New to the 6.5 and up here in Alaska

[Yotatrd4x4]

Hello all im new to the forum obviously. I just got a Alexander Arms 16 inch 6.5 upper and have not fired it yet. I did get 60rds of Hornady ammo with it and also I have a local place that carries the hornday ammo. I got 2 5rd AA mags and also an ASC mag with a 6.8 follower. It binds pretty bad with a few rounds so I took out the follower and cut the front leg down to match my AA mags and now it will run with about 10-15rds but no more. Anyhow im glad to be here and wanted the upper for hunting so the low cap mags are no issue.

[NugginFutz]

Welcome! For the times where a 15 round mag won't do, there are some genuine 25 round mags available on AA's site.

What part of Alaska are you in? (Not that it makes much difference. It's about 98% wilderness, anyway).

[Sniper338]

I cant afford ammo for a 6.5 grendel to fill 25 round mags and blow them off like i can with 223 haha! 5 round mags are perfect...

[EPeterson]

Welcome to the site. Three Bears stores typically have Hornady Grendel ammo. I get the loaded AMAX from their Kenai store for around ~$23 a box and the SST for $22. Cabelas in Anchorage has some occasionally as well. I use the 10rnd AA marked mags and they run perfectly. What do you plan on hunting with yours?

[olde sarge]

Welcome Yotatrd4x4.

[Yotatrd4x4]

Ok I do agree I don't need to burn off 25rds either. I am happy with the 5rd mags and may get a couple 10rd mags as well. I plan to use the rifle to hunt caribou and possibly goats or sheep. It pretty light but I want to swap out the M4 stock for an A2 setup. 3 bears did have ammo for $17.99 yesterday on sale. I live in Eagle River but usually go north for caribou. I handload as well so thought I may load up a tsx of maybe a partition and try to get a blackie over bait this spring after some testing of the rifle. I have a viper 3-9x40 with BDC in nikon p series rings on it.

[EPeterson]

My plan is to use my 16in Grendel on Caribou and hopefully antlerless moose next year. Ill be loading 100gr tsx for the caribou and 120gr tsx for the antlerless moose.

[Yotatrd4x4]

EPeterson,

I am on the same page with you. I may go after a moose too depending on if I draw a tag. I had planned to run either a nosler 120gr or a tsx in 120gr. Mine is also a 16 inch but I'm not sure exactly what model the upper is. It has the midlength solid free float tube. I did mount a small section of picatinny rail on the bottom to use a sling mount and a bipod or light etc on it.

[EPeterson]

Yeah, fingers crossed on drawing any tag for me for next year. My Brother in law drew on an antlerless moose and got one last week. He had been seeing moose regularly and finally pulled the trigger on a large cow. If I don't draw on a tag, I'm going to hunt black bear throughout the spring with the Grendel on the Kenai Pen.

[pkee]

Welcome

[LRRPF52]

Welcome aboard. Since you reload, I'll point out the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks that are available.









You can get them at http://ar15buildbox.com/Sitemap.html


I'm very looking forward to your hunting experiences up there. Again, welcome aboard!

[Yotatrd4x4]

All,

Thank you for the welcomes and all the info. I will for sure post pictures and a story if I do get to drop the hammer on a bear, bou, or moose!!

Also thanks for the reloadong guide info too!! I have a good bit in my hornady book but always like to have more sources.

[LRRPF52]

Yes, Hornady 8th and 9th Editions have a good bit of data, and I have them both at my desk. You won't find anything as comprehensive as the Reloading Handbooks we put together, with help from various industry sources.

One thing to notice about the Hornady data is that the 8th used an AA 14.5" Grendel, and the 9th used an AA 18" Grendel, both AR15's. They also have CFE data in the 9th Edition, which does really well with 120-129gr.

As a hunter, I don't think you will find any other publications with the array of data that we included in Volume II, especially when you look at the Terminal Ballistics chapter, and the number of hunting projectiles that were shot across a wide velocity spectrum so you can get a good idea of what type of expansion and penetration to expect.

The collaborative nature of these Handbooks really made the sum of the parts greater than the whole, as any one of us could never have pulled these off on our own.

[Yotatrd4x4]

LRRPF52,

I will be ordering the books after Christmas as long as shipping doesn't get me. Not sure if you know off hand but I'm gonna order both books at the same time and most places say 1 price on shipping until you put Alaska then they charge double. Most places are shocked when I call and say that USPS charges the same price to Alaska and Hawaii.

[LRRPF52]

We ship to Alaska all the time, USPS flat rate. No change in shipping price, since USPS doesn't.