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Alexander arms just had a new release. in Shotgun news!!! A 6.5 mm production upper for the AR (or complete rifle) using a new wildcat 6.5mm "Grendel" It uses 6mmppc brass... The test "mule" written about in the article test fired with 90gr., 107 gr., 120gr., 123gr. and 129 gr. slugs... They expect to make a production piece from it...

What's impressive is the accuracy @300 yards (1-3/4" 5 shot groups...) AND @ 600 yards, using 123 gr Lapua with muzzle velocity of 2616 fps, still has 827ft lbs left out there @600 yds !!!

While the .223 (80 gr.) has of 450 ft. lbs @ 600 yds !!!

Alexander is famous for the Beuwolf .50 caliber and Genghis .231 caliber releases...
Not much info though on there web site... Release is at the 2004 ShotShow...

Check out this link thogh MUCHO INFO...

Welcome to CompetitionShooting.com.

This site covers the development and progress of the 6.5 PPC (6.5mm PPC) cartridge and it's application in AR15 type rifles.

In 1998, I started a project to build a highly accurate AR15 rifle that had multiple uses including target shooting and hunting while offering a ballistics’ advantage over the standard .223 Remington cartridge.

To accomplish this goal, I would need to identify or develop an AR15/cartridge combination that would shoot bullets weighing over 100 grains with a ballistic coefficient greater then .500 at velocities in excess of 2600 fps. People have asked me "why this goal?" The answer is simple, look at the .308 Winchester (7.62 NATO) and the performance of loads with 168-180 grain bullets. Next, look at the historic objections to the AR15 as a military rifle and the almost never-ending comparison to the M14. What better combination then an AR15 with the ballistic performance of the M14.

With why I did it out of the way, here is how I did it.

In the AR15, there are a couple of limiting factors for a conversion project including magazine length and bolt face diameter. COLT, the historic maker of the AR15, has produced rifles in .223 Rem, 7.62x39 and a few handgun calibers. For a rifle, the 7.62x39 parts offered the ability to use a larger diameter cartridge case with more powder capacity to push a heavier bullet. Looking at cartidges in the 7.62x39 family, the most famous relative is the PPC case. From my research, I learned that people had successfully built AR15 rifles with .22 and 6mm PPC for match competition. What better case to use as a foundation then a case design that not only wins, but dominates the world of benchrest accuracy competition. Compared to the .223 Remington, the PPC has more powder capacity, but is shorter allowing seating of longer, heavier bullets within the magazine length restriction of 2.255 inches.

The next step was to look at calibers. In reviewing caliber options, I looked at 6mm, .257, 6.5mm, .270 and 7mm. One of the first things I looked at was which caliber wins target competitions. While both the .257 and .270 are popular, historic hunting calibers, they seldom, if ever, appear when people are seeking accuracy at long range. Placing the .257 and .270 to the side, I compared the 6mm, 6.5mm and 7mm. 6mm is a great caliber, but 105-107 grain bullets in this caliber are long and would not be optimal within the magazine length restriction of the AR15. 7mm is also great, but bullets with high ballistic profiles are too heavy to achieve the results I wanted in the AR15. In the end, the best balance of bullet weight, length and ballistic coefficient was clearly the 6.5mm. The rest was "simple", the marriage of 6.5mm caliber with the PPC case.

A Bit of History -

As I discovered well into my project, the 6.5 PPC was one of the original developments of Dr. Lou Palmisano and Ferris Pindell who together created the PPC family of cartridges that included .22, 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, and .30 calibers. The .22 and 6 PPC came into notable prominance and to this day dominates the Benchrest shooting discipline. The 6.5 PPC is used in Europe for ISU 300 Meter competition which is very demanding and in the USA, the 6.5 PPC is used in handgun silhouette competition with success. The PPC has clearly established itself as a winner, but the impact of the PPC is far reaching. In fact, the design principles of the PPC have been the force behind the creation of many other cartridges including the Remington Benchrest and the Winchester Short and Super Short Magnum cartridges. Needless to say, when you see a "short and fat" cartridge, it is based on the winning theory of the PPC.

