What needs to be done to my bolt going from .243 to 6.5 Grendel?

[TacBlade]

I have been thinking about rebarreling my .243 to 6.5 Grendel. What would have to be done to my bolt face? Thanks!

[rwh]

The bolt may need to be modified. I'd check with a gunsmith.

[TacBlade]

So what 6.5 caliber could I use with my existing bolt?

[tackdriver]

.260 is the same for sure and possibly 6.5 creed. The grendel brought the 6.5 pill to my attention and I was very impressed. It was only after getting advice like " buy extra bolts, buy more insurance and find a good plastic surgeon because your gonna blow up the upper" that I decided to build a .260 and there is not a lot of factory ammo available so if your not into reloading you would be better suited with a Creed.

[TacBlade]

Does anyone know for sure if I could rebarreling my .243 to 6.5 Creedmoore and use the same bolt?

[rabiddawg]

http://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/threads...rrel-swaps

Google is good

[NugginFutz]

Yes - the case heads are identical.

[ricsmall]

if you want to convert the .243 to grendel, just order the pipe of your choice, and a PPC faced bolt from Pacific tool and gauge. their bolt prices are very reasonable, and they are great to deal with. Talk to dave kiff, he can point u to everything youll need for the conversion.

[WHITEBULL]

Just wondering if it would be worth it. I have a Tikka T3 in .243 and it shoots lights out, on whitetails anyway. The .243 is a very flat shooter out to at least 300yrds. I know it doesn't have the knock down power or the bullet weight capability of a Grendel or Creedmoore, but for deer and antelope under 300yrds, its hard to beat. It is also lightweight and easy on the shoulder. That said, it would be nice to use the same ammo in a bolt gun.

[Mtnev]

If a .243 isn't enough, a 6.5 grendel won't be any better. You're reducing case capacity and increasing bullet weight. Maybe look at .260 or 7mm-08 if you think you need more.

I think the Grendel really shines in stuff like mini-mausers and Cz527's. Super-light or youth guns.

[TacBlade]

If a .243 isn't enough, a 6.5 grendel won't be any better. You're reducing case capacity and increasing bullet weight. Maybe look at .260 or 7mm-08 if you think you need more.

I think the Grendel really shines in stuff like mini-mausers and Cz527's. Super-light or youth guns.

Yep, I agree! My rifle is a Model Seven Remington & it's going to be a 6.5 Creedmoor now. Barrel is on the way from Apache Gun. Thanks!

[adamjp]

Yep, I agree! My rifle is a Model Seven Remington & it's going to be a 6.5 Creedmoor now. Barrel is on the way from Apache Gun. Thanks!

If you have gone the mountain weight barrel, get yourself a lightweight stock from Wildcat Composites (about 16oz) and use a piece of Neoprene as a recoil pad. A PTG alloy firing pin assembly will knock 2oz off the weight straight away.

I recently built a 260 on a Model 7 for a friend that is 5lb 10oz with a Leupold 2-7 Ultralight on top. Scary light rifle- but still has a 22in barrel.

[JASmith]

If a .243 isn't enough, a 6.5 grendel won't be any better...

I cannot agree with this opinion.

Bullet weights max out at aroiund 110 gr for the .243 while commercial ammunition in the Grendel centers around 123 grains. Further, we see that one can use bullets as as heavy as 160 grains in the Grendel as well.

This range of bullet weights gives the Grendel, and its larger case capacity like the .260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor, the ability to reliably anchor game as large as Elk. The difference being that the 260 & Creedmoor can reach out further.

That being said, I find TacBlade's decision a good one. Swapping barrels and keeping the same bolt face is easier, and one can always load lighter if recoil is an issue.

[LRRPF52]

There's an interesting comparison in Volume I of the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook between a 22" .243 Winchester bolt gun pushing the 95gr SST at well over 3100fps, and a 14.5" AR15 Grendel with the 129gr SST at around 2200fps. Using Hornady HITS method, they have very comparable effective ranges.

[LRRPF52]

Throw any of the 100-129gr pills in the 22" Grendel bolt gun, and the .243 Win. is basically left behind. The South Carolina Game Study was pretty illuminating about .243 Win. performance as well, as it had the slowest killing results of all the calibers over hundreds of animals. They never included any .264" bores in that survey, but the Scandinavian Moose Hunting survey definitely did, and 6.5mm and 7mm did unusually well, whereas .308 and .30-06 did rather poorly comparatively speaking, even though they were the most popular cartridges that Moose hunters were using.

With the Grendel, you get recoil less than .243 Win., with retained energy closer to .308 Win., but less wind deflection. It's easy to hit things with 6.5mm's because the shooter quickly learns that there isn't any real recoil to speak of, and once zeroed, it's pretty much a point and click affair.

What I like about 6.5mm is that it seems to be the happy medium where low recoil and substantial projectile weight meet up, combined with very high sectional density for caliber projos.

[adamjp]

If you take a common hunting bullet for the 243, say a 95gn Nosler Ballistic Tip, the 243 can reliably throw it at 3000fps. 1908fpe at the muzzle and 1094fpe at 300m.

If you take a 100gn Nosler Ballistic Tip for the 6.5 Grendel, a bolt rifle will also reliably throw it at 3000fps. 2000fpe at the muzzle and 1097fpe at 300m.

Now, take a 120gn Nosler Ballistic Tip for the Grendel, put it in a bolt gun, throw it at 2600fps. 1809fpe at the muzzle and 1113fpe at 300m.

'nuff said.

[LRRPF52]

Or take a 129gr SST even, at 2650fps. 2011ft-lbs at the muzzle, 1291fpe at 300yds. That's a killer little mountain rifle. Or the 129gr ABLR, which will be 1375fpe at 300yds at sea level.
Where I'm at most of the year, the baro pressure is way lower, so at around 6600ft ASL, the energy would be 1580fpe at 300yds.

[FW Conch]

I just did a Grendel build on a Savage action, and although I got all the bolt parts, I haven't installed them yet, and just shoot it with the .473" bolt face, the one that came with the 22-250 donor action, same as your 243. I only have 20 rounds through it so far, but it fires and ejects just fine.

Eventually I will install the right parts, but I heard it could be done this way and I just wanted to see for myself.

Good luck with your build and let us know how it goes.........Jim :-))

[JASmith]

...Eventually I will install the right parts, but I heard it could be done this way and I just wanted to see for myself...

I tried that with the 20 Grendel and it worked most of the time with only occasional sessions with the cleaning rod to clear an expended case from the bore.

After about 150 - 200 rounds (or a change in load or case prep) the frequency got to be about every third or fourth round. That prompted me to install the bolt face I bought at the beginning of the project.

[FW Conch]

Thanks for the heads up "JA". I can see where it could go that route. I'll change mine out as soon as I get the chance.