In the early 2000s, three weapons designers teamed up to bridge the gap between 5.56x45 and its big brother, 7.62 NATO. In 2003, they unveiled their work: the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge.

Designed for the AR-15 platform, the 6.5mm Grendel combined the low recoil of 5.56 with the long-range, flat-shooting trajectory of 7.62 NATO. Today, 6.5mm Grendel is a popular cartridge among hunters and recreational shooters alike.

But is this cartridge really all it’s cracked up to be? More importantly, how does it perform in practical scenarios? Let’s take a look at the 6.5 Grendel in terms of ballistics and some of its applications.

(Source: https://deadshotbarrels.com/product/ar-15-6-5-grendel/)

Overview of 6.5 Grendel

The 2000s were a wild time in the world of firearms. New cartridges like 50 Beowulf and 6.5 Creedmoor changed the landscape for AR shooters, creating the so-called “perfect” cartridge for the platform.

One example was the 6.5mm Grendel, developed by Americans Bill Alexander and Arne Brennan along with Finnish gunsmith Janne Pohjoispaa. With the 6.5 Grendel, the trio designed a cartridge that could push the distance an AR-15 could reliably shoot, while also imparting a lot of force onto its target.

They definitely achieved their goal. Up until 6.5 Creedmoor started cornering the market on long-range, hard-hitting calibers, 6.5 Grendel was hailed as a revolutionary step in the AR platform (and ballistics in general).

Today, the 6.5 Grendel has become more of a niche round. However, that doesn’t mean it’s obsolete. Instead, the 6.5 Grendel has found a home among shooters looking for two things:

1. A long, flat-shooting bullet.
2. A capable hunting cartridge.

With a max range of 800-1,000 yards and the ability to take down game as large as deer, the 6.5 Grendel cartridge fills this niche nicely, and has held its own in the world of firearms for two decades.

By Reginhild at the English-language Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2579039

6.5 Grendel Ballistics and Performance

Now that we have a basic understanding of the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge, its history, and the idea behind it, let’s dive into the ballistics.

Muzzle Velocity, Kinetic Energy, and Trajectory

Nearly every 6.5mm Grendel cartridge features a 123- grain bullet. While you can find some 120-grain bullets out there, they’re definitely not the norm.

Below, we’ve compiled a chart of 6.5 Grendel ballistics data. The chart assumes a 123-grain 6.5mm Grendel bullet is fired from a 20-inch barrel.

While some shooters can push the 6.5mm Grendel round out to 1000 yards, this chart covers the distances that most marksmen will shoot at.

We can draw a few conclusions from this data:

• 6.5mm Grendel maintains a high velocity at long ranges.
• It conserves energy at a distance.
• It’s a very flat-shooting cartridge.

Ballistic Coefficient (BC)

A cartridge’s ballistic coefficient is a quantification of its ability to resist deceleration. A higher ballistic coefficient means that a bullet flies faster and straighter, for better overall performance.

6.5mm bullets have a ballistic coefficient of 0.5, higher than both 7.62 NATO (0.31) and 5.56 (0.22).

Barrel Length and 6.5 Grendel Ballistics Chart

As with any cartridge, barrel length can significantly impact 6.5mm Grendel’s ballistics. Here’s how:

No surprise here. The longer a gun’s barrel, the more energy and speed it imparts upon a bullet. That’s because the expanding gasses within the gun have more time to act on the projectile. Longer barrels will also improve a gun’s overall range.

Factory Loads vs. Handloading 6.5 Grendel

Since 6.5 Grendel is such a niche cartridge, shooters don’t have many options for factory ammo. At ProArmory, we recommend the following:

ammo

Hornady Frontier 6.5 Grendel 123Gr Fmj 20/200

$21.72
Hornady Frontier

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Prices accurate at time of writing

Hornady Frontier 123 Grain FMJ for economic shooters.

ammo

Nosler Custom Competition 6.5Mm Grendel 123 Grain Hpbt

$41.90
Nosler

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Prices accurate at time of writing

Nosler Custom Competition 123 Grain HPBT for marksmen seeking maximum precision.

NOTE: Budget-minded shooters may notice something here. Clocking in at around $1 per round for brass cased ammo, this cartridge is even more expensive than its cousin, the 7.62 NATO. This means that price per round is a huge factor for 6.5 Grendel shooters. As a result, shooters who really want to utilize this cartridge on a regular basis need to handload their own ammo.

What You Need to Handload Ammo

Handloading ammo is a skill unto itself. It takes a bit of trial and error to dial in your handloads, and to do that, you’ll need some components.

Bullets

The uninitiated may refer to an entire cartridge as a “bullet,” but the term actually refers to the projectile that a cartridge fires. In the case of 6.5mm Grendel, the most common bullets are 123 grains with a 6.71mm diameter.

Powder

Powder (more specifically, “smokeless powder”) is where the magic happens in a cartridge. Modern smokeless powder is made from nitrocellulose.

Once powder ignites, it generates gas that expands quickly. This forces the bullet out of the gun through its barrel. In the case of semi-auto guns, this expanding gas also cycles the action.

Primers

Primers are tiny little explosive blasting caps situated on the back end of the casing. When a firing pin impacts a primer, it ignites the powder, setting the cartridge off. 6.5 Grendel rounds use small rifle primers.

Brass (Cases)

Cases hold a cartridge together. They’re filled with powder, with the primer mounted on the back of the case. They also hold the bullet in place.