Back to my project -

To embark on my 6.5 PPC in an AR15, I contacted JGS Tool in Oregon who prepared a custom chamber reamer. This reamer allowed optimization of throat length in magazine length rounds. Using the engineering drawing from JGS Tool, Redding constructed a full-length size die to form brass for my new creation.

The next step in the process was contacting numerous gunsmiths with experience in building AR15 match rifles. While many gunsmiths are capable of such a project, it takes a person who is willing to take hold of the project vision and follow through with such an experiment. Following many discussions, I sent Scott Medesha of Medesha Firearms the special 6.5 PPC Reamer and custom reloading dies to begin the project. In the fall of 2000, after patiently waiting for almost a year, a new rifle arrived which is pictured below.


6.5 PPC AR15 Match Rifle


Components used in making the rifle:

Upper and Lower Receiver - RND Mfg Billet matched set - Upper Modified by Medesha
Bolt Carrier - Turner
Bolt Assembly - DPMS 7.62x39
Trigger - Jewell 2-Stage
Barrel - Krieger 1/8 Stainless 26 inch finish length
Stock, Handguard, Sight Bases, Gas Block - Medesha
Handgrip - Sierra Precision
Magazines - GI 20 round Alloy

History and photos are nice, but performance is what matters....

In any new cartridge, initial load development can become a time consuming ordeal. As part of this development, I contacted one of the original inventors of the PPC - Dr. Lou Palmisano. Since over 20 years had passed, Dr. Palmisano was only able to give me some general direction. So out came the powder scale and an assortment of powders to research.

While the PPC will function with extruded powders such as Hodgdon Benchmark and Varget, the powder that offered the best performance was Hodgdon H335. How did it do? Using 128 grain Cautericcio bullets with a ballistic coefficient of .560, consistent safe velocities were achieved as high as 2750 fps with single digit velocity spreads in a magazine length load.

Long Range Performance is outstanding with the bullet remaining supersonic beyond 1,000 yards. As far as accuracy, I routinely shoot 1.5 inch (.5 MOA) five shot groups at 300 yards using a Leupold Mark 4 16X scope. The rifle with multiple marksmen at the trigger has achieved 6 inch groups at 1,000 yards. Recoil is very mild.

How does the 6.5 PPC compare to other rounds used in high-power competition? To find a comparable bullet in .223 caliber, one must use the JLK 90 grain VLD bullet that cannot be loaded from the magazine to achieve 2750 fps. As a comparison, the 128 Cautericcio 6.5 matches the ballistics of the .224 JLK 90 and in the 6.5 PPC does so in a magazine length loaded round.

To the right is a picture of the 6.5 PPC loaded with a 128 grain bullet loaded to a 2.255" OAL. The cartridge next to the 6.5 PPC is a .223 Remington loaded with a 80 grain JLK VLD loaded to a 2.455" OAL for use in one on my Service Rifles.

Remember that the AR15 has a maximum magazine length of 2.255". While the 6.5 PPC fits the AR15 magazine like a fine leather glove, .223 Remington loads with 80 or 90 grain bullets are single round loaded.


6.5 PPC vs 223 Rem


Project Summary:

The 6.5 PPC AR15 project, using a variety of bullets including the Lapua 123 Scenar, Norma 130, and Cautericcio 128 grain, exceeds the minimum performance expectation of delivering 100+ grain bullets with a ballistic coefficient greater then .500 at velocity in excess of 2600 fps.

Compared to an M14 in 7.62 NATO, the 6.5 mm bullets are equal to a .30 caliber 190 grain or 200 grain Sierra Match King bullet and the 6.5 PPC delivers them at a higher velocity. While a 190 or 200-grain bullet delivers more terminal energy due to its greater mass, it does so at a cost of higher recoil.

