6.5 Grendel for whitetail?

[nmuskier]

For context, here is my experience and preferences for hunting whitetail. I grew up using .30 caliber rifles for deer hunting. I have a sweet spot for grandpa's old .300 Savage model 99. A few years ago I got a .243 after shoulder surgery for a lighter carrying and recoiling rifle. I love the results I get with the 100 grain bullet. Most recently, I used a 147gr .300 Blackout from a 10.5" pistol. That is the tree stand gun. Shots are under 60 yards. I have taken a small deer at 70 yards, broadside, with a 64 grain .223. It worked, but I want better penetration and a more durable bullet.

So now I am interested in the effectiveness of the 6.5 grendel from a 20" barrel. I would like a cartridge that performs well out to 200 yards. What are your experiences with this round on Michigan whitetail?

Any input on AR upper options is appreciated too.

[MichiganShootist]

I don't own a 6.5 but did a lot of investigation on the round when I was considering purchasing one. It carries far more speed and energy at virtually any distance when compared to a 30:30. There have been arguably more deer killed over time with that round than any other.

As always shot placement is more important than any thing else.... but this is a lower recoiling round than a 30:30 - .308 - 30 06 so it should be easy to shoot.

[nmuskier]

Thank you. That is exactly what is intriguing me about this round. It looks to be easy to set up for a young hunter. I've seen a .243 not penetrate the ribcage on a quartering shot. I've seen a .243 DRT a head on shot to the chest. So I am careful about shot placement and target profile with that round. The .300 or .308 still need well placed shots, but can get there from a wider choice of angles. I'd like to hear about solid penetration from the 6.5.

[dirtmcgirt76239]

I am just looking into the 6.5 creedmoor, looked in 6.5 grendal and 6.8 in the past. All seem cool, but for deer, .243, 270, 30-06, 30-08 and a bunch more are all going to be just fine for michigan deer at common distances, I would not sweat it much. Not if you just want another rifle, or dangle your toe in some 6.5 water I would not try to talk you out of it.

[Rasher]

Bigger and heavier the bullet the better penetration will be. I have 30-30, 308, 30-06, 300 mag, 44 mag, 7mm. The 30-30 and 44 get about 50% pass thru maybe less, but they are slow flat nosed bullets. The others get modern round nose Bullets 180gr for the 30’s and 170 for the 7, Have never failed to pass thru. No matter what you hunt with, practice-shot placement and proper bullet are all things that need to work together.

[BMT85]

I don't have much experience with the Grendel, had 2 barrels that I sold off as I'm more partial to 6.8spc. It's still a good cartridge, just not what I wanted.

Biggest thing I can recommend is using a good hunting bullet. I've seen a lot of guys with Grendels running target bullets for hunting. They can still work, but why not use a bullet actually made for hunting? Me personally I prefer expanding coppers. Not a fan of Berger hunting bullets for anything in an AR15 because they never seem to frag like Berger says they will. Maybe it's because they can't get up to the speeds the bigger cartridges can, I don't know. From testing and reviews I've seen in various cartridges for the AR15, they tumble, and that's it. Will it still kill the animal, sure, but again, why use it. If your going to keep hunting distances to 200 or so, ballistic coefficient doesn't make a huge difference. You'd be better off with a better hunting bullet, with lower b.c. then a target type bullet with high b.c.

If you want to keep the rifle lighter weight (assuming from your 243 rifle mentioned), why not go with an 18" or 16" barrel? You only lose something like 75fps from a 20" to a 16" barrel. Also watch out for barrel profile, you can add a lot of weight from just the barrel, and if you don't add some weight to the rest of build, it can be more nose heavy, especially going with a longer barrel. Faxon makes some nice lighter weight barrels, have a good record for accuracy, and not too expensive.

Do you reload? If so, you can run certain powders and get more velocity out of the Grendel, especially the heavier weight bullets. So a 16" with handloads will get around what a 20" does with factory ammo. Going back to bullets, Cavity back bullets makes some nice 105gr and 118gr expanding copper bullets. IMHO, about the best hunting bullets made, but you have to handload.

[nmuskier]

Thanks BTM. I would be ok with 18 or 20" barrel. It will be a still hunting gun, so I can favor eeking out as much velocity as I can. Not much stalking.

[Rasher]

Op check out Winchester’s somewhat new Deer Season XP line, look to be just devastating on deer. Poly tip on a Huge hollow point, might not get alot of pass thru’s but the way I understand hydrostatic shock these things will hit like a sledgehammer.

[Rootsy]

123 grain Hornady SST works very well on whitetail. Can’t get much more than 2500 FPS out of the Grendel in a 20 - 24” AR platform which limits its effective range. I have taken a couple of deer with the Grendel and none went out of sight.

If you want more range maybe look at the 6mm AR (6.5 Grendel necked to 6 mm) or 6 Hagar and stick a 103 ELD-X in it.

[Danco411]

The Grendel is my only hunting caliber. I have been using it since it came out and have shot many deer with it. It is amazingly accurate, and is the hardest hitting round out of a standard AR15. My hunting rifle is an SBR with a 12" barrel. I can print 1/2" groups at 100 yards and have hit a 36" steel target at 1000 yards. Yes with a 12" barrel. It is one hell of a tree stand rifle and easy to haul through the woods. There are a bunch of excellent hunting rounds for it but I make my own with the Barnes 120g TTSX bullets. I have sold many Grendels to customers over the years and they are universally loved. Best part is you can buy the cheap Wolf steel case rounds for practice and self defense.