Hunting with 6.5 Grendel in an AR Vs a Bolt gun in X Caliber for medium/large game.

[feetpiece]

I was talking a buddy of mine who is just as big of a gun nut if not more so than I am about my interest in the Grendel and he posed that question to me. I explained that like lever guns, I have no interest or experience with a bolt gun. Sure it would be cheaper and arguably more effective in a different caliber. I've had an M-16A2, M4A1 and M4 in my hands regularly over the last 16 years so I'm more than comfortable with the weapon and manual of arms. I picked up a Safari Grade BAR in .300WM for a good price while I was home and after reading here for the past few months it, like my behemoth SuperRedhawk .454 are getting the boot when I get back. Before I left I almost p/u a Magna port'ed Rem 700 in .458 Win Mag for less than what I just paid for my Grendel upper.

So I ask the Horde because I haven't seen or found a thread dedicated to the "why" in the transition to the Grendel for hunting medium/large game.

[bwaites]

Low recoil with very good sectional density bullets. Since the 6.5x55 and various other 6.5 cartridges have been available for a while, there at LOTS of both target and hunting bullets available from 85 to 160 grains.

You can build a lightweight hunting AR and shoot it enough to be very comfortable with its accuracy and performance. Try that with a .300 WinMag or .458 WinMag!!!

However, if your BAR is for sale, I'm always interested in interesting guns!! LOL!!!

[JohnOD]

For the cash I have tied up in my 6.5 Grendel AR I could have purchased 3 or 4 Model 70's or 700's. On top of that the 6.5 Grendel cartridge is rather anemic compared to what most guys are carrying in the woods deer hunting but the key is it's potent enough for the vast majority of shots I'll ever take on deer sized game.

My gun safe holds an assortment of bolt action center fire rifles suitable for hunting anything in North America. The 6.5G is a very accurate cartridge and is very "shoot-able" due to its low recoil that it’s hard to not grab it when hitting the woods.

When I take the time to think about it it’s hard to justify the 6.5Grendel being the best tool for the job. For me it comes down to its just flat out a neat cartridge and loads of fun to shoot. When logic fails I fall back on suffering an acute case of BRD

[bwaites]

What John said!

The Grendel isn't the perfect tool for every job, it just does so many of them well that it works! There are only a few game animals in North America where I would not make it a first choice: Brown Bear, Buffalo, and Moose. Of those, Brown Bear is the only one where I would really feel it isn't adequate. Buffalo and Moose can both be easily taken with it, in fact 6.5x55 has taken more Moose than probably any cartridge, and the Grendel comes very close to traditional 6.5x55 loads.

For Brown Bear, the Beo is a good choice!

[Drifter]

I prefer the AR for hunting because of its versatility. With a QD scope mount and folding BUIS, the setup can be tailored to any particular hunting task and style in a moment's notice. It's literally just seconds to change from a long-range precision rig (with scope, bipod, etc) to a lighter fast-handling short-range setup for use in thicker terrain, and back again as circumstances dictate.

In the AR-15 platform (my preference over the larger and heavier AR-10 / LR-308 platform), the 6.5 Grendel is perhaps the best factory-loaded cartridge to compliment the weapon system's versatility.

[hm2 clark]

Is the question "Why hunt with a Grendel?" or is it "Is it better to hunt with an AR Grendel or a bolt action Grendel?" ? I hunt with both.

[feetpiece]

I think I meant in the sense that the common perception is that AR's are not suitable for hunting by many folks.

[LRRPF52]

I think I meant in the sense that the common perception is that AR's are not suitable for hunting by many folks.

That mindset has gone the way of the gun, as the AR displaces yesteryear's Mauser-inspired bolt guns, a design dating back to the late 1800's. Sure, the Mauser action will never die, but you have 3 generations of veterans now who have learned to love the despised black rifle. Its inherent accuracy, its ability to be tailored to the user by the user, plus the caliber selection, offer several affordable options for the hunter, competitor, and patriot that no other firearms design can really compete with.

In the AR15 platform, the Grendel really does squeeze the most bang for weight that can be squeezed, especially for a lightweight hunting carbine. The .264" high sectional density pills really justify the surge in popularity that we're finally seeing with them in the US, ever since competitive shooters started leaning more and more to the .260 Rem to buck the wind better, with the ability to shoot higher volumes without the cost & recoil penalty of a .300 WM.

The Grendel delivers near-6.5 Swede performance, where moderate velocities combined with high sectional density hunting bullets conspire to plunge through most game sizes with little resistance.

[hm2 clark]

My.02 cents worth is to respecfully disagree. The bolt action family of rifles are the end result of 130 years of steady trait selecton and modification to make the best hunting rifles humans have yet produced. They can be used in battle-but are best used as hunting rifles. The AR family of rifles are the result of 50 years of steady trait selection and modification to make them the best battlefield rifles humans have yet produced. Sure they are now being used as huntiing rifles-but where they shine is on the battlefield.

