6.5 Grendel AR

[PHATSPEED7x]

Phatspeed7x,

How goes it? Did you get an optic on it yet...and how did the magazine issue turn out?

I've been working up loads for mine. Got some 95 gr Hornady V-Max that are doing good enough for varmint shooting. With Benchmark powder, a 5 shot group averages 2910 FPS in a .694" group. With Aliant 2230-S Data powder, a 5 shot group averages 2834 FPS in a .585" group. Also working on some Nosler 120gr Ballistic Tips and some Hornady 123gr A-Max.

I've actually haven't done anything with my Grendel lately. For awhile there I had it actually listed on Armslist for sale, but didn't get any real bites on it. So I decided to keep it. I still need to get some glass on my rifle, but I've been busy trying to take care of other things. Trying to buy a house at the moment so my extra pay funds have been sucked dry by that.

[arizona98tj]

Ordered a case of Wolf 6.5 Grendel FMJ steel from Alexander Arms. The magical Unicorn cartridge from across the ocean finally materialized this week....been many years in the making from what I read. Price was pretty good....36 cents a round + shipping. AA claims they shoot right at 1 MOA. If they do, that will be some excellent plinking ammo for sure.

Now I can plink a little easier without using up my Lupua brass and Nosler or Hornady bullets.

[PHATSPEED7x]

Been shopping for glass for my Grendel. Probably won't purchase until next month. Been looking at the Vortex Viper line of scopes. I have a Crossfire II on my Mossberg MVP rifle, and I love it!

[arizona98tj]

I have a 1st focal plane Vortex Viper PST on my .308 precision rifle. I like it a lot, however, I didn't buy that one for the Grendel. Those turrets are intended for a hunting rifle....at least not tromping through the woods anyway. I compromised and the Grendel got the Vortex Diamondback HP. So far so good....I like it....I think it is pretty good glass for the price.

Haven't gotten a shipping notice on the 6.5G Wolf so I hope it isn't back ordered. I don't think it is but you never know for sure when the website doesn't indicate stocking status.

[PHATSPEED7x]

PSA had AR-15 freedom uppers on sale, so I purchased a dissipator upper, and completed one of my AR-15 builds. I need to sit down one of these days, and make a list of stuff I need to get this grendel rifle really set up. I'm going to need the following for sure..

-Reliable magazines. The current ones I have are junk. Need to order some Alexander arm branded 10 round mags.
-Ammo. Now that wolf offers steel cased ammo I can actually do some high volume shooting with this gun.
-Optic. Still looking at my options.

[arizona98tj]

AA recently got some new magazines in that folks seem to be quite pleased with. They hold 24 rounds.

I recently purchased several 15 round mags from ASC (Ammunition Storage Components)....they make them and I've had no issues with them so far at the range. They work every bit as good as the AA magazine that came with my upper.

I read over on the 6.5 Grendel forum that AA is suppose to be getting another batch of Wolf steel in November. They sold out of the first batch. My case is scheduled for delivery on Friday.

[arizona98tj]

Had a chance to try out the 6.5 Grendel Wolf 100 gr FMJ steel case ammo. Aside from all the hype it had and the supposed near 1 MOA accuracy it showed during testing, I guess neither myself nor any other buyers have the magical Unicorn rifle necessary to see the promised accuracy.

You are welcome to browse my review: Wolf 6.5 Grendel steel case ammo

Spoiler alert......


The best of two targets

At least I've got some cheap rounds to foul the barrel with after a good cleaning. LOL!

[Rip Van Winkle]

Were you seriously expecting something better?

[Ghost]

Figured I'd hold off on the steel stuff for this reason. Prefer reload-able anyway. Hopefully this weekend I can try my 24" Brownells barrel matched up with my Vortex razor hd gen ii 4.5-27, fantastic scope at least looking out my house windows. Guess I better get it all assembled.

[UnaStamus]

I used to have a Vortex Viper PST and for the money, it's a pretty decent scope. The glass is pretty clear with good light transmission and color fidelity. You lose resolution at higher magnification, and the eyebox is really picky, but other than that it's a very good scope. I sold the scope because I wanted a higher grade scope, and I will likely never buy another Vortex optic that isn't a Razor HD model. I'm also incredibly picky about optics, so it's subjective.
For most people, and Vortex Viper HS or PST will provide everything they need in a scope without seriously breaking the bank.

If you are looking for optics for your 6.5Grendel, you have to break it down into what type of scope you want (target vs tactical vs hunting), how far you want to shoot, and how much you're willing to spend. The sky is the limit, but there are a lot of factors that bring that ceiling down quickly.

[arizona98tj]

Were you seriously expecting something better?

