6.5 Grendel Factory Load Data Project

Testing the performance of common factory ammo in 6.5 Grendel

The Idea. Barrel length is a hot topic of conversation for those who own a 6.5 Grendel as well as those wanting to own one. The most common question I hear is “Do you recommend an 18″ or 20″ barrel?”. I’ve always felt that the ideal barrel length really depends on the primary application. To determine if a certain barrel length will suite your needs though, you’re going to need performance data. What velocity will I get with a certain barrel and load? How much energy will my bullet have at a given range? How much do I gain or lose by going from one length barrel to another? That’s the point of this project. To gather and ultimately share data in a format that you’ll hopefully find useful.

The Plan. What I’ve decided to do is take the four most common lengths of 6.5 Grendel barrels and shoot through them the eight most common and readily available factory loads on the market to see how they perform. Measure velocities, calculate energy and trajectories and then post the results for you to reference. I’m not sure if this has ever been done before, but I haven’t seen anything quite like it. The barrels I’m using are 16″, 18″, 20″ and 22″ Liberty barrels made by Satern in Iowa. The ammunition I’m using is listed below.

  • Wolf Military Classic (Steel) 100 grain FMJ
  • Hornady American Gunner 123 grain BTHP
  • Hornady Black 123 grain ELD-M
  • Hornady Custom 123 grain SST
  • Federal Fusion 120 grain SP
  • Federal American Eagle 90 grain TNT JHP
  • Federal Gold Medal Berger 130 grain OTM
  • Federal American Eagle 120 grain OTM

Just as a quick note, none of this is meant to be definitive. I plan to run my tests through several barrels of each length, but whichever barrel you have might perform a little bit differently. Your elevation, temperature and barometric pressure will vary from my testing conditions as well. I wouldn’t argue with someone who has measured results different from my own. But hopefully I can find some good bits of data that will be useful to you.

Range Trips. The first step in my project has been to collect velocity data. The next step was to put it in a (hopefully) useful format. As of the today (7/29/2019) I have done some shooting with each of the 4 different length barrels, but have not finished all of my testing. Below you’ll find links to the data as I complete the testing of each length.

Results.

4 comments

  1. Fantastic study! Will you be posting the 16” data anytime soon?

  2. Any chance you will do a 12”? I’m very curious on how far out I can shoot with various projectiles. Especially the Nosler accubond LR.

  3. Check your 18″ barrel data for the 120 grain fusion round vs the 123 grain SST. The fusion round is faster at the muzzle but redlines 100 yards closer? Impossible.

  4. Definitely would be interested in the 16″ data

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