Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles 6.5 Grendel hunters, what are you shooting?

If memory serves(!), I went up to Nolser’s listed max with CFE223 in my previous Grendel, also a 527, with no issues. Listed speed in their data is over 2500. I’ll work up to it in my Mini, on the clock this time, and see what happens. Doubt it’ll be this season, which begins in earnest in three weeks, and I’m focused on the 6CM for now, which needs “ the work”.

Thanks.

I don't recall the exact charge I was using but I am using Hornady brass and IMR 8208 XBR powder. I know I wasn't pushing the limits, I went for the best groups and left it at that.

It seems like there is still much factory ammo available for the 6.5 Grendel, but I can’t find any Federal Fusion anymore. In fact, I can find any more Federal loads at all for 6.5 Grendel. Has Federal stopped making it for some reason?

I was pretty impressed with how a 123gr eld worked.

6 seasons straight with factory black box eld-m. 20 animals, 7 species, Alberta big game, 10-420 yards, most with a 16.1” barrel launching at 2386 fps and a few with 20 and 24” up to 2605 fps launch (custom proof carbon 24”), but all factory ammo, sub moa no issue. Bull moose, whitetails and muleys (including big body mature bucks), a few black bear, antelope and bighorn and a bonus wolf. Average shot distance around 160-165 yards now and average recovery distance about 10 yards. You can find a guy on YouTube who tested the eld vs sst on gel from slow short barrel and the eld went an inch further, both pretty mushrooms. Both are winners. I think the eld-m is the perfect bullet for that case.

Grendel velocities from 16-24” barrels is perfect for eld-m. No need to reload if you don’t want.

if you're worried about the possible ignorance of those doing the inviting just pack your eld-m's in an unmarked container and tell them whatever they need to hear lol, throw them in the sst box if you must, or just not say a word and kill the living shat out of everything you hit well, you won't find a better blend of 20" penetration with energy dump for shorter recoveries and more drt's than the 123 eld-m in the grendel...we tested it exclusively for 6 seasons straight, go to instagram 65grendelhunters to see all that and much more in depth info about recovered bullets, necropsies and damage they do and more, you have amazing and consistent performance from 2500-1700 fps impacts...literally the perfect bullet for that window which is the grendel window

when the hunt is over and guys ask what you were shooting (because it killed so effectively and reliably)...then you can tell them eld-m lol, or just keep it to yourself to save the drama from those who need things to be 'marketed' properly....lol a bullet is a bullet, eld-m's are proven killers all over the spectrum when matched properly with moderate velocities and higher than average sd's....deadly deadly formula

I get shorter recoveries and more drt's with this combo then I did with .270 wsm and .270 win running 140 gr accubonds or fusion ammo, too tough for game intended, not as much internal damage through the generally shorter penetration needs of those extra insurance delayed expansion deep penetration options....grendel is slow so you don't want tougher, you get the most from rapid expansion high sd options

Ruger predator.

I built an 18" ar years ago with a bhw 3 groove polygonal barrel. I experimented with a bunch of different bullets back then and the best all around bullet in that gun was the 123g amax Amp over 8208xbr at 2500 fps.

It was before the elds came out. My gun shot multiple groups with 1 lot of those 123 amaxes that were touching cloverleaf groups. It repeated them many times if I was shooting well it would do it. When elds came out a local shop closed out their amaxes for half off and they had 50 boxes of the 123s. They were all the lot my gun liked so I bought them all.

I sold some to another fire member when bullets were tough to find but still have probably 3000 left. So thats the bullet I've just stuck with for that ar. For the kids howa mini I tried some other stuff and found it liked the 129 ablr. That seemed like a good choice for a grendel deer load so we ran those in the howa.

I just put together another AR grendel that's lighter than my 18" bhw. The new one is aero m4e1 upper and lower with an s-one 15" handguard and a fluted 16" ballistic advantage stainless. It was really undergassed and I was hoping to get it running fir my kids hunts so I drilled out the gas port myself until it was running reliable with a 3:00 ejection.

I've been running 108g scenars and 100g ttsx bullets in it while getting the gas port were I want it. I figured if I get it running those reliable the heavier bullets will work too. Now that it's running I need to get it on paper and find a good load for it. My 11 year really prefers to hunt with an AR and made a great 200 yard shot on a deer last fall with a little 300 hamr I built him. I'm hoping this 16" grendel shoots well too because it will give him a bit more range than the hamr.

I like my 6mm arc and it's starting to shoot pretty well but for an efficient little hunting round I think the grendel is hard to beat. My 6 arc is set up more for varmints than for big game. Although I know the 108 eldm works great in deer. I took a buck at over 400 with a 108 eld from a 6 Creedmoor fieldcraft a few years back and bullet performance was excellent. I recovered it under the skin on the off shoulder mushroomed to about .5" and weighing around 80 grains. The lead and jacket were still together.

Bb