not a big AR fan ( I know I will get bashed for that comment) I know a little about them we use them at work so I am familiar just not with the caliber if some one could help me with some hand on experince it would be great I would like to know about performance with a sutible hunting bullet and felt recoil. I would like to get him one and let him hunt the special youth season here in VA but I would like to have a rifle that don't kick the crap out of him or scare him away, thanks guys
 
Might check out the 6x45 (if you reload) before jumping to the Grendel.
Plenty of brass available.
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There is a thread active about this caliber right now... 6x45
 
I do reload and while the 243 is one of my fav for yotes and ground hogs and such. I'm not so sure about having the caliber in the hands of a 7 year old who is on his first deer hunt.I would like him to have something bigger just in case of a bad hit. I had thought about a handi rifle in 357mag but he is just not big enough yet I would like to get him on a deer this year but if not he might be big eough next year
 
I built a 6.5 Grendel on a t/c contender platform, thumbhole stock, wide beavertail forend. I built it mostly for something to put together and just shoot a little for fun. I hunted Missouri whitetails with it last year....Its now my favorite rifle. Its a dream to carry, light(even with a full bull), short, quick to manuever. Very little kick, I think it would be a great round for a younger/smaller shooter. I shoot 123gr Hornady ballistic tips, does great work on whitetails. I order all my ammo from midwayusa, if you do some comparisions its a little cheaper or real close to the cost of some other popualar cartridges, .243, .260, etc. I will be putting one together in an ar platform before to long myself. If I had a younger shooter thats the caliber they would be shooting if it was me putting a rifle in their hands!
 
The 6.5 grendel has plenty of options for hunting bullets. I like the 85gr Sierra hollowpoint, but again there are many.

Felt recoil is barely more than the .223 and I'd say 1/2 of a AR in 308/243. You can tame it even more by putting a muzzle brake on it, but make sure your hearing protection is on good as it makes it much louder as you probably already know.

I have been making .264lbc(6.5grendel) for a few years and its one of my favorite rounds. I shoot a lot of precision rifle matches with it and hunted the world coyote championships the last two years with that round.

Please let me know if you have any other questions as I will help where i can.
 
Pharmer has a good poing with a 6x45. A 6x45 is a good option, but I dont have experience with it other than seeing one perform. It is a very respectable round.

Speaking by hands on eperience with the 6.5 makes me lean that way. It is fairly easy to find ammo (order it from just about any online source), and if you reload, loaded with the 120gr Hornady SST it can reach a ways out there and have a little punch. I am going to let my daughter (11year old) hunt with mine. My other daughter (8 years old) enjoys shooting it also. She can nail an 8" plate all day at 300yds. My 4year old son is even partial to it, wants the bigger bullets when he shoots my AR.

It has just a little more kick than a 223, but can easily reach a lot further. All of my kids would rather shoot the 6.5 than the 243. The recoil is a lot lighter.

Like I said, I can only speak of my experience, mine is with the 6.5. I would recommend a search on this site for both.
 
Not trying to hijack this, but I have been a Firearms Safety Instructor for 18 years now, and I know it is tempting to push kids to hunt early, but please make sure the kids can handle this safely. I also wanted my kids to hunt early, and they walked along for 3 years, until they turned 12 and than I let them carry a gun and shoot there own deer. I only responded to this because I have had people come with kids under 11 and expect us to pass them through,(Minnesota they have to be at least 11 to attend class, and turn 12 before deer season opens). Good Luck with your decision.
 
Riflemann I understand your concern I have been teaching him gun safety since he was old enough to hold a nerf gun, I am also a range instructor for my agency. In Va they have to be 12 to take the hunters education but the special youth hunting days they can take a deer without a permit or taking the hunters ed class as long as there is a adult hunter right beside or behind that can take possession of the firearm at any time I have had him shooting for a few years 22 and pellet rifle he does as well if not better than some adults I have been around. When I took him to see if the marlin would fit him the first thing he did was checked the safty and then made sure the weapon was empty buy working the bolt three times and then inspecting ( I'm bragging just a little on him I guess) thanks for the imput guys everything I have read on the Grendel makes me think this will be the perfect rifle for him
 
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VA, I have ARs in .264lbc (a Grendel variant) and 6x45. My .264 is an 18" with a Kies linear compensator that smooths the recoil a bit but keeps the muzzle blast out front. The 6 x 45 is a 20". I wouldn't trade either one.

Having said that, I'm not sure I'd recommend either for your use. For one thing, with a scope they are pretty heavy. Seven's pretty young and the weight can be offputing for a little guy. Second, by the time you build one right (good upper, good trigger, etc.) they can get rather spendy.

If it were me, I'd look pretty hard at a .243. Unless your deer are pretty large it should be plenty of gun. I know some don't like them but Savage makes some really good shooting rifles that are priced right. $550 will get you a pretty nice gun that will shoot very well. The same money won't get you very far at all in an AR.
 
