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I'm thinking about getting into 6.5G because from what I've learned so far it seems to be a great middle round between 5.56 and 7.62x51. I have a standard 16" Colt 6920, AKM I built from a Hungarian kit, a 16" LaRue AR10, 18.5" M1A in a JAE stock. My path started with the 5.56 because of the wide array of bullet types available from cheap imported, to military surplus, various forms of match, barrier blind, expanding bullets. Of course I chose the AR first as it is light, modular, ergonomic, common, accurate. To me it was the ideal self defense rifle, in the event I'd use the rifle for self defense, general range use and learning marksmanship, also hunting but it's limited in this role in the 5.56 caliber to varmint mostly.
When I moved to CA I wanted a featureless rifle that didn't need any special magazine locks or didn't have any features that would deem it prohibited or neutered so I went with the M1A. Already being heavy I wanted to maximize it's potential so I put a JAE stock on it, which made it even heavier - like 19lbs. For me now it's mostly a sentimental tool, a fun bench rifle and I can hunt with it if I want to lug it around. Then I decided I wanted to have the 7.62x51 in an AR platform simply because of weight and ergonomics regardless of features or being neutered. The LaRue PredatOBR is truly a work of art, not very heavy but heavy enough and a great shooter.
The problem with 7.62x51 is that even the bottom dollar bullets are still a least 35-38 cents per round, but for the rounds to take full advantage of the caliber and effectiveness you're going to pay triple or quadruple. So then I got interested in AKs and built myself one from a kit. 7.62x39 is a very cheap and effective round, there are some quality loadings available for but they get pricey, and I love the AK for it's simplicity in design, small number of parts and loose tolerances that give it it's reliability. Of course the design comes with less accuracy compared to a precision built AR rifle which is why I went back to the drawing board as really it's all about shot placement so the AK is more or less just a hobby gun for me to have fun with.
Now I have been looking into building a new AR upper, thought about getting a 18" medium profile mid or rifle length gas in .223 Wylde or just 5.56 with a 1:8 twist to try to take full advantage of .223/5.56. While I have a few rifles, I'm interested for practicality and as a hobby to have a one rifle that does it all or at least attempts to the best it can fulfilling some rules and meeting more objectives than my others. The rifle will be used for general self defense and livestock defense from coyotes, mountain lions and small bears to the up to no good two legged varieties as well as for hunting boar and deer. It will be hiked with in both steep, rough and thick terrain with max target distances of 50-200m as well as flat or rolling open field terrain with max distances of 300-600m+. I want the option to be able to buy bulk rounds for cheap but also have the option for supremely accurate or expanding rounds.
5.56 and 5.45 are great rounds, both super light and super fast but they are very small. Both M193 and M855 are velocity dependent to inflict damage, the consistency of accuracy and velocity from the 55gr-62gr imported FMJs, HP, SP are iffy but perhaps the HP and SP choices may offer more damage but it's still a small varmint round and not ideal for larger game or effectiveness at distance for livestock protection. 7N6 and other 5.45s may be better since they tumble but with 7N6 being banned and only FMJ pretty much offered anywhere it's not ideal as their are no quality loadings other than VMAX but again it's still just a varmint round. 7.62x39 has the right price, it's bigger to reasonably take game, get through the brush, has a few quality loadings available but it's still not the most accurate due to it's trajectory.
So now I am looking at 6.5 Grendel because I can get the Wolf 100gr FMJ for 23 cents a round and I'll guess that that round will blow the cheap 55/62gr and 7.62x39 offerings out of the water, not sure about the cheap Wolf 7.62x51 for 38 cents but it's for sure lighter and more aerodynamic. Starting at a about 50 cents a round but more like 60-70+ you'll get into great .223 / 5.56 choices for match, hunting, etc., and for the same price in .308 / 7.62x51 you're only then getting into M80 military surplus and so you may get good 5.56 options at that point but you're paying that much for still a small bullet and for .308 you're paying that much for standard ball ammo that is nothing special.
Then getting to around $1 a round, it seems that while you're getting great performance from the 5.56 choices the only advantage is weight, as the 7.62x51 varieties at this price may smoke the 5.56 counterpart in any aspect other than weight. But AR10s, M1As, etc., and the loaded magazines are heavy. For 6.5 Grendel you're getting as much firepower almost as 5.56 (well not for me technically in CA with my 10rd mags), with accuracy, ballistics and effectiveness like the 7.62x51, but with just slightly more weight than the 5.56 and much less overall when factoring the weight of an AR10 or M1A for example.
While I understand that shot placement is the number one thing that matters regardless of caliber, I still want more than what 5.56 has to offer ballistic wise and don't want the weight of 7.62x51, hence 6.5 Grendel and me being here. I've done a little bit of looking around online and understand I need a barrel, bolt and magazines. I think I am looking for a 16" but maybe 18" light profile barrel, but I want full nitride treatment. So far I have looked at Odinworks and AlexanderArms and I see Odin has a nitrided BCG assembly but not nitride barrels, AA barrels are black but I don't see if they are nitrided treated. PerformanceFirearms does not offer nitrided barrels either.
I found a 18" HBAR nitrided barrel on JSESurplus, do they make quality barrels? What are some other nitride options or are they very limited? Then whatever I do choose, I assume it's best the get a matching bolt from whoever I order from, duh? Are all the available 6.5G magazines good to go (ASC, C Products, E-Lander)?
