Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC for best all round AR caliber.

I haven't bought an upper yet. I do have s 223. I also have three 308's, bolt, lever, and semi. So I really don't need the Grendel. The local stores are selling far more 300 Blackouts right now for several reasons. Same parts as 223 like bolt and magazines. With a can hunting hogs is easier. One guy in south Georgia killed 8 hogs with his 300 BO and the herd didn't run off. All were under 100 yards though. 300 has same ballistics as 7.62x39, but feeds better in any AR platform, and brass can be made from 223 brass. They say it is about as loud as a pellet gun or 22lr with CB longs.

I think what confuses people is they see that the 6.8 is a bigger caliber and has more muzzle velocity. What they apparently don't understand is the ballistic coefficient (BC)factor. It means that the Grendel holds it's power much longer while the short stubby 6.8SPC sheds it velocity/energy/power quickly. Already at 100 yards the Grendel already has more energy and velocity. The shape of the 6.5mm bullet also means its more resistant to wind and penetrates deeper.

I get the advantages of the higher B/c's and I agreed with your earlier argument of the inherent accuracy etc.

Less time of flight/ less wind drift = inherently mo accurate

I love everything in this world that is 6.5

I was doing my research in the context of finding a good combat self defense weapon and also taking into consideration my budget... so I guess I was not on the same page as the the OP looking about for a good hog gun.

Unless the Grendel gets a lot lot mo popular and like the other poster said... and Walmart starts carrying boxes on a regular basis, then for a 400 yard combat application I think the 6.8 winds on logistics not ballistics.

This latest darth of components since BHO and then Newtown has taught me a lesson I will NEVER forget. Availability, ordinary, common, boring.... and lots of it LOL

Look at the 100 yard mark the Grendel already has a 100 point lead in HITS.

http://www.hornady.com/hits/calculator
Read more about HITS here

I learned something quit different. The more common the quicker it sales out. 223/5.56mm is the first to go. It does not matter what caliber its going to be off the shelves in minutes. Get a round with better ballistics and stock up and get into reloading. I'm getting my reloading kit together. Got my powder brass and bullets. Got my press and dies just need the rest of the odds and ends.

This place cracks me up..

Wolf is coming out with cheapo steal case grendel this fall.

I don't believe there is a single AR15 chambering that excels at accuracy, firepower, defense, and elk hunting.

If you step up to the AR10, you might have some realistic choices to cover all those bases.

My solution has been that both my AR's are 5.56/223, and I have boltguns in 308 and 30-06 for heavy or LR work.

As far as the 6.8 SPC vs 6.5 Grendel go, they are both neat rounds, but if either one were too light in the azz, I wouldn't pick the other as a solution. I'd make a real step up.

Very well said..

That's why I bought a SCAR 17S

The 308 platforms are heavy. Like I said, I have 308's already. I have 30-06 and 35 Whelen. I was thinking for kind of a do all cartridge. I also reload. If you have brass, primers, power and bullets, you don't have to worry about the stores running out. For instance, I have a 35 Whelen. I can reload it with premium bullets for around $10-$12 a box of 20. I can make brass from 30-06 brass. The cheapest 35 Whelen I have found is Remington at $40 a box for Core-Loks. Right next to them were 30-06 Core-loks for $20 a box. Go figure. Same thing can be done with the 6.5 Grendel. You can make brass from 7.62x39 brass, but the 6.8 uses Remington brass and there are no common brass for the 6.8. Another advantage for the Grendel.

I noticed during the shortage, there is plenty of 17HMR on the shelves. Also 7mm08, but 223 and 308's were/are hard to find. Reloading is the way to go. You can use a Lee hand press, the die set for caliber, several hundred bullets, 100 brass and 1,000 primers, one pound can of powder, and it all fits in a 50 caliber ammo can. Most brass can be reloaded about 10 times, so that translates into 1,000 shells. Not bad. This is also probably cheaper than buying and storing 1,000 cartridges.

So in a bug out situation the 6.5 Grendel with your can, and you are set to go. The cartridge can cover a wider range of game, along with a 22 pistol just about anything would be covered. If you were in a vehicle a 223 upper with its kit can also be carried.

All that being said, the 223 with heavy bullets can bring down a deer. I use 62 grain TSX's with just short of max load for hunting and 55g fmj's for defense.

Bug out.. patriot rifles.. people, please come to your senses.

WTF are you babbling about?

I'm not the one doing the babbling, dude..

Pour another one RL

Only one? Try to keep up, Polly.

I'm a lightweight, gotta date with a shoal bass tommorrow.

The Grendel is not an ideal Elk round but it can bring them dowm. The 6.5mm is to Elk what a 223 is to deer. Is it ideal? No but it can bring them down absolutely. Remember you can load 140gr high BC bullets like the Berger Match VLD Hunting with a .612 BC and a 2315fps mv. Is it as good as a 30-06? No but people have dropped Elk at 400 yards with the Grendel.

my 6.8 shoots 1/2 grps at 100yds with a 16in barrel.i didn't try to build a long range gun,just a medium range gun that is very accurate. oh,i wouldn't buy ammo at walmart if they had it.

Loading a 1.4" bullet into an AR15 mag length should be interesting..

People of Walmart, and "patriot rifles" aside, I'm still not seeing much killing difference between the two carts..