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Post by LowKey on May 5, 2017 21:44:58 GMT
I'm pondering getting into 6.5 Grendel rather than plunking down the change for a couple of Mega Arms Maten SF based rifles in .308. There's another cartridge, 6.5 PCC* I ran across that I ran across that caught my interest but there was so little information on it I could find I dropped it into the pile of stuff labeled, "If and When this becomes a mature product". Aside from swapping out the bolt and barrel, what else is entailed in having a reliable rifle in 6.5 Grendel beyond what's needed to make any other AR reliable? What barrel lengths do you, people whom I know and trust vs anonymous Internet authorities, recommend? I'm also curious to see hear how it will sound through the 8 inch can I already have for my 300BLK. Talk to me here, people. GBM, this is your chance to convert me over to your long range caliber's cult faith. * Yes, 6.5 PCC not PPC. Interesting because it uses the 5.56 brass as a parent case. As I'm already destined to be setting up reloading for my 300BLK it would have been nice to stick with 5.56 brass all around. Oh well. |
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Post by LowKey on May 6, 2017 11:10:39 GMT
Boredom combined with google had me off on tangents and going down some rabbit holes today, Can anybody make some sense of the ballistics data here on the 6.5 PCC in comparison to the 6.5 Grendel? The Grendel is a more or less mainstream cartridge these days but I'm wondering how well this wildcat measures up in comparison, particularly with 120gr bullets. IIRC 120-130 grain bullets seem to be the sweet spot with a Grendel and 120 grain seems to be the heaviest acceptable round for the 6.5 PCC. Unless my brain has gone entirely to mush (always a possibility), if both rifles launch the same weight 6.5 dia bullet at the same velocities then the ballistics arc should be identical, yes? Or is there voodoo involved to which only hardcore re-loaders are privy? I've pretty much made up my mind to walk away from .308, and lean towards the Grendel as a replacement but this 6.5PCC has my interest. Currently my rifles are chambered in 5.56 or 300BLK, with the 5.56 uppers as more or less backups so that I can use cheaper ammo. If I went with the 6.5 PCC which is based off of 5.56 brass it would have some logistical advantages for me if I were reloading it (I have a Dillon 1050 in my near future). Same parent brass for all my calibers. Same bolt for all my calibers. Same magazines for all my calibers. Grendel would require a new bolt and magazines, as well as different parent brass. On the pro side for Grendel, lots of load data and commercially available ammo. |
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Post by nxp on May 6, 2017 16:36:11 GMT
Lowkey - personally I'd put the money into a good reloading setup before jumping into 6.5 - and here's why:
I love everything about the 6.5 - as a long range projectile it's fantastic. In a mid-range cart, there's a lot of compromises to be made, and that's one of the reasons why it works so well in the x39 case the Russian's use. In the 5.56 cart, you just don't have enough case capacity to do the round justice, and the bullets with awesome BC can't fit in an autoloader so you're stuck in a bolt or break action. If you want to play with an auto loader, you really need to get something Russian designed or equivalent to make use of the case. AK magazines, etc. You can play around with western adaptations of the design, but going back to the source is going to be the most reliable. PSA's got that goofy design that's some kind of a hybrid short action AR with a 308 that can take AK mags, but I've never personally seen one up close and placing lots of "ideas" together to make something new always makes me frowny.
Now that I've got my 300BLK and have a small stock of target/hunting ammo for it, I'm looking into reloading equipment.
If only Tony'd get off his duff and post up that Reloading for idiots thing he was working on... (cough cough cough)
The reality of it (around me anyway) is that the 30cal round isn't going anywhere. 300BLK does what I need it to do under 200yds - and if I want to go longer I've got a bolt 3006. I can get ammo all day long in every size imaginable for it off the shelf, in many cases for half the price of 300BLK. If I really want step up to something zippy, there's choices for mag and ultramag.
If I'm really concerned about that mid distance between 200 and 400yds, my 5.56 upper will do it at a much lower cost than playing around with 6.5, but really I think a hot 3006 would be more than enough at a lower cost/round and better barrel life.
IMO only, of course.
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Post by as556 on May 14, 2017 19:21:33 GMT
 OK if you guys tell me what youd like to see reloading wise I'll work on it. I just feel like the basics are done to death and would be redundant...the data is all out there already. But if you guys can key in on something it goes without saying I would be more than pleased to help you guys out with anything reloading related. I'm no expert bit have 15k+ on 5 calibers no kaboom so I've got a bit of knowledge to share. |
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Post by Browning35 on May 17, 2017 13:33:55 GMT
I can't really school you on the 6.5 Grendel since I don't own one and I haven't ever owned one, but I'm interested in it as a cartridge. For the 200-600 yard niche it shows some real potential. Actually I'm saving up for this one ... www.jprifles.com/1.2.2_JP15.phpI'm likely to get the JP 6.5 upper first and swap it back and forth on my RRA NM and then at some point later I'll get the actual JP Enterprise lower. I'm interested in the 6.5 G over the 6.8 SPC that I owned for several years just because there's actually cheap (Wolf) ammo for it and I can shoot that if I'm just doing some high powered plinking. Couldn't really do that with the 6.8. The cheapest 6.8 ammo at the time was Rem 6.8 FMJ that was only like $2 cheaper than the hunting fodder (about a buck to $1.50 a rd). I've done some longer range shooting lately and while it's possible to get some decent groups with a .223 it doesn't buck the wind very well. So for me the 6.5 Grendel will serve the dual purpose of getting better at long range shooting as well as being the occasional game getter. I liked the 6.8 for that, but at the end I couldn't justify stocking another caliber. I don't know anything about that other cartridge. |
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Post by LowKey on May 17, 2017 13:49:35 GMT
Just to keep stirring the pot, I'll mention I'm also looking hard at 6.5 PCC as I have flights of fancy about using a Dolos quick change barrel setup to let me swap back and forth between an 8 inch barrel 300BLK and a 16-20 inch 6.5PCC on my SBR'ed lower; only possible becasue the 6.5PCC uses the same parent brass thus bolt and magazines.
Of course that would also apply to 5.56....more pondering ensues.
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