6.5 Grendel question

Old Stony · February 2, 2018, 10:27 AM

A good friend is putting together a 6.5 Grendel for me. I have messed around with 5.56 and 6.5 Creedmore quite a lot in the AR platform, but never Grendel. The caliber just sort of intrigues me and I thought I should maybe play with one some, as I do quite a lot of hog hunting and stuff like that.
I know nothing about mags as far as the caliber, and thought maybe someone on here could educate me.

doofus47 · February 2, 2018, 11:29 AM

There are a number of 5 and 10 round 6.5 G specific mags on the market. I have some by Armalite that work fine.
Polymer 20 round magazines are sort of a holy grail, in that generally the bulge created by the 6.5 cartridges pushing against the walls and deform when the round count exceeds 15 or so. A lot more people with a a lot more knowledge than I have post up here:
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/forum.php

You'll enjoy your 6.5G. It's in a very sweet spot for intermediate cartridges (that don't need to load out to 30 in a mag).

SwwPlayboy · February 2, 2018, 11:48 AM

I got mine from alexander arms for about $20. Stock from 4 round mags to 20. Never had an issue with them. Made of good stuff

Old Stony · February 2, 2018, 07:50 PM

I ended up ordering some ASC mags, as they seem to be highly regarded. Thanks for the help guys !

Mobuck · February 2, 2018, 09:31 PM

ASC works for me.

stagpanther · February 4, 2018, 12:05 AM

Are you going to be hand-loading ammo? If so, you'll probably find some mags are better than others in handling COL's of various lengths.

I've built some grendels or catted variations of it--and it's a great cartridge design, especially for being able to seat long pointy bullets. But it's also a "finicky" one in my experience--it seems to be more demanding of precision alignment of everything--otherwise there can be issues of cycling the cartridge from the mag. What I'm talking about isn't necessarily whether or not the rifle will successfully feed and fire or not--but minimizing the "bash around" factor on the way into the chamber--those deflections/abrasions etc IMO take a toll on the accuracy consistency.

I have lots of grendel mags including some very expensive ones from premium manufacturers--but I also have a C products mag (one of the cheaper ones I might add) that I trimmed the feed lips and front retaining tabs back a bit in order to get an "optimal feed angle" of a long cartridge--this is my "last resort when nothing else will work" magazine in that it has worked with every build I've done when stock magazines might have had issues.

Mobuck · February 4, 2018, 09:07 AM

FWIW
The Hornady ELD ammo just barely fits my group of ASC mags. Very slight extra length in the mag.

Old Stony · February 4, 2018, 09:35 AM

I ordered 100 rds of Hornady 123 SST ammo to get started with and provide me with some brass at the same time. I use that bullet in the 6.5 Creedmore and love the results I get with it as far as accuracy and dropping hogs.
I'll probably be loading that same bullet for the Grendel.

stagpanther · February 4, 2018, 10:01 AM

Quote:

I ordered 100 rds of Hornady 123 SST ammo

My gold standard for off-the-shelf factory grendel ammo--good choice. I now order my grendel brass in bulk, midway sells hornady brass in 250 count boxes for cheap and I can make good 6.5 as well as 6mm grendel out of it.

Old Stony · February 5, 2018, 10:03 AM

Sounds like a good plan to me....I'll have to check out Midway's brass.

stagpanther · February 5, 2018, 10:20 AM

Grendel barss isn't shy about telling you it's getting run warm--expect routine expansion which you need to keep an eye on when reloading, a good case gauge and small base full-length dies are useful--I've found grendel cases almost always need the shoulders bumped back a bit when resizing.

Double Naught Spy · February 5, 2018, 11:18 AM

PSA ASC Mag warning. Actually, it goes for any brand, potentially. Fellows have reported to me the same issue with some 6.8 mags as well and not from ASC. They don't always seem to have the front edge of the mag low enough and the cartridge lips hang up on them.
https://youtu.be/0Axr5m1Daxc

Hornady SST 123 gr. is the best thing going for killing hogs in factory ammo at a reasonable price. Expect overpenetration on most broadside shots on hogs up to 200-225 lbs. unless you hit the humerus directly.

Precision Firearms offers Berger VLD-Hunting 130gr. that creates some of the most horrendous wounds in hogs I have seen, but it costs about double (I don't reload).

I wasn't impressed with Hornady ELD-M on hogs. It seems to have inconsistent performance.

Federal Fusion 120 gr., about the same price as SST, is a tad lighter, tad faster, and with a lower BC. It tends to bore holes through hogs and it much more meat-friendly than SST.

