Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Help me choose a cartridge or two, new AR builds

Definitely do not want to make a regrettable mistake and I appreciate any responses giving me something to consider.

I do have a couple of 6.5 Grendel barrels on hand, but I'm just not looking to own two more Grendels. As mentioned earlier, my pair of hunting ARs are a 5.56 and 6.5G and I'm thinking I may make up another like pair and use my night vision & thermal on the two 5.56s and conventional optics on the pair of Grendels for daylight use. I don't need two of each but it would be nice to be able to outfit a companion on a hog hunt. Hogs would be the application in any case.

The more I look around the more I am seeing stuff I've never heard of, some of it pretty impressive. The .30 AR looks pretty good on paper, but brass may get pretty rare. It's available, but I have no idea how long that will be the case. I don't mind doing a little bit of work to convert brass but I want to avoid things that could become really time consuming.

I ran across the 6.5 Timberwolf, and that one looks like a Grendel killer from where I sit. Another one from the same outfit is the .30 Sabercat, and it looks pretty impressive on paper also---considering the limitations of the AR15 platform. I've found some commentary on the Timberwolf and need to read through it. I do not want to discover pitfalls that others have discovered already.

Bottom line is, I'm going to assemble a couple more ARs and I'd like to do something different...maybe something that gets more out of the platform than the 7.62x39, 5.56, 6.5G, and the 6.8 SPC. Of those, I think the 6.5 Grendel offers the most potential performance but I like to try out new stuff now and then. There's an awful lot out there these days if you get to lookin around.

Stick, weren't you fiddling with a 6mm Grendel a while back?

Only the one's where Big Stick participates.

I shoot multiple 22 and 6mm Grendels and can't say enough good things,about both chamberings.

Stick, hang with me a bit here. I'm really liking the idea of that 6mm Grendel, but help me out: this is the same as .243 LBC and 6mm AR, no? I'm gettin so much white noise of the webz I can't tell what's straight and what's not. I can see both lowers morphing into this one to be my daytime guns. Still wanna know more about that 6.5 Timberwolf, though.

i have both a 25-45 sharps and a 458 socom. really like both.
the drawback with the 25 sharps occurs when you neck up 223/556 brass.and to a lesser degree even using head stamped sharps brass. at my age i can't see the size difference in the bullet and run the risk of getting a 25 in one of my 223's. don't know if it would really cause problems but the possibility of the bullet being forced back in the case, then firing, makes me double and triple check if i have them out at the same time.

the 458 socom i just can't get enough of. the OS of the AR platform tames the recoil (i have MS and am recoil aware but not shy)
mine loves the 300g CT silver tips and consistently shoots 1.25 inch at 100 benched. shot a whitetail last season and it fell so fast i thought i missed.

another chambering i really like and is my beside the bed rifle is in 7.62x39. just so much fun it should be a sin.

my favorite of all is my 22 mag. cuts a ragged .75 inch at 100 off the bench. just flat out makes me grin every time i shoot it.

Stick, I think I'm sold on 6mm Grendel/6mm AR and now I'm looking at reloading. I noticed in one of your photos there is a Forster 6mm PPC seater. If at all possible I want to use a Forster seater. Is that the seater you're using for 6mm Grendel?

I'm thinking I'll build one on one of the new lowers and convert my 6.5G to 6G so I'll have two of them.

One more question...does that 108 ELD-M expand well on big critters? I do like heavier bullets for penetration but don't much care about the BC even though weight contributes to it, I just think of higher BC as a cherry on top. I think I'd find the 103 ELD-X to be very acceptable. I'm thinking hogs here. That's what attracts me to the AR as a hunting platform.

Can you drive a 108 fast enough,to have expansion "issues" at muzzle burn impact distances? Nope. Will you find many(any) of them? Nope.

As mentioned prior,I'd simply shoot the 105 Hornie HPBT at everything and for everything. They are rugged bastards and could give a fhuqk less,about the transition from magwell,up a feedramp and into the chamber. They fly exceptionally(.530BC),are easily sourced,are very uniform Lot to Lot and simply leave nothing to wish for.

Keep schit simple and simply shoot it a bunch.

Hint...................