Think I’m convinced

[NightStalker]

I wasn’t really convinced that the Grendel was all it cracked up to be. I’ve been doing research reading, vids
Etc. but what’s convincing was the gel test, holy crap what a beast in an AR platform. My question is are there any draw backs?

[A5BLASTER]

Yea one big draw back. Grendel tends to take over your gun safe and they multiply on their own and before you know it you got a horde of grendels needing feeding lol.

[NightStalker]

Lol sounds kinda like my horses always need feed lol.

[biodsl]

Yea one big draw back. Grendel tends to take over your gun safe and they multiply on their own and before you know it you got a horde of grendels needing feeding lol.

This is real. Very real. I have two AR Grendels built, another three barrels and I'd really like a Howa and a group buy 12".

Be careful.

[bj139]

Betcha can't own just one.
I started with a 16 and before I knew what was happening, I added a 24 then a 20 then an 18 then another 24 then another 20 then a 12.5.
A Howa also sneaked it's way in there somehow.

[VASCAR2]

Betcha can't own just one.
I started with a 16 and before I knew what was happening, I added a 24 then a 20 then an 18 then another 24 then another 20 then a 12.5.
A Howa also sneaked it's way in there somehow.

I’ve got almost the same results from that affliction! I think 5.56/223 is a little easier to size/reload but I’ve managed to load some very good 6.5 Grendel ammo. I tend to want to shoot to longer distance with 6.5 Grendel which can affect where I can shoot when the corn is tall. Magazines cost a little more than 5.56/223 but not as expensive as some pistol mags. Overall I’ve enjoyed shooting my 6.5 Grendels a lot.

[BCHunter]

I have a safe full of firearms I dont shoot much anymore.

The main draw back would be ammo availability, I order online, but some prefer to have the benefit of having it available locally.

[NightStalker]

Oh I’m sure there will be more, I’ve been on the search for a better caliber than the 556 for a long time

[DDRanch]

You can only shoot one at a time! Still trying to figure why I have 4 AR Grendels and parts for 2 more builds?

[bj139]

Buying an AR rifle one affordable part at a time can get very expensive.

[Gunn]

If you are going to do a Grendel and you are married, get her involved or you may end up in severe arguments. The Grendel is very demanding and uses a lot of your time . As for ammo RELOAD that is what I do.

[grendelnubi]

NS, there is a lot of hype about this caliber vs this caliber but from the AR platform the Grendel will do about everything the platform is capable of doing and better. My first AR was a 5.56, I still have it. I killed a few hogs and it did just fine for this type of hunting. What got me down about the 5.56 was it marginal at best for anything larger than a hog, even at close range so I started doing my research. I looked at all of the existing calibers available in the AR platform and the Grendel just keep coming to the top of my list. I went out on a leap of faith and built one and have absolutely no regrets. Hunting wise, I have a lot of enough confidence in it. Also this particular form is a huge plus. There really are a great bunch of great people on here that is willing to help you with anything you may need.

If the Grendel has draw backs, it would be factory ammo support. That however is easy to address, just reload. The other may be, I say maybe, because there is not a lot of data out concerning suppressed / subsonic. There is application to this for me as I do hog hunt on a small piece of property at night so I would like to keep it subsonic and suppressed. For this I have a 300 blackout and it is adequate for sure. I don't currently own a suppressor but I do shoot subsonic.

[tomc]

A draw back is the Grendel will not always pass thru deer leaving a blood trail.

[A5BLASTER]

A draw back is the Grendel will not always pass thru deer leaving a blood trail.

Lmao, I have seen 300wm not pass throw a deer and leave a blood trail.

[Sticks]

Shot placement

[JASmith]

Shot placement

...is very easy to do well with the Grendel!

Regarding the comment about getting the spouse involved, excellent idea! The only drawback with that is that the Grendel (or other) multiplication rate might increase, requiring even more fodder!

Some might get jealous and complain that you’re having too much fun!

[ported45]

A draw back is the Grendel will not always pass thru deer leaving a blood trail.

Neither did my .308 two years ago. Broadside deer hit absolutely perfect through the lungs (no leg impact) at 30 yards with a 130 TSX just under 3000 fps. Beautiful copper mushroom just under the hide on the opposite side. Surprised the heck out of me that it did not exit!!!

[Londerko]

Whether you get pass through on an animal or not has to do with bullet construction, weight, impact velocity etc. Very little if not anything to do with the cartridge.
A Grendel shooting a copper bullet will penetrate way more than a 300 WM shooing a 125 BT at 3500 FPS

[Double Naught Spy]

The only real drawback to Grendel that I have found is the lack of commercial ammo choices. I do not reload. There are very few commercial and affordable choices. Most of the choices are quite good, however. Then there are some very good boutique loaded ammo that are very good, exceptional, but extremely pricey.

[NugginFutz]

A draw back is the Grendel will not always pass thru deer leaving a blood trail.

Hardly a drawback unique to the Grendel. Shot placement, ammunition selection, MV all play a part of whether or not a pass through is achieved.

Lmao, I have seen 300wm not pass throw a deer and leave a blood trail.

Indeed. The higher MV's tend to dump all their energy quite quickly, especially with the thinner jacketed bullets.

Shot placement

Pretty much says it all.

...is very easy to do well with the Grendel!

Can't argue with this, at all. The mild nature of the Grendel really facilitates lots of trigger time. Trigger time = greater proficiency (usually).

Neither did my .308 two years ago. Broadside deer hit absolutely perfect through the lungs (no leg impact) at 30 yards with a 130 TSX just under 3000 fps. Beautiful copper mushroom just under the hide on the opposite side. Surprised the heck out of me that it did not exit!!!

Sometimes we can deliver what could be considered the perfect shot, and yet things like this will happen. Having read through the Knock Down Survey, I've seen more than a few "WTH!" comments, including DNS's magic killer elbow shot. (Hog was hit in the elbow, and the bullet traveled up the arm and exited three hogs over (or something equally bizarre).

Whether you get pass through on an animal or not has to do with bullet construction, weight, impact velocity etc. Very little if not anything to do with the cartridge.
A Grendel shooting a copper bullet will penetrate way more than a 300 WM shooing a 125 BT at 3500 FPS

Thank you! The bullets do not know what rifle they were shot from, any more than the game animal does.


All in all, for the shooters in the survey who reported pass through data as part of their post, the data aligned this way:

For just deer (WT, Stag, etc) 85 reported pass through, while 11 reported no exits. That's approximately an 87% pass through rate. While I have no similar data for other calibers, I'd call 87% some very good performance.