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I shoot with buds who compete with the 6.5 Grendel in their AR15 rifles.
They best of them shoot outstanding small groups.
Based on the number of malfunctions I have seen, the 6.5 Grendel is not as reliable in feed as the .223 in the AR mechanism.
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I agree, the Grendel mags can be problematic and many need some hand massaging of the feed lips for best reliability. You must have M4 feed ramps because of the over all length of the cartridge. I took a few trips to the range to get my Grendel sorted out and to the reliability I wanted.
There are supposed to be new Grendel mags coming to market that address these issues.
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One real issue is lug cracking. The AR15 bolt is designed to function with .223 loads. The Grendel has a bigger base and I am certain puts more load on the bolt. The fatique lifetime of the bolt is significantally less than a .223. One bud already has had a cracked lug, and he told me of others who have cracked lugs.
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This has been a problem with the G since it's introduction. Some Grendel shooters have increased bolt lug life buy "facing" the upper receiver. This ensures perfect bolt alignment with the barrel extension. Better bolt alignment should give better bolt lug engagement.
If you load for 3000+ fps you increase the chance of a lug cracking.
Between facing the upper and shooting reasonable loads you shouldn't have a bolt issue. Even if you have to replace the bolt every 1-2K rounds it's not that costly, and even 5.56 bolts are a wear item.
6.5 Grendel ammo has become much more available in the past 6-8 months. Hornady and Wolf both offer quality affordable loads now. Wolf is working on a steel case Grendel round that should sell for .30-.40 cents a round. While I wouldn't plan on a lot of "plinking" with my 24" Overwatch barrel, that ammo would encourage me to build a Grendel 14.5" carbine. From my experience the Grendel has a slight edge on accuracy, especially at longer ranges over the 7.62 AR platform.
24" Overwatch barrel/bolt, Alexander Arms upper, ArmaLite NM lower, Vltor Emod A5 with a Vortex Viper.
The 7.62 AR's are going to be heavier, they are propitiatory to a certain extent. Not any cheaper to feed, even good surplus ammo is pushing .50 a round with match grade starting a $1-1.50 a round. I have shoot several different brands of these, all seem to be very reliable and accurate. There are minor differences in fit and finish, some come out of the box well configured and some may need some upgrades. The monolithic upper on the LMT is very nice. Only thing stopping me from owning one is money.
My NoveskaLite AR10. Noveske 21" N6 upper, ArmaLite NM lower, PRS, Atlas, Accu-shot. Waiting for a Nightforce.
