Thoughts on AR-15 6.5 Grendel for deer

[captain23steve]

What are the pros and cons? Is it effective deer cartridge.

 

[Mark M.]

All Pro's great choice

 

[Varminterror]

Pros:
+ Low recoil
+ Low cost
+ Generally broad availability of rifle and ammo components
+ Nearly ideal performance for 0-400yrd deer
+ 20+ year history of successful field deployment by hunters across the country

Cons:
- 8208 is magic dust for 6.5 Grendel, but unobtainium
- Not as many bullets as you might WANT (as many as you need) available for the weight and impact velocity
- Brass has been hard to find a few times in the last 20yrs
- Not as sexy in current pop culture as some newer cartridges

 

[SKWERLZ]

Starline 6.5 grendle brass has been available and reasonably priced
I use it for my 22ARC

 

[Oso]

I think the component shortage of/for Grendel was result of Alexander Arms’ zealous enforcement of their “Grendel” trademark when the cartridge was introduced. In past 5-10 years they have relaxed their stranglehold allowing widespread access and acceptance.

Starline makes nice brass at a reasonable price… buy 200-300 cases and never look back. My powder preference is ARComp & H4895, which are better suited for heavier projectiles (115gr +) generating higher velocities with lower pressure than other powders. For hunting the 123gr Hornady SST is hard to beat and shoots just as well as the ELDM.

You really can’t go wrong.

 

[john 800]

I put a couple uppers together in 6.5 Grendel, its a nice little cartridge. My daughter took a deer with one the year before last, recoil is light, performance is absolutely adequate from what I have seen on her one deer. The round has slightly limited bullet selection, some bullets don’t expand well at grendel velocity, but there are enough that do that you have some choices. 100-120 are the most useful weights in most cases. In the last few months components have become available that have been hard to find so its a good time to get into the game, amd there have been some good discussions about hunting loads on here with quite a few shooters using them.

 

[Klong]

They work great! I have taken 6 whitetail deer and 100+ hogs with mine shooting them broadside with 120 to 129 grain bullets out to 250 yards.

 

[HandgunHTR]

I will jump on the bandwagon here in support of the Grendel and will also say that the 6ARC is great as well.

I have two Grendels. One is a 24" Encore barrel that I have had for about 10 years now. It has accounted for a number of Axis deer, whitetails, and hogs. I liked it so much that I picked up a Ruger American Gen 1 Ranch chambered in Grendel to play with at the range and for hog work. It shoots way better than it should for it's price.
As has been stated, IMR 8208XBR is great powder for it and its availability is coming back. If you can't find any of that, LeveRevolution is proving to be a winner for this cartridge as well and has also been a bit more immune to the "powder inflation" that has been going on recently.

The good ol' 123 grain SST is a great bullet for both the bench and the field, however the 120 grain Hornady ELDM, the newer 100 grain Hornady ELD-VT, the 120 grain Sierra Prohunter, the 130 grain Sierra TMK, the 107 grain Sierra TMK, the Berger 130 grain VLD, and the good ol' 120 grain Nosler BTs are all very good choices for this cartridge as well. Some of these may require you to modify your mags (window them) to get them to fit and function, but that is an easy mod.
If you are a mono-metal bullet guy, then I recommend the 105 or 118 grain MKZ bullets from Cavity Back. They are designed to open and perform at lower impact velocities than your standard mono bullets (Barnes, etc.). Also, while I have no personal experience with them, I would have to believe that the lighter weight (80-110 grain) Hammer bullets would also be good choices for the Grendel.

As far as componets, as others have pointed out, Starline makes brass and has it available pretty regularly. If you do get into a pinch and don't mind having brass that doesn't have the correct headstamp, you can use 6 ARC brass as well. Just neck it up and shoot it.

All in all, the 6.5 Grendel and 6ARC are about as close to perfect for whitetail and black bear hunting East of the Mississippi. They are always on my list of recommendations for new shooters as well since the low recoil and muzzle blast makes for pleasureable shooting. Add a suppressor into the mix and it is sublime. I can pretty much guarantee that if the 0.445 bolt face was more of a standard offering the 6.5 Grendel would be one of the most popular rifle rounds out there.

