6.5 Grendel versus 6mm ARC for whitetail

[LRRPF52]

Excellent observation and points Fess.

In conversations with Hornady, they said one of the things they noticed is rotational energy and its relationship with expansion when they started doing ballistics gel tests at 400yds.

I think it’s also becoming clear to many that too much velocity for a certain bullet construction is not a good thing. There’s a happy window of expansion and penetration that produces more predictable wounding effects.

The bullet makers knew this already generations ago, when the .270 Winchester and .270 Weatherby Magnum (any of the Weatherby’s) became more popular.

That’s literally why Nosler made the Partition, because legacy cup and core bullets were lead-showering into the meat upon impact, which caused traumatic avulsion and superficial depth tissue damage, but varying degrees of penetration that weren’t predictable.

The Nosler Partition wasn’t the ultimate mouse trap though, since high supersonic impacts would not only fragment the nose, but blow the rear core out the back.

Barnes jumped on board after that with a whole different approach to bullets with the original X in 1989, then later the TSX in 2003, the TTSX in 2007, VOR-TX in 2010, LRX in 2011, etc.

Nosler introduced the Accubond in 2003, where the jacket and core would be bonded together in a proprietary process to prevent total fragmentation and separation of the lead core and jacket from each other, while still facilitating controlled expansion at a designed impact velocity spectrum that tended to favor the higher velocities common in a lot of larger case volume rifle cartridges.

Hornady also introduced the Interbond in 2003, with a different approach to the jacket and bonding process.

Swift introduced the Scirocco in 1999 with a pure lead core and pure copper jacket for elasticity, eliminating zinc. The Scirocco II was introduced in 2006, and the 130gr was actually a factory load from Alexander Arms.

Bullet manufacturers have the tough job of developing and testing hunting bullets that will penetrate and expand across a wide range of impact speeds, from a wide variety of rifle cartridges that have significantly different muzzle velocities.

Factors we have accounted for with modern understandings of applied terminal ballistics include:

1. Impact velocity
2. Construction
3. Rotational speed (tighter twist rate = higher RPMs)
4. Expansion behavior across the impact velocity spectrum
5. Retained core/tail weight after initial expansion/nose material loss or deformation
6. Optimum employment envelope

Once we take all that into account, we can determine an optimum employment zone for any firearm/hunting bullet combination.

Any firearm/bullet combo will kill reliably within a certain range.

The beauty of 6.5 Grendel is that it will do it within normal hunting distances without needing premium bullets, with very low recoil and muzzle blast, from anything ranging from an AR-15 pistol to a longer barrel rifle.

There is a benefit from the premium long range hunting bullets like the 129gr ABLR, because they work exceptionally well from short barreled 6.5 Grendels within common distances.

Unlike most rifle/cartridge combos used for hunting, you can shoot all day with 6.5 Grendel and not be fatigued, and not torch your rifle’s chamber.