Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles New '15 cartridge...

Thinkin' of a new rifle or maybe only an upper, but I want a new cartridge. Something that works well in the AR-15 package, but is more suited for hunting and has commonly available brass & bullets. 6MM AR/ARC? 6x45? 25-45? 350 Legend? 450 Bushmaster? 458 SOCOM? Whatcha'll running and like? Deer/hogs/coyotes would be the only animals targeted... TIA

6.5 Grendel

https://youtu.be/82aV7oK1X5A

Grendel
Legend
Arc

No need for the biguns here. Actually, a regular .223 would do too, but there are still places it ain’t legal. If the Midwest is a possibility, the Legend is legal every where AFIK. Might get one myself, though I need another rifle about as much as I need another winky.

25-45 Sharps will work on all with the 87 grain gold dot bullets.

Even large hogs don't like it and it shoots like the 250 savage.

I think the 87 gr is a Hot Cor not a Gold Dot. Either way the 25-45 will handle it.

I've been having fun with my 6x45 for the last year. Very easy to convert 223 rem brass to 6x45. Just run it through the die and you are done. Simple to load for, but you are limited to the type of bullets it likes. That's the main downside to the cartridge. But, with that being said, mine likes 100gr hornady btsp's for heavies, down to 58gr pills. It really likes the 85gr Sierra gameking for a do it all bullet.

I’ve lusted after a 6.5 G but really don’t know why. Got enough stuff “just to have” already.

I migrated away from 223/556 ar's.
I went with a 6.5 Grendel as my first, and now, starting a 6mm ARC build.
I've heard and read about how efficient these to are, to bullet weigh, powder capacity.
I coyote hunt, and my 223/556, AR's do just fine, but my thoughts of a heavier, wind bucking bullet, like my 243 uses, swayed me to the 6mm ARC.
The plus is, the states who allow semi auto centerfires for big game, but 22 calibers are not.
Enter a lightweight AR, shooting something like a 120 gr ballistic tip, or a hunting bullet of your choosing!

I just had to be different tho.

I’m a big fan of the 6.8 SPC for deer hunting. I have used it for years and really enjoy it. If I didn’t already have the 6.8, I would lean to the 6.5 Grendel. Practically speaking, it and the 6.8 are very similar hunting cartridges so it’s a tossup.


I’m leaning towards a .450 Bushmaster for something different to use with a Hybrid 46 but that’s another project down the road.

My buddy has been messing with the .358 Yeti, shortened .308 Win brass to feed an AR-15. Bullets have been a little tough to find 180gr HC and 200 gr FTX so far have been the most accurate for him. He's getting mid 2300 fps with the FTX.

I'm still playing with the .300 BO, if I wasn't shooting suppressed, I'd probably make it a .300 Hamr. So far I've killed 2 Oklahoma whitetails, one with a Ruger American Ranch rifle and the other a 7.5" AR pistol. Both worked very well with supersonic bullets inside 100 yards with a 130 grain TTSX and 125 grain SMK. This year I'll try some 190 grain Sub-X bullets as I have a few loaded up to try. I'd like to try some Lehigh or Maker expanding subsonic bullets as well.

We were discussing this today. Last weekend I shot my 77 grain SMK load out to 600 with my 1-4 Trijicon and felt solid it was a good fit for me. (and it is)

Today we went back out and I was shooting another 223 with 75 grain HPBT’s and the wind got both of us. Had to go to the 75 Amax to beat it at 500 and especially 600. Got us to thinking about the 6.5 Grendel. I’ve already taken the 6.5 CM to 1000 with a 140 grain ELD at just over 2300 FPS so the Grendel is finally starting to look good to me. The higher BC cheating the wind is reason enough.

6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC, no question about it...

I built an AR in 6.8 SPC last year , 20 inch AR Performance barrel, really like it's performance on an example of 2 whitetails . 110gr Accubonds . I keep trying to think of another AR based cartridge that has better specs with factory loaded ammo (since not reloading yet) and I can not. All of them are real close though. If I reloaded I would be thinking maybe a hot 6mm ARC load or bump up to a 300HAMR....Joe

I put together a 6mm ARC upper recently, haven’t shot it yet. If it performs like I hope/expect, I’ll be selling my 6.5 Grendel upper and ammo.

On paper, the 6mm ARC offers more than the 6.5 Grendel. I always wanted to do a 6mm AR before the ARC came out, but lack of support kept me from doing it.

6 ARC
300 HAMR

Done and done.


Long range (ARC) out to 600 yards or so, and out to 200 yards maybe 250, the HAMR with 125 TNT.

6 ARC here. I have the barrel in hand and the upper/handguard in my cart.

Hopefully piece it together over the spring/summer and have it ready for hunting this fall.

I just built an 18" arc and I'm trying to find a decent load for it. Most loads are clocking just under 2600 but accuracy with this aero upper hasn't been great yet. I have an 18" grendal with a BHW 3 groove that shoots incredibly well with 123g amaxes over 8208xbr at 2500 fps. My grendel seems to shoot most bullets well.

I've got a legend that works pretty well and spent a few years trying to get a 458 socom to function well. I think other than 5.56 the 6.5 grendel has been the easiest and best shooting. I've had good luck with 300 bo too. The blackouts are easy to do and usually shoot well. I've killed 3 hogs with 125g NBts at mv of 2250 from a blackout. The 125s performed very well at BO speeds. Most subsonic stuff doesn't kill well unless you have a bullet designed to expand at low speeds.

If I could only keep 1 ar other than my 5.56s it would be my 6.5 grendel. At least until I can get my 6 arc shooting better.

Bb

All those cartridges are cool, but this day and age a brass catcher would be priceless.

Who makes 6x45 barrels these days?

I am very fond of the 6 ARC myself. It has hit the sweet spot for me with some bullet weight, with good BC and good speeds. In the AR it's been very easy to deal with. My only gripe is getting enough brass.