Handloads: 6.5 mm Grendel

posted on March 29, 2019
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
6grend.jpg

The 6.5 mm Grendel cartridge only looks small. Instead of burning copious charges of propellant, the Grendel lets its slender 0.264"-diameter bullets do the heavy-lifting of producing flat trajectories. And those weighing around 120 grs. provide the best balance of weight and velocity. The Hornady 123-gr. SST’s high 0.510 G1 ballistic coefficient compensates quite well even at the relatively slow muzzle velocity of 2480 f.p.s. The SSTs drop only 2.5" more at 300 yds. than Hornady 150-gr. InterLock SP bullets fired at 2750 f.p.s. from a .308 Win. with nearly 40 percent less propellant.

CFE 223 propellant is a perfect match for the Grendel shooting SST bullets. It greatly reduces copper fouling in barrels and meters precisely from a powder measure. CFE 223 dropped from a measure directly into Grendel cases produced an extreme spread of velocity of 27 f.p.s. for 10 shots. A cleaner barrel and faster reloading are both good qualities, because the mild-mannered 6.5 mm Grendel is meant to be shot—a lot.

Latest

FN “Moroccan” Mauser, semi-automatic LRB M14SA
FN “Moroccan” Mauser, semi-automatic LRB M14SA

Scout The Trail To A General Purpose Rifle

The search for a universal longarm—one suitable for both hunting and defensive scenarios—is a trek that involves a bit of doubling back.

Trijicon Releases Green-Dot RMR

For the first time, the Trijicon RMR will now be available with a green aiming dot, providing some benefits to shooters with astigmatism and red-green color blindness.

The Armed Citizen® Sept. 15, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Firearm Industry Companies Consolidate, Others Close Doors In 2025

This year has already seen some big changes in the firearm industry. They don’t quite reach the tectonic shift in 2020, when legendary firms owned by Remington Outdoor were auctioned off, but there have still been some notable shifts within the industry in 2025.

Preview: Uni-Loader

The easy-to-use Uni-Loader can save high-volume shooters a lot of time and finger pain.

CZ 600+ Introduces Switch-Barrel Capability

In 2025, CZ USA expanded its 600 series rifle lineup with the CZ 600+, a design that delivers on the company's promise of a switch-barrel platform.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.