Grendel upper?

[Brodady]

so do you think a 6.5 grendel with say a suppressor on it would make any difference for all of this?

[Brodady]

I think there is something to this. Check out this wildcat: http://www.ar15armory.com/forums/65mm-Pa...95187.html

I don't think anyone has checked velocity of that round from a shorter barrel yet, but I'm guessing that in a shorter barrel, the 5.56 case based round is more efficient. Not that one can achieve MORE velocity, but similar velocities. Of course, in a longer barrel, or with heavier bullets, the Grendel is going to win out.

I had been considering building either a lightweight pistol upper or 14.5" with a pinned flash suppressor in the PCC round primarily because of better efficiency in short barrels (plus being able to use 5.56 brass and magazines).

I have since shelved that idea in favor of the 7.62x40 Wilson Tactical. No point wasting 6.5 BCs in a short range firearm.

I have only fired a Grendel from 28", 18.5", 18" and 16" barrels. So far, my preferred barrel length is 18" to 18.5". The muzzle blast from the 16 is noticeably sharper than from the 18. To my ears at least. Of course, the 28" was just horribly unwieldy and didn't have enough increased velocity to justify the extra length and weight.

Will

So what is one was planning to put a suppressor on a 16" 6.5 Grendel? would this work out well?

[jwilson1985]

a suppressor will tighten up groups as we it acts like having a longer barrel typicaly adding 30-40 fps

[Brodady]

a suppressor will tighten up groups as we it acts like having a longer barrel typicaly adding 30-40 fps

Ah, and are there any suppressors available for the Grendel?

[m796rider]

I guess I come at this from a different perspective. Shooting 6.5G out of 16" or 14.5" barrels may not be maximizing the theoretical potential of the cartridge, but external and terminal ballistics still outmatch anything 5.56 has to offer in a rifle package that is reasonably lightweight and maneuverable. In addition, Grendel has factory support as well as factory ammo at very reasonable prices. For me, shooting dot drills and controlled pairs is way more fun than shooting ladder tests and spreadsheeting wildcat loads. I know that stuff is fun and rewarding for a lot of shooters -- just not for me. I'm happy 6.5 Grendel is very useful out of shorter barrels, I'm happy when I shoot my two Grendel rifles, and I'm happy to be here!

[Brodady]

I guess I come at this from a different perspective. Shooting 6.5G out of 16" or 14.5" barrels may not be maximizing the theoretical potential of the cartridge, but external and terminal ballistics still outmatch anything 5.56 has to offer in a rifle package that is reasonably lightweight and maneuverable. In addition, Grendel has factory support as well as factory ammo at very reasonable prices. For me, shooting dot drills and controlled pairs is way more fun than shooting ladder tests and spreadsheeting wildcat loads. I know that stuff is fun and rewarding for a lot of shooters -- just not for me. I'm happy 6.5 Grendel is very useful out of shorter barrels, I'm happy when I shoot my two Grendel rifles, and I'm happy to be here!

Sure it may not be maximizing its potential, but as you said it still outmatches the 556. The shorter "Tactical" barrels might be whats needed too. Even though there are better ballistics, a swat team for example just wouldn't be able to use a 20+" rifle for a forced entry mission.

-Brodady

[m796rider]

Ah, and are there any suppressors available for the Grendel?

I use a Surefire FA68AR suppressor; it works well with my Grendel SPR. You could also use just about any 7.62 can.

[Brodady]

stupid question, but what does "can." stand for, I've seen it before

[m796rider]

Can is just shorthand for sound suppressor, since most suppressors look like cans...

