Just ordered 1st 6.5 grendel upper from Alexander Arms

[KingCobb]

I have a Colt 6720 and even owned a 6900 at one time (I know I know it was a good deal ok and it worked great for me as long as I owned it), anyway I ordered a 20" Entry Complete Upper Assembly from AA yesterday and have picked up about 100 rds of wolf ammo to run through it when it arrives. I will be mounting it on my 6720, so I will need some form of optic on it for shooting. I plan to shoot coyotes, wild hogs, and paper with it. Here on the rolling plains we can get some ridiculously long shots at times.

I was looking at getting a vortex spitfire 3x but at 349 my play money is a little tapped out currently, unless someone know a place I could get it on layaway or some such.

Anyway, have long been interested in the grendel and excited to get one.

I reload pistol rounds but I have never seen the point in reloading 5.56 with all the case work that is involved, is it a similar story with 6.5?

I don't plan on using this for deer hunting, I have my grandfathers 1947 winchester M70 in .257 Roberts for that.

Am reading the forum pretty thoroughly, but please let me know if there is anything about shooting the 6.5 that I should know or suggestions for an optic.

They said I should have it in about a month.

[Caser]

Why consider a 3x when you have ridiculously long ranges?

You need 2 things to narrow down your choices. A budget, and a realistic intended use.

I put a Bushnell 4.5-18 AR scope on ny AA barreled build, crosshairs were a little thick but it is a great scope for the money. Outstanding value.

For a 20" grendel, get at least 12x on the upper end so you can stretch its legs.

The vortex diamondback 4-12 is also a great value.

You may be intetested in the PA 4-14 mil dot FFP scope, it is a great choice at a great price.

Don't go any cheaper than those scopes.

Wolf didn't shoot for crap for me, YMMV and I hope it does.

[KingCobb]

update, just got a call. Ordered it yesterday and instead of 4 weeks it is shipping today. Wow.

[KingCobb]

Why consider a 3x when you have ridiculously long ranges?

You need 2 things to narrow down your choices. A budget, and a realistic intended use.

I put a Bushnell 4.5-18 AR scope on ny AA barreled build, crosshairs were a little thick but it is a great scope for the money. Outstanding value.

For a 20" grendel, get at least 12x on the upper end so you can stretch its legs.

The vortex diamondback 4-12 is also a great value.

You may be intetested in the PA 4-14 mil dot FFP scope, it is a great choice at a great price.

Don't go any cheaper than those scopes.

Wolf didn't shoot for crap for me, YMMV and I hope it does.

Thanks, I was mostly looking for something basic to start out with and buy something nicer down the road. I had read suggestions of getting a magnifier, but I don't think they are powerful enough to actually get the long range.

[Zeus]

AA makes a fine product. You actually ordered the same one that I have.....You're gonna love it!

If you are looking for a good budget scope take a look at the Nikon Buckmaster line....lots of decent options without spending a fortune. My scope of choice was one that I already had lying around......a Leupold VXIII 3x9.....it's just a basic scope but the optics are great. I'll be shooting at similar ranges as you.....anywhere from 10 feet to 500 yards is possible. OTOH If I were purchasing new glass I'd get a bit more magnification but since I already had the Leupold and the quality is way above average it will work just fine.

As to your reloading question.....the cost advantages of reloading for the Grendel are far more than rolling you own 223/5.56. Get ya some brass from Lapua or Starline and load to your hearts content and don't look back......and from now on don't bother with the steel cased ammo.....shoot brass cased stuff so you can add to your component supply.

[rabiddawg]

Congrats on your purchase!

As for reloading, if you can buy Hornady for less than a buck per round, do that and sell the once fired brass. It costs me $.83 to reload Grendel with 100 gr nosler bt

[Kswhitetails]

First, welcome to the forum.

Next, consider the Athlon BTR scopes. For the price, I’m not convinced they can be beat for Grendel. I think the Argos BTR can be had for $320-350 used, if you can find one. At 4.5-30 that’s a great long range capability optic choice to get started.

