6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

[Ryan Woods]

Hello everyone,

I have heard that the Grendel is a great round to use for 1000 yard+ range maxing out around 1300 yards. Can anyone offer their 2 cents on that? Also, I think that the maximum efficiency can be obtained from (this is only taking the barrel into consideration) a 24 inch barrel with a 1:9 twist. Does this sound about right? I have heard that it actually outdoes the .308 at 1000 yards and can go even farther. Thanks.

 

[excaliber]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

What is the rifle going to used for? It is hard to see bullet splash that far because the bullet is so little. And as far as hunting, neither the 6.5x39 Grendel or the 308 will be a 1000 hunting cartridge.

 

[Augustus]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

There are a lot of rds MUCH better than the Grendel for 1000 yd shooting. I have one in an AR, it shoots really nice but I consider it a 600 yd set-up.

 

[steve123]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

Truth^

 

[lovdasnow]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

we've shot the grendel a lot, and 1k is pushing it a bit, and 1200-1300yds is a joke. as said above, there are much much better choices.

it does pretty good out around 700-800yds.

 

[Ryan Woods]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

This is not using the AR platform with a 20" or less barrel. This would be using 24" barrel (That is the length barrel that I have been told would give you a 1200 yard distance). Has anyone tried it on a 24 inch barrel?

 

[Ryan Woods]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I used to shoot my m16 (.223/5.56) at 550 yards point target. I find it odd, that the Grendel would only add 50 yards to your distance.

 

[jrob300]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I think this discussion could benefit from a definition of terms. People ask this question all the time, and my response is: "What exactly do you expect from this round at xxxx yds?"

Do you want to shoot elk?
Do you want to plink rocks?
Do you want to shoot steel?
Do you expect 1/4 MOA accuracy in a 25 mph gale?

If you define your expectations more clearly, you will get more salient responses.

John

 

[Ryan Woods]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I would like to accurately be able to shoot a person sized target made of steel. (I am not looking to shoot people, I am referring to those targets that look like an upper body). All of these statistics I have seen say that the velocity of the Grendel at 1000 yards coming out of a 24 inch barrel with a 1:9 twist ratio is about 1400 feet per second. They also say that the accuracy drops dramatically when you start decreasing the size of the barrel. Thanks for the responses.

 

[jrob300]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I shoot a 300WM and a .260. The 300WM is good for cold bore hits on steel that size at 1500 yds. about 60-65% of the time. The .260 with 140 VLD's can be challenging to keep on plate at 1250 in changing wind and is rather unexciting when it gets there due to lack of thump. 1000 yds. is a walk in the park and if it's calm, the 1250 plate is really easy to get on.

Will the Grendel *GET* there? Sure. Will it be a satisfying 1300 yd. rifle. I really doubt it. IMHO there are better choices.

John

 

[Ryan Woods]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

Thanks, that is what I was looking for.

 

[Muttt]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

Alot of people have opinions about what the Grendel can and can't do. But, many have never fired one. If you want the truth about the Grendel from people who own and shoot the Grendel then go to

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/forum.php

 

[jrob300]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Muttt</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Alot of people have opinions about what the Grendel can and can't do. But, many have never fired one. If you want the truth about the Grendel from people who own and shoot the Grendel then go to

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/forum.php

</div></div>

Mutt raises a good point. It pisses me off when I see people make uninformed "expert" posts about the limitations of the 300WM with regard to ELR shooting, when I know what I've done with one. I have not shot a Grendel. I based my opinion on shooting a more powerful 6.5 and having actually shot with guys who use Grendels. You may find more factual data on the site he linked.

John

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

If anyone tells you a 6.5 Grendel ballistically outperforms a .308, they are misrepresenting the facts.

 

[Oxn316]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

i have shot my grendel to 1165 more than a few times. Im using a 24" aa barrel ar15. Cant i hit the target? Yes but with the lack of energy at that range its not the best round to do it, or the easiest.

 

[FCS]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I have a 21" barreled AR and a 24" barreled Rem 700. AR is an AA LW barrel. 700 is a Broughton 5C chambered with my reamer that puts boattail/bearing junction right above neck/shoulder junction to maximize case capacity and bearing surface held by neck.

120 gr bullets are 2550 to 2600 from the 21" AR. Shooting buddy has a 23" Satern barrel with +2" gas system, maybe 25 fps difference.

