Just Hear Me Out, Ideas/Opinions Welcome.

[hewlett260]

I am looking into starting a new project for next year and just wanted to see how much this could either be a fun project or a huge P.I.T.A. The idea is a fun cost effective short to intermediate range gun for backpacking and coyotes and a lot of rounds downrange without burning out the barrel on my AW260 as fast. Also want something that doesn't have a lot of recoil so my wife will enjoy shooting it. My 260 makes her flinch(mainly the noise), the only thing she hasn't flinched when shooting was an AR. So here is the idea: a bolt action 6.5 Grendel with a medium Palma contour cut to 18 or 20 inches and threaded the same as my 260 so I can put a can on when I move out of this shitty anti gun state. For a stock looking at the Manners T5A. Scope looking at the Nightforce 2.5-10x 42mm. For the action I am undecided(still have plenty of time). Some questions or concerns I have are 1: does anyone have a Grendel in a bolt action that could give me a heads up on any possible problems and 2: will the polymer AICS 223 magazines work with the Grendel. If not what would you recommend? This will also be a chance for me to see how versatile this round can be, I have been curious about doing this for a while. I know for bolt guns most guys(myself included) tend to stick to the higher performance cartridges, but I really want to try something new and different and have a unique rifle at the end of the day. Also as far as the wife is concerned, I will now have an excuse to spend a lot of money on a gun again(she is still mad about me buying an AI and that was with her permission almost 3 years ago). So let me know what you think, what you like and what you would do differently. Thanks to all who look.

 

[BillyGoatMachine]

The Grendel will have superior ballistics, but another caliber to look into is the .300 BK. Can be loaded with sub sonics or supers. Uses the same bolt, magazines, and brass as a 223. Shooting the subs out of a bolt action will NEVER scare the Ol Lady. Very soft recoil and cheep if you reload. And if you ever leave Ca (hell) you could use a can for zero noise shooting.

 

[dentout]

The whole purpose of the Grendel was to use it on an AR platform. Why would you want to use it in a bolt action? I know you probably can't have one (an ar) on the left coast but it seems like a waste or resources.

 

[BillyGoatMachine]

The whole purpose of the Grendel was to use it on an AR platform. Why would you want to use it in a bolt action? I know you probably can't have one (an ar) on the left coast but it seems like a waste or resources.

California AR's are legal as of right now when they are using a mag lock. Now for how much longer that lasts is another dilemma.

 

[alfson]

If you can (I don't know if they are California legal) get a Mossberg MVP. After the Wife gets used to shooting it, rebarrel it to 6.5 Grendel. For the cost of a bolt and barrel you get a 6.5 that takes standard AR magazines.

Or since you said short to medium range, just rebarrel it to 6.5 AR (necked up .223 case). You will have to handload for that but it avoids the bolt change.

In any case you get to use standard AR magazines instead of wasting money on overpriced AI stuff.

 

[Sniper260]

I have a grendel... its an awesome round. Its slower about 2500 fps but shoots very nice.. its finicky to find a load for but can be very precise as mine is. Ive shot 2.8 inch 5 shot groups at 750 yards... the grendel can perform... now... this rifle is an AR... and I kick myself in the ass everyday for not building it in a bolt gun...DO it!!!! But have a custom barrel... 8 or 8.5 twist... 24 inches long... it will shoot 123 amaxes and 129 gr sst....

The other caliber that fits your ticket is a 6br... or 6.5x47 lapua... these 3 and you can not go wrong. Recoil precision or barrel life

 

[hewlett260]

Hey everyone, thank you for your responses. I fully intend on getting a Grendel upper for my AR, and while the round was intended for an AR I thought the idea of it in a bolt gun might be kind of fun to play around with also. I hadn't thought about the Mossberg until now, was leaning more toward an Howa or Tikka to rip apart and turn into the little gun. Interested in the 6BR, but the 6.5x47 Lapua is a little too close to my 260 to really be considered. Both are great rounds though. Thank you for the responses and please keep them coming.

 

[wrhunter]

How about 6x45? That is if you reload...

 

[nchunter243]

6 tcu, 6.5x47 or maybe a 22 br

 

[SSC]

I would look at a 223AI. you can use a smaller 223 can to keep weight down (and give you a reason to buy another can) and the recoil is next to nothing. When you want to put a bunch of rounds down range, pick up some 55 FMJ's and 2 MOA targets and go to town. When you want to really reach out there go 75 or 80 AMAX and push them hard. The great thing about the 223AI is that you don't have a bunch of extra steps when fire-forming. Just load shoot and done. It will also shoot most any 223 factory load so you can still pick up cheap loaded ammo if you ever come across it.

Just my $.02

 

[Bucket]

Feeding may be the problem!
I live in Australia where we can't have semis, so bolts are the only option (apart from some guys doing interesting things with Remington 7615s.....)
I have 3 x 6.8 SPCs, a factory Remington 700 that refuses to reliably feed, but was improved by going to a Wyatt DBM that i have tuned the mag lips on (.223 mag) a factory Ruger M77 compact, very reliable but a bit clunky, and recently picked up a Sako S491, which feeds beautifully, but is very short in the magazine.

Most bolt Grendels here, and there are quite a few, are built on rifles designed for 7.62x39, the parent case of the Grendel. These include the Zastava (sold by Remington as the 799 in the States) or the CZ. They both have nice compact actions, but the CZ has bolt/scope clearance issues, meaning you have to mount the scope pretty high, and the Zastavas are, well, cheap!

My advice would be to buy something with a steel detachable magazine so you can tune the lips to make it work. Another option for a beautiful little rifle would be to molest a 6mm PPC Sako, if you could bring yourself to do it! (Maybe just pull the barrel and put it aside for later on).

I have to say I would prefer a Grendel to the SPC, but I have solo much SPC gear I'm gunna stick with that!

 

[steve123]

Saubier.com would be a great place to ask about 6.5G in bolt actions.

I had a 6mmAR Turbo 40 in a AR that I would be cool in a bolt action.