01-03-2019, 06:14 PM
Any cartridge that requires more than a single operation to make brass will have a difficult time gaining popularity even among the tiny percentage of the market that likes to wildcat, until it gets enough interest to gain SAAMI approval.
Some of the cartridges that started out as wildcats and became popular in the target shooting/competitive, hunting, and even military circles:
* 6.5x284 SAAMI spec'd as 6.5x284 Norma
* 6.5 Panther or 6.5-08 A-Square spec'd as .260 Remington
* 7mm/308 became 7mm-08 Remington
* 250 Savage necked down to .22 became the .22-250 Remington
* 7.62x39 necked down to .22 became the .220 Russian
* .220 Russian necked up to 6mm became the 6mm PPC
* 30 TC necked down to 6.5mm became the 6.5 Creedmoor
* .222 Remington with shoulder blown forward became the 5.56x45 and .223 Remington
* .30 Remington necked down to .277" became the 6.8x43/6.8 SPC
* 6mm PPC necked up with shoulder blown forward became 6.5 Grendel
All I can say is wait a few weeks for SHOT and see what new cartridges will be introduced, and what actions are being made for new cartridges that have been done over the past 10 years. Nosler, Federal, and Hornady are always coming up with something new. For every success story, there are many failures. Hornady's 30 TC is a great cartridge, but never took off. Only decades later would it be the basis for the 6.5 Creedmoor's meteoric success.
6.5 Grendel's success is an anomaly since it didn't have a huge ammunition manufacturer behind it from the start, yet it still is probably the fastest-growing alternative chambering for the AR15. It certainly is the one to beat for performance in all the industry standard chamberings that will work in a standard AR15 receiver set.
In order to beat the Grendel, the magazine well and COL has to grow. The WSSM uppers are not standard, nor are the barrel extensions. Mags are single presentation feed, low capacity.
Right now, the 6.5 Grendel brings performance that exceeds the needs of most shooters, but those of us who like to experiment and push the capabilities further will always have some degree of wanderlust.
I've always wanted a .257" bore since my Grandfather was so fond of the .257 Roberts, and quarter bore just seems to be a really nice balance point between 6mm and 6.5mm. Now that projectile selection is expanding, I think it's worth pursuing on the developmental side of things.
Some of the cartridges that started out as wildcats and became popular in the target shooting/competitive, hunting, and even military circles:
* 6.5x284 SAAMI spec'd as 6.5x284 Norma
* 6.5 Panther or 6.5-08 A-Square spec'd as .260 Remington
* 7mm/308 became 7mm-08 Remington
* 250 Savage necked down to .22 became the .22-250 Remington
* 7.62x39 necked down to .22 became the .220 Russian
* .220 Russian necked up to 6mm became the 6mm PPC
* 30 TC necked down to 6.5mm became the 6.5 Creedmoor
* .222 Remington with shoulder blown forward became the 5.56x45 and .223 Remington
* .30 Remington necked down to .277" became the 6.8x43/6.8 SPC
* 6mm PPC necked up with shoulder blown forward became 6.5 Grendel
All I can say is wait a few weeks for SHOT and see what new cartridges will be introduced, and what actions are being made for new cartridges that have been done over the past 10 years. Nosler, Federal, and Hornady are always coming up with something new. For every success story, there are many failures. Hornady's 30 TC is a great cartridge, but never took off. Only decades later would it be the basis for the 6.5 Creedmoor's meteoric success.
6.5 Grendel's success is an anomaly since it didn't have a huge ammunition manufacturer behind it from the start, yet it still is probably the fastest-growing alternative chambering for the AR15. It certainly is the one to beat for performance in all the industry standard chamberings that will work in a standard AR15 receiver set.
In order to beat the Grendel, the magazine well and COL has to grow. The WSSM uppers are not standard, nor are the barrel extensions. Mags are single presentation feed, low capacity.
Right now, the 6.5 Grendel brings performance that exceeds the needs of most shooters, but those of us who like to experiment and push the capabilities further will always have some degree of wanderlust.
I've always wanted a .257" bore since my Grandfather was so fond of the .257 Roberts, and quarter bore just seems to be a really nice balance point between 6mm and 6.5mm. Now that projectile selection is expanding, I think it's worth pursuing on the developmental side of things.
NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
www.AR15buildbox.com
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
www.AR15buildbox.com