12" 6.5 Grendel Update 5 month Review

[LRRPF52]

I've had a 12" Grendel project in the works for a while. Finally got it together earlier this year, took it out to 800yds at one of my LR courses in May.

Even with a little 1-4x GRSC discontinued Korean scope, it was almost boring hitting a mini buffalo silhouette at 800yds.

Here's the particular canyon range I'm talking about with the 800yd buffalo indicated with a red dot:




All the closer targets from 150-500yds were boring to shoot as well. I field-zero'd it on one of the steel bowling-pin like targets, then proceeded to use the stadia lines to engage further 18" steel plates. Thing was smokin' steel right out of the gate, with a lot of audible impact on the steel to the shooter and spotters.

Muzzle climb is noticeably more than an 18" Grendel, but I was shooting with improvised support, no bipod, off the bench. I would say the recoil unsuppressed is halfway between an AK and a 16" or 18" Grendel, but definitely a little more muzzle climb than 5.56 when shooting 123gr from the Grendel.

I shot it another time after that at distance. All ammo up to that time has been 123gr Hornady American Gunner ($139.99 at Sportsman's Warehouse for 200), and has run 100% like a champ. I expected to have problems with this set-up since I was testing 2 new major component systems at the same time with the Maxim Defense PDW, and a group buy 12" Faxon barrel. Instead, it ran like a raped ape, perfect 4 o'clock ejection, always locked on last round, just really nice cyclic rate behavior out of the gate with 123gr Hornady AG.




While I was at Scout camp last month, as soon as we got to the lake and put the boat in the water, I get a call from my NFA dealer, letting me know my TBAC can was free from jail. Had to wait a week, but what's another week when you've waited for 10 months. This past Friday, I finally got to chronograph the little blaster with and without the suppressor to get some baseline numbers.

12" Unsuppressed 90gr TNT Federal AE, 91˚F:

2702
2681 FTFeed (The Maxim Defense PDW brace action spring is much stiffer than a standard carbine spring, so 90gr TNT wouldn't fully cycle the action.)
2670
2642 FTFeed
2654 FTLock on last round

Avg: 2670fps

Suppressed 90gr TNT
2675
2658
2660
2671
2685

2723
2700
2690
2682

Avg: 2683fps

120gr American Eagle Suppressed, 12" Grendel

2360 2411 2384
2375 2398
2374 2397
2387 2349
2384 2406

Avg: 2384 fps

I'm using a Bootleg Adjustable Gas Bolt Carrier, and ended up turning it all the way to the Suppressed position. It's a very easy system to use by simply turning the regulator with a small flat head, which is accessible through the ejection port-no need to disassembly anything.

So far, this little blaster is genuinely exceeding my expectations, and everything ballistics programs said it should do, it has so far at distance. I'll be testing some better target bullets for distance, and hunting bullets for 200-400yds. Those include:

130gr Nosler RDF
107gr SMK
110gr Lehigh Controlled Chaos (1500fps expansion threshold)
95gr Controlled Chaos
95gr VMAX

[turnburglar]

Awesome range report!!

It's funny because I was just takling to my buddy about starting a Grendel upper, and remarked that faxon made a 12" barrel. I just installed their 14.5" match gunner in 556, and want to get it out with my 77gr ammo and see what it will do.

For a hunting/SPR rifle I was thinking of building a 18" match gunner in 6.5 Grendel. What kind of velocity are you getting from your 18?

[gunnerblue]

You and I think along the same lines. I’ve been experimenting with 129 gr. Accubond LR’s in this build. With IMR 8208 XBR, I’m getting just under 2100 FPS into one m.o.a with the Ballistic Advantage barrel. With the minimum expansion velocity of this bullet (1300 FPS), this load should theoretically be good out ~650 yards where I hunt





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[DCB]

Really like the build, LRRPF52. Can you get good cheek weld with that PDW stock?

[LRRPF52]

Really like the build, LRRPF52. Can you get good cheek weld with that PDW brace?

