10.5 barrel & suppressed?

[shootsmart]

I'm trying to piece together my SHTF rifle and I know what i want, but I don't know if it's viable. I want a 6.5 grendel 10.5 in barrel with an AAC 6.8 suppressor. Does anybody have any experience with this and know if I will run into dwell time / cycling issues. If it is viable, will I be constricted to only using certain ammo loads?

[txgunner00]

This also is on my future project list. I would think if the gas port is sized correctly, a 10.5" carbine length gas system in 6.5 would run like a top. I have a 10.5" .223 that I had a lot of trouble with short stroking initially. It now runs fine after opening up the gas port in the barrel. One thing you would need to be careful of is not opening it too much for shooting suppressed. I have a switchable gas block with ports sized for shooting suppressed & un-suppressed.

[stanc]

I'm trying to piece together my SHTF rifle and I know what i want, but I don't know if it's viable. I want a 6.5 grendel 10.5 in barrel with an AAC 6.8 suppressor. Does anybody have any experience with this and know if I will run into dwell time / cycling issues. If it is viable, will I be constricted to only using certain ammo loads?
Forum member "Variable" has a 10.5-inch barrel Grendel. I don't recall what make or model of supressor he uses on it, but he's reported reliable operation with factory and handloaded ammo.

Alexander Arms markets a 10.5" upper assembly:

http://www.fortune3.com/alexarms/6_5_Grendel_10_5_Tactical-complete_upper_receiver.html

In your first post you said you wanted to be able to "hit out to 500 or 600 meters." I doubt anybody has tried that with a 10.5" barrel, so I can't tell you how feasible it is. In any case, from that barrel length you likely won't get bullet expansion/fragmentation much past 200 meters.

[txgunner00]

Forum member "Variable" has a 10.5-inch barrel Grendel. I don't recall what make or model of supressor he uses on it, but he's reported reliable operation with factory and handloaded ammo.

Alexander Arms markets a 10.5" upper assembly:

http://www.fortune3.com/alexarms/6_5_Grendel_10_5_Tactical-complete_upper_receiver.html

In your first post you said you wanted to be able to "hit out to 500 or 600 meters." I doubt anybody has tried that with a 10.5" barrel, so I can't tell you how feasible it is. In any case, from that barrel length you likely won't get bullet expansion/fragmentation much past 200 meters.

I bang steel at 500 with my 10.5" .223 SBR all the time.;)

[txgunner00]

Depends on which way the wind is blowing.

[burnsome]

Had mine cut to 12.5-inches and run a 308 can on it. works great on full or semi-auto. i think i'm running an H2 buffer in it. Model 1 Sales barrel and havent changed a thing except wacking off several inches of barrel length. darn thing shoots great and i love the 6.5 on the AR platform. great hunting rifle as well as SHTF as far as i can tell so far sir...

http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx316/burnsome123/DSC02315.jpg

[LRRPF52]

Burnsome,

Have you thought about replacing that gas block with a lo-pro version, and going with a rifle-length free-float tube? That would be really slick with your set-up. What's the OD of your can?

[burnsome]

Burnsome,

Have you thought about replacing that gas block with a lo-pro version, and going with a rifle-length free-float tube? That would be really slick with your set-up. What's the OD of your can?

i've pondered that idea and yes it would be a slick set-up. i'll have to check the OD of the can --- its a Gemtec and i use it on several rifles. about the only thing i mount on rails is a light and/or a bipod, and since this was/is my first 6.5 build, wanted to keep it simple as i get used to the gun and its characteristics. since that pic was taken, i've mounted a light on the handguards shown since its used for the current coyote problem on my property. havent connected with a yote yet but am looking forward to it. i will say the gun shoots incredibly well (MOA) with the wolf ammo, and i've only lost about 100fps of muzzle velocity as compared to some velocities i've seen posted from 18-inch tubes. am looking forward to the into of the steel cased wolf so i can do some full auto blasting and plinking with it. if you go with a set-up like you asked about be sure to post pics! sounds like it would be jam-up

[Variable]

I'm trying to piece together my SHTF rifle and I know what i want, but I don't know if it's viable. I want a 6.5 grendel 10.5 in barrel with an AAC 6.8 suppressor. Does anybody have any experience with this and know if I will run into dwell time / cycling issues. If it is viable, will I be constricted to only using certain ammo loads?
I run an AA 10.5" with an AAC 762SD can on it and it has always run great. Bill Alexander deliberately undergassed the 10.5" guns so that they'd run fine suppressed without getting too beat up. I've had no issues with mine at all that I can recall either in full or semi.