[rickOshay]

Is the issue here about semi-auto hunting rifles, or just the AR-15 platform? Or is it the 6.5mm caliber? Others have already given good answers in favor of the caliber. Is the issue really about negative views of the AR?

With regards to semi autos: Ruger, Remington, Browning autoloaders have been taken into the woods for decades. And now Benelli has joined the pack with the cool looking R1. Would a Remington 750 in 6.5 Grendel be more accepted as a hunting rifle than a 6.5G Remington R-15?

It is unfortunate that Outdoor life ran an article on the top 20 semi-auto hunting rifles, but 12 of the 20 were AR variants. http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/ga...g-game-hunting

Interesting to see the negative views of ARs in the comments below the article.

[txgunner00]

We are our own worst enemy at times. The "I dun been ahuntin' fer fifty years with nuttin' but a thuddy thuddy" crowd makes me laugh.

[feetpiece]

Is the issue here about semi-auto hunting rifles, or just the AR-15 platform? Or is it the 6.5mm caliber? Others have already given good answers in favor of the caliber. Is the issue really about negative views of the AR?

With regards to semi autos: Ruger, Remington, Browning autoloaders have been taken into the woods for decades. And now Benelli has joined the pack with the cool looking R1. Would a Remington 750 in 6.5 Grendel be more accepted as a hunting rifle than a 6.5G Remington R-15?

It is unfortunate that Outdoor life ran an article on the top 20 semi-auto hunting rifles, but 12 of the 20 were AR variants. http://www.outdoorlife.com/photos/ga...g-game-hunting

Interesting to see the negative views of ARs in the comments below the article.

On the AK outdoor forum there was a comment regarding the safety/hazard or an autoloader. Specifically, how this particular hunter was uncomfortable walking around with one in the pipe before and after a shot. From what I'seen this is the second most common argument against outside of calibers and mag capacity being too much/unnecessary.

[stokesrj]

I think I meant in the sense that the common perception is that AR's are not suitable for hunting by many folks.

I am more comfortable hunting with a bolt rifle than an AR but I would not hesitate to use my 6.5 Grendel AR and in some situations it would be preferred.
At one time this was not true for me and I deemed anyone who used an AR for hunting as being one of the tactic-cool mall ninja crowd, not a real hunter.
To be honest, it was a position taken out of ignorance, since I have learned more about the AR and about the Grendel, I get it, where before I did not. I suspect many of those
opposed to the black rifle were like me and are candidates for conversion.

[tbarnby]

I think I meant in the sense that the common perception is that AR's are not suitable for hunting by many folks.

There's nothing wrong with that opinion. There's nothing wrong with being WRONG! The AR platform is the perfect platform of hunting. It's accurate, as light as you care to make it, offers a wide array of sighting options, which you can change in a matter of seconds, and has a great variety of caliber options. People who feel it is not suitable for hunting, have probably no hunted...or are so opinionated that Charleton Heston himself couldn't sway them.

I'm actually dumping my bolt actions this year...except the rimfires, of course. Oh, and my Mosin...

[nincomp]

This may sound stupid to those of you who have been shooting autoloaders for a long time, but I do get a little nervous about new shooters hunting with a semi. A shooter must have practiced enough that he will not accidentally fire off multiple rounds. Many new AR hunters don't have extensive military/LEO experience with the weapon.

Note: I said accidentally. A second shot while in full recoil can go a long, long, way.

Could this happen? Well… The second or third time I had a shooting session with a Saiga 7.62x39, I was determined to find out the absolute best accuracy that I could get out of the thing (stop snickering! It was, after all, sold as a “sporting rifle”). I decided to try different ammo and shooting styles. Here, it is important to point out that virtually all of my shooting over the years was with an air rifle, .22, or 9mm carbine. I had shot the 7.62x39 before. Mild recoil, certainly not like a .308, .270, or 30-06. I wasn’t worried.

Eventually, I got around to the standing position, left elbow tucked in – supporting the rifle with my knuckles. From prior experience, I knew that some rifles were more accurate if held loosely and allowed to follow-through without much resistance.

You guys probably know what happened. I kept my trigger hand loose, gently squeezed off a shot and, as the barrel rose and rifle recoiled into my shoulder, it bounced off –the trigger reset - and the danged thing fired again during the follow through. I had accidentally “bump fired” a round. The second shot was well above where I was aiming. Rather pale-faced, I thanked God that I was at a range that could stop the round.

The only thing that I could think of was “what if I had made that mistake outdoors and the bullet hit someone far down range.”

I am not the only person to accidentally double-tap (or more). More than one shooting range with a good berm has been closed because some bullets ended up in houses far downrange. Accidental double taps maybe?

Another fellow I met had a more spectacular experience with a semi-automatic 12 ga shotgun (extended magazine, of course). He was an experienced shooter, but something about the combination of the recoil-pad and the coat he was wearing kept the shotgun bump-firing until out of ammo. He said that he simply could not get his finger away from the trigger. He also said that he needed clean underwear afterwards.

Jim