Red's Pages

The 6.5 Grendel
It seems like every time we pick up a shooting or hunting magazine, there is talk of a new, innovative caliber being introduced.  If we took the purchase advice of every gun writer, we’d have to have gun safes so big they would rival the safe at our local bank.

Every once and a while though, something really interesting comes along.  For me, it happened to be the 6.5 Grendel, built on an AR-15 platform.  Here is a word or two about the Grendel from Alexander Arms, the father of the 6.5 Grendel.

“The 6.5 Grendel® provides an extreme range capability for hunting, competition and tactical applications at ranges way beyond those previously achievable with this class of weapon. The 6.5 Grendel® has the flexibility to move from lightweight varmint bullets in the 90 grain class, which offer superb accuracy for competition and small game shooting, to mid weight 108/120 grain competition bullets and then on to 130 and 140 grain bullets, ideal for longer range, tactical shooting.

The 6.5 Grendel® is challenging the status quo in Military and Law Enforcement units around the world. First unveiled in May 2003 at the Blackwater Training facility in NC, the 6.5 Grendel® out-shot the 7.62 NATO at range with half the recoil. Still supersonic at 1200 yards, the 6.5 Grendel® delivered superior external ballistics to the 7.62 NATO. Utter reliability, superior external and terminal ballistics than the current state of the art, outstanding accuracy in a lightweight M16/AR-15 platform it is what appears to be the pinnacle for what may be achieved in the M16/AR-15 chassis. The 6.5 Grendel® is not a series of compromises, but rather the perfect marriage of mechanical function, internal, external and terminal ballistics all working in harmony.

Shooting a 123-grain Lapua Scenar with a ballistic coefficient of .547 and a muzzle velocity of 2600 fps delivers outstanding accuracy out to 1200 yards. At 600 yards, tennis ball size targets are no match for this flat shooting round. For extreme accuracy, formidable terminal ballistics and long range applications, the 6.5 Grendel® from Alexander Arms is unbeatable.

Compared to the 5.56 the 6.5 Grendel® with roughly twice the lead mass gives you the potential for twice the mass of fragments, and if maximum fragmentation is coincident with maximum temporary cavity, the terminal ballistics are quite convincing indeed all in a package that shoots flatter, with 50% less felt recoil than 7.62 NATO M80 ball.”

After reading many, many articles and asking a load of questions on the AR and Grendel forums, I decided to take the leap and build a California legal, AR platform 6.5 Grendel.

The nice part about building your own AR platform based rifle is that you can really budget your costs and purchase the component parts bit by bit, when you can spare the bucks.  Another wonderful advantage of the AR platform is the variety of aftermarket component manufacturers offering choices galore for hand guards, stocks and other custom add-ons.

For me, I wanted a rifle that was accurate to at least 300 or 400 yards, lightweight, semi-automatic for quick follow-up shots, short and easy handling but capable of providing enough punch to down an Antelope, if need be. 

The 6.5 Grendel fit the need perfectly.  I could load bullets from 90-grain to 140-grain and slam everything from coyote to larger game animals.

Hoo Ra!  
I had never built an AR from the ground up before so I consulted with one of my long time friends, Jim Sokolowski, who now lives in the free state of Tennessee.  Jim has built a bunch of ARs and he gave me lots of good info.  Jim recommended one particular book that was the key to my successful build.  I purchased the book, took advantage of Jim’s other advice and got myself the special AR gunsmith tools necessary for the job.  The internet also played a major role in this projects’ success.  Especially the info on www.AR15.com and the posts on the Alexander Arms forum.  There was also good advice on the www.Californiapredatorsclub.com site.

Decisions, Decisions
The first choice was a barrel.  I chose a 16” stainless barrel from Alexander arms.  It also comes with a fitted Grendel bolt.  That took a while to arrive.  (Note that all of the manufacturers are very slow in the barrel department.  Expect up to a 90-day or longer wait.)
I wanted the short barrel to save weight and research and reports from other 16” barreled Grendel owners were very positive.  Accuracy did not suffer with the shorter barrel.

After you pick your barrel, you have to choose lots of other stuff such as:

Gas block style

Hand guard style

Lower receiver brand (stripped)

Upper receiver style & brand

Upper receiver parts & bolt carrier

Stock style & brand

Lower receiver parts kit

Trigger group upgrades

Receiver grip style

Scope rail & mounts

The above list represents the general component parts and there are a lot of other little goodies to consider too. The really fun part is that you can build your own accurate, custom rifle, fitted with the exact parts you want. The secret to getting an accurate build is to purchase the proper tools for the job and follow the assembly instructions (to the letter) from the experts.  Every AR specific assembly tool you need is available from Midway USA at reasonable prices. 

The longest wait was for my barrel.  That wait gave me plenty of time to shop around and check out the various styles of other components.  I took my time, saved up and bought the parts when I could afford to.  The day my barrel arrived was surely a happy one.  I unpacked it and I was treated to the sight of a beautifully made, Alexander Arms stainless barrel.

While waiting for my barrel, I had time to assemble my lower receiver and stock.  Instead of using the trigger that came with the DMPS lower receiver parts kit, I ordered a 3-pound, drop-in Timney trigger assembly.  That made things really easy because it was simply a matter of dropping it into place and presto, instant custom trigger.  The Timney gives the rifle a nice, crisp breaking trigger with no fuss or bother.

I chose a collapsible stock for this rifle because I wanted light and small.  It’s comfortable to shoot, stows easily and it worked out perfectly.

Kaliforniastan Legal
Some of you may be wondering about the legality of this build.  Read the laws and refer to Calguns.net for the complete skinny.  I am not going to go into all of the details here but knowing our legislature, if I were you, I’d pick up a bare “off list” AR lower receiver or two while you still can. 

This build is not an assault rifle and does not have to be registered as one.  The key to this designation is the magazine.  By California law, if the rifle has other naughty features (handgrip, semi-auto, collapsible stock, etc.), the magazine must be fixed in place and can only be removed by using a tool.  See me for more details.

After completing the rifle, I fit the rifle with a 6 X 24 X 50 Bushnell Elite 4200 Tactical scope.  It is very bright and clear with tactical adjustment knobs, side focus and a mil-dot reticle.

Once assembled, I painted the entire rig for desert hunting using the DuraCoat process. 

I finally got to the range with it, broke in the barrel carefully and sighted it in at 100-yards using ammo pushing 120-grain Nosler ballistic tips.  I was not disappointed.  It took a couple of shots to get on paper, another few to dial into the bull and then it was 7-rounds into the same hole.  My buddy was at the range with me and saw the big sh** eating grin on my face.  I was hoping and praying it would be a shooter and it certainly was.

Shooting an AR took a little getting used to for me.  It has a different feel than a bolt rifle but once you get used to it, it really grows on you.  I am very pleased with my build and this rifle, weighing in at only 8.5 pounds including scope, will be my carry rifle for an upcoming antelope hunt.  I plan on slamming a few yotes with it real soon too.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can build an AR platform rifle in a variety of calibers including 204 Ruger, 223, and more powerful options like the 6.5 Grendel.  If this sort of project is of interest to you, feel free to contact me for more information. 

Pictured at the right is the first Ram I took with my Grendel.