Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel Ammo Review: Tack Driver Ammo

If you’re looking to increase the stopping power of your AR-15, then the 6.5 Grendel by Alexander Arms is an excellent choice. In addition to increased muzzle energy, the Grendel offers improved long-range capabilities without a massive step up in felt recoil.

If you’re planning on building a 6.5 Grendel AR-15 – or have one already – then you probably share the same question as many other Ammo.com customers: What do you feed it?"

Although the Grendel has not achieved widespread acceptance like the 300 Blackout, there are still multiple factory ammo options from Federal, Remington, Nosler, and Barnes to consider.

If you’re looking for a solid factory load that will deliver sub-MOA accuracy without breaking the bank, then Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 grain ELD Match should be on your shortlist.

This round offers excellent value in terms of accuracy, reliability, and consistency without requiring its shooter to take out a second mortgage.

In this Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo review, we will take an objective look at the rifle ammo and help you decide if it’s the right choice for your 6.5 Grendel AR-15 carbine or bolt-action rifle.

If you’re ready to buy, go ahead grab a few boxes of Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel right now. If you want to learn more about this exceptional ammo, keep reading.

Hornady Black Ammo Overview

When Joyce Hornady founded his company in 1949, the needs of American shooters were relatively simple. Most of them were returning from WWII and had experience using .30 caliber bolt-action or semi-auto rifles.

It makes sense that Hornady’s first major success was a .30 cal 150 grain spire point hunting bullet. It perfectly suited the 30-06 Springfield cartridge required by the sea of surplus M1 Garand and 1903 Springfield rifles on the market.

As time forged on, the needs of American shooters evolved with the advent of new cartridges and firearms.

Sure, most 2A enthusiasts have a semi-automatic rifle like an AR-15 carbine or Ruger Mini-14 chambered in 5.56 NATO, but that same rifle can also be chambered for rounds like 300 Blackout, 6mm Creedmoor, 6.8 SPC, 450 Bushmaster, and 6.5 Grendel.

Hornady released their Black ammunition line in 2016 to offer exceptional performance across all of America’s favorite guns.

Hornady's Black label initially offered over one dozen different rifle cartridges, as well as the 12 Gauge shotshell. Black ammo was advertised as being designed to function flawlessly in bolt-action, direct impingement, and gas piston recoil systems alike. These versatile loads were also optimized for compatibility in a wide variety of firearms, through a wide range of barel lengths, and with suppressors or without them.

These rounds showcase several of Hornady’s best bullet designs, including (but not limited to) the A-MAX, V-MAX, SST, and ELD Match (ELD-M).

Noticeably absent from the Hornady Black initial lineup was handgun ammunition. It wasn’t until 2020 that Hornady added 380 ACP, 9mm Luger, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP to the line.

All these rounds are loaded with the company’s eXtreme Terminal Performance (XTP) jacketed hollow point projectiles. These had been primarily loaded in Hornady's Custom series cartridges prior to their addition to Black.

Hornady Black ammo is loaded with the company’s advanced propellants and Boxer primers. Although not match grade, high-quality Black cases are more than serviceable for handloading.

Loaded with a wide variety of bullet options to meet all your shooting needs, “Hornady Black ammunition delivers superior performance for a variety of applications” and is a great choice for all of your favorite modern firearms.

Our Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel Ammo Review

When I learned I was going to write a review on Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo, I have to admit I was a little excited. I had just finished building a 6.5 Grendel precision AR-15, and was anxious to see how accurate my build was. Hornady Black proved to be an excellent choice as a baseline ammo test.

The 6.5 Grendel was designed by Alexander Arms – the same company which had previously brought us the 50 Beowulf. Bill Alexander had set out to create a cartridge that would fit in the AR-15 carbine and deliver superior ballistic performance over the 5.56 NATO.

To develop this new cartridge, Alexander Arms employed the services of competitive shooter Arne Brennan and Lapua senior ballistician Janne Pohjoispää. They named their hard work "6.5 Grendel" and debuted it at the Blackwater training facility in North Carolina in May 2003. The Grendel fit a STANAG magazine, just like Alexander Arms had intended. Likewise, it was shown to attain nearly 50% higher kinetic energy than the 5.56 NATO.