Accuracy for precision shooting whether for target competition, police or military purposes is excellent. As a hunting cartridge, the 6.5 PPC is valid for many North American game animals including whitetail deer and wild boar. Best of all is the 6.5 PPC has a very mild recoil making it comfortable for a wide range of marksmen.

After 2.5 years of shooting, I sent the rifle back to Scott Medesha for a tune up. The throat looked brand new after over 2,500 rounds. Keep in mind, my load development was to test the envelope and so quite a few "warm" loads were run through the rifle. Reliability of my "tuned" magazines was great and "tuning" new magazines takes only a couple of minutes with a pair of needle nose pliers.

For those with interest in obtaining a 6.5 PPC AR15, Alexander Arms, located at the US Army Radford Arsenal, will be producing AR15 style rifles in a version of the 6.5 PPC called the "26 Grendel" or "6.5mm Grendel" In addition to complete rifles and upper assemblies, Alexander Arms will have magazines built specifically for the PPC, loaded ammo and brass manufactured by Lapua for handloaders. Keep an eye out on this website or the Alexander Arms website for news.

6.5mm Grendel News:

---- DefenseReview.com has a brief write up of Alexander Arms' Grendel. Included in the article is a short downloadable Windows Media Player video clip from Armed Forces Journal International of the Grendel in action during a recent shooting session at the Blackwater Training Center in North Carolina. The article and video are titled using the "26 Grendel" name.

---- Shotgun News (October 6, 2003 Issue) has a 4 page article on the Grendel including color photos. The article is titled using the "6.5mm Grendel" name.
Medesha Firearms - AR15 & AR10 Match Rifles Alexander Arms - AR15 Rifles & Uppers in .224, .264 and .50 caliber Zediker Publishing - Shooting Books and Information
Author's note -

CompetitionShooting.com is an ongoing project. For those of you that check back in from time to time, you will see revisions and new information added to the site.

- "26 Grendel" and "6.5 Grendel" are registered trademarks of Alexander Arms, Radford, Virginia.

- The content of this site is provided for informational purposes only and is the property of the Author and Owner of CompetitionShooting.com. Unauthorized use of photographs or content is a violation of US copyright law.

Feel free to send me an email using the link below if you have a question about the 6.5 PPC. arnekbrennan@mac.com

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Performance Results:

Using Cauteruccio 128 grain moly coated match bullets (.566 BC) or Lapua 123 grain moly coated Scenar match bullets (.547 BC), my 6.5 PPC rifle delivers 2750 fps and .5 MOA accuracy consistently to 600 yards.

Using Cauteruccio 114 grain moly coated match bullets (.539 BC) or Lapua 108 grain moly coated Scenar match bullets (.473 BC), my 6.5 PPC rifle delivers 2900 fps velocity and .5 MOA accuracy consistently to 600 yards.

Using Nosler 100 grain Ballistic Tip Moly coated hunting bullets (.350 BC), my rifle delivers 3,000 fps and consistent .5 MOA groups out to 300 yards.

Using Nosler 125 grain Partition Moly coated hunting bullets (.449 BC), my rifle delivers 2650 fps and delivers consistent sub MOA groups out to 300 yards.

Notes:

Performance data is for my favorite safe loads that deliver consistent accuracy. They do not represent the maximum velocity I have achieved with any bullet. My testing of match bullets was limited to 600 yards by local range availability. My testing of hunting bullets was limited to 300 yards based on what I feel are ethical distances for the taking of the game I am interested in.

