Alexander Arms Relinquishes Trademark on 6.5 Grendel; Cartridge Adopted by SAAMI

[bafsu92]

I guess they realized the platform will grow a lot stronger if they stop charging everyone royalties to use it:

The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute ("SAAMI") has adopted the 6.5 Grendel as an official SAAMI cartridge. As a result of the cartridge's official recognition, Alexander Arms will relinquish the trademark "6.5 Grendel."

Bill Alexander states: "One of the primary purposes of trademarking the name was to protect the integrity of the design. With the adoption of the 6.5 Grendel cartridge standard by SAAMI, the design is now protected, and any confusion in the marketplace as to the specification of the cartridge has been eliminated."

SAAMI's formal adoption of the design specifications for the cartridge has led Alexander Arms to announce that it will relinquish its federally-registered trademark and that "6.5 Grendel" to be the common commercial name for a cartridge that adheres to the specifications adopted by SAAMI.

Alexander Arms is proud that a cartridge of its design has received this important designation, and is pleased to take this important step in the continued market development of this breakthrough cartridge, which is perfectly matched to the AR-15 platform.

http://www.thetacticalwire.com/story/248069

[mauler]

I guess this eliminates the reason for Les Baer creating the .264 LBC-AR.

[Solus]

Wonder of the popularity/success of the 300 AAC Blackout and it's being SAAMI had anything to do with it?

[tombogan03884]

Wonder of the popularity/success of the 300 AAC Blackout and it's being SAAMI had anything to do with it?

MB mentions in today's blog that it may have something to do with the way Freedom Group is pushing the .300 Blackout.

[bafsu92]

Pretty much. They can still call it whatever they want but bottom line Grendel ammo is going to be a lot easier to come by. I think Alexander saw they were going to be passed by with 300 blackout and made a strategic move to save themselves. It does still have better long range potential so maybe it will last now.

[Sponsor]

[mauler]

Pretty much. They can still call it whatever they want but bottom line Grendel ammo is going to be a lot easier to come by. I think Alexander saw they were going to be passed by with 300 blackout and made a strategic move to save themselves. It does still have better long range potential so maybe it will last now.

I don't really see the 6.5 Grendel and the .300 Blackout as remotely the same thing.  The Grendel seems to be an awesome multi purpose cartridge capable of much longer range effectiveness than the 5.56.  The Blackout appears to me to tailored for the specific niche of those wanting to shoot subsonic and suppressed.  I realize that you can load it up, but even then it is really no more than a 7.62x39 ballistics wise. 

[bafsu92]

I don't really see the 6.5 Grendel and the .300 Blackout as remotely the same thing.  The Grendel seems to be an awesome multi purpose cartridge capable of much longer range effectiveness than the 5.56.  The Blackout appears to me to tailored for the specific niche of those wanting to shoot subsonic and suppressed.  I realize that you can load it up, but even then it is really no more than a 7.62x39 ballistics wise. 

For an alternative above the 5.56 in the same platform they both can be loaded to do pretty much the same thing up to about 300 yards. The Grendel will shoot flatter than the 300 beyond that but for most tactical applications they can be interchanged. The 300 has the benefit of being able to be suppressed better than any other caliber in the AR platform so that gives it a big leg up if suppression is in your wants and needs. As far as being no more than a 7.62X39 that's not really true. The ballistics out of a 9" barreled 300 blackout are pretty much the same as the ballistics of 7.62X39 from a 16" barrel, close but still a significant improvement, especially since the 7.62X39 has never really worked well from the AR platform. I've shot both Grendel and 300 Blackout (as well as 6.8spc) quite a bit and just got rid of all 3 Grendel platform rifles I had in favor of the Blackout. I personally will rarely if ever need to take a shot over 300 yards so for me the 300 is a way better choice with all the benefits it offers and no need to stock special magazines, spare bolt parts etc. There are already a lot more options for factory loaded ammo as well.

[Magoo541]

I personally will rarely if ever need to take a shot over 300 yards so for me the 300 is a way better choice with all the benefits it offers and no need to stock special magazines, spare bolt parts etc.

My thoughts exactly, and I like the big, heavy, slow, quiet bullet option too.  My father-in-law has some property that has a great spot for a range but the concern is the noise since its up on snob hill, so silencers are on my short list along with a 300 Blackout AR.

[warhawke]

For short range I would rather have a Grendel loaded with 90gr flat-based bullets running around 3000fps, better terminal performance than boat-tails and more secondary effects from the higher velocity, plus I can always switch mags and run heavier rounds for longer range and/or better penetration.

Too many of these "Which round is better" debates are based on a myopic view of what we need, what we need is what is going to win the fight. Yes you might almost never need anything bigger than a 5.56, until you do. I have humped a 7.62NATO MBR rather than risk not having enough gun when I need it, I think the Grendel would be an adequate replacement for that, the 5.56, .300 Whisper, 7.62x39, etc. are not IM (not so) HO.

I want, not just long range, but penetration and the ability to kill targets behind cover, I also want to be able to kill medium to large game and do it out to 600 yards or a bit more, the 7.62NATO does this, I think the 6.5 Grendel will probably do this (and yes I plan to test it well before I switch), the mousegun calibers might do it if Tinkerbell wiggles her ass right, but I don't plan to depend on that fickle little tart.

[bafsu92]

For short range I would rather have a Grendel loaded with 90gr flat-based bullets running around 3000fps, better terminal performance than boat-tails and more secondary effects from the higher velocity, plus I can always switch mags and run heavier rounds for longer range and/or better penetration.

Too many of these "Which round is better" debates are based on a myopic view of what we need, what we need is what is going to win the fight. Yes you might almost never need anything bigger than a 5.56, until you do. I have humped a 7.62NATO MBR rather than risk not having enough gun when I need it, I think the Grendel would be an adequate replacement for that, the 5.56, .300 Whisper, 7.62x39, etc. are not IM (not so) HO.

I want, not just long range, but penetration and the ability to kill targets behind cover, I also want to be able to kill medium to large game and do it out to 600 yards or a bit more, the 7.62NATO does this, I think the 6.5 Grendel will probably do this (and yes I plan to test it well before I switch), the mousegun calibers might do it if Tinkerbell wiggles her ass right, but I don't plan to depend on that fickle little tart.

It's all personal preference. I've shot a couple deer and a lot of hogs using both grendel and blackout and I kept the blackout and sold all my grendel rifles. More range of ammo in blackout 90gr-220gr factory loads. I feel like the 150gr blackout will bust through cover much better than a 90gr grendel and have seen it first hand shooting into thick brush. To me I get performance close enough to a 308 without the weight and limited capacity to be as good of an alternative as it gets. If I lived out west with bigger game and more open space I might feel differently though.