AR build... thinking 6.5 Grendel

R

rcal2014

New member
Hey guys,
New to the forum, been hanging out and reading every thing, everyone here seems to be pretty knowledgeable and eager to help. So onto my questions, I have been wanting to build an AR for a while and I want a multipurpose caliber mainly for coyotes but a few deer and antelope here and there. I live in Colorado so I have to use .243 or larger. From what I have read about the Grendel Im pretty sure thats the route I will be taking. This is my first build and there are a few things I need some advise on. First is the barrel, I would like to stay around the 400-500 mark if I could. I read some where that you could get a nice grendel barrel off midway but it seems the barrel they are talking about only comes in the Grendel II? Are these different calibers all around? If I buy a barrel without a bolt, will any 6.5 bolt work with the barrel? Or do I need to have the barrel and bolt fitted together? Any help here is greatly appreciated. My last question is the trigger. I have the trigger on my marlin .223 adjusted to 2 lbs and I really like it. I have heard a lot of people like a little heavier pull in an ar platform. Best bang for your buck is what im trying to shoot for with this build, I have a couple rifles I am wanting to sell/trade to fund this project so funds really aren't a big deal I just want to use em in the right location.

Thanks, Ryan
 
Have you givin the 6/6.8spcll a look? Balistally it's probably not on par, but terminally it works awesome to 300 yards that I've shot at. You need to check headspace on your barrels the same. I like rock river national match triggers but never shot a timney or likes in a AR.
 
I built a grendel with a shilen barrel, it was really accurate for me though I got tired of the lack of components. I just got sick of not being able to run the powder and bullets I wanted. the grendel needs the right bullets to shine, hornady 123's are really what you want. It got to be more trouble than I wanted to mess with. when you compare it to say hornady's superformance 5.56 match load that is running around 2900 fps with a 75 grain match bullet, the appeal of the grendel is diminished especially when you can run other stuff too.

The grendel II came out because liberty barrels the company who makes those midway barrels around this time last year screwed up and likely used a reamer that had fallen out of spec. maybe it was worn who knows. The problem they had was the throats were too short to chamber factory ammo. So they danced and dodged and blamed it on someone else and said now we have the grendel II, which dispenses with the compound throat and goes with a traditional throat. This allows you to seat out bullets a little longer, but some people say it degrades accuracy because it does not have the coned type throat that alexander arms originally had with the grendel.

as to the bolts, there is a couple different specs on the bolts too, one is just a plain 7.62 x39 bolt and the other something different. There are ways to tell but I forgot which one is which and how you check. You would also have to ask the barrel maker which bolt to use. basically get a bolt barrel combo is what I say. Another issue is the grendel is limited to 52000kpsi which IMO really handicaps the who cartridge.

if you want my opinion I think the 6x6.8 the guys around here like to run makes alot of sense. its simple, you have a wider source of brass, The bolts are standardized, you can load it up to high pressures. the only negative is it will not handle heavy bullets as well, you can still run them but you start to invade powder space. run bullets from 55-85 grains, that should take care of any deer or coyotes you might want.

check out black hole for whatever you decide. I think they offer the 264 lbc which is the same thing as the grendel. They have lots of options on barrels you just spec what you want the barrel to be. I am not aware of anyone that offers those kinds of options for that kind of money. I would get the LTR, LTM, contour which is a 750 gas with a shoulder to hold the gas block then it tapers back down under the handguard. basically a nice medium profile barrel.

thats probably more than you wanted to know
 
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Not more than I wanted to know, that is exactly why I came to this forum with my questions. I really appreciate the answers. Keep it up fellas
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Ok I'll throw in my .02 I was contemplating the same thing very recently. I was very tempted to build or buy a 6.5 Grendel, and the AA Overwatch is on sale at Midway. Here's the thing for me; I don't see it as a great calling round. I know some will differ, but looking at the available bullets and the speeds they can be driven, it just doesn't look ideal. Yes that 123 amax at 2500 fps is going to carry a long way, but it isn't very flat for normal calling ranges, say out to 300 yds or so. I just think a 6mm of some sort makes more sense; spit those 55's or 58's out there fast and flat and give yourself more room for error for short to medium range. Then you can still load up heavier bullets for bigger game. JMO
 
Okay, so if I understand, the 6x6.8 is the same case as the grendel just with a 6mm pill? The coyotes have been looking a little better this year and my uncle likes to skin them and sell them. I know of people loading the Grendel with those 123 gr bullets and they get a nice pass through with minimal damage to pelts and it puts everything down really nice. I think the 6mm would tend to be a little more explosive (correct me if I'm wrong) due to the higher speeds and smaller bullets. The reason I'm even slightly worried about this is the fact that it's not uncommon where I hunt to call in a nice looking bobcat, and I would really hate to mess a nice pelt up from one of those guys. Last year my uncle said he got $200 for a couple of his cats.
 