Third, reloading Grendel takes some good understanding of the design and limitations placed into it from the initial testing. The Grendel reloading manuals make you much more informed about it and will give you a much deeper clarity when developing your practices. Load data can be had any number of places, but the how’s and why’s specific to Grendel and the initial testing results which are reported in these fine books make their investment greater value than some report.

Lastly, the Grendel game takes the AR to the absolute edge of the limits that any cartridge thus far designed is capable of. Hitting 1000 yards accurately is a rather reachable goal. Many have reported achieving such with repeated and expected results. Add to that the fact that you can take it to the woods or rolling plains and take deer sized game with expectation to 400 after a rather small learning curve, and it will replace your 5.56s, for all but the most fundamental purposes. Take the 5.56 to the carbine class, get those skills, then come home to the real performer. Last time I took my LaRue out, 120 yds was boring. If not for playing with the can, it would have been a 40/40 night and go home. You’re going to want more magnification, and longer ranges. You’re warned.

I at one time had 7000 factory rounds of 5.56. I have traded all of that off except for a few hundred, in order to further my Grendel quest. I just don’t shoot it enough anymore to keep that kind of ammunition on hand. My Grendel now has over 2300 rounds in the pile, and another 700 empties ready to go.

[KingCobb]

Well, I am getting the Upper a month early like I said, but got an email this morning that the wolf was on backorder so canceled that and found some Federal Fusion 120g at Cabela's with a discount for less than $20 a box so have that sitting for me on in store pickup.

I guess I am skipping the steel case and getting the brass afterall.

[dpete]

Hornady American Gunner 123 grain is another good choice. I'm using it on the break-in for my Grendel SBR and will add the spent brass to my pile waiting to reload. Sportsmans Warehouse has been having sales on it for $139.99 for 200 round bulk boxes.
https://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/...3934/cat100114 Out of stock right now but hit the Notify Me button then jump on it when you get the notice. It sells out fast.

[StoneHendge]

I have a vortex 3x spitfire on a 16" 556 blasting carbine. It's a great little Optic, but not really suited for a grendel.

If that's your budget, I've found the Redfield Revolution TAC 3x9 to be a great little scope for the money. I had one lying around from a few years ago and was assessing what I had on what and ended up putting the Redfield on my POF P308 16" carbine which i don't take past 500 yards. The P308 kicks like a mule compared to everything else I have (the fluted 16" light contour barrel doesn't absorb a lot of recoil) and after 300 rounds, it's still holding zero. It would definitely enable you to start stretching your Grrrrrrrr out.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/110178/redfield-revolution-tac-rifle-scope-3-9x-40mm-tac-moa-reticle-matte

[KingCobb]

Thanks for the optics info. I am gonna save my money and see what I can do in a month or 2. I have a little budget bushnell red dot that I use for plinking with the 5.56. I may just stick it on the Gr until I am ready to invest in a quality optic.

Someone was telling me they had a creedmore that had a long range scope and a red dot on it that swiveled out of the way depending on what they were shooting close or short. I can't imagine that setup would hold zero very well. I have heard of doing it with magnifiers, but that is a different story.

[drewthebrave]

Thanks for the optics info. I am gonna save my money and see what I can do in a month or 2. I have a little budget bushnell red dot that I use for plinking with the 5.56. I may just stick it on the Gr until I am ready to invest in a quality optic.

Someone was telling me they had a creedmore that had a long range scope and a red dot on it that swiveled out of the way depending on what they were shooting close or short. I can't imagine that setup would hold zero very well. I have heard of doing it with magnifiers, but that is a different story.

Once you decide which scope to get, you can get an offset mount for your red dot like this:
rda_rzr-offset_razor-hd_mounted-t[1].jpg

If you're on a budget, there are a lot of affordable options in the 3-9x range. There are also some quality fixed scopes from SWFA that would be fun to pair with an offset red dot, like above. I just peeked over on the SWFA site, and they have a deal on the Vortex Strike Eagle 1-8x kit with mount & 2 mags for $399.

https://swfa.com/vortex-1-8x24-strike-eagle-30mm-rifle-scope-magpul-salt-kit-1.html

That Strike Eagle seems like it could be a pretty fun scope to throw on a .22 or your 5.56 if you eventually decide to upgrade to something a little nicer on the Grendel. Good luck!