I like my Grendels just fine.

rg1 · February 5, 2018, 12:00 PM

Haven't had any issues with ASC mags, all sizes, from this site:
https://www.44mag.com/category/s?keyword=6%2C5+grendel

rg1 · February 5, 2018, 12:09 PM

Make sure your builder does this ejector pin modification. Made my cycling-feeding issues go away. It's a necessary modification but it seems manufacturers haven't picked up on it yet. I wouldn't try the quick fix but would remove the pin and radius like the picture.
http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/...er-cartridges/

Double Naught Spy · February 5, 2018, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Haven't had any issues with ASC mags, all sizes, from this site:
https://www.44mag.com/category/s?keyword=6%2C5+grendel

Where you purchase isn't going to matter, LOL. ASC mags are ASC mags whether you get them from ASC, Midway, Brownell's, or .44mag.

stagpanther · February 5, 2018, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Make sure your builder does this ejector pin modification. Made my cycling-feeding issues go away. It's a necessary modification but it seems manufacturers haven't picked up on it yet. I wouldn't try the quick fix but would remove the pin and radius like the picture.

I wouldn't bevel down a single-plane edge like that--though I would radius smooth both the ejector and the extractor. It not hard to do.

Old Stony · February 5, 2018, 07:24 PM

Got a couple of new mags in today, and passed on the ejector info to the friend that is building it for me. He copied the thread info and plans on doing the modifications to the ejector as stated. I won't get to pick up the rifle until after about the middle of march, but I should have all ready to go long before then.

Mobuck · February 5, 2018, 08:27 PM

"I won't get to pick up the rifle until after about the middle of march,"

Holy Cow, parts kits(or just parts) rarely survive un-assembled more than a few hours here.

stagpanther · February 5, 2018, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Got a couple of new mags in today, and passed on the ejector info to the friend that is building it for me. He copied the thread info and plans on doing the modifications to the ejector as stated. I won't get to pick up the rifle until after about the middle of march, but I should have all ready to go long before then.

I wouldn't mess with the bolt until you're sure you actually have a problem. @mobuck--probably "barrel interuptus"--I suffer that in most my builds.

Chaparral · February 5, 2018, 10:49 PM

ASC mags. And I shoot Hornady 123gr SST. Fun, reliable rifle. I have a Wicked Arms upper on a Spike's Crusader lower. Very nice looking rifle.

Ibmikey · February 6, 2018, 03:13 AM

Mobuck, His parts will go together quickly after his mandatory OD Ceracoat, the delay will be having Stony drive a couple thousand miles to pick it up....ain’t no free delivery here

February 2, 2018, 10:27 AM	#1
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	6.5 Grendel question A good friend is putting together a 6.5 Grendel for me. I have messed around with 5.56 and 6.5 Creedmore quite a lot in the AR platform, but never Grendel. The caliber just sort of intrigues me and I thought I should maybe play with one some, as I do quite a lot of hog hunting and stuff like that. I know nothing about mags as far as the caliber, and thought maybe someone on here could educate me.

February 2, 2018, 11:29 AM	#2
doofus47 Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2010 Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent Posts: 2,483	There are a number of 5 and 10 round 6.5 G specific mags on the market. I have some by Armalite that work fine. Polymer 20 round magazines are sort of a holy grail, in that generally the bulge created by the 6.5 cartridges pushing against the walls and deform when the round count exceeds 15 or so. A lot more people with a a lot more knowledge than I have post up here: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/forum.php You'll enjoy your 6.5G. It's in a very sweet spot for intermediate cartridges (that don't need to load out to 30 in a mag). __________________ I'm right about the metric system 3/4 of the time.

February 4, 2018, 12:05 AM	#6
stagpanther Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2014 Posts: 11,786	Are you going to be hand-loading ammo? If so, you'll probably find some mags are better than others in handling COL's of various lengths. I've built some grendels or catted variations of it--and it's a great cartridge design, especially for being able to seat long pointy bullets. But it's also a "finicky" one in my experience--it seems to be more demanding of precision alignment of everything--otherwise there can be issues of cycling the cartridge from the mag. What I'm talking about isn't necessarily whether or not the rifle will successfully feed and fire or not--but minimizing the "bash around" factor on the way into the chamber--those deflections/abrasions etc IMO take a toll on the accuracy consistency. I have lots of grendel mags including some very expensive ones from premium manufacturers--but I also have a C products mag (one of the cheaper ones I might add) that I trimmed the feed lips and front retaining tabs back a bit in order to get an "optimal feed angle" of a long cartridge--this is my "last resort when nothing else will work" magazine in that it has worked with every build I've done when stock magazines might have had issues. __________________ "Everyone speaks gun."--Robert O'Neill *I am NOT an expert--I do not have any formal experience or certification in firearms use or testing; use any information I post at your own risk!*

