6.5 Grendal vs 6.8 SPC

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drmajor

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Looking to convert my AR15 to 6.5 Grendal or 6.8 SPC... for deer and hog hunting. Deer < 180# and hogs 100 to 250#.

Distance- 100 yds. or less...

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each.??

Knock down power?

Choice of hunting ammo?
 
A 300 blackout would be the winner at 100 yards or less. I know that wasn’t on your list, but the 6.5 and the 6.8 are excellent for longer ranges than the blackout and won’t have any advantage at short range. I’ve owned a 6.8 but not a 6.5G, it was a good gun, but at the end of they day I just went to an AR10 to do what I was trying to do with it. But that did add some weight.

Blackouts advantage would be,
Cheapest uppers, pretty much 223 price
Cheapest ammo and available everywhere
Same Mags
Nice heavy bullets hit hard to accomplish dead game at 150 yards before they fall like rocks.
Subs if your into that.
 
Somone locally said he had to track 300 game too far.. Pass thru w/o blood trail.

Is that from FMJ or non expanding ammo?
 
I've not used the 6.8spc, but I've used both the blackout and 6.5G.
Personally I would chose the 6.5 over the blackout every time for hunting where you don't NEED a 150gr bullet.

I shot 100gr nosler balistic tips at 2700 from my 20" barrel, and they performed fantastically. I also shot 123s and they easily out penetrated the 110vmax and 125tnts, I was shooting in the BO velocity.
 
I hunt deer a lot with my 6.8 AR, and recommend it for anyone wishing to hunt with the AR platform. It and the 6.5 G are great hunting cartridges to around 300 yards. The Grendel’s higher BC makes it shoot flatter for targets further than 300 yards, but both are limited to around 300 yards for ethical kills on medium game.
 
The Grendel has bullets which offer far superior aerodynamics, but the 6.8 SPC has a smaller case head diameter and shoulders that aren't as steep.

Here's comparing Hornady SST factory ammo in both calibres, adjusted both velocities for 16" barrels:

.................Velocity......................Energy......................Trajectory.....
000.........2420.........2460..........1599.........1612.........-2.4.........-2.4
100.........2256.........2250..........1390.........1349..........1.8...........2.2
200.........2097.........2050..........1201.........1120...........0.0..........0.0

Not going to bother labeling which is which since at these ranges the figures are so close it makes no difference.
 
troy fairweather said:
i would do the 6.5 Grendel
Click to expand...
Ive got a handload with Speer 90gr Gold Dot bonded Bullets that give me 3000fps(in the lower ranges of SPC II pressures)in my 16” Bison barreled AR, and 3050fps in my 18” ARP barreled AR. That’s faster than my daughters 20” 243. After 300 yards the 243’s BC is much better, but the 6.8 is very effective in its range.
 
it not all about power for me. and with the grendal it easy to make brass and find the brass to make it, not so much with the 6.8. 6.8 is not common here in ny the grendal is. i would like for a 7mm for the ar15 to us all those 100 to 130 bullets.
 
303 hunter said:
Ive got a handload with Speer 90gr Gold Dot bonded Bullets that give me 3000fps(in the lower ranges of SPC II pressures)in my 16” Bison barreled AR, and 3050fps in my 18” ARP barreled AR. That’s faster than my daughters 20” 243. After 300 yards the 243’s BC is much better, but the 6.8 is very effective in its range.
Click to expand...

I’ve never looked into them but that’s pretty impressive. How does a 110 do?
 
troy fairweather said:
it not all about power for me. and with the grendal it easy to make brass and find the brass to make it, not so much with the 6.8. 6.8 is not common here in ny the grendal is. i would like for a 7mm for the ar15 to us all those 100 to 130 bullets.
Click to expand...

7 tcu or 7mm Valkyrie AR

I personally would do a 7.62x39 for the stated purpose.
 
I was a 6.8SPC guy since they came out. I got in on one of Bill’s first releases for the Grendel, then got some of the first 264 LBC barrels Les made too, so I wasn’t only eating on the SPC side of the fence (and yes, I was one of the guys kicking and screaming about the Spec I vs. Spec II when all that BS was going down). I ran the numbers, did the side by side long range comparisons, took game with both, and I kept landing on the side of the 6.8 SPC...

Until the last few years... Now I’m a convert...

Now, the availability of components and QUALITY of those components strongly favors the Grendel. I still have three 6.8’s, but I recommend anyone buying/building a rifle now to buy/build a Grendel over the SPC. I don’t see any reason to expect a resurgence for the 6.8 - it won’t die, but it won’t boom again. The Grendel has a strong lead in the market, and if the Grendel shrinks in popularity, the 6.8’s niche will shrink even faster.

Both are great, but if I were starting over, it would be with a 6.5 Grendel. Or maybe even better, a 6mm variant of the Grendel.
 
someguy2800 said:
I’ve never looked into them but that’s pretty impressive. How does a 110 do?
Click to expand...
110 Hornady HPBT’s at 2700 with the 16” Bison, and 2740 with the 18” ARP(both handloads). There’s not much difference between barrel lengths in 6.8 as there is in some calibers. 6.8 was designed for a 14.5” barrel, and is gtg in shorter barrels.
 
I am a Grendelier. I don't think you could go wrong with either one inside 100 yards. 6.8 is going to give you a bit more energy/velocity from a shorter barrel. 6.5 is going to give you higher sectional density which should equate with better penetration. Both will take a 300 lb hog or deer at 100 yards, no problem. Choosing proper ammo is important, however.

For my Grendels, I use factory ammo and my preferred hunting ammos Hornady SST 123 gr. and Federal American Eagle Speer TNT 90 gr. Neither is particularly meat-friendly. 6.8 guys I know report the same with these as well.
 
Well, that's the question, isn't it? A question about which scores of diatribes have been written. No right or wrong answer, other than "6.8 a bit more reliable in cycling; 6.5 a bit better bucking the wind at range."

The ideas that 5.56x45 is better for large game (at any range) is incorrect, as is the idea that .300 BLK is as good as these two excellent cartridges for large game.

Me, I'm gonna go grendel though it's a tough call; very tough.
 
troy fairweather said:
it not all about power for me. and with the grendal it easy to make brass and find the brass to make it, not so much with the 6.8. 6.8 is not common here in ny the grendal is. i would like for a 7mm for the ar15 to us all those 100 to 130 bullets.
Click to expand...

Do you make the Grendel brass from 7.62x39? Here, the 6.8 brass is easier to find; I mostly have to order 7.62x39 brass and ammo. I do find it at our local Academy Sports on sale occasionally on sale, but it’s mostly FMJ.
 
I have the 300 and 6.5, if I’m hog hunting inside 100 (even a bit outside that) I use my 458 socom. I’ll likely give the 450 BM a go this year too.
 
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