6.5 Grendel versus 6mm ARC for whitetail

[janttony]

With Hornady's release of the 6mm ARC, its long range performance has been discussed. Here's my question, in the spirit of the upcoming deer season, if you could only choose between 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC to hunt with for the entire season, which caliber would you choose? I'll give a few parameters, in that, barrel has to be more of a typical AR barrel length (i.e. 16"-20") and maximum range is 400 yards (I'm from South Georgia and, unless I'm on a power line, 200 yards is going to be my max shot distance).

[A5BLASTER]

Do you handload? If not get the grendel, more factory hunting ammo choices.

If you handload, choose the one that tickles you, both rounds will kill what you shoot and you won't beable to tell the difference between one dead animal killed with arc and one killed with grendel.

[JASmith]

Do you handload? If not get the grendel, more factory hunting ammo choices.

If you handload, choose the one that tickles you, both rounds will kill what you shoot and you won't beable to tell the difference between one dead animal killed with arc and one killed with grendel.

+1 !!

[janttony]

Do you handload? If not get the grendel, more factory hunting ammo choices.

If you handload, choose the one that tickles you, both rounds will kill what you shoot and you won't beable to tell the difference between one dead animal killed with arc and one killed with grendel.

True! And I don’t handload so I do understand your logic there. Until other manufacturers possibly pick up the ARC, you’ve really only got the 103 grain ELD-X as an actual hunting round. Although, even though it’s not designated as a hunting bullet, those 108 grain ELD-M’s would probably do fine as well.

[rabiddawg]

you won't beable to tell the difference between one dead animal killed with arc and one killed with grendel.

You are a lot smarter than you look

[A5BLASTER]

You are a lot smarter than you look

Maybe I should run for president lmao.

[Stinky Coyote]

The arc adds about 150 yards of effective range for class 2 game and steel/paper combo gun it's very attractive package and finally a factory offering in the 6ppc/6br/6dasher class of cartridges. It's a brilliant cartridge and move by hornady imo as this is an extremely popular class more in the target/range worlds but does double duty on class 2 game really well.

For pure hunting though the 6.5 Grendel is going to be the better choice yet still bangs plenty long on the range when you want to play. You've got class 3 game potential as you're chucking more than 120 grains of lead with more than .25 sd. Something about sub 120 grains of lead for big game hunting doesn't work for me regardless of sd, so i was pretty excited about the Grendel when i first learned of it many moons ago. 98% of all game is killed inside 300 yards real world, and probably 95% under 200 yards.

I don't think you'd go wrong with either cartridge as they really will be close to each other, splitting hairs most of the time, more velocity with less weight vs the heavier slower option. The heavier slower option almost always gets the nod as the game size goes up, you get more from the powder burned, more efficient. Although both these cartridges at the top of efficiency in all cartridges imo, again...splitting hairs.

Grendel for hunting.
Arc for combo target/class 2 game hunting.

[cwlongshot]

Dont drink the kool aide. (At least not too much)

There is no replacement for displacement. No matter how small the Grendel will be superior on game animals. Enough to choose one over the other? Thats for you to decide. After all as mentioned, dead is dead.

What I will tell ya is Hornady makes money when they convince you to buy there product. No matter how many half and partial truths they spout.

They test the optimal ballistically enhanced bullet against a 123 SST and claim how much better it is.. BETTER HOW???

Clanging steel is near as much fun as ya can have dressed.... But means SQUAT to kill ability of a given caliber or bullet.

Flat tredjectory is also grand! Makes repeatable hits easier! But there is GOOD REASON they compair to calibers like the 308. Cause the 308 has been there and done that. Will and does continue to do that!

If ya like the 243 and want a AR to launch it. Whose better than you!! Buy the ARC and enjoy. But dont tell me your chopped down upstart is superior to a proven caliber. Cause ones "better" is anothers meh.

CW

[gldprimr]

Personally 6.5mm is as small as I care to go and that only with good Bullets.
Everyone’s preference is their own. When I first started deer hunting I found heart/lung shot deer seemed to run further when shot with 243 or 6mm Remington.
When we stepped up to 270 Winchester & larger their death runs were shorter. No absolutes - my experience at the time.
Cover is very thick where I hunt. A longer run makes it much harder to find & recover the game.

[Les]

For many years I loaded a Hornady 87gr boattail SP in a .243 winchester bolt gun before I got into an AR platform. I wonder why they don't offer that in 6mm ARC? The 87 killed like lightning. Velocities are similar.

[WanderingZero]

Personally 6.5mm is as small as I care to go and that only with good Bullets.
Everyone’s preference is their own. When I first started deer hunting I found heart/lung shot deer seemed to run further when shot with 243 or 6mm Remington.
When we stepped up to 270 Winchester & larger their death runs were shorter. No absolutes - my experience at the time.
Cover is very thick where I hunt. A longer run makes it much harder to find & recover the game.

I'm with you. Saw the results of .243/100 grain on a few deer a long time ago and was never too impressed. I know others have had different experiences and different opinions but it just takes a little more diameter and weight, combined with decent sectional density, for me to start to feel comfortable. 6.5mm and 120 grains is about the minimum for me to not worry about whether I've got enough bullet for the job I might need to do.

