barrel length

[curry792]

I know this has been discussed but I was wondering how a 14.5 inch barrel will do.hunting deer under 3 or 400 yd.maybe varmint hunting or target shooting a little futher.planning a new build .any info appreciated.also who would have a 14.5" barrel.thanks

[LRRPF52]

Welcome aboard. The Saber 14.5" barrels are still out there, and chrono reports have shown many of them averaging 2420fps with 123gr Hornady ammo, which is within 30-40fps of 16" Grendel.

It's plenty for medium game hunting, and even large game within the ballistic potential of the cartridge, which is plenty within common hunting distances, and more than most shooters can exploit with the 129gr ABLR.

There are chapters dedicated to this barrel length and hunting reach discussion, based on comprehensive historical performance of 6.5mm on game, terminal ballistics, and external ballistics in the 6.5 Grendel Handbooks.

[GSPHunter]

Hi curry, I have a 14.5" Sabre upper and get 2370FPS for factory hornady 123sst's. To me, it would depend on your climate and elevation as to whether a 14.5" barrel would be able to keep a bullet above expansion velocity out to 400 yds.

[curry792]

I live in south tn.would there be a big difference between 16 an 14.5

[KentuckyBuddha]

No matter where you live, probably not THAT much.

[curry792]

Thanks .I study on it a little more.i want a14.5barrel for sure may need to go with 6.8

[JASmith]

Thanks .I study on it a little more.i want a14.5barrel for sure may need to go with 6.8

If you are hunting at ranges of less than 300 yards, go with the cartridge that best captures your imagination because there is precious little difference between the SPC and the Grendel at those ranges independent of barrel length.

Should you be serious about shooting out to 400 yards, the Grendel will show greater terminal velocity and slightly reduced drop and wind drift for barrels of the same length.

[cory]

Hey man I'm running a 16" Grendel in North Alabama. If you're only option is 123gr SST Factory Loads, you're going to be just above the ethical threshold for taking a deer at 400 yards. If you want some margin for error you can hand load or pick up ammo from Precision Firearms that is better suited for longer ranges. With the Nosler 129gr ABLR at 2300fps MV, the load is capable of taking medium game at 750 yards.

JASmith is right, go with the cartridge that excites you more. You're going to be right at if not under that ethical threshold for taking deer with the 6.8mm at 400 yards.

I'll also add that we do have smaller deer here in the south. These loads are being compared to the average medium game that in reality is larger and tougher than our deer. If I'm confident in mine and my rifle's ability to hold 0.75 moa and I've got a clean shot, I wouldn't hesitate to take a 400 yard shot on a deer with the 123 SST, 100gr Barnes, the Nosler 120 Ballistic Tip, and I probably left some off. However, If I knew there was a chance I'd be taking a shot at that range I'd show up with the 129gr ABLR.

One more note, one of the guys here (I'll let them name themselves if they'd like) is modifing the 127gr LRX, for me, down to roughly 110gr-113gr with a long boat tail. I have high hopes for this pill in the 500sh yard range.

[Savage Shooter]

And if you want to get serious about long range varmint hunting, especially prairie dogs out to 600+ plus yards, you'll probably want to add a 24" barrel to stretch on out there. With the Grendel and all the bullet options (and the fact that you would have the reloading gear and experience with the round), you would have a short learning curve and a better cartridge than the 6.8.

[curry792]

That's the info I was looking for.i figured the 6.5 Would do what I was wanting , justdon't hear much about them with a short barrel.

[curry792]

Who else besides Sabre defense would have 14.5 barrel

[cory]

Precision Firearms will have several options for you to pick from. I'm not sure about these, but I'd check with JP and BHW.

[JASmith]

That's the info I was looking for.i figured the 6.5 Would do what I was wanting , justdon't hear much about them with a short barrel.

One hopes that you will soon acquire a copy each of Vol 1 and Vol 2 of the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook. There is plenty of discussion about short barreled Grendels in them.

They can be obtained at either AR15BuildBox.com or AlexanderArms.com

[cory]

Oh and if you want to go shorter, Lilja has some 11.5" and 12.5" barrels from the group buy. I've got an extra nitrided one from the group buy for sale. I just haven't gotten around to posting it yet.

[LRRPF52]

BHW, Lilja, and PF offer various SBR lengths. There are forum members with 10.5" Grendels that have been hunting with them successfully for years now, suppressed.

http://www.shop.blackholeweaponry.com/AR-15_c503.htm

http://riflebarrels.com/product-category/drop-in-barrels/ar/ar15/65-grendel/

http://www.precisionfirearms.com/48m8/6-5-grendel-barrels.html