6.5mm Grendel

6.5mm Grendel
6.5mm Grendel showing variety of bullets—144 gr (9.3 g) to 90 gr (5.8 g)
TypeRifle
Place of originUnited States
Production history
DesignerBill Alexander and Janne Pohjoispää
Designed2003[1]
Specifications
Parent case.220 Russian (5.6×39mm)[2]
Case typeRimless, bottleneck
Bullet diameter6.71 mm (0.264 in)
Land diameter6.50 mm (0.256 in)
Neck diameter7.44 mm (0.293 in)
Shoulder diameter10.87 mm (0.428 in)
Base diameter11.15 mm (0.439 in)
Rim diameter11.2 mm (0.44 in)
Rim thickness1.5 mm (0.059 in)
Case length38.7 mm (1.52 in)
Overall length57.5 mm (2.26 in)
Case capacity2.3 cm3 (35 gr H2O)
Rifling twist1 in 200 mm (8 in) or 1 in 230 mm (9 in)
Primer typeSmall rifle
Maximum pressure360 MPa (52,000 psi)
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
90 gr (6 g) Speer TNT 2,880 ft/s (880 m/s) 1,658 ft⋅lbf (2,248 J)
108 gr (7 g) Scenar (moly)[3] 2,790 ft/s (850 m/s) 1,866 ft⋅lbf (2,530 J)
120 gr (8 g) Norma FMJBT 2,700 ft/s (820 m/s) 1,942 ft⋅lbf (2,633 J)
123 gr (8 g) Sierra Matchking 2,650 ft/s (810 m/s) 1,917 ft⋅lbf (2,599 J)
130 gr (8 g) Norma 2,510 ft/s (770 m/s) 1,818 ft⋅lbf (2,465 J)
Test barrel length: 24 inches (610 mm)
Source(s): Alexander Arms Pressure-safe Load Data

The 6.5mm Grendel is an intermediate cartridge jointly designed by British-American armorer Bill Alexander, competitive shooter Arne Brennan (of Houston, Texas) and Lapua ballistician Janne Pohjoispää, as a low-recoil, high-precision rifle cartridge specifically for the AR-15 platform at medium/long range (200–800 yard). It is an improved variation of the 6.5mm PPC.[4]

The 6.5mm Grendel cartridge was first unveiled in May 2003 at the Blackwater Training Facility in North Carolina, where it remained supersonic at 1,200 yd (1,100 m) range and out-shot the 7.62mm NATO with only half the recoil.[5] Since its introduction, it has proven to be a versatile cartridge and is now expanding into other firearm design platforms including bolt-action rifles and the Kalashnikov system.[6]

The name "Grendel" is inspired by the mythical monster antagonist from the Old English epic poem Beowulf.[7] It was a trademark owned by Alexander Arms (Bill Alexander's company in Radford, Virginia) and manufactured at Radford Arsenal,[8] until legally released in 2010 for SAAMI standardization with collaboration from Hornady.[7][9][10]

  1. ^ "6.5mm Grendel (internet archive copy)". Alexander Arms. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Guthrie 1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Products - Lapua". Archived from the original on 2016-01-08. Retrieved 2016-01-04.
  4. ^ Lewis, Jack (2007). The Gun Digest Book of Assault Weapons. Gun Digest Books. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-89689-498-3.
  5. ^ "6.5 Grendel". Alexander Arms. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  6. ^ Outdoor Hub, Prototype 6.5 Grendel AK Rifle from Definitive Arms, 13 October 2015
  7. ^ a b Gash, Steve (2015-07-01). "Alexander Arms 6.5 Grendel Hunter Review". Gun Digest. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  8. ^ "Company History". Alexander Arms. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  9. ^ ""Alexander Arms Announces: The 6.5 Grendel Is An Official SAAMI Cartridge "". Archived from the original on 2019-08-13. Retrieved 2012-02-18.
  10. ^ "6.5 Grendel is Approved as SAMMI Cartridge — Alexander Arms Gives up "6.5 Grendel" Trademark « Daily Bulletin".