10-27-2011, 01:12 AM
Ok...I am feeling a bit combative today....
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. Sure you can shoot a 5.56 out of a 7.5" pistol build, but most of the energy of the 5.56 is not being used because either the powder is not being burned inside of the barrel (excessive muzzle flash) or the bullet exits the barrel before the pressure is able to accelerate the bullet the its potential velocity for a given load.
If you are shooting factory Grendel loads out of a short barrel you are not getting the performance that the Grendel can deliver. There are reasons for using short barrels and having a rifle that uses the same cartridge as the guys in your unit is a big plus. Bolting a high performance motor in a Ford Pinto does not do justice to the high performance motor and does not give you a Nascar. If you want to build a short barrel rifle, choose something that is designed to work with a short barrel. The Grendel velocity numbers are what they are because of a 24" barrel. The compromise is somewhere between 19" & 20" for weight vs. velocity. If you looked at the velocity numbers for the Grendel with a 14" barrel and a 120 grain bullet, you would probably not be impressed.
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. Sure you can shoot a 5.56 out of a 7.5" pistol build, but most of the energy of the 5.56 is not being used because either the powder is not being burned inside of the barrel (excessive muzzle flash) or the bullet exits the barrel before the pressure is able to accelerate the bullet the its potential velocity for a given load.If you are shooting factory Grendel loads out of a short barrel you are not getting the performance that the Grendel can deliver. There are reasons for using short barrels and having a rifle that uses the same cartridge as the guys in your unit is a big plus. Bolting a high performance motor in a Ford Pinto does not do justice to the high performance motor and does not give you a Nascar. If you want to build a short barrel rifle, choose something that is designed to work with a short barrel. The Grendel velocity numbers are what they are because of a 24" barrel. The compromise is somewhere between 19" & 20" for weight vs. velocity. If you looked at the velocity numbers for the Grendel with a 14" barrel and a 120 grain bullet, you would probably not be impressed.