I want a 6.5 AR in a 5.56/223 case like the 300BO

kimberkid

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Does anyone make/sell one or would that be a wildcat/custom?
How would I get a set of dies for it?
 
I have wanted a 6x45 or 6x47 (off the .222 Mag case) for years. One of those in a compact rifle would be both fun and reasonably lethal. Of course none of this has anything to do with a 6.5 BO in an AR though, but I get where you are coming from.

As others have stated, the 6.5 Grendel might be the closest thing to what you are looking for off the shelf.
 
OP, if I’m tracking, it sounds like you want the same bolt face and case dimensions as a 5.56 with a 6.5mm projectile. I’m assuming you want this cartridge in order to use the same bolt and mags and just swap out a 5.56 barrel. No such creature exists outside the wildcat realm.
 
I think I get your ask better now.

6.5 PCC is out there, I never heard of it till I went looking for an option;

Article from 2014, so I'm not sure it took off. But, is a start point.
 
I think I get your ask better now.

6.5 PCC is out there, I never heard of it till I went looking for an option;

Article from 2014, so I'm not sure it took off. But, is a start point.
Looks like a "I got money to burn" option.

2012 looks to be the last update for their website.
http://illirianengineeringc.ipage.com/products-and-service-info.html
 
If you want to keep the 223 case head, 6.5 MPC is what you are looking for. Outclassed by the Grendel and most likely 6.5 PCC (which I am not familiar with).
 
I have a couple 300 BO AR-15 rifles and a 6x45 AR-15 rifle.

I like 300 BO, and I only shoot supersonic 300 BO. It is a good cartridge out to 80-100 yards for defense purposes. It beats wearing out an USGI WWII 30 carbine in a similar role.

6x45 has the same approximate case as the 223 Rem but with a heavier bullet and similar powder capacity. It's performance would not be as good as a 223 Rem.

Just as 300 BO has found a niche, 6x45 may find one as well in the lower power cartridge arena.
 
Does anyone make/sell one or would that be a wildcat/custom?
How would I get a set of dies for it?

I’d bet a shooter could get away with a 6.5-300 blk with just a bushing die, but the performance of a 28grn H2O cartridge with the interesting bullets a 6.5mm bore offers just lags way too far behind a 22% larger 6.5 Grendel… not to mention, the fact one requires custom components, while the other is a fully supported factory option…

If I had a massive amount of 223/5.56 brass, rather than choosing the hard road of wildcatting an underperforming cartridge, I would SELL the 223/5.56 brass and use the proceeds towards Grendel brass.
 
I’m not sure I’d want to spend a few hundred bucks for a custom reamer, more to have the barrel made, then worry about conjoining components to make a custom die, or having a custom die made, to get an 6.5mm AR cartridge with an under-capacity case which falls short of the Grendel, just to avoid getting a 6.5 Grendel just because I subjectively didn’t want one…

What about a 6 ARC, or 6.8 SPC? Or 25-45 Sharps?

A guy could neck down a 300blk easily enough, then you’re just stuck with a custom reamer and barrel, and can probably get away with using a different bushing in a common die… but a lot of work for no reward.
 
Can I ask Why it’s the easy button for what you want I have multiple Grendel’s and I love them?
I don’t have a reason why except I got the idea it would be a cool cartridge to have and I just want one … no rhyme or reason.
 
Necessity was the Mother of invention. Money is what makes it happen. :thumbup:

6x45, 6x47, 6mm TC/U, (or 6.5 in each sounds like what you might want.

Sounds like a fun project. Good luck finding the one! :D

Stay safe.
 
@kimberkid I don't blame you. It sounded cool to me too. I looked into it....

Before I go too far here's a picture.
IMG_20240601_170641441.jpg

From top to bottom are the
.308 Winchester
300 Blackout
6.8 SPC
6.5 Grendel
224 Valkyrie
.223 Remington

The thing about putting a 6.5 mm bullet in a .223 Remington case is that 6.5 mm bullets are long and skinny. If you want to make it fit in an AR-15 size rifle, you end up stuffing enough of the bullet into the case that it diminishes cases capacity to the point where performance is impacted. The other alternative would be to make a longer action rifle. I found most people who really wanted to do that were advised to go with an AR-10 chambered in .260 Remington.

It was some years ago when I was doing this research. Things might have changed. Hopefully somebody more current can chime in.
 
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