Effective range for 6.5 Grendel?

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Not 100% sure but it might be able to be formed from X39 cases.[/QUOTE]
....that is exactly what i use. i have both hornady and lapua but too miserly to use them, lol
 
Steve in Allentown said:
Who doesn't know John? Just kidding. It's been a lot of years since I was a steely eyed tanker so there are only a few guys whose names I remember.

What outfit was John in and when?
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It was a reach. Each battalion is its own separate world. Actually, each company is too. I served with him in the 33rd. He also did time with the 67. We both served in the 70's 80's.
 
Part of the problem with the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, et al. is we hamstring ourselves. We are looking for more power out of our AR15 rifles, which is already a struggle because of the short cases required for that platform. Then we pretty much INSIST on short barrels, usually 16-18 inches, which chops any possible ballistics down. Frankly, I can't find a legit 2500 fps 123 grain load for the Grendel out of a short barrel in ANY of my manuals. Nosler didn't even reach that out of their 24 inch PacNor test barrel although they did come close at 2484 fps with a MAX load of AA2520 (Nosler 9, page 265).
 
I don't know why everyone thinks they want/need shorter and shorter rifles/carbines, especially hog hunters, most of which are not hunting in brush so thick it is hard to swing their muzzle.

Yeah, I know all the explanations and excuses. Most are in better shape than me, lol.

I have a short, integrally suppressed upper just so that I can show the differences and what bullets will work well and what bullets won't.
 
I can say for myself I really prefer 16-18 inch barrels on AR’s. 20” is the max for me. I just don’t like the way the longer heavier barrels feel in the hand. My hunting AR is a 358 yeti which is unbothered by short barrel length.
 
HowieG said:
Part of the problem with the 6.5 Grendel, 6.8 SPC, et al. is we hamstring ourselves. We are looking for more power out of our AR15 rifles, which is already a struggle because of the short cases required for that platform. Then we pretty much INSIST on short barrels, usually 16-18 inches, which chops any possible ballistics down. Frankly, I can't find a legit 2500 fps 123 grain load for the Grendel out of a short barrel in ANY of my manuals. Nosler didn't even reach that out of their 24 inch PacNor test barrel although they did come close at 2484 fps with a MAX load of AA2520 (Nosler 9, page 265).
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If I need a rifle to be all that it can be, I will roll out the 30-06 and endure the recoil. The goal with stuff like 350 Legend and 6.5 Grendel is to get performance that is acceptable out of a smaller, handier package with less recoil, at least for me. I am pushing 50 and the hills only get higher/steeper from here.
 
brewer12345 said:
If I need a rifle to be all that it can be, I will roll out the 30-06 and endure the recoil. The goal with stuff like 350 Legend and 6.5 Grendel is to get performance that is acceptable out of a smaller, handier package with less recoil, at least for me. I am pushing 50 and the hills only get higher/steeper from here.
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I have 20 years on you and I agree totally. They get steeper and there is no top. Well, maybe there is, but you won't be shooting after that.

I also agree that you need a bigger gun at certain times. I have a 224 Valkyrie, but I have no illusions about it's magical killing power. I think the true long range people actually put longer tubes on their gas guns if they use a gas gun.
 
HowieG said:
I have 20 years on you and I agree totally. They get steeper and there is no top. Well, maybe there is, but you won't be shooting after that.

I also agree that you need a bigger gun at certain times. I have a 224 Valkyrie, but I have no illusions about it's magical killing power. I think the true long range people actually put longer tubes on their gas guns if they use a gas gun.
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In general, I don't like really long range shooting. I have had terrible vision all my life and while i can get corrected to 20/20ish, I know full well I won't see like my buddy who had perfect vision from birth. I much prefer the type of hunting that favors old age and treachery, IOW being sneaky enough to get close. So although I keep trying for the rifle deer tag I want, I have no problems with river bottom muzzleloader tags that nobody wants because I know full well how to get within 75 yards of the deer and put a godawful huge round ball through them. That said, there are some occasions where a 300+ yard shot is all you will get. I don't want or need a 30-06 for a lot of that (pronghorn and plains deer), so I am interested in stuff like 6.5 Grendel.
 
OK I will relate my experience. 18" barrel, factory 123g sst on a good sized deer at about 280 yards. Direct broadside hit to the shoulder on TWO separate occasions and it failed to penetrate. This is on a MN buck that my son shot a few weeks later and recovered the bullet fragments in the shoulder. Not sure how your Colorado deer compare in size. Another son and I had been using the Grendel for a couple years with good success on shorter shots (around 200 yards or less) and/or smaller deer but not anymore. I went back to overkill and bought a new BAR in 30-06. Of course it barks a little louder but recoil is low and it's a whole lot more effective. So to answer your question I would say that particular Grendel combination has a reliable effective range at just over 200 yards.
 
