12-19-2021, 04:17 AM (This post was last modified: 12-27-2021, 02:14 PM by MonsterShooter.)
Well, got the HB Howa Grendel. Don't have it scoped yet or anything, but will be adding a B&C stock and a Leupold, and plan to use it for Whitetail and Hogs.
I already have a .243, starting to have a little buyers remorse... convince my why the Grendel is better than the .243
Depending upon how many hogs you have to get rid of and how much shooting you plan on doing, the 6.5 Gr. is fine for hogs and deer. barrel will last a lot longer than a 243 Win. "Better" depends on the criteria your using to measure with. Nothing wrong with either cartridge. Just different. Used for similar applications. If you're doing 400 yard sod poodle popping the 243 Win works better IMO. for closer in stuff, like deer and hogs out to 200 or so yards, give or take some, either will work well. 6.5 bore diameter right now has a lot more bullets to pick from than 6mm, but both have a more than adequate selection for most purposes. The main reason for the 6.5 Gr is to up the performance of the AR platform for hunting big game and/or to provide better ballistics than the 5.56x45 NATO at longer ranges. I have the std bbl mini howa and like it because i could end up with a nice lighter weight bolt gun with mild recoil and muzzle blast, great bullet selection, good accuracy, long barrel life, and fun to shoot. Also have the caliber in an AR. but even with picking out each item in an AR build with an eye towards weight savings, it's hard for the AR platform to match the light weight of the little Howa mini bolt gun. Both are fun to shoot and chambered in the same caliber. but the little mini Howa is lighter than the AR at a lot lower price point. The 6.5 Grendel has lower muzzle blast than the 243 Win if that's important to the area you hunt. The mini Howa in 6.5 Grendel, and i have the std barrel version, is one of the lightest centerfire bolt guns that I own and makes a nice walkabout rig.
welcome to the horde.
-tdbru
12-19-2021, 09:07 AM (This post was last modified: 12-19-2021, 11:35 PM by Old Bob.)
I put a Oregunsmithing Pendelton stock (weighs only 18oz) on my Howa 20" heavy barrel Grendel mini. Total weight of my mini with that stock, DIP bottom metal, a Leupold 3.5-10x40 scope & a loaded magazine is a hair under 7.5lbs. It feels lighter than that to me but I'm used to totin' around a 10lb+ muzzleloader during huntin' season.
I'm sure a person could whittle away at a .243 Win bolt gun to get it to a comparable weight but this one should be an easy job for just about anyone. Just swap out the stock & bottom metal & your done. So that's why I'd stick with the Grendel.
I refuse to be victimized by notions of virtuous behavior.
MonsterShooter Wrote:I already have a .243, starting to have a little buyers remorse... convince my why the Grendel is better than the .243
Less recoil.
That's it.
If you like shooting from a bench the smaller case is more enjoyable.
Follow up shots on game are much faster.
308 win class case size is overkill for deer and black bear in my opinion. At least where I live and hunt.
As for dropping game. It is all where you hit them. I have absolutely wrecked some deer with close in 12 gage slugs and still had to track them a ways.
Had a 3 legged deer with no heart and no lungs run 75 yards into a swamp. Not a drop of blood after 5 yds. Hit twice with 12ga copper rounds.
I used to be a double lung shot kind of guy but I will be looking for double shoulder shots from now on. Maybe even base of the neck spine shots. With what ever I use.
12-19-2021, 05:19 PM (This post was last modified: 12-19-2021, 05:22 PM by Harpoon1.)
Quote: ... convince my why the Grendel is better than the .243
Its not better! Especially when comparing other bolt guns/cartridges.
The real advantage of the Grendel is that it fits in an AR platform. The Grendel is arguably more efficient, has less recoil and can fit in a smaller package.
Its horses for courses, whats the mission? IMO, in a lightweight bolt gun, the versatility of a fast twist 243 or 6 Creedmoor is hard to beat for varmints, predators, deer and pigs. If it aint broke .
Bought A 6.5 Grendel barreled action from Brownells couple years ago, Stockrd it,Boyds Varmint stock,Aussie trigger mod,cut down mag well. Did one shot clean,Sweets. Barrel cleaned up in 10 shots! Amazing for A production barrel! I can shoot 5 shots 3/8" group @100 yds if I do my part.Hornady 123 SST's 28.0 8202,.010 into lands. VERY accurate little rifle! I also use Wilson dies,Redding bump die,I reload for accuracy. An accurate gun is always interesting ! I also use a suppressor on this gun,it shoots ALOT better accuracy wise than without.