Here is an old pic when it was still newish and mostly clean:
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn291/Variable556/Gren1-1.jpg

I'm holding out for the steel case Wolf!:)

[burnsome]

nice setup Variable. i really like the short barrel in the 6.5 and i can shoot mine without hearing protection with my 308 suppressor. very quiet actually, and the downrange performance is outstanding compared to the 223 obviously. its great to have such a fine cartridge that'll work in the AR platform without the heavy weight of the AR10. that was the main selling point for me. i was on the fence for about 6 months trying to decide between the 6.8 or the 6.5, as i had read that the 6.8 was supposidly very efficient in short barrels. not sure if the same can be said for the 6.5 but i suspect it is as i dont get a flame thrower effect when shooting without suppressor attached. cant say that for the 223 as it'll cook bacon when running a shorty. i had to tinker with several different buffer weights in mine before it would run on full auto without and with the suppressor, and since figuring that out its been 100% since. i'd like to tinker with some subsonic loads if there's some data that indicates it'll cycle the action, but now that the 6.5 has been unleashed via SAMI specs and whatnot, i figure it wont be long till somebody comes up with a subsonic load that might work.

[m796rider]

i will say the gun shoots incredibly well (MOA) with the wolf ammo, and i've only lost about 100fps of muzzle velocity as compared to some velocities i've seen posted from 18-inch tubes.

My 18.25" Grendel shoots the Hornady 123gr Amax factory ammo at a tad over 2500fps. My 15.5" Grendel shoots the same ammo about 60fps slower. Both barrels are AA button rifled stainless.

Are you seeing 2400fps out of your 12.5" barrel for the Hornady ammo? If so, that bumps up my interest in a 12.5" Grendel by a magnitude...

[LRRPF52]

I get 2520fps out of my 16" middy pushing 120gr SMK's. I think there is a lot of potential for the 100gr projectiles to exhibit some impressive velocities out of the shorter barrels with faster powders. I'm thinking that we should start with X-Terminator and work from there with faster powders out of the short pipes.

We haven't really played around with the Grendel's potential in the area of SBR's enough, I believe. It's so attractive as a precision shooter, that the SBR field gets largely ignored. Probably time to change that...

[burnsome]

my 12.5-incher provides 2300fps MV with Wolf 120gr MPTs

Hornady 124gr A-Max spit out at 2350fps

[shootsmart]

Burnsome and Variable,

Thanks for the feedback. Is there a reason you decided to go with 308 cans instead of 6.8?

[LRRPF52]

Has anyone tried the 95gr VMAX on top of faster powders through their SBR's, and chronod?

[burnsome]

Burnsome and Variable,

Thanks for the feedback. Is there a reason you decided to go with 308 cans instead of 6.8?

already had one for my 308 bolt gun and it works great for both applications :)

[bwaites]

already had one for my 308 bolt gun and it works great for both applications :)

I believe Variable would say the same thing.

[Variable]

I believe Variable would say the same thing.

Yep, plus the volume of the bigger 308 can doesn't gas you as much. With one 308 can you suppress 308 down to 223 at your leisure. Plus the 762SD has inconel stack so it it won't die on auto and can handle 300 winmag etc.... On a Colt Commando it performs very close to an M4-2000 (Igot one of those too). You probably couldn't afford to kill it on 556 full auto.

[burnsome]

just a blatant bump for more (hopefully) updates from those getting SBR set-ups on their Grendels. I'm so darn happy with mine i'm thinking about building another one. Probably go with J&T this time instead of the Model 1 setup (although mine is shooting great and was a cheap build).