Newbie from the hills of Tennessee

[T-Bilt]

Good Day... to the horde.

I purchased a PSA pistol lower and a 12" PSA upper... My intent is to start whacking whitetails with this set-up. So far, from what I've read, the 6.5G is the go to AR-15 cartridge for my needs. My AR-10 in .308 is a pig. I wanted a rifle that is portable, accurate, and deer worthy out to 300yds... thus 6.5G

I'll be trolling to see what I can learn from all the experience here. I won't have many post. I know what the search function is for... LOL

[VASCAR2]

Welcome to the forum T-Bilt! There are a lot of good reviews on the Nosler 129 grain Accu Bond Long Range (ABLR) which supposedly expands to 1300 FPS which is useful out of short barrels. You can buy bullets and load your own or buy factory Nosler ammo.


Shooters Pro Shop is the go to place to find decent prices on Nosler products.

https://www.shootersproshop.com/shop/ammunition/cartridge.html?nl_cartridge=414

[just_john]

Welcome to the clan T-B, from the great nation of Texas! You have followed the bread crumbs that knowledge has left and found Grendel.

[JASmith]

welcome aboard!

Sounds like you already know that the conversations here are fun and informative!

[sundowner]

Welcome to the horde from Wisconsin .

[Timitus]

Welcome. I look forward to your future hunting success.

[LRRPF52]

Welcome aboard! Yeah, I’ve been a big AR-10 guy since the 1980s, have owned many different versions of them and still have 3 out of the 7 I’ve owned, but I just don’t shoot them anymore.

I’ll probably break out the .260 Rem LR-260 built by GAP sometime just so my youngest boy can see what it does, but I’ve got him shooting the 12” and 17.6” Lilja every time we go to the range.

129gr ABLR and Cavity Back 105gr MKZ will be gravy for you from the 12”.

[Konocti's Wigwam]

I purchased a PSA pistol lower and a 12" PSA upper...

Smart move. You can only build a pistol if you start with a pistol lower, and in case the NFA is upheld this year, you can still fall back on pistol law.

My intent is to start whacking whitetails with this set-up. So far, from what I've read, the 6.5G is the go to AR-15 cartridge for my needs. My AR-10 in .308 is a pig. I wanted a rifle that is portable, accurate, and deer worthy out to 300yds... thus 6.5G

I completely agree, the AR-10 in 308 is heavy. I have 2 308 barrels, once of them actually came from PSA and was one of the first AR-10 models they sold. That was the only upper I have bought, I put everything else together myself, including 2 x 6.5 Grendel uppers.

I plan to use mine for hunting also, and why I want as small and light as I can get, within reason that is. I have 2 rifles in 8.6 blackout, they use an AR-10 receiver. I have posted some weights and my 6.5 Grendel pistol does have a Faxon 12" barrel, but Faxon doesn't have it listed on their site anymore. Mine is a 1:8 twist. I do have a SixFiveOutfitter/Rexus ultraslim brake. I'm anxious to try it out.

I'll be trolling to see what I can learn from all the experience here. I won't have many post. I know what the search function is for... LOL

Rather than trolling us, how about lurking? LOL

Feel free to ask any questions you have, just be polite. There's a build forum for ARs and semi-autos.

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Welcome aboard! Yeah, I’ve been a big AR-10 guy since the 1980s, have owned many different versions of them and still have 3 out of the 7 I’ve owned, but I just don’t shoot them anymore.

Was it weight which ended you up on 6.5 Grendel? I really like the 308, but my 308 uppers are HEAVY with a capital H. One is a nice 26" Criterion match barrel, but the upper is HEAVY. I would feel confident shooting anything up to a black bear with it. Whenever hunting comes up, I see many people saying they hunt up to 300 yards. That is a pretty damn far distance to take game for me, I want to sneak up closer. 100-200 is in my comfort zone. I have mostly shot at 200 yards in the past.

I’ll probably break out the .260 Rem LR-260 built by GAP sometime just so my youngest boy can see what it does, but I’ve got him shooting the 12” and 17.6” Lilja every time we go to the range.

My son is 32, almost 33, and has always played a lot of shooter games, but has never been interested to go to the range with me. Trust me, I have tried several approaches to get him there. Finally, he agreed to go with me when I go hunting as he doesn't want me to get hurt packing game back by myself. I'm thinking to let him shoot my 300 blackout, but he's mostly interested in helping to harvest game with me and eating it. We both agree that anyone that eats meat should go harvest some to understand what it takes.