[grayfox]

For many years I loaded a Hornady 87gr boattail SP in a .243 winchester bolt gun before I got into an AR platform. I wonder why they don't offer that in 6mm ARC? The 87 killed like lightning. Velocities are similar.

Hornady data has the 87 gr bullet (Vmax) for loads. The 87 SP would use the same data. 11 different powders, H4895 to CFE 223.
The OAL may differ however, so check your chamber and measurements with the chamber case-comparator.

[grayfox]

By the way some of us are also experimenting/using the Sierra 90 gr TK bullets.

[LRRPF52]

Personally 6.5mm is as small as I care to go and that only with good Bullets.
Everyone’s preference is their own. When I first started deer hunting I found heart/lung shot deer seemed to run further when shot with 243 or 6mm Remington.
When we stepped up to 270 Winchester & larger their death runs were shorter. No absolutes - my experience at the time.
Cover is very thick where I hunt. A longer run makes it much harder to find & recover the game.

Your experience mimics the South Carolina deer hunting survey.

.243 Winchester and 6mm Rem seemed to have longer travel distances from the shot compared to .270 Win, 7mm, and .30 bores.

They have pretty small deer down there too.

If I were more of a varmint hunter who also shot deer in rifle season in a State with small deer and I relied on ammo from handloads, I think I might lean on the 6mm ARC or some 6mm AR Grendel wildcat.

If I didn’t hand load and deer sizes were larger, I would definitely go 6.5 Grendel and not look back. Shoot one of the lead-free bullets in lighter weight with good expansion, or shoot 120-130gr cup and core bullets like the Hornady 129gr SP, 123gr SST, 120gr Nosler BT, 129gr SST, 129gr ABLR for deer.

You can look through the game surveys we’ve done here over the years to see what bullet weight and travel distances from the shot hunters have experienced with 6.5 Grendel. Most deer are DRT or drop within the first 25yds. Most common bullet has been the 123gr SST.

For the South Georgia region, if you do varmint-hunting throughout the year with deer season hunting in addition to that, the 18” or 20” Grendel makes sense for the varmints, and is more than plenty for the deer. Spit out an 85gr Sierra Varminter at 2900-2996fps, 90gr TNT at 2880fps, or a 95gr V-MAX at 2850fps for the little critters, then switch to a larger bullet for deer for the meat.

The varmint bullets work very well on killing hogs though, since Grendel velocities are more moderate compared to the larger case capacities that would cause them to fragment more explosively.

Lots of choices, most of which our ancestors would think were some kind of super rifles compared to what they had.

[Texcl2]

The one advantage to the 6mm for the reloader is bullet selection. In this environment or everything being out of stock this has become even more important. Also for those of us out west who hunt fur, there are better varmint bullets for the 6mm.

If I hadn’t started building 300 ham’r rifles this year the 6mm arc was next on my list. I’m hoping to see success with light varmint bullets from others and or possibly different twist rates to accommodate medium to light bullets in the future for 6mm arc weapons. This panic needs to end first unfortunately.

[biodsl]

The one advantage to the 6mm for the reloader is bullet selection. In this environment or everything being out of stock this has become even more important. Also for those of us out west who hunt fur, there are better varmint bullets for the 6mm.

I was in the Sportsman's Warehouse in Albany, Oregon a few days ago. Except primers and powder, they had everything you needed to load 6mm ARC; dies and brass and an assortment of 6mm bullets. I was a bit surprised.

[Texcl2]

Yup, there are sooo many more 6mm bullet options vs 6.5mm. That being said I wouldn’t have used a 6 mm on my elk but my Grendel did a perfect job. So the grendel brings something to the plate that the arc never will.

[adamkrog]

Many more bullet options for 6mm vs 6.5mm? More available on the shelf? Or more on the market? I have a hard time believing there are many more available on the market, 6.5mm bullets seem very "in vogue" right now to me.

[Stinky Coyote]

you're splitting hairs between these two, they are running the two hottest calibers so bullet selection differences are moot, they run the same case, they run similar bc/sd, they mainly differ in bullet weight, even the front diameter difference is minimal, so it's like trying to pick fly sh@t out of pepper between these two...if you want another 150 yards effective range with a little longer mpbr over the grendel then get the arc and the expense of bullet weight and front area....lots of big game hunters will likely see that the extra 150 yards isn't necessary or worthwhile trade off for giving up that front area and heavier weight...as the grendel already holds good kill velocity to well past where almost any critter will get shot, if you're more predator calling, range plinking, p-doggin and the odd deer then the arc may be the better choice, but more big game work then the grendel is the better choice, that should cover it boys

[Fields_mj]

All I can say is that my Grendel has been very effective on whitetail these past 2 seasons. I'm loading a 105 MKZ and getting excellent accuracy. I hit a decent doe 120 lb dressed) quartering towards me last month at just over 200 yds. Through the front shoulder, a rib or two, both lungs, and out the other side with what appeared to be good expansion. Either way, she went less than 50 yds. Very happy with this setup.