130 JLKs out of the bolt gun are 2625 fps with sub 0.5 MOA and closer to 0.25 MOA accuracy. I can push the 130s to just over 2700 fps but accuracy is then closer to 1 MOA+ and brass is taking a beating.

750-800 the bolt gun is okay, about 650 for the gasser if you have a flash target or hit a LaRue in upper 1/4.

 

[okiefired]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

http://www.jbmballistics.com/ballistics/calculators/calculators.shtml

Okie.

 

[Mark Walker]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

The Grendel was designed around the constraint of being AR-15 mag-length and functioning in the AR-15 platform. In this role, it is an excellent cartridge.

However, if you are not using that platform, there are MUCH better choices for a 1k round. If you want to stick with 6.5:

6.5x47 Lapua
6.5 Creedmoor
.260 Rem
.260 AI
6.5x284 Win

FWIW, I have fired over 10k rounds via over 20 different Grendel incarnations, so I do have some experience with the cartridge.

 

[High Binder]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I have a 24" AA Grendel and with handloads have gotten some good groups and good speeds but my .308 still stomps it. I can get on paper at 1000 with 123s but it's a crap shoot. I get on paper at 1300 with my .308 before it hits the transsonic barrier (at ~1400) and the Grendel goes transsonic right at 1100. I wouldn't consider the Grendel to be a 1000yd gun but it's comfortable in the 800 range.

 

[BERTMAN77MK2]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

the cut-rifled barrels shoot better at 600+ yds than factory barrels--just like bolt guns--compare an AR15 with a BAER, JP, or Satern barrel and Giess. trigger to a good bolt gun

no one would compare a factory AR10 to a good bolt gun--they would compare a Gap10

 

[DBrace]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

I've taken the Grendel to 660 yards. That is a very feasible distance for that setup out of my 20inch Les Baer barrel. Never took it to 1000 but i see it starting to loose some consistancy not much further than I took it. Just because guys say that the 17HMR is a Prairie Dog gun out to 200 yards doesn't mean you should take their word for it. I don't know how many 500 bricks of HMR ammo I have put thru my Savage at them lil prairie rats, but I use something bigger past about 70yards. Just doesn't have the energy downrange. I would expect the .308 to be a better suited cartridge for 1000 yards than the Grendel. Personally for a 1000yds I would go 300WM.

 

[308skinner]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

The Grendel is a great caliber. There's no way you can tell me different. Now my 20" 308 with a Douglas has no problem at all gettin to 1K.

 

[tx65]

Re: 6.5x39 GRENDEL!!!!

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ryan Woods</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hello everyone,

I have heard that the Grendel is a great round to use for 1000 yard+ range maxing out around 1300 yards. Can anyone offer their 2 cents on that? Also, I think that the maximum efficiency can be obtained from (this is only taking the barrel into consideration) a 24 inch barrel with a 1:9 twist. Does this sound about right? I have heard that it actually outdoes the .308 at 1000 yards and can go even farther. Thanks. </div></div>

The claims of 1300 yards are based solely on the bullet still being supersonic based on the advertised BC and a ballistic computer. Looks good when you compare it to a 6.8 SPC for the never ending 6.5 vs 6.8 game, but not so good when you compare it to a 308 W shooting 155 Scenars, a 284 W shooting 180 VLD's or a 300 Win Mag shooting heavies.

Having shot the Grendel in both AR's and in bolt actions where you can seat far beyond magazine length and load to the limit of the brass, I can state without doubt that the 6.5 Grendel is marginal at 1000 yards. You can even see my rifle as one of the guns of the week over on 6mmBR. Back in the day, tested 8, 8.5, 9, 12, 13 and 14 twist barrels ranging from 14.5 inches out to 32 inches.

There is far more to long range shooting like wind drift and the slow moving light bullets in the Grendel are very easily blown around. I am not talking about totally missing a 10 mph wind call, I can talking about 1-3 variations that people cant read.

When I shot the Grendel in F-Class years ago, it was a challenge to keep 10 shots within the 10 ring, let alone score x's. More often than not, minor wind variations had you dropping points in the 9 and 8 ring. My last "Grendel" was called the 6.5 PPCX and would shoot 108 grain Scenars at 3050 fps. It would shoot very tight groups out to 600, but at 1000 yards, it was not a player. I even had custom made 114 VLD bullets made to see what limits I could find and it still was marginal.

Mark Walker who has replied to this thread was involved over many years with the tests and can tell you the limits that I took the little case.