When my daughter was much younger, 13 at the time with braces. A good of mine that was also RSO taught her to shoot and she did very well. Now she kinda detests guns...and works in a hospital...LOL

As you probably know as a parent, we can guide our children, but we can't make them be who they're not.

[LRRPF52]

Was it weight which ended you up on 6.5 Grendel? I really like the 308, but my 308 uppers are HEAVY with a capital H. One is a nice 26" Criterion match barrel, but the upper is HEAVY. I would feel confident shooting anything up to a black bear with it. Whenever hunting comes up, I see many people saying they hunt up to 300 yards. That is a pretty damn far distance to take game for me, I want to sneak up closer. 100-200 is in my comfort zone. I have mostly shot at 200 yards in the past.


My son is 32, almost 33, and has always played a lot of shooter games, but has never been interested to go to the range with me. Trust me, I have tried several approaches to get him there. Finally, he agreed to go with me when I go hunting as he doesn't want me to get hurt packing game back by myself. I'm thinking to let him shoot my 300 blackout, but he's mostly interested in helping to harvest game with me and eating it. We both agree that anyone that eats meat should go harvest some to understand what it takes.

When my daughter was much younger, 13 at the time with braces. A good of mine that was also RSO taught her to shoot and she did very well. Now she kinda detests guns...and works in a hospital...LOL

As you probably know as a parent, we can guide our children, but we can't make them be who they're not.

I had already moved away from .308 to .260 Rem because of the wind deflection advantage and flat trajectory for 2-man team sniper competitions. I only got into Grendel for curiosity and things I had heard from a SOTIC instructor who was one of the first to get a Grendel back in 2004.

The thing that finally clicked for me was my nephews shooting my 16” Grendel and hitting everything first-time, as well as how well it hit the plates vs 5.56. Steel popper plates didn’t even move when you hit them with 5.56, but Grendel knocked them down.

The AR-10s are heavy and hard to spot your own hits with. I can almost do it well enough with 130gr or lower in the .260 Rem, but it’s still hard.

My kids didn’t seem to show much interest in shooting, until I let them watch Top Shot and then go out in the backyard with a Red Ryder BB gun and shoot cans. My oldest son shot an MP40 9mm SMG full auto in Finland for his first shooting experience.

My youngest son said we should go to the range every month, so I’m trying to oblige him.

We home-school so there is minimal outside propaganda to take root in our home. Firearms training, applied physics, ballistics, and history are part of the curriculum.

The formal curriculum we mainly use has an awesome set of resources on the 2A as well. It’s one of the only ones I’ve heard my wife teaching the kids where I didn’t need to add my thoughts. I couldn’t believe it. I was walking by when she was going over that block with them and was shocked at how good it was.

[Konocti's Wigwam]

The thing that finally clicked for me was my nephews shooting my 16” Grendel and hitting everything first-time, as well as how well it hit the plates vs 5.56. Steel popper plates didn’t even move when you hit them with 5.56, but Grendel knocked them down.

I have one AR-15 lower (mini-action, semi-auto) that I would like to build for my son. Although he's quite a bit older, he never took a liking to firearms previously, despite liking shooter games on the computer. My daughter went to the range and a good friend taught her how to shoot.

I won't give any firearms to my son until I feel confident that he can handle and shoot safely.

The AR-10s are heavy and hard to spot your own hits with. I can almost do it well enough with 130gr or lower in the .260 Rem, but it’s still hard.

Indeed, they are, in fact, I think too heavy to hunt with frequently, although people do it.

My kids didn’t seem to show much interest in shooting, until I let them watch Top Shot and then go out in the backyard with a Red Ryder BB gun and shoot cans. My oldest son shot an MP40 9mm SMG full auto in Finland for his first shooting experience.

Hope they didn't shoot their eye out! LOL

We home-school so there is minimal outside propaganda to take root in our home.

That's something I wanted to do, but my wife was against it. Both of my kids attended Cupertino Schools, daughter graduated from Cal Poly SLO, son is back finishing up his Design/Media-Art degree at UCLA (DESMA).

My son offered to go hunting with me to help pack out game. I have a pig tag good to end of June, so still pondering going out this year. Next year I would like to get a deer and bear tag also. Deer tags are sold over the counter in Lake County (~$40), and a bear tag is about $58, and in 2025 California is changing pig tags to $25/flat-fee, unlimited harvesting. For about $125 I can get an unlimited pig tag, deer tag and bear tag. For anyone that has been hunting in California, it is beautiful country to hunt. My son won't go with me until next year as he's in school now. He likes to hike, and I gave him a backpack that would be suitable to carry some of the meat. We don't have any designer packs, let alone high end scopes, yet we have what we need to get the job done!