Effective range for 6.5 Grendel?

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LoonWulf said:
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.
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Reminds me of the season I used my 7.62x39. It sure killed them, but the results were not something I would call spectacular or dramatic. I really like hunting with my AR but after that I decided I really prefer some more horsepower. I’m thinking about it again because I have 2 young girls I’ll eventually have to outfit.

Hookeye said:
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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Hopefully he meant jackalope
 
Hookeye said:
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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Well now, that is good to know. I guess I will include the OSB test in my activities. You learn something everyday.
 
Food for thought… (I get a lot of mileage out of this shot)

875 yards with a 6 creed on the left, 6.5 Grendel on the right. 105 Hybrids vs. 123 ELDm’s. Note the splatter and paint removal… the 6 creed impact is obviously FAR more energetic than that of the 6.5 Grendel… The Grendel splashes look similar to 22LR at 100yrds…

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The Grendel can do some pretty cool things, but let’s not get too carried away with what can be done with 28grn of powder and stubby little 123grn bullets…
 
I think the Grendel a cool looking little round and may get a light rifle in it for yotes and deer. 2-7x scope. Mu guess itll be a 300 yard and in rig, but honestly more like 200 and in....since it wont be wearing a bipod.

Dont shoot off a pack, and dont run a sling as an aid. Im a minimalist in theory, but in actuality have gained a few lbs over the years.....so want a light rifle to make up the difference

I have other rifles for long range and bipod varmint use, and even for deer.

To me the grendel appears to be something handy, and Id like it in a platform of convenience.
 
Hookeye said:
I think the Grendel a cool looking little round and may get a light rifle in it for yotes and deer. 2-7x scope. Mu guess itll be a 300 yard and in rig, but honestly more like 200 and in....
To me the grendel appears to be something handy, and Id like it in a platform of convenience.
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That's basically how I see it. It's a great cartridge with some limitations that may or may not be an issue for you. I consider it a modern version of the 30-30. Lightweight, quick handling and even less recoil which makes it perfect for many young (or old) shooters. Mostly it's just a lot of fun to shoot and a poke in the eye for those who believe the AR-15 is nothing more than a "weapon of war". Funny, since my only complaint with the AR-15 is that it can be underpowered.
 
Shoulder joint. I hunted with a bow for many years and intentionally went behind the shoulder to avoid the large bone structure. A good controlled expansion bullet at sufficient velocity will break the shoulder and take out the lungs, but if penetration is in question, I'd prefer a quartering shot to avoid the big bones altogether.
 
I avoid shooting shoulders just because its such a pain when butchuring meat, but I suppose if you would rather loose a few pounds of meat than loose the deer, its not a bad shot to take. Me and my 2 hunting partners butcher like 12 deer a year so if we shot them all in the shoulders we would be making a tremendous amount of work for ourselves.
 
someguy2800 said:
I avoid shooting shoulders just because its such a pain when butchuring meat, but I suppose if you would rather loose a few pounds of meat than loose the deer, its not a bad shot to take. Me and my 2 hunting partners butcher like 12 deer a year so if we shot them all in the shoulders we would be making a tremendous amount of work for ourselves.
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All about the meat for me, so I take the shot I can get but prefer the boiler room. Didn't stop me from a Texas heart shot a couple years ago when that was all I got
 
So to get back to the original question on the effective range of the Grendel, one could probably take a shoulder shot at comparatively close range. But if the deer is close and not screened by cover, I'd probably wait for a clearer shot. And if one is pushing the range of the Grendel, out where energy drops off and penetration becomes more of a factor, I'd definitely want to avoid the major bone structures. The options are different with a more powerful round.
 
Legionnaire said:
So to get back to the original question on the effective range of the Grendel, one could probably take a shoulder shot at comparatively close range. But if the deer is close and not screened by cover, I'd probably wait for a clearer shot. And if one is pushing the range of the Grendel, out where energy drops off and penetration becomes more of a factor, I'd definitely want to avoid the major bone structures. The options are different with a more powerful round.
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I think that is going to come down to bullet selection too. That shoulder shot might be no big deal with a nosler partition or a bonded bullet but probably unwise with an SST or a ballistic tip, which are both practically varmint bullets with a picture of a deer on the box. On the other hand the tougher bullets may or may not expand properly at 2000 fps.
 
someguy2800 said:
I think that is going to come down to bullet selection too. That shoulder shot might be no big deal with a nosler partition or a bonded bullet but probably unwise with an SST or a ballistic tip, which are both practically varmint bullets with a picture of a deer on the box. On the other hand the tougher bullets may or may not expand properly at 2000 fps.
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To give you an idea of where I would be using a Grendel at longer range, I get a crappy (low %) tag every year for deer and a tag for pronghorn every other year on the same property. Sagebrush prairie, sand everywhere, cacti all over the place mixed in with the sagebrush, the only real cover is hills and arroyos. I was extremely sneaky and got within 75 yards of my pronghorn this year, but could not get closer than 350 or 400 yards of the deer and I did not have a rifle capable at that range. I'll be back there every year and the shots will be long, but on light duty animals (pronghorn and white tail does). The property is big and I often burn a lot of shoe leather (20+ miles the day I got the pronghorn), so a light rifle capable of making a 300+ yard shot broadside on an animal that isn't that hard to kill is just ideal. That just sounds like the Grendel to me.
 