Im very new to the 65G too and have the Mini Sporter. Yet to tune it for accuracy but ESs so far seem very promising and the little case seems to thrive up close to compressed. Ive owned a few 243s in sporters and HBs. I prefer 243W in a varminter taking out a lot of the muzzle flip and getting the most out of its long range capability with higher BC pills. No doubt the 243 will do everything the Grendel will, and faster. But also in a heavier carry, with a lot more recoil (and flip in a Sporter) and a lot more noise. Im aiming to get my Mini Sporter to 6lb wet, and for a little package like that, throwing 100gr deer-worthy pills at 2800+ with the recoil of a 22-250 and noise of a 223, it definitely ticks a lot of boxes.
I'm really happy with mine. I took a 22" sporter and have cut 6" off the barrel and put in a MDT LSS XL chassis with a vortex Diamondback tactical scope. Kind of a Jack of all trades rifle.
The chassis shrunk groups from 1moa to .75moa with factory American gunner ammo (~2,400fps) at the cost of a fair amount of weight. The weight and LOP adjustment helps with my young boys learning to shoot, and it's not too heavy overall. Personally the chassis fit and shortened barrel makes it more comfortable to carry in the field, particularly with the SA80 sling I use (old AUG habit)
12-23-2021, 06:38 PM (This post was last modified: 12-24-2021, 10:51 PM by LRRPF52.)
For bolt guns, the mini action allows for shorter bolt travel and a smaller, lighter action when chambered in Grendel.
The other pro is projectile selection.
With .243 Win, youre in the 55gr to 100gr weight class for hunting ammo, the lightweight bullets for varminting of course.
With 6.5 Grendel, youre in the 85gr to 130gr for factory ammo, and up to 160gr if you want to load older round nose bullets that hail from the pre-WWII era designs common on the 6.5x54 Mannlicher and some 6.5x55 Mauser. Theres a good balance of hunting and target ammo for 6.5 Grendel, as well as cheap steel case for getting trigger time.
I dont think Ive ever seen a factory target load in .243 Winchester, because it was meant to be a light recoiling hunting cartridge from the start, so production rifles have been configured and marketed that way since its introduction. If you custom-build one, they make awesome target rifles, but there is very little support at all in the industry for that use, and youll find a lot more wildcat options and speciality case designs for 6mm target work. The same is true for 7mm-08. Awesome cartridge design with tons of potential-whole market is geared to hunting rifles and ammo, no target loads.
Another interesting thing in the ammunition discussion is that much of the 6.5 Grendel factory target ammunition is great for hunting work too. We saw this with the initial 123gr A-AMAX from Hornady, as well as the 123gr ELD-M, and PPU 120gr MPT.
Another advantage to Grendel barrels is the tight twist rate (1/7.5 to 1/9), and the dual-use you get for a hunter that can also be used for target work. There are a lot of 1:10 twist .243 Win rifles out there that are best left for the shorter hunting bullets. This is why LR competitive shooters spec out tight twist 6mm pipes since they know theyll be shooting longer, high BC bullets that like to be spun faster.
So there are some palpable advantages to 6.5 Grendel over the .243 Winchester, especially if you dont want to buy 2 different rifles and you like to shoot target and hunting, and like a shorter action thats closer to a rimfire in size in some of the bolt guns.
The .243 Winchester obviously has its advantages though with velocity, generally giving you 200fps more speed with the same bullet weights compared with same barrel lengths. Within close hunting ranges, this might work against you though with extreme fragmentation and meat damage, with reduced penetration.
Grendel is really Goldilocks in that respect.
NRA Basic, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, RSO
CCW, CQM, DM, Long Range Rifle Instructor
6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks & chamber brushes can be found here:
I have a Howa mini sporter in 6.5G. Love it. It really bridges the gap between the .223/5.56 and the .243 well. I traded into mine for an ultra lightweight walking varminter/deer gun, as well as for young or new hunters and shooters.
Ill eventually upgrade some hardware on it, but the ergonomics and weight on the factory stock are pretty good after a home brew stippling job for better gloved-grip
Light diet for powder, low recoil in a very lightweight package for backcountry deer hunts to reasonable ranges. But a .243 it is not. Embrace it for what it is.
01-08-2022, 05:17 PM (This post was last modified: 01-08-2022, 07:23 PM by Harpoon1.)
Stock CZ 527 American 6.5 Grendel 23.5 barrel, Warne Rings (5.3oz)/Zwarovski Z3 4-10x42 BRH reticle (12.7 oz), total 7 lbs 9.0oz, empty. Im partial to Walnut and Blued Steel and its light enough for me and what I do.