You can read the 90+ page thread on the 65Grendel forum about the Wolf ammo.....I'm not going to repeat it here. It was stated by the owner of Alexander Arms that he was averaging 1 MOA during development/testing. If I had seen 2 MOA in my 65G, I would have been happy with it.

[yuppiejr]

Were you seriously expecting something better?

You can read the 90+ page thread on the 65Grendel forum about the Wolf ammo.....I'm not going to repeat it here. It was stated by the owner of Alexander Arms that he was averaging 1 MOA during development/testing. If I had seen 2 MOA in my 65G, I would have been happy with it.

Bill Alexander has a big financial stake in getting cheap, plentiful ammo out there for the 6.5 Grendel platform to keep it competitive with the more commercially successful 300 AAC/blackout and 6.8 SPC variations in the market. I'm not exactly surprised his reviews were so highly positive and that field results are not quite as glowing, it's hard to maintain objectivity with such a personal stake involved. At the end of the day it's still Wolf steel case, bimetal projectile ammo using who knows what powder that's being run for the lowest price possible. I applaud your honesty and straight-forward reporting of your practical results testing this ammo in your upper. In addition to so-so performance, sanctions and import restrictions on Russian manufactured ammo makes it tough to pin hopes on this Wolf blaster ammo being the big shot in the arm that will bring 6.5 Grendel to the masses.

Availability of ammo is a HUGE factor when people are making a decision about what to buy and right now the pickings in 6.5 Grendel are slim indeed... 31 hits on Ammoseek vs 300+ for both 6.8 SPC and 300 AAC/blackout. Most of the large retailers and sporting goods shops I've hit (Cabelas, Gander and Capras most recently) carry various flavors of both 6.8 SPC and .300 AAC/blackout while I have yet to find a single box of 6.5 Grendel anywhere but online.

It's too bad because on paper the 6.5 Grendel has a lot to offer but without good commercial support glowing reviews and a great forum community don't mean a whole lot. I also think the mass market appeal of short, handy field rifles is greater than the typical long tubed bench/target configurations that seem to dominate 6.5 Grendel uppers and barrels in the market. This I blame primarily on Bill Alexander for keeping such a tight leash on third party manufacturing of 6.5 G which drove much of the aftermarket innovation elsewhere (.300 aac/blackout and 6.8 SPC) where end-users (and happy to oblige manufacturers) quickly settled on shorter barreled carbines as the most popular configurations for recreation, defense and hunting applications.

[Ghost]

I saw this on 65Grendel over the weekend and thought it was interesting and fitting for this thread.
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?9057-6.5-Grendel-as-a-DM-Sniper-Cartridge

Anyway, quite a few teams had 6.5 Grendel's for both their carbines and long guns, as the competition requires that one team member carry a long gun for distance targets, and the other carries a carbine for closer ranges, while both carry sidearms, in addition to many other essential items on a mandatory packing list.

[arizona98tj]

yuppiejr,
Thanks for the comments regarding my review. When you think about it, it was silly....no, more like stupid, for Alexander to have hyped this Wolf release as much as it was. While they did a great job of selling the first X number of pallets that arrived in the initial delivery, the word is now out and everyone knows it isn't anything like it was supposed to be. Sure some folks will enjoy it as they simply wanted cheap plinking ammo....nothing more....and that is what it is. If anything, Bill Alexander has certainly dropped his "community standings" in my book. There are other 6.5 Grendel outlets and I will be looking at them first when I go looking for new one or to make changes to my existing rifle. They will take my $$, of that I am sure.

FWIW, the local Cabela's here in Arizona carries Hornady 6.5 Grendel. They don't always have it on the shelf but it has a spot there. I've purchased Hornady 123gr SST and 123gr A-Max off the shelf. That being said, that is the only "flavors" available. If they did a better job of keeping it in stock, I've no doubt they would sell more. I always keep a few boxes on hand but the vast majority of my 6.5G shooting is with my handloads. I use Lapua brass and several Hornady and Nosler bullets.

I'll be retiring to Minnesota in just over 18 months and will be using my 6.5G for hunting, both varmint and whitetail. I can't think of a better AR platform for sitting along the edge of one of my hay fields. If my wife decides she wants to go deer hunting, I'll probably spring for another upper. I'm thinking an 18" barrel would be appropriate for her.

[ferch]

I've got a 20" heavy barrel Grendel upper I got from Precision Firearms. Absolutely love it. With factory ammo (Hornady Amax "Match") it shoots around 1 moa. With handloads, it does much better (see attached - that's a 5 shot group)
That's 30g Winchester 748, 123g Sierra Matchking, loaded to 2.260" OAL. The picture of the gun is from before I put a Vortex Viper PST 4-16 FFP on it. The picture of the target is from after the Vortex was installed.