Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 7.62x39 vs 6.5 Grendel vs 6mm ARC

I think a lot of guys are stuck on All hype and numbers now days. BC , SD, magnum this or that, etc….
Lots of big game has been taken in Africa with the 76239. Also in Russia the 762x54R is used on big bears. And the old 6.5 Sweed has been taking moose down in Europe for over a century.
Americans are size queens.

From what I've seen, the grendel has a rainbow trajectory past 250 yards. In real world use, the 7.62 is very comparable to the grendel. Both cartridges are not real flat shooters, lets face it. If someone had to bend my arm and make me choose, I'd probably choose the grendel because the ammo is going to shoot better. Any way you slice it. Shooting a .308 bullet down a .310 or .311 bore, isn't going to be exactly accurate. Here's an example of what a new RAR Ranch rifle my buddy just bought, does when stretching its legs a bit:



We had to zero it at 200 yards, to make use of the very handy Burris ballistic plex reticle. At 400 yards, the grendel still hits the steel plate pretty hard too. His intended use for the rifle is for yote hunting. I like the 7.62x39, but the grendel is going to shoot more accurately and carry as much punch at the op's stated distance of 200 yards.


6.5 Grendel v. 7.62x39 article

The Grendel is not ‘more accurate’ just because SOME 7.62x39 factory ammo and rifle makes aren’t the greatest. I’ve seen some doggone accurate x39 rifle/ammo setups. I’ve also seen some lousy shooting Grendels. If you’re gonna handload, there’s zero reason a 7.62x39 isn’t capable to 200…..especially if loading to Grendel pressures, or more. I think it gets restricted by 5-7k vs the Grendel in factory stuff. I think either would work, but I think the x39 would be better for what you spec, and I’d take more twist for 150s if I could get it or run the lighter monos as fast as I could.

Grendel with Barnes 115 Tac Tx

6.5 Grendel. 129 Nosler ABLR or one of the Maker offerings if you handload.

I've liked the Hornady Black with the ELDM bullet for easy to find off the shelf stuff. I like the SST but I don't think I'd use it on the larger animals you mention.

I deer hunt with a Tikka in 260 and Nosler 120 gr BTs, but then switch to my 6.5 Grendel and the 123 gr SST for hogs. The SST does a fine job. I don’t get exits with the SST, but the hogs don’t go far. I think that at Grendel speeds, the SST is just about right.

I've loaded the 6.5Gr with 160gr RN and it's quite the hammer under 200yds. 22" Ruger, approaches the old 6.5x54 which has accounted for quite a few moose, just saying.

I load my Grendal with 129 gr Hornady SPs, and either 140 grain Hornady SP or Speer 140 grain SP, and the powder load is 29 grains of W 748.

Have gotten game with bullet exits at 200 to 250 yds, consistently.

Mine is a Ruger American Predator...

I look at it, like a 30/30 with 6.5 mm bullets, much flatter shooting and higher sectional densities, even with an MV in either the 2350 fps range with 140s, or 2450 fps with 129s

4.5 x 14 Burris Scope on top, factory synthetic stock.

so far the rifle doesn't know how to be inaccurate...with anything I've put down the barrel...
from 85 grain HPs to 142 grain Match Kings.

That and the 6 x 45 I rebarreled another rifle to, where necking up a 223 case, I have an endless supply of brass.

With a 100 grain SP, or a 105 grain SP, velocity in the 2550 to 2600 fps MV.
Truth be told, for hunting at this point in my life....both cover anything I'm going to be busy hunting.

FMJ ammo is prohibited/illegal to use on game animals in most places in the US and Canada isn't it?

Back in the early 1990s when you could buy cases of new NORINCO SKS rifles for as little as $50 per rifle, I bought a case of them. Subsequently I shot a couple of deer with the 7.62x39 and thought that it was okay, but none were DRT even when shot through the heart or lungs. I bought my wife a Davidson's special run non-cataloged 77 MK2 in 7.62x39 to see how accurate it could be, which was, again, okay, but nothing spectacular. I have also shot a couple of coyotes and badgers out at the ranch with the SKS, but only 'cause it was in the truck when I saw them. I even "accurized" one SKS with a Lyman peep sight that mounted to the receiver, not just the receiver cover, but that didn't improve the accuracy enough to do it a second time or to recommend spending $75 on the sight.

A couple of months ago I put a 6.5 Grendel together and shot a couple of deer with it using the 129 grain Hornady SST factory loads. It worked okay and, at least in this rifle, is much more accurate than any rifle that I've shot in 7.62x39.

I don't have any 6mm ARC experience.

Someone noted that a lot of African game is shot with the 7.62x39 which may be true, but it is probably shot with AKs or RPKs set on full-auto and not by someone who paid for a sporting license.

have been running 6.5 Grendel exclusively for 6 years straight on Alberta Big Game, 3 shooters (Dad, 2 boys getting started), 20 kills, 7 species, 10-420 yards, average shot distance somewhere around 165 and recovering distance somewhere around 10 yards, only ammo I've used has been Hornady Black, deadly little b1tch
Moose, black bear, bighorn sheep, mule deer, whitetail deer, antelope and a bonus wolf. Will eventually get an elk for species #8.

