6.5mm Grendel: Difference between revisions

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The 6.5 Grendel (or 6.5 mm Grendel) is a 6.5 mm caliber rifle cartridge that was developed in 2002 by Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms and Arne Brennan of Competition Shooting Sports. This cartridge is an evolution of Dr. Lou Palmisano's 6.5 mm PPC case and was designed with the intent of providing a low recoil, high accuracy, long-range cartridge for the AR-15 platform.

Development & History

The Grendel design philosophy was "start slow and end fast". High muzzle velocities accelerate barrel wear and increase the percentage of recoil due to escaping gasses but only yield good terminal velocities if the bullet is efficient at carrying its velocity downrange. Constrained by the length of the 5.56 NATO, but wanting to launch a much heavier bullet, the Grendel designers hit on a short, fat case for more powder volume while saving space for long, streamlined, high BC bullets that give up little of their energy in-flight. Firing the same weight bullet as the AK-47's M43 round, its muzzle velocity is significantly lower than the 5.56. However, due to its heavier bullet, larger powder capacity, and vastly superior BC it dramatically outperforms both of these cartridges at all ranges.

Performance

Proponents assert that the Grendel is an ideal middle ground between the 5.56 NATO and the 7.62 NATO, taking the best attributes of each. It has a flatter trajectory and retains greater muzzle energy at extended ranges than either of these cartridges due to its higher ballistic coefficient. Production rifles have consistently achieved sub-MOA groups at test ranges out to 600 meters.

Muzzle velocity

6.99 g (108 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s)
7.97 g (123 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s)
9.33 g (144 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 2,450 ft/s (750 m/s)

Velocity at 1000 meters

6.99 g (108 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 1,166 ft/s (355 m/s)
7.97 g (123 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 1,222 ft/s (372 m/s)
9.33 g (144 gr) Full Metal Jacket(FMJ): 1,213 ft/s (370 m/s)

Timeline

May 2003: First 6.5 Grendel prototype rifle unveiled at the Blackwater training center

External links

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 ==Development & History==
-In early [[2001]] Bill Alexander first thought of developing a cartridge for long- range precision shooting in AR-15 type rifles.
 The Grendel design philosophy was "start slow and end fast". High muzzle velocities accelerate barrel wear and increase the percentage of recoil due to escaping gasses but only yield good terminal velocities if the bullet is efficient at carrying its velocity downrange. Constrained by the length of the [[5.56_mm_caliber|5.56 NATO]], but wanting to launch a much heavier bullet, the Grendel designers hit on a short, fat case for more powder volume while saving space for long, streamlined, high [[ballistic coefficient|BC]] bullets that give up little of their energy in-flight. Firing the same weight bullet as the [[AK-47|AK-47's]] M43 round, its muzzle velocity is significantly lower than the 5.56. However, due to its heavier bullet, larger powder capacity, and vastly superior BC it dramatically outperforms both of these cartridges at all ranges.