Eagle103 said:
OK I will relate my experience. 18" barrel, factory 123g sst on a good sized deer at about 280 yards. Direct broadside hit to the shoulder on TWO separate occasions and it failed to penetrate. This is on a MN buck that my son shot a few weeks later and recovered the bullet fragments in the shoulder. Not sure how your Colorado deer compare in size. Another son and I had been using the Grendel for a couple years with good success on shorter shots (around 200 yards or less) and/or smaller deer but not anymore. I went back to overkill and bought a new BAR in 30-06. Of course it barks a little louder but recoil is low and it's a whole lot more effective. So to answer your question I would say that particular Grendel combination has a reliable effective range at just over 200 yards.
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Your experience may be more of a bullet issue than a catridge issue, but your point about a shorter effective range is well made.
 
FYI, the 6.5 Grendel was purposely designed as a long range cartridge that would fit the AR15 platform. It wasn't designed as a hunting cartridge. If anything, it is more in tune with military cartridge in that you don't really have to kill the target to be effective. It has a 30-30 class muzzle velocity only with a lighter bullet so less energy. Yeah, it hangs on to velocity and energy better, but it isn't a monster killer by any stretch.
 
Eagle103 said:
OK I will relate my experience. 18" barrel, factory 123g sst on a good sized deer at about 280 yards. Direct broadside hit to the shoulder on TWO separate occasions and it failed to penetrate. This is on a MN buck that my son shot a few weeks later and recovered the bullet fragments in the shoulder. Not sure how your Colorado deer compare in size. Another son and I had been using the Grendel for a couple years with good success on shorter shots (around 200 yards or less) and/or smaller deer but not anymore. I went back to overkill and bought a new BAR in 30-06. Of course it barks a little louder but recoil is low and it's a whole lot more effective. So to answer your question I would say that particular Grendel combination has a reliable effective range at just over 200 yards.
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Sounds like you hit a big bone with a lightly constructed bullet. I think that can be a problem regardless of cartridge.

How big was the buck?

I only ever seem to get doe tags since the buck tags require a lot more points in the draw. I'm a meat hunter so I would much rather have a doe tag every year than a buck tag every 3 or 4 years. The mulies tend to produce bigger does than the whitetails. The average is about 150 pounds for a full grown mulie doe where I hunt, but I did once see one that had to be 200 pounds (and was dumb as a stump standing there looking at me while I didn't have a tag). I'd guess most of the whitetail does I see average closer to 125 pounds. I suppose if I were chasing a big buck on a rare tag I would be toting the 30-06 with my preferred Partition-based elk load.
 
My 20-in lightweight would get 2470 with a Max charge of CFE 223, my 24-in would get almost 2,700 if I remember correctly.

By 24 inch 527 would get very close to 2700 with 8208.

All with 123 grain amax or eldms.

I shot two axis deer in the 100 lb range, three or four goats, and a couple of sheep. Never had a penetration issue with 2, 123 Amax going butt to chest on one axis deer.

I was less than impressed with the expansion and shocked delivered by the 20" prompting me to double tap, and in one case triple tap, what I was shooting at.

Never shot anything with the 24 in semi, but both I and the guy who now owns the 527, have shot a number of animals with it, and have not experienced that issue.
 
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LoonWulf said:
My 20-in lightweight would get 2470 with a Max charge of CFE 223, my 24-in would get almost 2,700 if I remember correctly.

By 24 inch 527 would get very close to 2700 with 8208.

All with 123 grain amax or eldms.

I shot two axis deer in the 100 lb range, three or four goats, and a couple of sheep. Never had a penetration issue with 2, 123 Amax going butt to chest on one axis deer.

I was less than impressed with the expansion and shocked delivered by the 20" prompting me to double tap, and in one case triple tap, what I was shooting at.

Never shot anything with the 24 in semi, but both I and the guy who now owns the 527 now, have shot a number of animals with it, and have not experienced that issue.
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I love Highroad. In one thread, guys are discussing the effective range hunting with a 6.5 Grendel 123. In another thread, guys are saying that a 6.5 Creed 140 is too light for elk. Endlessly entertaining.
 
Was at the LGS today and a gentleman Id never seen in the shop before informed me that he could hit steel at 1000 yards w a 6.5 Grendel and that it could ethically take a deer at that distance because it would penetrate 2 sheets of OSB.

Over the years have learned to not ask questions or make comments.......when such experts are informing the unwashed masses.
 
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