For those interested, Alexander Arms is designing an AR specifically for hunters in 6.5 Grendel.

Article from www.65grendel.com:

Grendel Goes Hunting

October 29, 2004


“Straightway he seized a sleeping warrior for the first, and tore him fiercely asunder, the bone-frame bit, drank blood in streams, swallowed him piecemeal; swiftly thus the lifeless corse was clear devoured, e’en feet and hands.”

OK, OK, I’m not talking about a mythical beast attacking a band of Vikings as in the epic fable Beowulf; that was just to get your attention. I’m talkin’ about 6.5 Grendels goin’ deer huntin’ — well, at least in 2005. I recently spoke with Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms and he was excited to announce that they’re working on a “hunting AR” in 6.5 Grendel for their 2005 product line.

Before I get into the specifics, I should first say that Bill seemed grateful for the feedback offered him on this forum. He said the feedback has been knowledgeable, constructive, and he is hoping to incorporate some ideas in future offerings, such as a 5-round magazine (possibly to be achieved by blocking a 10-rounder).

Anyway, Bill envisions a basic hunting AR without the bells and whistles of the competition-style rifles, but also without the extra costs! These should be more in the price range of his standard .50 Beowulf offerings. (All prices for 2005 will include free shipping.) The features follow:

1. It would have either an 18" or 20" barrel, Bill hasn’t decided. His main concern is that it balance nicely like a fine firearm should. Good balance helps a rifle handle better and feel lighter than it is (not that an AR is that heavy to begin with). Anyway, feedback on barrel length would be appreciated; my vote is for an 18". Seems a good compromise between ease of handling and yet keeping velocity up for longer range shots.

2. Barrel would be chrome-moly, not a stainless-steel match barrel; however, rest easy in knowing accuracy will not be affected. This will control costs and won’t be any different than the vast majority of other hunting rifles. The barrel will be thinner than a heavy match barrel and have more of a flowing contour like a bolt-action barrel. In this day of CNC machining there’s no need to go with clunky “stepping down” of barrel diameter. The muzzle will have a rebated crown to protect the rifling.

3. Furniture will be coyote brown, one of the standard military colors in current service. Handguards will be the round military style clam-shell, and of course in coyote brown. As with all Grendels, the pistol grip will come standard with a Falcon Industries Ergo Grip, coyote brown. For buttstocks, we will have the option of getting a coyote brown AR stock or upgrading to a VLTOR.

4. Receiver will be a flattop, for mounting one’s choice of scope.

5. Finally, there will be a Picatinny rail mount on the front sight block, so one can mount his choice of front sight or leave it off.

With this new offering, Grendel fans will have a competitively-priced “hunting AR” that allows us to use the same bullets as traditional 6.5mm cartridges such as the 6.5 x 55 Swedish or the more recent .260 Remington. Of course, velocities are reduced in the smaller PPC-style case, but we know that the inherent momentum of the high-sectional density, high ballistic-coefficient 6.5 bullets makes them less velocity-dependent than stubbier bullets. This principle allows them to keep their velocity — and thus trajectory, winddrift, energy, penetration, and all-around effectiveness — at longer ranges than a simplistic reliance on muzzle-velocity numbers would indicate.

Moderate velocities also have the benefit of moderating recoil, which makes the 6.5 Grendel (1) easy to shoot for young shooters and women, (2) makes it more accurate for the rest of us, and (3) makes shooting just plain fun again! Bill likes to say about the 6.5 Grendel: “Recoils minimally, hits authoritatively.”

This rifle is still in development and will be offered in 2005. If you have any feedback or wish list requests, now is the time to post them in the forum. This is an exciting development, especially for those of us who live in states where the .223 caliber is illegal for big-game hunting. Hunters have long had big-game-caliber semi-automatics such as Browning’s BAR or Remington’s 7400. Now we’ve got a hunting semi-automatic with the the form factor and ergonomics of America’s premier combat small arm. With ARs chambered in 6.5 Grendel, we can take these guns to the next level and make them earn their keep by putting meat on the table!

John

P.S. Look for the 6.5 Grendel to make more appearances soon in some of the gun magazines. Alexander Arms has placed a 6.5 Grendel advertisement in the December issue of Gun World, an article has been written for the February Rifle Shooter, and an article is planned for Shooting Illustrated, date to be determined.

6.5 Grendel: AR10 Soul in an AR15 Body

end of article

not to criticize, but I can do the same thing with my DPMS 308... and I can get the ammo at walmart... if needed...

Quoted: not to criticize, but I can do the same thing with my DPMS 308... and I can get the ammo at walmart... if needed...

Well I guess you'll be going to WALMART!

I'm relatively new to AR's, but in the short time I've owned one I've become enchanted with the possibilities of changing calibers or configurations with the push of two pins.  I have a varmint style .223 and a 50 Beo entry upper and was considering a medium caliber to hunt deer with at medium range.  The 6.5 Gren was a caliber that I was entertaining as well as the 6.8 SPC.  I then found out through this website that uppers are being built in the WSSM's.  I think that I have made my decision on the .25 WSSM.  The ammo and components are readily available and I'm a fan of the quarter bore.  If the WSSM's weren't available I would have chosen the 6.5, but in the standard 24 inch, heavy stainless configuration as most of my hunting is from a blind or at the edge of a field.  If I want to still hunt or stalk, my shots should be close so the Beowulf is my choice.  I'm really beginning to like this AR stuff.