February 5, 2018, 10:20 AM	#11
stagpanther Senior Member Join Date: March 2, 2014 Posts: 11,786	Grendel barss isn't shy about telling you it's getting run warm--expect routine expansion which you need to keep an eye on when reloading, a good case gauge and small base full-length dies are useful--I've found grendel cases almost always need the shoulders bumped back a bit when resizing. __________________ "Everyone speaks gun."--Robert O'Neill *I am NOT an expert--I do not have any formal experience or certification in firearms use or testing; use any information I post at your own risk!*

February 5, 2018, 11:18 AM	#12
Double Naught Spy Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2001 Location: Forestburg, Montague Cnty, TX Posts: 12,717	PSA ASC Mag warning. Actually, it goes for any brand, potentially. Fellows have reported to me the same issue with some 6.8 mags as well and not from ASC. They don't always seem to have the front edge of the mag low enough and the cartridge lips hang up on them. https://youtu.be/0Axr5m1Daxc Hornady SST 123 gr. is the best thing going for killing hogs in factory ammo at a reasonable price. Expect overpenetration on most broadside shots on hogs up to 200-225 lbs. unless you hit the humerus directly. Precision Firearms offers Berger VLD-Hunting 130gr. that creates some of the most horrendous wounds in hogs I have seen, but it costs about double (I don't reload). I wasn't impressed with Hornady ELD-M on hogs. It seems to have inconsistent performance. Federal Fusion 120 gr., about the same price as SST, is a tad lighter, tad faster, and with a lower BC. It tends to bore holes through hogs and it much more meat-friendly than SST. I like my Grendels just fine. __________________ "If you look through your scope and see your shoe, aim higher." -- said to me by my 11 year old daughter before going out for hogs 8/13/2011 My Hunting Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/HornHillRange

February 2, 2018, 11:48 AM	#3
SwwPlayboy Member Join Date: April 14, 2014 Location: Texas Posts: 74	I got mine from alexander arms for about $20. Stock from 4 round mags to 20. Never had an issue with them. Made of good stuff

February 2, 2018, 07:50 PM	#4
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	I ended up ordering some ASC mags, as they seem to be highly regarded. Thanks for the help guys !

February 2, 2018, 09:31 PM	#5
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	ASC works for me.

February 4, 2018, 09:07 AM	#7
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	FWIW The Hornady ELD ammo just barely fits my group of ASC mags. Very slight extra length in the mag.

February 4, 2018, 09:35 AM	#8
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	I ordered 100 rds of Hornady 123 SST ammo to get started with and provide me with some brass at the same time. I use that bullet in the 6.5 Creedmore and love the results I get with it as far as accuracy and dropping hogs. I'll probably be loading that same bullet for the Grendel.

February 5, 2018, 10:03 AM	#10
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	Sounds like a good plan to me....I'll have to check out Midway's brass.

February 5, 2018, 12:00 PM	#13
rg1 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2001 Posts: 1,125	Haven't had any issues with ASC mags, all sizes, from this site: https://www.44mag.com/category/s?keyword=6%2C5+grendel

February 5, 2018, 12:09 PM	#14
rg1 Senior Member Join Date: November 6, 2001 Posts: 1,125	Make sure your builder does this ejector pin modification. Made my cycling-feeding issues go away. It's a necessary modification but it seems manufacturers haven't picked up on it yet. I wouldn't try the quick fix but would remove the pin and radius like the picture. http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/...er-cartridges/

February 5, 2018, 07:24 PM	#17
Old Stony Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2013 Location: East Texas Posts: 1,705	Got a couple of new mags in today, and passed on the ejector info to the friend that is building it for me. He copied the thread info and plans on doing the modifications to the ejector as stated. I won't get to pick up the rifle until after about the middle of march, but I should have all ready to go long before then.

February 5, 2018, 08:27 PM	#18
Mobuck Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2010 Posts: 6,846	"I won't get to pick up the rifle until after about the middle of march," Holy Cow, parts kits(or just parts) rarely survive un-assembled more than a few hours here.

February 5, 2018, 10:49 PM	#20
Chaparral Senior Member Join Date: January 14, 2018 Posts: 264	6.5 Grendal ASC mags. And I shoot Hornady 123gr SST. Fun, reliable rifle. I have a Wicked Arms upper on a Spike's Crusader lower. Very nice looking rifle.

February 6, 2018, 03:13 AM	#21
Ibmikey Senior Member Join Date: June 1, 2013 Location: Now relocated to Texas Posts: 2,943	Mobuck, His parts will go together quickly after his mandatory OD Ceracoat, the delay will be having Stony drive a couple thousand miles to pick it up....ain’t no free delivery here