notice shorter recoveries and more drt's than many years previous running 270's and .270 wsm with 140 accubonds, there is magic when you get the formula of impact velocity, sectional density, and construction type for game intended, slowing down high sd rapid construction bullets to moderate velocities just plain works, as a hunter it offers more balance of all check marks to check than the ARC which like the 6 creed or any other 6 compared a 6.5 will always end up niche and give up some key check marks in order to excel at a couple that don't matter to majority or hunting (0-500 game anyway for most) so the ARC (which is just a 6 Grendel anyway) adds 150-175 yards for same impact velocities but that's already beyond the 500 yards anyway so useless to hunters and therefore like most 6's becomes sort of a niche hybrid target/deer/varmint...you get more balance in barrel life, having a bullet 120 gr or better (a big game minimum for many), more efficient in short barrel and I'm sure a few other areas, actually splitting c-hairs but in my minimums 120 gr bullet weight is a minimum threshold so the 6 grendel is off the list, we only hunt and care about hunting, the 6.5 Top G with a 123gr eld-m is about the most efficient way you could burn 30 grains of powder period, essentially a 3/4 scale 308 running 168's with 50% less recoil, a dynamite formula

I've seen that argument before where the ARC is superior in every way...no it's not. Only in a couple niche categories, the 6.5 is the most versatile and efficient of the choices on that case, full stop. We have bang flopped deer to 420 with a 16.1" barrel ruger murican ranch...it's almost a little much for deer really, it starts to really strut it's stuff if you get quartering shots on larger body deer, or larger black bears and larger game period. Nothing will take that in the ribs that we hunt. If you're gonna burn 30 grains of powder that's the top choice.

Even heard some range stars prefer the 6.5 Top G to the Arc due to the better audibles on steel and visible on misses for the bigger splashes than the 6 so if 700 is far enough for the range play definitely consider the 6.5 for those reasons. If you niche is to push little short fats to 1k on the range etc. then go 6.

The 6 being the first off the shelf available equiv. to the br/ppc/dasher is awesome, will keep that popularity rocking for the 6.5 variant also. It's a real peach for the 30 gr powder class. It's the 6.5 Creedmoor Short, or 21st century 30-30 equivalent (triple the effective range), or the 3/4 scale 308 with half the recoil. There's a ton to love with the Top G.

the Top G and the Arc are in a different league than the 7.62, the sd is pathetic on that light a bullet in 30 cal, makes it very niche and unbalanced, I'd take a 30-30 over the 7.62x39 by a mile for a hunting cartridge that burns only 30 grains of powder...but I'd take the Top G over those 2 any day and would only choose the Arc if a gun held to my head...but I would take the Arc over the 30-30 and 7.62x39.

You had me until that! LOL!

Good write-up.

The 264 Grendel simply can’t begin to hang with the 243 Grendel/ARC. Hint.

Bullets matter wayyyyyy more than headstamps ladies. Hint………..

I guess it’s Opposite Day for some. Little Stick forgot to add in why the 6 shines in his opinion. He does have a tendency to not understand perspective and hyper focus on just a couple key things.

Yup bullets matter most. For those who hunt, want max barrel life, want max efficieny from short barrels then the 6 doesn’t even make the list when the 6.5 is in the running. The 123 gr eldm gets the most from 30 grains. The 6mm 108 eldm has a bit more bc and sd and a fine choice, the 103 not bad either, as said they add 150/170 yards effective range to same impact velocities which is well past where hunting is over for 98% of hunters. The Grendel 123 has the perfect velocity for eldm from muzzle to 500...the added speed of the arc takes that efficiency away and moves that 500 yard window further down range...which is fine for target guys. You’ll never wear a Grendel 123 barrel out, as close to .22lr barrel life as you’ll get in something that can kill elk at 400 and deer as far as you can hit them.

Come on stick, explain yourself, or have I done that for you already, twice.

For discussion purposes only off the shelf offerings will be discussed or compared. Reloading doesn’t count as that makes any cartridge infinitely more versatile. And also rules out the majority of readers and hunters and shooters who don’t reload.

How much shorter would you expect the barrel life to be on the arc? And how are you calculating efficiency?

I stated simplistic facts and dangled exceptional pixels of same. None of which is subjective. Hint.

The 264 Grendel simply can’t hang,due something called “bullets”. Hint.

Hurt Feeler Reports can’t/won’t change Physics. Hint…………..

only to your list, which where you think it excels in one or two categories, it gives up in one or two others, it just may be the best for your particular 'range only' needs bench guy lol

Pardon my simply shooting it all,as you Pretend aloud and talk out your ass. Hint.

Hurt Feeler Reports can’t/won’t change Physics. Hint………,

a similar ratio between the 6.5 creedmoor and 6 creedmoor....we already know you couldn't wear out a 6.5 Grendel bolt action barrel..but adding a couple hundred fps might be a different story with the Arc, will it still be awesome barrel life...more than likely, can you wear one out? perhaps, if they do with ppc/br/dashers then you probably have your answer, keep to saami pressures will certainly help, that 123gr at 52,000 psi and 2400 fps isn't ever gonna need a tube

as for barrel length and bullets getting to their speeds in what lengths, slower heavier gets to it's thing over shorter distances, faster lighter stuff seems to need more length to get to its speed, so decades of listening to gun talk on the forums say, 308 vs 6 creedmoor...16" barrel...which one you choosing and why? will let the extra experts quantify it if needed, example, the factory rating of 108 vs 123 eldm is about 4 ft/lbs more ke than the 108, do believe this gap widens as you go shorter between light/heavy same charges etc. bows do this too, shot 70 lb for ages, 350 gr arrows would leave with 70 ft/lbs ke, 450 gr arrows would leave with 72 ft/lbs ke...same bow, its not a linear thing going from slower heavier to lighter faster

little stick won't explain, just living in his own little world of superiority lol, no hurt feelers here bud, make all the assumptions you like, sounds like mine are correct though as you won't stay on topic or back your position, your assumptions are wrong, can't win em all little stick