No the 6X6.8 is not the same case as the Grendel. if you necked the Grendel case to 6mm I do believe that's a 6mm turbo or 6mm rat or something like that. the 6x.8 is a 6.8spc cased necked down to 6mm. I'm running a 70NBT a little over 3000fps.in a 20" barrel. I know a lot of the guys like the 22" if I was going to build another that is the route I would go. I also looked at the 6.5 Grendel for a long time. Im very happy with the 6spc I think it will be more fur friendly the 6.5. I have also shot deer with it with great results. hope this helps
 
Thanks for the clarification on that. Dang it, now I have another caliber to choose from
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but they both seem very promising and capable of doing whatever I need so may as well go the cheaper route and do the 6x6.8. Now I just need to wait for a nice bargain to come around! although that AA Overwatch on midway is very tempting lol. Thanks guys
 
Originally Posted By: HardwickNNo the 6X6.8 is not the same case as the Grendel. if you necked the Grendel case to 6mm I do believe that's a 6mm turbo or 6mm rat or something like that. the 6x.8 is a 6.8spc cased necked down to 6mm. I'm running a 70NBT a little over 3000fps.in a 20" barrel. I know a lot of the guys like the 22" if I was going to build another that is the route I would go. I also looked at the 6.5 Grendel for a long time. Im very happy with the 6spc I think it will be more fur friendly the 6.5. I have also shot deer with it with great results. hope this helps

The 6mm version of the Grendel is a 243LBC. It is loaded with a Redding S die in 6.5 Grendel and a .269 bushing. There are no other changes to the case except the diameter of the neck. The Turbo and the Rat are improved versions and require fire forming and custom dies.

As for being fur friendly. I use one of 2 bullets. The 58 grain Vmax or the 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Both work very well and I personally have never had an exit with either on a center mass shot on a coyote.
 
Originally Posted By: R JohnsonOriginally Posted By: HardwickNNo the 6X6.8 is not the same case as the Grendel. if you necked the Grendel case to 6mm I do believe that's a 6mm turbo or 6mm rat or something like that. the 6x.8 is a 6.8spc cased necked down to 6mm. I'm running a 70NBT a little over 3000fps.in a 20" barrel. I know a lot of the guys like the 22" if I was going to build another that is the route I would go. I also looked at the 6.5 Grendel for a long time. Im very happy with the 6spc I think it will be more fur friendly the 6.5. I have also shot deer with it with great results. hope this helps

The 6mm version of the Grendel is a 243LBC. It is loaded with a Redding S die in 6.5 Grendel and a .269 bushing. There are no other changes to the case except the diameter of the neck. The Turbo and the Rat are improved versions and require fire forming and custom dies.

As for being fur friendly. I use one of 2 bullets. The 58 grain Vmax or the 55 grain Nosler Ballistic Tip. Both work very well and I personally have never had an exit with either on a center mass shot on a coyote.

thanks for the clarification on that. Iv been stationed in Germany haven't been looking into different rounds for a while and the 243LBC had slipped my mind.
 
Cool deal. It seems like the .243 caliber is going to be the route I go now. As stated above I think the 22" barrel will be a good choice. Can someone give me some insight as to which rate of twist would be the best for the 58 gr up to 100 gr? Also I live out on the plains and 400-600 yards is not uncommon to shot at a deer or antelope. This year I took an antelope at 370 yards with my Tikka 7 mag. Would a 6mm be enough for these kinds of ranges? This is one of the reasons a Grendel was so appealing to me, but as always I am open to suggestions! Thanks everyone for your time.
 
I believe the 1:9 is the one you want. I just looked at six 243 LBC's and 6X6.8's I shoot and the 1:9 was in five of the six. The 1:10 I got early on but that was s a special engraved tube they wanted to send me.

I have shot both the rounds to 500 using 87's and 95's and done well.

A 646 yard antelope with a 90 Berger in the 6X6.8 was Ritch's boys trial by fire this year.

Greg
 
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The Shilen barrel that Midway sells is a Grendel chamber, not the Grendel II. I have that barrel and I shoot coyotes with the Sierra 85 gr HP going 2930ish fps. It has yet to be fur friendly. I also have a load worked up with 120 Ballistic Tips going 2580 fps. 400-600 yards can be done, but I would stick with your 7 mag for that distance. The 120 class bullets will deliver similar energy to 100 gr bullets out of a 243.
 
I appreciate that. Looks like 6x6.8 for me. Now to get rid of these guns and spend some of that cash!
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Thanks for all the help fellas.
 
I have a Grendel and would have to agree with some of the suggestions here. If I were going to build a dedicated calling rifle I'd look at the 6x6.8, or even the 22x6.8. They are appealing, but only if you reload.

The 100gr ballistic tips work well in the Grendel on coyotes from my experience.

I don't believe you can go wrong with any of them. Shooting deer at a distance comes down to your ability to put a quality bullet where it needs to go.
 
I have a new grendel and am finding that it shoots the 95gr VMax pretty well. Not the bullet I'll use for larger game but will do fine for calling.
 
I know what you are saying with shot placement. A lot of people say a 22 will do... if you hit them in the ear. I've seen plenty of people running a 300 mag and such when deer season rolls around and they are in perfect position for a heart shot and bang! They end up ripping open the stomach and the deer kicks and runs around until it dies. I will agree that shot placement is key to a successful clean kill and that most 6mm calibers will do the job more than sufficiently. Also, speaking of ballistic tips, do they work good for deer, or would a soft point or hollow point be a better choice?
 
Nosler has two versions of the ballistic tip, Varmint and hunting. The Varmint has a thin jacket designed to fragment completely. The hunting version has a thicker, tapered jacket that is meant to hold up better and allow for more penetration on bigger game. People take deer all the time with ballistic tips, but you're not going to go wrong with a soft point bullet either.
 
I have taken deer with the 70gr NBT "hunting" bullet. it gets the job done. just try and stay right behind the shoulder and you should get a pass through. a shoulder shot will still work just wont have the pass through. Iv actually been thinking about stepping it up to the 80gr ttsx once I get back from Germany. I think they will do a little less pelt damage on coyotes and bobcats.
 
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