First range report with the AR-based 6.5 Grendel rifle

[kilopaparomeo]

Only part differences are the bolt itself (not the carrier), barrel and magazines...but the only diff in the mags is the follower and the feed lip angles. 

You can retrofit a standard AR to one of the 6.x cartridges by swapping out these parts.

I am reloading nearly all my cartridges (over 19 calibers being reloaded now) so factory ammo availability doesn't matter to me.

As for recoil, I found it to be negligibily more than the .223...no where near the 308 level of recoil.  It is LOUD though even out of a 24" barrel.  Lots of pressure there I guess.

[tombogan03884]

Doesn't the clearance required for the over size bolt  create slop in the travel of the normal size carrier? And why does the mag FOLLOWER make a differance ? Some one else mentioned that to, I thought any kind of lip or protrusion would be enough to catch the bolt and allow the hold open to engage.

[kilopaparomeo]

The bolt isn't larger, just the bolt face.

Follower and feed lip geometry is different because the cartridge shape is different.  While we (at least I) tend to think of magazines as pretty generic things, there is actually a lot of physics, geometry and engineering in them to get a cartridge to feed properly.

[tombogan03884]

The bolt isn't larger, just the bolt face.

Follower and feed lip geometry is different because the cartridge shape is different.  While we (at least I) tend to think of magazines as pretty generic things, there is actually a lot of physics, geometry and engineering in them to get a cartridge to feed properly.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[Overload]

I shot a 6.8 AR (LWRC carbine) a few days ago, back to back with a .223 AR and a M1A (.308).  Recoil was 'crackier' than a regular .223.  It reminds me exactly of 9mm vs .40S&W vs .45ACP.  The M1A was more of a 'thud' recoil, the .223 was a 'snap'.  As to the LWRC, I have nothing but praise: well made, great components, comfortable, and I love the round ears on the front folding sight (Troy) as they helped me center the sight picture and repeat my cheek meld to the stock.
The owner of the 6.8 was surprised that my 223 mags went right into his 6.8, and vice versa.  We'd both marked our magazines so we had no problems, but I could EASILY see the wrong magazine being inserted if they were mixed.


A tip for everyone: do NOT put a 10 round magazine into a FN FS2000.  I am not happy with its performance at the range, as the 10 rounder got jammed in HARD.  Also, I've been having feed problems with it.  Specifically, it won't strip a new round out of the magazine sometimes.  On the other hand, we both liked the Trijicon ACOG I had mounted on it.


Back to the topic, both 6.8SPC and 6.5 Grendel will work with a standard AR lower.  Yes, both require a different barrel, bolt, and maybe some other stuff (gas system mod?), as well as modified 223 AR magazines.  I would just buy a whole new upper designed for the bigger round then try to upgrade just some of the parts.  Then, you can swap calibers back and forth whenever you want.  Doing this would almost being like using 38 special and 357 magnum in the same revolver.  You can practice with (inexpensive) 223, and then swap to the bigger round for home defense or whatever.

[Sponsor]

[sfmittel]

I'd recommend anyone who has an interest in the 6.5 Grendel go to the Alexander Arms website and learn about the reasons for the cartridge's existence and its evolution.  6.5mm has never been a popular bullet size in the USA.  Its big advantage is having a very high ballistic coefficient, which makes it a very efficient long-range cartridge.  It would not be my first choice for a CQB round: there are a number of rounds that fire through a standard AR platform with better CQB performance than the 6.5 Grendel.

The 123-grain 6.5 Grendel has a muzzle velocity of only around 2500-2700 fps (give or take) out of a 20" AR barrel.  So what's the big deal?  With its high ballistic coefficient, it's still supersonic at 1000 yards and shoots flatter than a .308 168-grain match-king at long ranges.  You want to pop coyotes at 600 yards or shoot F Class out of an AR?  This is your cartridge.  And it seems most manufacturers of 6.5 Grendel rifles and uppers produce higher quality (and priced) equipment as standard - no ordinary "mil-spec" here.  Les Baer guarantees 1/2 moa from his Ultimate Varminter; mine came with a test target that had two five-shot groups shot at 100 yards - you can cover each group with a dime! 

Frankly, if you can pay the freight and want something special but somewhat limited in its applications, plus has a high WOW! factor, it's a fun direction to go.  Just don't think it's something that it's not.