I'm thinking about getting into 6.5G because from what I've learned so far it seems to be a great middle round between 5.56 and 7.62x51. I have a standard 16" Colt 6920, AKM I built from a Hungarian kit, a 16" LaRue AR10, 18.5" M1A in a JAE stock. My path started with the 5.56 because of the wide array of bullet types available from cheap imported, to military surplus, various forms of match, barrier blind, expanding bullets. Of course I chose the AR first as it is light, modular, ergonomic, common, accurate. To me it was the ideal self defense rifle, in the event I'd use the rifle for self defense, general range use and learning marksmanship, also hunting but it's limited in this role in the 5.56 caliber to varmint mostly.
When I moved to CA I wanted a featureless rifle that didn't need any special magazine locks or didn't have any features that would deem it prohibited or neutered so I went with the M1A. Already being heavy I wanted to maximize it's potential so I put a JAE stock on it, which made it even heavier - like 19lbs. For me now it's mostly a sentimental tool, a fun bench rifle and I can hunt with it if I want to lug it around. Then I decided I wanted to have the 7.62x51 in an AR platform simply because of weight and ergonomics regardless of features or being neutered. The LaRue PredatOBR is truly a work of art, not very heavy but heavy enough and a great shooter.
The problem with 7.62x51 is that even the bottom dollar bullets are still a least 35-38 cents per round, but for the rounds to take full advantage of the caliber and effectiveness you're going to pay triple or quadruple. So then I got interested in AKs and built myself one from a kit. 7.62x39 is a very cheap and effective round, there are some quality loadings available for but they get pricey, and I love the AK for it's simplicity in design, small number of parts and loose tolerances that give it it's reliability. Of course the design comes with less accuracy compared to a precision built AR rifle which is why I went back to the drawing board as really it's all about shot placement so the AK is more or less just a hobby gun for me to have fun with.
Now I have been looking into building a new AR upper, thought about getting a 18" medium profile mid or rifle length gas in .223 Wylde or just 5.56 with a 1:8 twist to try to take full advantage of .223/5.56. While I have a few rifles, I'm interested for practicality and as a hobby to have a one rifle that does it all or at least attempts to the best it can fulfilling some rules and meeting more objectives than my others. The rifle will be used for general self defense and livestock defense from coyotes, mountain lions and small bears to the up to no good two legged varieties as well as for hunting boar and deer. It will be hiked with in both steep, rough and thick terrain with max target distances of 50-200m as well as flat or rolling open field terrain with max distances of 300-600m+. I want the option to be able to buy bulk rounds for cheap but also have the option for supremely accurate or expanding rounds.
5.56 and 5.45 are great rounds, both super light and super fast but they are very small. Both M193 and M855 are velocity dependent to inflict damage, the consistency of accuracy and velocity from the 55gr-62gr imported FMJs, HP, SP are iffy but perhaps the HP and SP choices may offer more damage but it's still a small varmint round and not ideal for larger game or effectiveness at distance for livestock protection. 7N6 and other 5.45s may be better since they tumble but with 7N6 being banned and only FMJ pretty much offered anywhere it's not ideal as their are no quality loadings other than VMAX but again it's still just a varmint round. 7.62x39 has the right price, it's bigger to reasonably take game, get through the brush, has a few quality loadings available but it's still not the most accurate due to it's trajectory.
So now I am looking at 6.5 Grendel because I can get the Wolf 100gr FMJ for 23 cents a round and I'll guess that that round will blow the cheap 55/62gr and 7.62x39 offerings out of the water, not sure about the cheap Wolf 7.62x51 for 38 cents but it's for sure lighter and more aerodynamic. Starting at a about 50 cents a round but more like 60-70+ you'll get into great .223 / 5.56 choices for match, hunting, etc., and for the same price in .308 / 7.62x51 you're only then getting into M80 military surplus and so you may get good 5.56 options at that point but you're paying that much for still a small bullet and for .308 you're paying that much for standard ball ammo that is nothing special.
Then getting to around $1 a round, it seems that while you're getting great performance from the 5.56 choices the only advantage is weight, as the 7.62x51 varieties at this price may smoke the 5.56 counterpart in any aspect other than weight. But AR10s, M1As, etc., and the loaded magazines are heavy. For 6.5 Grendel you're getting as much firepower almost as 5.56 (well not for me technically in CA with my 10rd mags), with accuracy, ballistics and effectiveness like the 7.62x51, but with just slightly more weight than the 5.56 and much less overall when factoring the weight of an AR10 or M1A for example.
While I understand that shot placement is the number one thing that matters regardless of caliber, I still want more than what 5.56 has to offer ballistic wise and don't want the weight of 7.62x51, hence 6.5 Grendel and me being here. I've done a little bit of looking around online and understand I need a barrel, bolt and magazines. I think I am looking for a 16" but maybe 18" light profile barrel, but I want full nitride treatment. So far I have looked at Odinworks and AlexanderArms and I see Odin has a nitrided BCG assembly but not nitride barrels, AA barrels are black but I don't see if they are nitrided treated. PerformanceFirearms does not offer nitrided barrels either.
I found a 18" HBAR nitrided barrel on JSESurplus, do they make quality barrels? What are some other nitride options or are they very limited? Then whatever I do choose, I assume it's best the get a matching bolt from whoever I order from, duh? Are all the available 6.5G magazines good to go (ASC, C Products, E-Lander)?
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