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You have answered your own question, If he isn't big enough for a youth marlin he is not big enough for a high powered rifle of any kind. Keep him in the 22 and air rifle until he is old enough. Military stuff is cool to kids. When he can carry a 6lb. rifle up and down hills for hours at a time and then raise it up to shot with a no problem he is ready. Back off dad, he is just a child. In time he will grow up enjoy him as he is, they do not stay that way long.
 
Have you looked at the 6.8 SPC? I have both a 6.8 and a 6.5 Grendel. The Grendel is an excellent round, but you will need a bit longer barrel to fully utilize it's potential. A 6.8 in a 18" mid-length would be a shorter lighter package, and still have enough barrel to burn a full case of powder. Another plus to the 6.8 SPC is the 85 g. Barnes bullets. This would give you a flatter shooting, lower recoil, hard hitting, smaller overall package. Just a thought...
 
first off let me say I'm not pushing my son into anything he was the one that said for the last two years he wants to deer hunt. Second he will not be packing the rifle I will until we get to the blind which is about two hundred yards from our back door the other spot I will take him to is only a couple hundred yards from where I park my truck on our land and in both he will be shooting from sticks or a rest built into the blind so the weight is not a factor. He will not be able to hunt without me until he compleates the hunters education course, he cannot take the class until he is 12 so we got a while. The reason I asked about this caliber is I don't want a rifle to kick the crap out of him and ruin him but being able to handle a high power should not be a problem he has shot a couple of ARs in 223 and was fine with it that is the reason I asked about felt recoil I guess I should have been more specific when I said he was to little his arms are to short. Price is not going to be an issue if he has fun and is interested in it I will gladly buy or build an AR for him to hunt with I would love for him to follow in my foot steps and be a Savage fan but it is his choice not mine thanks for your input guys
 
I looked at the 6.8 but to be honest around here if you can shoot 120 yards it is a long shot most of the deer taken here are 100 yards or less soh having a flat shooing rifle is not an issue and I just feel the 6.5 would be a better choice for him
 
The 6.5 even in a short barrel (down to 14") will perform fine for what you want and you have room to grow. I like a 100gr Barnes for mi whitetail. Took my nice 6 point at 140yds Kat , one shoot drop. doing a 16" right now. don't hesitate with the 6.5. Get a short barrel, light profile, collapsible stock, and light weight forend, put a good light weight optic on it and have him shoot it rested and he will be fine.
 
The reality of getting firearms to fit really young shooters is complex.

1) Their fit will change every year (or faster), so you're right in thinking a telescoping stock can "grow with him".

2) Weight is usually the most important factor in fitting a rifle to a very small shooter, in my experience. You can always soak up recoil, but if a kid can't firmly hold the rifle up, he can't shoot it. Buying a new stock for that marlin and chopping a few inches off of the end will leave you with a LOT lighter rifle than an AR platform. A .30-30 is going to kick more than a 6.5, however.

3) Recoil is easy to adapt. As long as the kid can comfortably and easily hold up the rifle, you can add recoil pads or reduce loads to soak up recoil. Personally, I'd feel more recoil in an AR platform than a fixed bolt action (momentum of the BCG), but none of the AR platform rounds have unreasonable recoil.

So yes, the 6.5 in a lightweight 16" carbine with a 6position would make a decent youth deer rifle. It'd also make a decent adult hunting rifle.

One word of advice, add an open type red dot site to his rifle. Takes out a lot of guesswork for a new shooter, and helps ensure that a kid can't forget about scope-eye alignment at crunch time.
 
The red dot is what I was looking at sighted in at 75 yards and he should be good, I would like to persuade him into a bolt rifle but he likes the AR and I think it would be a good set up even if he didn't like it to deer hunt then try coyotes if he didn't like that then I would get to use it
 
Va243hntr, after reading your posts about taking your son hunting as what we call an aprentice hunter, I would say a semi-auto AR would be the best gun for the lighter recoil. Enjoy watching your son shoot his first deer in the future, and good luck on finding the right gun to fit him. Good Hunting----Riflemann
 
My 6 year old shoots my 6.5 Grendel. He loves it, and recoil isn't an issue for him. The second shot he ever took with it he drilled a clay pigeon from 253 yards. As far as anyone telling you what is or isn't appropriate for your kid, my opinion on that matter is that he is your kid and no one else's. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Here is a video of my son shooting the Grendel for the first time.

 
My 7 yo daughter just shot her first deer this evening with a 16" 6.5 grendel AR, using 123 grain amax's. 210 yard shot on 4x4 whitetail. We have the 6 position stock on it and got it to fit pretty well. Biggest issues were cheek weld, ( the PEPR sits a bit high for her small face), and the weight. There is no way for her to shoot it without a very solid front rest to carry the weight of the gun. The shot was a complete pass through, btw, catching one lung and the destroying the liver. Estimating the live weight at about 175 lbs. Daughter says it is the best hunting day EVER! Good luck with your hunt. ObarO
 
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