Project Summary & Conclusions:

Referring back to the two 7.62 NATO / .308 Winchester loadings I established as my performance benchmarks,

-167 grain Match Bullet with a .470 ballistic coefficient at a velocity of 2700 fps
-185 grain Match Bullet with a .547 ballistic coefficient at a velocity of 2500 fps

The 6.5 PPC is able to equal or exceed the ballistic performance of the 7.62 NATO / .308 in terms of retained velocity, trajectory and wind deflection while operating with 50% less recoil. (6.5 PPC 123 grain @ 2750 fps = 7 lbs vs. 7.62 NATO 185 grain @ 2500 fps = 14 lbs: Reference- 5.56 NATO 77 grain @ 2850 fps = 4 lbs)

The 7.62 NATO / .308 Winchester does have 25% more terminal energy. However, this increased terminal energy comes at the expense of increased recoil as well as increased ammunition weight.

For the precision marksman or competition shooter, the 6.5 PPC is an AR15 magazine length cartridge delivering high ballistic coefficient bullets with high levels of accuracy out to 1,000 yards. Supersonic projectile flight is maintained beyond 1,000 yards.

For the hunter, the 6.5 PPC is an excellent cartridge option combining accuracy, flat trajectory and mild recoil with a wide selection of currently available controlled expansion and polymer tip bullets from Nosler, Sierra and Hornady. As such, the 6.5 PPC is ideal for the ethical hunting of a variety of North American game animals including whitetail deer, antelope, bighorn sheep and wild boar at ranges out to 300 yards in AR15 type and light bolt action rifles.

Until recently, the story would be over, but it is not…

The 6.5 GRENDEL‘ & ALEXANDER ARMS, LLC

In May 2003, at a special event at the Blackwater Training Center in North Carolina, Alexander Arms unveiled and demonstrated the first prototype 6.5 GRENDEL‘ rifle. A video clip of the demonstration can be found at DefenseReview.com.

The 6.5 GRENDEL is not a simple renaming of the 6.5 PPC. Rather, it is an evolution of the 6.5 PPC with multiple design refinements to increase the operating performance and durability of the cartridge for use in rifles such as the AR15.

Commercial release of AR15 type rifles chambered in the 6.5 GRENDEL‘ is scheduled for the 2004 SHOT show being held in Las Vegas in February 2004. In support of the commercial release, Alexander Arms has contracted with Lapua to produce high quality brass for hand loaders and for use in factory loaded ammunition. Rifles, Loaded Ammunition, Brass, Reloading Dies and other Accessories will be available through Alexander Arms dealers.

For those unfamiliar with Alexander Arms, the company is located in the high security area of the US ARMY Radford Arsenal located in southwest Virginia. Alexander Arms is best known in the commercial marketplace for their.50 caliber cartridge known as the .50 BEOWULF‘ and AR15 type rifles chambered for this cartridge. In addition, Alexander Arms performs a wide variety of project services within the defense community that cannot be revealed.

6.5mm Bullet Options:

The following is a partial listing of 6.5 mm bullets with ballistic coefficients supplied by each bullet maker.

Lapua 108 and 123 grain Scenar Match (.473 and .547)
Lapua 139 grain Scenar (.595)
Lapua 144 grain FMJBT (.636)
Norma 130 grain VLD (.540)
Cauteruccio 114 and 128 grain Match (.539 and .566)
Cauteruccio 141 grain Match (.635)
Sierra 85 and 100-grain Hollow Points (.225 and .259)
Sierra 107 and 120 grain Match King (.406 and .403)
Sierra 140,142 and 155 grain Match King (.526, .580 and .560)
Sierra 120 grain Pro Hunter (.368)
Sierra 140 grain Game King (.490)
Nosler 100 and 120 grain Ballistic Tip (.350 and .458)
Nosler 100 and 125 grain Partition (.326 and .449)
Nosler 140 grain Partition (.490)
Barnes 100, 120 and 130 grain Solid (.395, .453 and .461)
Barnes 120 and 130 grain X Bullets (.441 and .479)
Barnes 140 grain X and XLC (.522)
Hornady 95 grain VMAX (.365)
Hornady 100 and 129 grain SP (.358 and .485)
Hornady 140 grain SP, SST and AMAX (.465, .520 and .550)

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