New Grendel User from Eastern Washington

[Frontier Gear]

I just finished my first 6.5 Grendel build and wish that I had found this forum sooner The reason for the build is as follows.

We recently moved, but for the last 10 years my family's hunting spot offered shots ranging from 35 to 50 yards. Over the years I learned that:

* At that range, high powered "traditional" (30-06, 308, etc...) rifles ruined too much meat. The 30-30 was more than enough to get the job done.
* At that close range, the .243 would usually work well, but had too much energy if it happened to hit a bone. Even the 100 grain bullets would tend to "explode" when hitting a bone at 50 yards or less. This has lead to some long tracks with very little blood trail. (not fun).
* My favorite round for that location was actually a 200 grain .44 magnum hollow point fired out of a rifle. They made large entry holes and had rapid blood loss. There was still enough mass and energy to snap even the large shoulder bones and continue into the lung/heart.

Then we moved out here... Now I am seeing shot opportunities ranging from 10 to 250 yards and I never know ahead of time what to expect. My little .44 carbine just isn't up to the task of those longer shots, but my 308 is too much when something steps out at close range.

After much research I settled on the 6.5 Grendel. The fact that it can be built on the AR platform makes it nice for customisation and the magazine feed is a nice feature. I almost settled on a simple bolt action .270 I hope that I made the right decision. It is sighted in and is ready for late whitetail season. Specs are as follows.

*Mill spec forged aluminum lower.
*BCA Reciprocating side charging upper (I don't care for the goofy rear charge "T" handle).
*Magpul rifle stock.
*BCA 18" stainless fluted barrel with 5R rifling.
*BCA 12" MLOK handguard with steel barrel nut.
*JP-Enterprises Silent buffer system.
*Raise Armament Single stage drop in trigger.
* Redfield 3-9X50 Scope.
*Griffin Armament 45 degree backup sights in case something happens to my scope.

It's a little heavier than I wanted. With the scope, it's right at 9.2 pounds.

6_5.jpg

[danm]

Looks like an awesome rig, welcome to the Inland NW!

[just_john]

FG - Welcome to the Clan from Great Nation of Texas! There is obviously a lot of thought in your grocery list, well done! I think that you will find the Grendel will be most obliging at any range you need it to be.

[Frontier Gear]

Thanks all. I am excited to try this out, but hope that I didn't make a mistake by not going with the .270 (more common ammo, less money for the gun). The Grendel just looked like a flat shooting 30-30, which is exactly what I was looking for. It sure shoots nice though. Basically no recoil, good balance, great trigger. With a suppressor on it, this would be simply awesome to shoot all day long. If it performs as well in the field as it did sighting it in, I will be very pleased.

I actually lived in the Inland NW before, just not this area. I'm now up by the Canadian border in the middle of the Colville National forest. Many many acres of mountains and forest.

[VASCAR2]

Welcome to the forum Frontier Gear! Let us know how the 6.5 Grendel works during your deer hunt.

[grening]

Hi,

That is a superb build, nice

[IescapedCali]

Welcome to the forum. Nice build, you've got there. I believe you'll find that your build suits your purpose quite nicely. Ammunition isn't hard to come by, as so many manufacturers are making good factory loads, and unless WA restricts you, you can order it from so many online retailers and have it delivered to your door, like a fruit basket. There's lots of info on hunting, knockdown power, etc to be found in different sections of this site. No question is a bad question here, as the Horde has a wealth of experience in every aspect of the Grendel, and an eagerness to share and help you squeeze all the performance you want out of your new toy. We hope to see pictures of targets, steel, deer, and whatever else you shoot with it, so please share!

[Kswhitetails]

I finally made it over to the welcome thread, and I must say, welcome aboard sir!

[Texas]

Welcome to the forum Frontier Gear. Looking for a range report on the rifle. I am very interested in how the BCA 5R barrel shoots.

[GaCop]

Welcome aboard!

[Frontier Gear]

Thanks all! So far I'm getting about 1 to 1.5 inch groups at 100 yards with a scope and the same at 50 yards with 45 degree BUIS. This isn't ideal conditions though. Just placing a bag of dog food over the hood of a jeep. It's not something to brag about, but it should put meat in the freezer. I'm sure that the gun can do better. I just need to get serious about it and set up a proper shooting bench.

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

Welcome, how do you like those sights so far? I am seriously thinking about loading out with em. I just pushed the button on a set of the diamondhead sights that we're on sale at primary the other day. But I'm seriously thinking about getting 6 sets of those SS sights. they look like I'd love em. A little Leary of the way they mount though.

What's you opinion?

[Frontier Gear]

Welcome, how do you like those sights so far? I am seriously thinking about loading out with em. I just pushed the button on a set of the diamondhead sights that we're on sale at primary the other day. But I'm seriously thinking about getting 6 sets of those SS sights. they look like I'd love em. A little Leary of the way they mount though.

What's you opinion?

So far I really like them. The reason I got them was in case my scope fogged up. That can happen around here during late season. Murphy has a way of that nice bull or buck stepping out at 30 yards when your scope is fogged. These don't have all the features of some sights, like push button flip up and multiple aperture sizes. But they are very well built and are small. The rear sight is one of the few 45 degree sights that work with the reciprocating side chargers that I have found.
rear sights.jpg

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

I never even thought about the side chargers interfering. I think they are a good price considering all that's included. They are made out of durable materials.
Thanks for your reply I really appreciate the first hand review. Do you feel the diopter size for the rear is just the right size?

[Frontier Gear]

Do you feel the diopter size for the rear is just the right size?

That is kind of personal preference that depends on eyesight and intended use. I'm in my 40's and find it to be a tad large, but still very usable. My dad is 67 and he really likes it. He can't use smaller ones with his eyesight. My intended use is hunting and it is just as a back up in case my scope fogs up. Which means that I may be using it at dawn or dusk. For that purpose, I think that it is probably just the right size. I would rather it be a bit on the larger size (like it is) so I can see it in low light conditions, as opposed to being so small that I can't use it at dusk if needed.

As far as interfering with the side charging handle... I thought about going with a left hand charge, right hand eject model. That way my hand doesn't hit the BUIS when charging the weapon. This turned out better though IMO. I like having the left hand side of my rifle completely flat. Things like 45 degree sights, side charging handles and even extended rear charge handles all make for rifle that doesn't lay flat. So it's nice to have all the protrusions on the same side.

One thing I should mention as well; reciprocating side chargers are my personal preference. I find rear charging to be cumbersome, and for hunting I like having complete control of my bolt. When I shot my spike with this rifle, I did not have a round in the chamber as I approached the field. There were already a number of whitetail doe in the field. So as not to scare them away, I was able to slowly pull back the bolt and slowly lower it. At the last bit, I pushed it into place for the locking lugs to engage. I know that you can do the same thing with a forward assist, but I feel like I have more control over it this way.