[Brodady]

Oh, okay. Thanks

[Clod Stomper]

I guess I come at this from a different perspective. Shooting 6.5G out of 16" or 14.5" barrels may not be maximizing the theoretical potential of the cartridge, but external and terminal ballistics still outmatch anything 5.56 has to offer in a rifle package that is reasonably lightweight and maneuverable. In addition, Grendel has factory support as well as factory ammo at very reasonable prices. For me, shooting dot drills and controlled pairs is way more fun than shooting ladder tests and spreadsheeting wildcat loads. I know that stuff is fun and rewarding for a lot of shooters -- just not for me. I'm happy 6.5 Grendel is very useful out of shorter barrels, I'm happy when I shoot my two Grendel rifles, and I'm happy to be here!

I'm with you. That's what drew me to the Grendel in the first place. It is useful at close range. It can be used in a lightweight AR, but can still reach out and be effective at 600+ yards. I'm a practical shooter and I strive to be well-rounded. I enjoy the close range "run and gun" as well as true marksmanship from a distance. Never from a bench, though. I'm not saying I'm all that great, but I'm trying to be.

I don't worry about factory support. The only factory ammo I buy is stuff that is cheaper to buy than to load (5.56, 7.62x39, etc.). I also build my own ARs, so if something goes wrong, it's my baby. I'll fix it.

I don't mind load development, but I definitely don't get as involved as many on here. As long as I have a few safe, effective loads to use, I'll be happy. I'll let others do the load development and learn from them.

The great thing about 5.56 based wildcats is the fact that, as long as I have dies and plenty of bullets (either 6.5 or .30), I'll always have ammo. Don't need factory ammo or support.

Brodady, my recommendation would be the 18" barrel/bolt kit from AA. (Nothing wrong with the 16" either.) You can sometimes get a good deal on the forum fundraiser barrels from Hanka. It's long enough to get good velocity, but light enough to carry anywhere as long as you don't weigh it down with a bunch of extraneous doo-dads.

But by all means, find someone who has knowledge and experience building ARs and have them guide you through it at least once. It's not difficult as long as you have the right tools, but it's also easy to screw up without enough knowledge.

Will

[Whelenon]

I guess I come at this from a different perspective. Shooting 6.5G out of 16" or 14.5" barrels may not be maximizing the theoretical potential of the cartridge, but external and terminal ballistics still outmatch anything 5.56 has to offer in a rifle package that is reasonably lightweight and maneuverable. In addition, Grendel has factory support as well as factory ammo at very reasonable prices. For me, shooting dot drills and controlled pairs is way more fun than shooting ladder tests and spreadsheeting wildcat loads. I know that stuff is fun and rewarding for a lot of shooters -- just not for me. I'm happy 6.5 Grendel is very useful out of shorter barrels, I'm happy when I shoot my two Grendel rifles, and I'm happy to be here!

I couldn't agree more. A lot of splitting hairs on this thread, what's your intended use? Will it perform the way you want it? To say a Grendel is crippled because it has a 16" barrel? I don't think so.

[Brodady]

I couldn't agree more. A lot of splitting hairs on this thread, what's your intended use? Will it perform the way you want it? To say a Grendel is crippled because it has a 16" barrel? I don't think so.

Agreed

[pinzgauer]

I would be willing to bet that a .223 case necked up to 6.5mm would give about the same performance out of a 14" barrel as a 6.5 Grendel out of a 14" barrel.

I can tell you have not spent much time with rifle caliber handguns. This is something that you learn shooting IHMSA (metalic silhouette) early on.

You won't be able to match the velocity, the grendel has more case capacity. You may be able to have improved efficiency- similar velocity with much less powder & recoil.

With shorter barrels you shift to faster powders. You will not improve the velocity overall, but will burn more of it in the barrel while maintaining the velocity. And use less powder, which reduces recoil and muzzle flash.

Faster powder means less powder which means case capacity is less of an issue, etc. But then bullet weight also becomes a factor. Heavier bullet loads burn more of the powder in the barrel.

But all of this is an issue in the 10" range.... I can tell you side by side that for 16" barrels Grendels and 5.56 NATO have similar flash with my AA2520 loads and 120-123g bullets.