01-03-2021, 04:31 PM
Hey all;
Ive been lurking on this site for a couple years now. Finally decided to join.
A little bit about myself: Ive been a shooter and hunter for my entire life. Been reloading for 40 plus years.
Ive always owned and hunted with 6.5 cartridges. Mostly larger calibers to begin with, but as I age, Ive become less tolerant to the recoil.
After the last 20 years of hunting with a 6.5-06 AI, decided it was time to go with a smaller cartridge of the same bore. I spent quite a bit of time researching the smaller 6.5s before settling on the Grendel as my new hunting rifle. And let me just say, I could not be more pleased with my choice.
Im a bolt guy, so I started by looking at the mini action choices out there. Only real downside to them for me.....is Im handicapped (left hand) and have grown accustomed to shooting LH bolts. Hard to change back once youve made that switch, lol.
So after some contemplation.... I chose to build from scratch. I bought a new Rem. 700sa LH .223 for the action and bottom metal. The rest was accomplished by a local rifle builder/gunsmith. He opened the bolt face, added a Sako extractor and full blueprint of the action. He had to open the feed ramps slightly and make some custom mods to the mag box so that it would properly feed the short cartridges.
I chose a Rock Creek 5R #3 match barrel. He completed the chambering and finished the barrel @ 24. I ordered a Boyds, Heritage Hunter stock, where he then had to open the barrel channel some and bed the action and to just forward of the recoil lug. A Timney trigger, Duracoat paint of the metal surfaces, and topped with a Leupold V3i 3.5-10 cds on Tally one piece rings/bases.
I have hunted last two deer seasons with it now, in which Ive filled 5 tags with 5 shots. None of them were of any long ranges, (less than 250yds) but all 5 were DRT! Lets just say that Im quite impressed.
Happy shooting! Glad to be aboard, Kosh65
Ive been lurking on this site for a couple years now. Finally decided to join.
A little bit about myself: Ive been a shooter and hunter for my entire life. Been reloading for 40 plus years.
Ive always owned and hunted with 6.5 cartridges. Mostly larger calibers to begin with, but as I age, Ive become less tolerant to the recoil.
After the last 20 years of hunting with a 6.5-06 AI, decided it was time to go with a smaller cartridge of the same bore. I spent quite a bit of time researching the smaller 6.5s before settling on the Grendel as my new hunting rifle. And let me just say, I could not be more pleased with my choice.
Im a bolt guy, so I started by looking at the mini action choices out there. Only real downside to them for me.....is Im handicapped (left hand) and have grown accustomed to shooting LH bolts. Hard to change back once youve made that switch, lol.
So after some contemplation.... I chose to build from scratch. I bought a new Rem. 700sa LH .223 for the action and bottom metal. The rest was accomplished by a local rifle builder/gunsmith. He opened the bolt face, added a Sako extractor and full blueprint of the action. He had to open the feed ramps slightly and make some custom mods to the mag box so that it would properly feed the short cartridges.
I chose a Rock Creek 5R #3 match barrel. He completed the chambering and finished the barrel @ 24. I ordered a Boyds, Heritage Hunter stock, where he then had to open the barrel channel some and bed the action and to just forward of the recoil lug. A Timney trigger, Duracoat paint of the metal surfaces, and topped with a Leupold V3i 3.5-10 cds on Tally one piece rings/bases.
I have hunted last two deer seasons with it now, in which Ive filled 5 tags with 5 shots. None of them were of any long ranges, (less than 250yds) but all 5 were DRT! Lets just say that Im quite impressed.
Happy shooting! Glad to be aboard, Kosh65