Cartridges and the platforms that shoot them.

[Larry in SD]

The topic "Hunting: What's a long shot to you?" got me to thinking. Due to circumstances beyond my control I have had to sell just about all of my guns. What I have left is my Customized Ruger MKII 22/45 Stainless Steel 5 1/2" Bull Barrel that was my late brothers and a DPMS Oracle 16" .223.

At some point in the future I am going to be needing to purchase a Rifle for the specific purpose of Hunting Whitetail Deer. The topic "Hunting: What's a long shot to you?" got me to actually sit down and remember all of the Whitetail Deer I have had the good fortune to take since I started hunting in 1967 and what I used to take each one. Cartridges have included the .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, 6mm Remington, .270 Winchester, .280 Remington, .308 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. With the right bullet placed in the proper place each and every cartridge did what it was needed to do, put Whitetail Deer down.

In addition I have taken deer with Speciality Pistols in the following chamberings: .223 Remington, 6mm-223, 6mm T/CU, .243 Winchester, .250 Savage, 7-30 Waters, 7mm IHMSA & .30-30 Ackley Improved. Again with the right bullet placed in the proper place each and every cartridge did what it was needed to do, put Whitetail Deer down.

I doing all of this reflecting I also fully realized there are some of those Rifles and Speciality Pistols that I should have never sold but that could be an entire topic all by itself. At any rate I have come to the realization that while I much prefer Speciality Pistols if there is a Rifle format that I like shooting better than the Speciality Pistols it would have to be an AR-15.

For some unknown reason my percentage on Coyotes has quadrupled when I started using an AR-15. I just find them more comfortable to shoot from field shooting positions compared to any other style of gun I have ever used. Once set up right I also find the AR-15 very easy to shoot from the bench also.

In the end I have narrowed down what I think I want to a 20" AR-15 Upper Receiver Assembly (to fit on the Lower Receiver I currently have). I do not want a Varmint Type Bull Barrel but do not want a barrel pencil thin either. In the 20" AR-15 the H Bar that I believe Colt first introduced would fit the bill for what I need. As for the chambering well that has not been quite as easily decided.

At times given the area I hunt (mainly open farmland and a couple different dried up lake bottom) ranges tend to stretch past 300 yards at times. Trees are scarce in my part of the country as are fence rows etc. Our terrain is basically flat for the most part and every possible inch of ground that can be tilled and farmed these days is.

I have been contemplating the purchase of a J&T Distributing 6.5 Grendel Upper Receiver Assembly. Yes it may well be a while before I can afford one but then from that I have learned they are not currently available either but are a order and wait type of deal.

I would really like you thoughts on the 6.5 Grendel.

Thanks

Larry

 

[Vince]

The 6.5 Grendel is on my short list for a new AR build.

Anything in 6.5 is a heart warmer to me.

 

[FOTIS]

I like the 6.5G very much. Respect!

 

[filmjunkie4ever]

It's very accurate, not overly powerful but for the parameters you mentioned I can't think of a better choice frankly. It's very efficient and doesn't take a lot of work to get it to shoot. A good whitetail cartridge indeed and all you would have to do is locate an AR-15 6.5 Grendel upper and the proper magazines and you would be set.

I've not killed anything with the 6.5 Grendel but have shot lots of them. I have one friend who has used his to kill a cow elk. Another friend has used his to shoot a feral mouflon sheep. The 123 grain Hornady is far and away the most popular bullet. I have gotten it clocked at 2500 fps with a max load of Varget. My brother in law put the last 7 rounds of a 20 round box of reloads into a ragged hole at 100 yards at the end of a shooting session.

For what you're wanting to do, I would say go for it.

 

[Wolfshead]

I would love to have a ar15 in the 6.5 Grendel!
I would be a little concerned with it passed 250 yds however, especially for deer.
It might be worth looking into an ar10 platform in maybe a .243 or something?
Similar platform just a little bigger cartridge.

 

[hunter24605]

The Grendel is a fantastic little round. My daughter has taken whitetail, coyote, hogs, and 1 smallish black bear. All with the 123 SST. I use Leverevolution with excellent speed/accuracy. I can’t speak to its outer limit performance, but I used it on a whitetail doe at around 275 yards and she went 30 yards and nosedived. I think I will try the new Hammer 105 grain AHT bullet for a do-all bullet for anything you'd shoot with a Grendel.

 

[salmonchaser]

I think the genius of the AR-15 platform is shootability, ease of training, which of course is related, functional reliability and ease of modification and available mods. I don’t know much about the cartridge but the project sounds interesting. Me, I would go buy another Ruger #1.
I hope your troubles are over and you get this project off the ground shortly.