Well the terrain itself sounds good for a 6.5 grendel just because there is no place for them to run off and hide when they die unlike hunting in swamps or willows so its no big deal if they run 100 yards and pile up. The range to me sounds like it is pushing it though and if I was going to walk 20 miles a day with a rifle it wouldn’t be with an AR15. Unless you spend some coin on them with the specific intent to make them light they actually tend to be pretty heavy.

Just for comparison this is my varmint AR with an 18” “lightweight” 6x45 barrel. (The barrel makers terminology not mine). Carbon fiber forend, A2 stock and 3-12x40 hawke compact scope. My barrel is going to weigh similar to a lightweight 20” 6.5 grendel barrel. I could probably save a pound by going with a fluted barrel, lighter stock, and lighter upper receiver. This rifle with unloaded mag and sling is 10.2 lbs on my scale. Scope weight is 20.8 ounces

48B3EBFA-8393-4D9C-B266-146CCB564EB6.jpeg

This 16” 7.62x39 with a 17 ounce 3-9x40 scope is 8.8lbs with empty mag.

D992AD25-3C09-40E9-B207-7DAE0CE69908.jpeg

This tikka T3 lite in 25-06 with a 22.7 ounce burris veracity on it is 8.5 lbs with sling and unloaded mag

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You can probably build a lightweight 20” AR15 in 6.5 grendel that will be the same weight as a bolt action but without spending a ton of money on lightweight stuff your not going to get any significant amount lighter than a light weight bolt action. Also I can say from experience that the tikka is much friendlier to hump around on a 2 point sling because it doesn’t have all the stuff sticking out out of it to poke you in the side like an AR15 does.
 
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someguy2800 said:
Well the terrain itself sounds good for a 6.5 grendel just because there is no place for them to run off and hide when they die unlike hunting in swamps or willows so its no big deal if they run 100 yards and pile up. The range to me sounds like it is pushing it though and if I was going to walk 20 miles a day with a rifle it wouldn’t be with an AR15. Unless you spend some coin on them with the specific intent to make them light they actually tend to be pretty heavy.

Just for comparison this is my varmint AR with an 18” “lightweight” 6x45 barrel. (The barrel makers terminology not mine). Carbon fiber forend, A2 stock and 3-12x40 hawke compact scope. My barrel is going to weigh similar to a lightweight 20” 6.5 grendel barrel. I could probably save a pound by going with a fluted barrel, lighter stock, and lighter upper receiver. This rifle with unloaded mag and sling is 10.2 lbs on my scale. Scope weight is 20.8 ounces

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This 16” 7.62x39 with a 17 ounce 3-9x40 scope is 8.8lbs with empty mag.

View attachment 1053166

This tikka T3 lite in 25-06 with a 22.7 ounce burris veracity on it is 8.5 lbs with sling and unloaded mag

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You can probably build a lightweight 20” AR15 in 6.5 grendel that will be the same weight as a bolt action but without spending a ton of money on lightweight stuff your not going to get any significant amount lighter than a light weight bolt action. Also I can say from experience that the tikka is much friendlier to hump around on a 2 point sling because it doesn’t have all the stuff sticking out out of it to poke you in the side like an AR15 does.
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I lugged a 16" barreled 350 Legend carbine around this fall for pronghorn and deer and it was fine. The ability to slap a new upper on and get more range is very attractive.
 
Its a significant investment of money and time in the reloading room, but if I wanted an AR15 to hunt deer out to 300-400 yards I would get a 7mm Valkrie from MDWS, but that's just me.
 
PSA: anyone looking for brass should note that starline is once again accepting backorders for 6.5 Grendel brass. They have not been for a while, so might be a good idea to get your order in if you are in need.
 
brewer12345 said:
PSA: anyone looking for brass should note that starline is once again accepting backorders for 6.5 Grendel brass. They have not been for a while, so might be a good idea to get your order in if you are in need.
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Well, that was fast. Looks like they were accepting orders yesterday and yesterday only. You snooze, you lose these days.
 
someguy2800 said:
We must live near each other then. I've also heard he does excellent work.
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I'm between Detroit Lakes and Park Rapids. The 25 WSSM is an intriguing option and would have more than enough power for deer. Wiki says identical ballistics to the 257 Ackley Improved which was his favorite all around cartridge. Might be a fun thing to try once I put aside enough money for one.
 
Legionnaire said:
So to get back to the original question on the effective range of the Grendel, one could probably take a shoulder shot at comparatively close range. But if the deer is close and not screened by cover, I'd probably wait for a clearer shot. And if one is pushing the range of the Grendel, out where energy drops off and penetration becomes more of a factor, I'd definitely want to avoid the major bone structures. The options are different with a more powerful round.
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Exactly. It comes SO close to being a perfect deer round but at least with factory Hornady ammo it falls short at longer range if a shoulder gets involved. Maybe someone has a better hand load option with a better bullet and a bit more power that might be worth a try.
 
QuickLoad suggests* that 27.6 grains of Accurate 2520 would drive a 129 grain AccuBond LR to 2,400 fps from a 20-inch barrel under 51K psi pressure. That would still carry 1,020 ft lbs of energy at 350 yards (drops to 948 at 400). With that bullet, I might try a shoulder shot at 350.

*This is modeled only; I have not tested this load. Do not use without doing your own workup!
 
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