Years ago back in the 1960's, I knew a trapper who harvested his venison with a 22 MAG rifle. He told me that he made head or neck shots out to about 75 yards or so and his scoped rifle worked quite well for him. I am not advocating for the 22 MAG, just sharing that a careful shot and patient hunter can do quite well with a less than ideal deer rifle.
The Russian 7.62 X 39 cartridge has a lot going for it to make ethical kill shots (chest organs) to approx 125 yards or so. In my opinion, the 6.5 Grendel fills a niche for the AR platform but not for a bolt action carbine. If it were me, I would be happy with the 7.62 little Russian cartridge.
Sherwood