Cases are the only reusable component of a cartridge. Shooters can reload high-quality brass cases multiple times without affecting a cartridge’s performance. If you decide to start reloading, make sure you collect your empty cases after shooting.

Note that a case’s material determines its viability for reloading. Shooters can only reload brass cases, not steel ones. 6.5 Grendel cases have an overall capacity of 2.3 square centimeters.

(Source: https://atherisrifle.com/products/atheris-arc15-t2-6-5-grendel.html)

6.5mm Grendel Platforms and Rifles

The 6.5 Grendel’s success means that several different platforms have adopted the cartridge. However, you can basically boil them down to two categories: AR-15s and bolt guns.

AR-15-Pattern Rifles

The 6.5mm Grendel cartridge was originally invented for the AR-15. So naturally, it’s at home on this platform.

However, a shooter can’t just load a 6.5mm Grendel round into a standard AR-15 and call it a day. Clocking in at 11.2mm, the case’s diameter is too large for 5.56x45 bolts and too small for 7.62 NATO bolts.

This means anyone who wants to shoot 6.5mm Grendel will need a specialized bolt. The bolt carrier, however, is interchangeable between 5.56 and 6.5mm Grendel guns.

While 6.5mm Grendel rounds fit into a standard STANAG AR-15, they do sacrifice a bit of capacity. A 30-round 5.56 magazine will only fit 26 rounds of 6.5mm Grendel.

Bolt-Action Rifles

While the 6.5mm Grendel wasn’t originally designed for bolt-action rifles, the cartridge quickly found popularity among bolt guns.

Bolt action rifles chambered in this cartridge exhibit two main differences from 6.5mm Grendel ARs. First, they enjoy higher range and energy. Since none of the cartridge’s expanding gas works to cycle the gun, it all acts on pushing the bullet forward.

However, bolt-action rifles also feature more recoil than semi-auto guns. That’s because 100% of the gun’s recoil pushes back into the shooter, instead of working to cycle the gun’s action.

6.5 Grendel vs Other Cartridges

Here’s how 6.5mm Grendel performs in a head-to-head comparison with other popular cartridges.

6.5 Grendel vs. .223 Remington / 5.56 NATO

In many ways, the 6.5mm Grendel was designed to be a “5.56 killer.” It obviously didn’t completely achieve that goal, since 5.56x45 is still one of the most popular cartridges in the world.

But the Grendel still edges out 5.56 in several categories. Specifically, the 6.5 Grendel cartridge shoots further and straighter than the 5.56, while only exhibiting slightly more recoil than its smaller cousin.

6.5 Grendel vs. 300 Blackout

Since the 6.5mm Grendel cartridge has a similar case diameter to .300 Blackout, some shooters may initially think these rounds have similar ballistics.

This couldn’t be further from the truth, though. The .300 Blackout bullet is thick and heavy, with less powder behind it than 6.5 Grendel. This makes the .300 Blackout more suitable for close-range and suppressed shooting. In contrast, 6.5 Grendel’s low drop makes it more capable of nailing long-range shots.

6.5 Grendel vs. .308 Winchester / 7.62 NATO

The 6.5 Grendel cartridge is a sort of “middle ground” between 5.56 and 7.62 NATO. Since it has a smaller bullet than the 7.62 NATO, the 6.5 Grendel doesn’t impart as much force on its target.

However, that comes with a trade-off. The cartridge also doesn’t have as much perceived recoil as 7.62 NATO, so it won’t beat up your shoulder the same way its beefier cousin does. This also makes 6.5 Grendel more capable of accurate follow-up shots.

(Source: https://www.grendelhunter.com/customer-photo-gallery/)

Hunting With 6.5 Grendel

Thanks to its exceptional ballistics, heavy bullet, and low recoil, 6.5mm Grendel has become a popular hunting round. Here’s some of the game hunters can take with this cartridge.

Big Game

While the 6.5 Grendel does generate enough force to take a deer, that’s about as big as a hunter can go with this cartridge. It’s not particularly well-suited for larger animals like elk. For these kinds of animals, a shooter is better off with a tried-and-true caliber like the venerable .30-30.

Wild Hogs

If there’s one place that the 6.5 Grendel really excels, it’s sniping hogs. Thanks to its large bullet, the cartridge maintains enough force to put these tough animals down for good. Plus, since 6.5 Grendel has much longer range than 7.62x39 or .300 Blackout, hunters can take hogs from much farther away than these other fat bullets would allow.

Varmints and Predators

Another great application for 6.5 Grendel is hunting predators like coyotes. The small, lightweight cartridge is great for reaching out and touching a far-away target, which is necessary for hunting coyotes.

Shooters who are looking for a cartridge to eliminate varmints like prairie dogs, raccoons, or badgers should give the 6.5 Grendel some serious consideration. It boasts a long enough range to take these animals at long distances — since they won’t be letting you get very close. Also, hitting an animal that small with a 123-grain bullet will instantly vaporize it.

The Bottom Line

For any shooter that wants a lightweight, accurate, and precise long-range cartridge, 6.5mm Grendel is a great choice. Whether you’re looking for their next dedicated hunting round or a tack-driving performance cartridge, the 6.5mm Grendel fits the bill.

Ready to get your feet wet with this niche round? Stock up today at ProArmory!

Browse match-grade 6.5mm Grendel rounds at unbeatable prices with guaranteed secure online purchases. Check out our complete selection of rifle ammo to learn more.