Got a buddy with a 6.5G he wants to trade for my .223/5.56.

Besides being a weekend warrior and popping off a few shots in my backyard I don't really shoot all that much.

I might end up going deer hunting this year, even tho both is more than enough to kill a deer.

I have $800 in my .223 including 9 mags and 400rds of ammo.

My buddy has right at $1300 in his grendel.

Figured even tho I don't shoot much, the price diff would be enough to make the trade.

Pics below of the builds

.223/5.56



6.5 Grendel

I personally would jump on the Grendel and build another 556 later.

I have both and don't shoot the Grendel much because ammo is too expensive and can be difficult to find locally. The Grendel has a lot more kick than a .223 so it can get tiresome to shoot. For hunting the Grendel would be a better choice if you want to lug an AR around hunting all day. It's not bad on a ranch pig hunt or flat deer hunting but if the terrain is rugged and you really want to hunt then trade for the Grendel, sell the Grendel and get a real hunting rifle.

Brass and steel case .223/6.5G cost pretty much the same. Yes the Grendel is not as common as .223 in LGS.  The recoil is pretty mild as well, I mean I could literally shoot mine all day if I could afford it. A "real hunting rifle" would kick the crap out of ya compared to a 6.5G AR.

OP
I say trade for the Grendel and build another 5.56 if you miss it.

Grendel...you won't regret it!

Appreciate all the replies, believe I'll have myself a new grendel tomorrow.

Jump into the Grendel.

Yep that would be my choice as well.  If he doesn't like the grendel you could always sell it and easily get enough to build a new 223 upper as well.  Pic doesn't work for me with the grendel but that 223 looks way to heavy to be lugging it around through the woods.  My 18" grendel isn't a bad gun to carry all day its right at 7.6 lbs empty.

Steel case is the same price but you can buy brass case 223/5.56 for a good bit cheaper.

Here is the grendel

Its a 16" Satern stainless barrel with aero upper and luth ar stock

Well that is certainly more suitable for hunting then your old 5.56, though I think you may have under valued your old set up a tad.

Nice rig.  Any components?

Well yeah but I was thinking match or hunting ammo for either caliber.

You can get some decent cheap brass ammo for 5.56 that just doesn't exist for 6.5G. In comparison a 55g 5.56 from a 20inch barrel at 300m sounds the same as shooting steel with a 123g ELD from a 20inch 6.5G at 900m. I even had shots hit towards the hanger on my steel with 5.56 that I could not hear the impact. It was quite windy, but I was wearing electronic ear pro.

Not that the impact on steel really measures anything but its amazing how much harder a 6.5G hits.

You could buy or build a 6.5G upper(plus some magazines) for far less $ and then you'd have both.

I was just going by what I paid for my old setup.

Just got back home with the 6.5G, papers total $1,403 for the build. I'm pretty stoked about the trade at the moment. We'll see what the future holds.

I refuse to shoot steel cased ammo, the bullets are copper washed mild steel and wear out barrels twice as quickly as standard lead core bullets.

I bought my two Grendel barrels from Alexander Arms. I believed they used generic E.R. Shaw barrel blanks which really aren't considered very good. One of them is a hammer (the 18" 1/8 twist) the other has been a disappointment (24" 1/9 twist). By disappointment I mean it groups around 1.25" at 100 yards. The 18" barrel is a half-moa rifle.

Buying premium barrels almost always pays off on target. You reduce your chances of getting a dog by paying more money up front.

I have gone down a different path with 6.5 Grendel than most other people. I shoot lightweight bullets almost exclusively. 107 Sierra Match Kings, 100 grain Lapua Scenar's, 100 grain Nosler Custom Competition (just purchased yesterday and Hornady 95 grains. I think the lighter bullets are a better choice simply because velocity can easily reach 2700 fps using these weights. They have very good B.C. despite being light for this caliber. I also purchased some 85 grain Sierra 6.5 varmint bullets I hope to get up to 2900+ fps.

The higher velocity reduces flight time and still compare favorably to 168 grain .308's as far as wind drift is concerned. They truly make this caliber a high power rifle velocity wise.

You will be a winner if you trade your 223 ammo with equal amount of brass case 6.5G ammo.