Been looking at getting what most would call a beanfield rifle. Want something that will shoot up to coyote size animals at long distances. I don't think that pigs would be reasonable. Crows, coyotes, PDs in the future. Varmints in general. I understand that the Grendel can be shorter and still get speed, but it will need separate mags, and the .204 won't. I have a 17 rimfire for shorter stuff, but want to get out.

Think "wind".

plain .223 maybe.

"What will a 6.5 Grendel do that a .204 won't?"

I'd say the bullets would bounce and skip quite a bit further after going through a PD...

Now for coyotes, I know 3 or 4 guys who use the Grendel and love it. I had quite a few runners with the 204 but know a few who use it with good results.

Jimmy, i have a .223, but I want to get something flatter that will be for bench or supported shooting. I have heard the same thing TWR about the 204 and coyotes. I have a 5.45 and a 7.62 in AR, as well as a .223. The 5.45 with V-max will be tried, and if I am in a pig rich environment, the 7.62 will be carried.

VAnimord, that is what keeps bringing me back to it. The ammo doesn't look to be that much more than .204, and had Wolf support, which is nice. And the less drop and deflection than a .308 at 1K does sound nice too. Just wondering how far out it can be used to kill dog size animals or bigger.

I always laugh when I hear flatter. For small targets far enough out that you are worried about flatter... it ain't flatter that will cause the miss, its the wind. At least IMHO.

That's a fact, especially with those little bullets.

If you are stand hunting, you can make what the military calls a range card. Basically a little map with distances to prominent points downrange already lasered and written down. Laser range finders have made the maximum point-blank concept passe.

Forget "flatter". That's what turrets and a rangefinder are for.

Wind is THE b!tch.

rost and TaK pegged it, squarely.

Plugging some quick numbers into shooter. A 32gr A-max at 4200 vs a 123gr Scenar at 2450 and a 10mph 90deg wind.

The 32gr A-max drifts 9.7" at 300yds and 31.0" at 500yds.

The 123gr Scenar drifts 6.7 at 300yds and only 19.8" at 500yds.

Signifigant difference at 300yds, MAJOR difference at 500yds and beyond.

It's the wind baby.......................DJ

I thought that less wind drift was implied with the less deflection. Sorry. That is the main reason I keep coming back to the 6.5. BC. Just worrying abouthow far out it is deadly. Not much of a paper puncher unless its $0.25 or less a shot. I don't want to drop an Elk at 1000 yards, but I would like to be able to reach out for the stuck coyote or crow that won't shutup.

I'd say consider the AR-10 platform and a .243. I don't see your options making a signifigant gain over the .223 for your application.

458, if I go up to the Ar-10 platform, I might as well buy a savage and a DBM system for less money. I am just wanting to fill another lower.

You have your answers, readily apparent.

The 6.5 will take any crow out as far as you can hit, and then some. Ditto coyotes. All of which further than the .204 can/will, carry more ass when it gets there, and drift FAR less in the wind.

Trying to figure out what is so hard to fathom here...

Nothing really hard to fathom persay, just trying to see if there is anything I am missing. It doesn't seem that there is.

You're overthinking it.

The 6.5 kicks the dogschit out of the .204 for the purposes you contemplate to a degree that makes an comparison largely unnecessary.