I have been doing a lot of research on the 6.5 Grendel reading and watching YouTube and other forums. I did not have a thousand plus dollars to put into something to play with and use mainly for deer hunting inside 300 yards so I went with a Bear Creek Arsenal complete upper for $339.99 from Primary Arms. It is a straight fluted 20" SS with 15" M-Lock rail float tube. I have a Bushmaster lower with a CMC trigger that is between 3 & 3 1/2 lb crisp pull that I am going to mount the upper on. Will give a report when I get it and shoot it some. By the way, what has been your experience on powders and bullets that work for you?
Caved in to the craving for a 6.5 Grendel.
- Thread starter RT2506
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I push back every time I start craving....not sure I should watch this thread 
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Love my Grendel. I scratched the itch back in 2015 and built one, after wanting one since the cartridge was first introduced, and years of putting it off. Glad I did. It's a fun little cartridge with zero recoil and awesome ballistics. Cheap to reload for using Nosler 123 CC's, Hornady brass, CCI 450's, and CFE-223 or Varget.
Georgiashooter
Well-Known Member
RT
I would try either the 123 eld-m or the 123 SST. If you're looking for a solid copper pill go with either the Barnes 100 TTSX, or cavity back bullets 105 grain. That's about as heavy as you need for Deer in a mono pill at grendel velocities. It's a great little cartridge. I've been in several Grendel's since 2011, 4 ar and three bolt guns, two of which I built and one howa mini. Good fun.
I would try either the 123 eld-m or the 123 SST. If you're looking for a solid copper pill go with either the Barnes 100 TTSX, or cavity back bullets 105 grain. That's about as heavy as you need for Deer in a mono pill at grendel velocities. It's a great little cartridge. I've been in several Grendel's since 2011, 4 ar and three bolt guns, two of which I built and one howa mini. Good fun.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Introduced at SHOT 2018, Ruger is now chambering the American Predator rifle in 6.5 Grendel. Uses AR mags, and has a 1:8 twist 5/8x24 threaded barrel. Those rifles are pretty inexpensive, might be worth looking into for a cheap truck gun. Who knows, might even be accurate enough with handloads to be a nice mid to long range plinker.
https://ruger.com/products/americanRiflePredator/specSheets/26922.html
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I ordered 100 rounds of Hornady 123 SST ammo to get the cases. It was much cheaper to get the loaded ammo than get the cases and bullets and powder and primers and load them myself. I like to do my load work up with cases that have been fired before because there is a great deal of difference between new and previously fired and sized cases. I will break the barrel in with the factory ammo and then work up some loads. I ordered a box of 123 SSTs and I have already 120 Nosler BTs and Sierra pro hunters and some 100 Sierra HPs. From what I have been seeing on You Tube and reading on forums it looks like I am going to have to get some ARComp powder. I have an old refrigerator as a powder locker and it is FULL but not much of what I have is what seams best in the 6.5G. I do have some H355 and Varget that some are using but none other of the powders in the ARComp burn rate. I have lots of powders on the faster and slower burn rate than what is needed for the 6.5G. I wish IMR 4895 would work because I have a bunch of it, pulled down from military ammo, and it runs right with new canister IMR 4895. I have killed a bunch of deer with the 120 BTs and Sierra Pro Hunter but I was running them 3000 fps out of a 6.5x55 Swede but even around 400 to 500ish yards they really did a great job so they should work really well out of the Grendel out to 300 yards or so. Toys should arrive by next Wednesday. YA! YA! YA!
Georgiashooter
Well-Known Member
Yea I've been reading some reviews of some of these that are actually in hands and trying to decide if i need one or not. I have a 20" LW howa mini that I pillar bedded into a Boyd's classic stock. It's my truck/tractor gun and is deadly out to 300 yds with a simple 3-9 leupold with duplex. Hold dead on at 100, 2" high at 200, thick point of vertical post at 300. Killed one deer and numerous hogs with it this season. Super accurate and lightweight/maneuverable. The dirtier it gets the better it shoots. Great caliber for young and old(er) shooters.
Surprise. When I got home yesterday my 6.5 Grendel upper and some other things I ordered from another place that was according to the tracking was not supposed to get here until Thursday was sitting on my front porch. So much for FedEx supposed to get my signature on delivery. The BCA upper looks great. I cleaned the barrel good and lubed up everything and put it on my Bushmaster lower and it fit like a glove. I hope to get my scope mounted tonight and maybe get to the range to start my break in Saturday.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
Also, try some of that new Hornady Black 123gr ELD-M ammo for the Grendel, heard it's pretty accurate stuff. Same brass as the other Hornady ammo, so reloading won't be an issue.
Buttermilk
Well-Known Member
My best groups have been using Benchmark powder and Hornady 123 ELD-M bullets. The 123 SST's have been pretty good as well.
Axl
Well-Known Member
I ordered an upper today from Primary Arms with a 24" barrel.
Keep us posted how yours shoots. I'm going to buy some hornady black ammo to start with.
I might build an AR Grendel yet but have herd it needs more barrel than I like on an AR BUT
That didn't stop me from buying the first CZ 527 in Grendel I ran across. Got it right before antelope season last year and bought a few boxes of SSTs, Amaxes and 123 Blacks. The CZ didn't care for any of it as most groups where between 1-2 moa. Tried reloading a little for it just neck sizing the brass as the necks are dang near 7mm after firing. IMR8208 XBR and Nosler 100 grain BT seamed to group the best so far and that is what was used on three antelope last fall at 400 yards. It takes a lot more elevation (7moa if I remember right) and windage corrections than the Sweede but did a fair job on antelope...I just gotta learn to drive it better.
Very easy on the shoulder and fun to shoot, not sure it will replace the Sweede anytime soon but we will see after a few trips to the dog towns.
That didn't stop me from buying the first CZ 527 in Grendel I ran across. Got it right before antelope season last year and bought a few boxes of SSTs, Amaxes and 123 Blacks. The CZ didn't care for any of it as most groups where between 1-2 moa. Tried reloading a little for it just neck sizing the brass as the necks are dang near 7mm after firing. IMR8208 XBR and Nosler 100 grain BT seamed to group the best so far and that is what was used on three antelope last fall at 400 yards. It takes a lot more elevation (7moa if I remember right) and windage corrections than the Sweede but did a fair job on antelope...I just gotta learn to drive it better.
Very easy on the shoulder and fun to shoot, not sure it will replace the Sweede anytime soon but we will see after a few trips to the dog towns.
MudRunner2005
Well-Known Member
18"-20" barrel is all you really need, and honestly, given the case capacity. I went with a 24" heavy contour Satern/Brownells 5R barrel, but have been debating on rebarreling mine to a 20" Proof Research CF barrel just because. No issues, just thinking I might prefer to lighten it up and cut it back to 20", since I plan on getting a suppressor down the road, and I wouldn't mind taking my Grendel on a few deer hunts in the future, and lighter and shorter is more convenient and easier to tote through the woods.
