Need some ideas to get started.

[wojo14]

I am new to the Gredel and am loving all about the cartridge!
I am in the process of thinking of a bolt action 6.5 Grendel for hunting in my home sate of PA.
I want to sell off some of my 223 to build something. Cause I can build a light 90 grain 6.5 for the little critters! LOL!
I would hunt mainly woods. Shots ranging from 25 from a tree stand to 300 acoss a field. Nothing longer than that on this rifle build.
I would like to build a long range rifle later for that!
I could use some advise and tips.
What should start purchasing?
What action, what barrel?
Some good brands.
A good platform to start with?
Oh ya, I will be shooting this rifle a lot at my gun club range.
I usully shoot once a week. I dont belive in not getting out there and shooting!
It would be nice to see some pictures of other builds similar and a parts list to give me some ideas.
By the way, I am not a gunsmith! I would probably have to get it all, then find someone to do this for me.
Thanks guys!

[Schwag173]

Based on your parameters, I'd probably buy a 7.62x39mm CZ-527 carbine and swap out the barrel for a 20-21" Grendel barrel. But unless you can find killer deals, by the time you get done buying all this stuff and paying a gunsmith you are in Grendel AR territory. Why not just take the leap?

[Maelstrom]

I was looking into a bolt action, but I like the semiauto capability and that is what I went with. It seems the cartridge is capable of very tight groups at any of the ranges you are discussing. When I lived back east, I wanted smaller guns to get through the woods and less wood on the gun because of the moisture. good Luck

[wojo14]

My thoughts exactly guys!
I am going to build an AR in grendel. The only problem is, I can not hunt with semis in PA.
I also hunt is MAryland once in a while. I can use them there.
Maybe I should shelf the bolt action idea?

[Tailgate]

If you want a 6.5 bolt gun, I would go with a 6.5 Creedmore caliber. You could build that on a Remington 700 action. Actually, for the type of shooting you're talking about, a 25-06, 22-250, or 220 Swift would be pretty nice. Read some of what Ackley had to say about those calibers...shock down power, as he called it. You can buy factory guns in those calibers and save a mint. Heck, even the 243 is a nice, flat shooting round. Just a thought.

[Schwag173]

OK, I just had an "outside the box" idea. Before you spend any money, research Pennsylvania's legal definition of "semiauto" and better yet, ask a PA lawyer to research it for you (it might not even cost you anything). I tried looking it up from the PA Game Commission website and found only PA Title 34/Section 2308 that reads "semiauto rifle" but doesn't define what they think that is. I suspect that an AR modified to lock the bolt open after every shot would not qualify as a "semi-auto." I would NOT hunt in PA with such an AR until after getting the OK from both a lawyer AND the local game agent. And I would have said agent personally inspect said weapon pre-season (and I'd document that, too). But if the legal hoop-jumping worked out, you could in theory have your cake and eat it to, albeit having to swap out a few parts before and after the PA hunting season.

[Variable]

For PA use: maybe somebody should invent/modify an adjustable gas block to take a plug that closes off the gas system rendering a manually operated rifle. Then when not hunting you just replace the plug with an adjustable version? If you didn't have the adjustable stem in your possession while hunting you should be legal.

Schwag's idea would be good as well if it would fly.

[Schwag173]

I was actually thinking along the lines of installing a spring under the bolt catch that would, in essence, make the rifle think that it always had an empty magazine. Every time you wanted to load a new round into the chamber you'd have to press the bolt-release. But again, this would only be "legal" if PA recognized this as no longer a "semi-auto rifle." Just an idea ...

[wojo14]

Ya tht would work. Ihave heard of guys doing this.
But what a pain!
I hunt In western Maryland too. You can hunt with anything there.
I love PA, but they need to get with the times.
Plus I think alowing to hunt with "black" guns will draw in a lot of younger hunters into the sport.
Hunting is slowly dying!