6.5 Grendel on it's own merits

[jkingrph]

I'm Canadian so no AR's here, I was all about this cartridge about 2005 when I found out about it and studied ballistics, had to wait until CZ came out with about 12 years later as I only do factory stuff/ammo etc. Have been hunting with it every since (2017/18). 100% this cartridge stands alone without a specific platform...bolt action makes just as much sense as AR imo. It's basically a 3/4 scale .308 running 168's with 55% less recoil, same sd, bc, and impact velocities/trajectory to 500 yards. It hangs with a .243 to a few hundred yards then starts to walk away from the .243 after that (factory to factory) and recoils less. You can't do more with 30 grains of powder than the 6.5g and 123 eld-m combo, overachiever, zero fat, maybe one of the most versatile combo's on the planet when considering all shooters, all disciplines/uses, life, cost etc.

I saw gy first Grendel around that time, an AR and was intrigued. so ended up orderind an upper from Alexander Arms. An Overwatch, tube type free floated arm over a 26" barrel, built a lower for it with a Jewell trigger. I also got the bug for some piston operated guns so built up a similar model as well as a mid length carbine. Somewhere along the line I got to wanting either a bolt action or single shot. I was about ready to get a Ruger #1 and have it rebarreled when CZ came out with it in the little 527, and finally found one, lucked out and got rather nice wood on it. Like most of the CZ bolt actions it was rather rough. A bit of careful stoneing and the cycling with some flitz in the raceways on on lugs slicked it up nicely. Earlier when loaded ammo and brass were almost unobtainable I got a larger quantity of IMI 7.62x39 brass and necked it down to fire form. I did find that lighter fireforming loads would also cycle my AR so had quite a bit of fun while shooting it, of course a zero with full loads hit a lot higher than the fireforming loads, but still shooting paper was fun. For an old man's fun either the AR or bolt action is fun, just enough recoil so you know you have a serious gun, The longest range I have available is 300 yards but it is easy to ring a small steel plate at that range, Never walked down to see the size, but I guess 4 to 6 inches.