 

[280ai]

On deer 123 SST on p dogs 107 smk PINK MIST!!!!!!!!!

 

[rockhound78]

Wouldn't the eld-vt be a bit to fragile on deer, or were you thinking PD's? How about the 123 amax for deer--200yd max.?

 

[HandgunHTR]

Wouldn't the eld-vt be a bit to fragile on deer, or were you thinking PD's? How about the 123 amax for deer--200yd max.?

No, the ELD-VT at Grendel velocities holds together a lot better than most would think. It does fragment, thereby creating a large wound channel, but not as much as it would if were shot out of a 6.5 Creedmoor, for example. Just like the TMKs and VLDs.

The key with slower cartridges is to use softer bullets. The mistake that a lot of people make when using smaller cartridges is to use bullets that were primarily designed to perform adequately at impact speeds of 2-300 fps faster than these smaller cartridges are impacting at.

In regards to the 123 grain A-Max, it is a 450-480 yard bullet out of my 24" Encore. On my 17" Ruger (I chopped the barrel down for suppressor use), it is a 380-400 yard bullet. (Impact velocity at or just under 1800 fps).

 

[mic2377]

Pretty much all pros, as long as you accept its limitations. The bullet selection is good, and the recoil is mild. It performs reasonably well from short barrels.

The real limitation is that it can't be loaded to bolt gun pressures in a AR platform because of the skinny bolt lugs. I wouldn't expect magnum or even 6.5 Creed performance out of it.

Can't go wrong with the 123 SST or 95 VMAX depending on velocity and application.

 

[5spd]

Its a great deer, antelope, coyote caliber.
I use noslers 100g bullet and sierras 85g jhp on all game.

 

[john 800]

Works!

 

[searcher]

That 6.5 Grendel would be great for whitetail deer. I haven't shot anything but hogs with mine so far - but it puts the wood to big hogs, for sure. As Varminterror noted, IMR8208XBR IS the magic dust for that round with a lot of bullets (I use 26.8 grains with 123 grain Lapua Scenars for fantastic target work) though H322 and Barnes 120 grain TTSX is what I use for hunting.

 

[SD guy]

Personally I am a fan of the cartridge in a bolt action in a wood or carbon fiber stock.. Our deer season can vary from rather warm to very cold. In the case of very cold, I would not like the AR platform primarily due to thermal transfer.

 

[captain23steve]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Kevin1990]

Had a criterion 6.5 Grendel upper that was 22in long. Took probably a dozen deer with it. Tried eldm, federal OTM, sierra TMK, and Hornady American gunner, all deer shot were DRT, except for one that ran about 80 yards. Got the upper at the beginning of the pandemic and ammo was very hard to find, thus the OTM and American gunner, but that OTM left an exit wound I could nearly put my fist through, which I found very surprising. The accuracy was sub moa with hand loads.

The grendel is a great cartridge if you are aware of it's limits. It's slow, and although it did everything and more that I wanted it to do, I ended up selling it for a 6mm.

 

[gldprimr]

What are the pros and cons? Is it effective deer cartridge.

I have used the 6.5 Grendel in a CZ-527 as my primary deer cartridge for at least 5 years now. It kills far out of proportion to its size/powder charge. That said, the CZ-527 has a 24” barrel so I’m getting 100 - 150 fps more velocity than you may get depending upon your barrel length. I like my 6.5 Grendel a great deal. I have not lost any deer with it, consistently get through and through penetration on chest cavity shots and it has the additional positive characteristic of not having a huge muzzle blast/report. My experience with the 6.5 Grendel is all positive.

 

[howl]

I've eaten a lot of deer and a few hogs taken with one. Effect on deer is about the same as 30/30.

Hornadys 123gr SST is the most common load, which of course means you're subject to Hornady erratic QC. Other loads are hard to get, expensive, or both. If you handload this is not an issue. I'd investigate 100gr bullets.