6.5 Grendel versus 6mm ARC for whitetail

[CoyoteConquest]

Hornady did 6mm ARC for a specific military unit looking to replace their SR-25s, because they were experiencing all the problems with 7.62 NATO weight, bulk, recoil, both in and out of the house.

They did a series of practical application tests with 12-18” barrel 6.5 Grendel AR-15s in different positions, shooting scenarios, and recreations of operational problems they encountered overseas.

Each shooter was asked if there were any scenarios where they would have preferred 7.62 NATO instead, and without exception, each said “no”, the 6.5 Grendel was preferred in each scenario.

Hornady then said they could tweak it to make it better, and necked it down to 6mm.

6mm Grendel has been a thing in AR-15s for Hi-Power since Grendel brass was available, so nothing new.

Having spotted and RO’d at long range matches and training events since 1996, I personally like to see and hear the impact of more projectile mass on-target.

The 6mms are flatter and have less recoil, but are hard to hear or see impact steel sometimes, especially as you get out farther.

6.5 Grendel even from my 12” is very audible on steel.

From 16” and longer, it hits the steel pretty hard at distance.

6mm is great for varmints and coyotes, adequate for deer-sized game within certain ranges, but there’s an argument for the projectile mass and bullet selection for 6.5mm on medium game that is hard to argue with.

I have seen people take elk with 6mm Dasher, 6mm Creedmoor, and 6mm BR, but they were competitive shooters used to putting rounds on small targets regularly, and made excellent heart/lung shots on their elk.

6.5 Grendel is the external ballistics equivalent of the 6.5x54 Mannlicher and 6.5x52 Carcano. MVs from those compared with Grendel from the same barrel lengths overlap nicely.

Grendel just does it from a 39mm length case and without pushing pressure much higher, which is impressive in its own right.

What was your sources for this? I'm not saying it didn't happen, it's just as Ive never heard anything about it and even Hornady has been hush hush about it. I've never even heard what (unit) it was. As far as I know it's never been put out.