I was expecting the Maxim PDW brace to feel like some kind of face grinder.

Honestly, it feels like a SOPMOD almost to me, to the extent that I never gave it a second thought after using it. It's far more comfortable than an MP5A3, for example, and just not a detrimental factor in ergonomics as I feared it might be. Great little set-up for compactness.

Now that I've had the thing out for another 5 months, I have more updates.

Reliability has been 100% with 120gr Federal OTMs and Hornady 123gr American Gunner, which I buy locally at Sportsman's Warehouse for 70cpr.

What I do now when I go to that particular range at the North Springs Range Complex is immediately take it out of the case, get into a hasty magazine monopod position, and shoot first on the 800yd buffalo with a best guess for wind. On at least 2 occasions, that has resulted in just off the edge, followed by emptying the mag on the buffalo, with the satisfaction of hearing the dings.

450yd steel is 10/10 even with loosened up fundamentals and the same 1-4x scope using holds from the 5.56 NATO M855 trajectory band, with about a 150yd zero maybe.

Looking at the difference in my brass with the Bootleg carrier, before I dialed it down to suppressed, the cases were coming out as one would expect, pretty dirty. After dialing to "S", they come out much cleaner, indistinguishable from unsuppressed brass. At least with the Federal 120gr Match.



I've shot both the 120gr Match and Hornady 123gr AG at that range with no huge differences in results, which are more dependent on conditions (temperature). Barometric pressure is much lower up there at anywhere from 6400-6600ft ASL, depending on which part of the range you're at.

I made a little graphic to show some comparisons between an AKM and a 12" Grendel shooting 123gr Scenar.

[NongShim]

What a cool concept. Glad to see it’s working out well.

[klc4622]

Nice hybrid you have there and the 6.5 grendel is superior to the 5.56/.223 and your test results show that even though you are comparing the 6.5 with the 7.62. I know you are talking 6.5 Grendel but the 6.5 Creedmoor was a hard sell for me until I actually got adequate range time. As an old sniper, the advantages are: flatter trajectory than the typical .308. Terminal Ballistics are superior/ barrier penetration and hitting long range targets under extreme windy conditions I still had tighter groupings. I made sure that the conditions were as equal as you can find in Afghanistan and anyone who has been there knows about the wind factor. I am sold...wait I am so old hahaha. Seriously I think it is better for the 500 yd+ range targets than the .308. When hitting targets in the 500 yard range the .308 give similar results but we are looking at moving from one DMR type round to another and the Military can either be either 911 fast or post office slow. One weapon that needs to be replaced immediately is the M240 LWMG. General Dynamics has the solution, the LWMMG chambered in the .338 Norma Magnum. This weapon has been field tested (not in combat) and the report(s) have been submitted. This weapon is a sniper accurate when mounted and can reach out and drop a target at 1700 meters. That is way beyond the capabilities of M240 or PKM (which is overmatching our 240's). Yeah the ammo is heavier but the weapon weighs 3 lbs less than the 240 so to me it's a win win but it's being viewed in post office mode. I personally believe this is where the efforts need to be focused and they are but the powers to be actually have said "well you can always call in air power if you are getting overrun". Crickets overcame me....I mean damn

[Skeeter98]

Would a 12.5 inch BA barrel be better than a 12 inch faxon in this caliber? The faxon has nitriding and 5r while the BA does not. This is a very interesting concept. The fact that steel cased ammo can be found for as low as 25 cents a round with decent terminal ballistics makes this even more intriguing. Also what is the reliability and or lifespan of a 6.5 G carbine? Id imagine a lot less than a 5.56 chambered rifle.

[pinzgauer]

LRRPF, if you did not plan to run suppressed, would you still stick with the 12" or go up to 14.5 to get a bit more steam yet stay in your general length envelope?

[Ned Christiansen]

Interesting and well explained. My re-interest in 6.5G just got ratcheted up a little.