The 6.5 Grendel utilizes sleek and aerodynamic 6.5mm bullets (just like those fired by the 6.5 Creedmoor) to achieve high levels of accuracy at long range. Such ballistically efficient bullets boast comparably high resistance to wind drift.

The 6.5 Grendel has always been an interesting concept for the AR-15, as it combines long-range accuracy in a low-recoil semi-auto platform. The 6.5 Grendel also offers shooters a lot of versatility, as it can easily harvest a whitetail deer out to around 400 yards or so (depending on your preferred hunting load).

Converting your AR-15 to fire 6.5 Grendel is simple. All you need is a new bolt, barrel, and magazine. If you want to make your life even easier, you could just get a dedicated 6.5 Grendel upper receiver and swap it in whenever you want sans gunsmithing.

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel is strictly intended for long-range target shooting. The ELD-M is a match-grade boat tail hollow point (BTHP) bullet with a polymer tip that further streamlines its frontal profile.

Hornady Black Grendel ammo is not made for hunting. Hornady Custom 6.5 Grendel ammo, on the other hand, is loaded with a 123 grain SST bullet that’s sure to cook any deer's goose.

One thing I like a lot about Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo is that it’s affordable. However, “affordable” is a relative term when we’re talking about Grendel ammo, as most factory loads start at around $1.50/round. It only goes up from there.

At the time of writing, Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel costs about $1.60/round. That's a bargain for a cartridge with a match-grade bullet, and it becomes even more appealing in light of the price attached to Nosler AccuBond LR: $2.75/round.

Hornady Black ammo is a great choice if you are into reloading like I am. Hornady always loads high-quality Boxer-primed brass cases that are perfect handloading.

In summary, I love what Hornady is doing with their Black 6.5 Grendel ammo: match-grade accuracy without the match-grade price tag. All in all, this is a great rifle ammo for your 6.5 Grendel AR, and I’m excited to show you my groups later in the article!

What’s It Best For?

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel rifle ammunition is designed for long-range target shooting – hence its extremely aerodynamic (yet non-expanding) ELD-M bullet. Thanks to their high ballistic coefficient, these loads are extremely resistant to wind drift.

I found Hornady Black ammo to be completely reliable, and its brass cases perfect for reloading. However, the real selling point of this ammo is its accuracy. Easily capable of holding sub-MOA size groups, Hornady Black Grendel ammo is a perfect choice for shooting matches or carving out satisfying cloverleaf patterns in paper targets.

Disadvantages

To be honest, there aren’t a whole lot of downsides to Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo, as it’s reliable and affordable (in Grendel terms).

It's worth noting that the ELD-M bullet is unsuitable for hunting. Despite its cosmetic similarity to the ELD-X, the ELD-M cannot deliver the terminal expansion requisite for humane deer hunting.

Finding 6.5 Grendel ammo can be difficult at times. It may not disappear from store shelves as quickly as 223 Remington or 5.56 NATO ammo during a shortage, although there is unlikely to be very much there to begin with. (Of course, you could just look for it on Ammo.com.)

Pros and Cons

As much as we love ammo, we understand that even the best examples of it aren't perfect. Here are some of the pros and cons of Hornady Black ammunition you should be aware of.

Pros

• Accurate and reliable
• Brass cases are perfect for reloading
• Reputable American-made brand of ammo
• Perfect for long-range target shooting

Cons

• ELD-M bullet is not suitable for hunting
• Sometimes hard to find

Specifications

Below you’ll find a cartridge specification chart for the Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel.

Variant Review

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel comes loaded in one configuration. Below you’ll find our review of the Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 grain ELD-M load.

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 grain ELD-M Ammo Review

If you’re looking to turn your AR-15 into a sub-MOA tack driver, then Hornady Black 123 grain ELD-M is what you should be chambering.

Loaded with a 123 grain ELD-M bullet, these rounds are certain to punch out the bullseye in any target so long as you do your part.

With a muzzle velocity of 2,580 fps and muzzle energy of 1,818 ft-lbs, these bullets are perfect for target shooting. They can be used for varmint hunting, but I would typically prefer a V-MAX for that application. These rounds should not be used for deer hunting, as the ELD-M bullet does not offer any bullet expansion.

With an impressive 0.506 G1 ballistic coefficient, these rounds' bullets are aerodynamic, streamlined, and ready to help you win your next long-range shooting competition or impress the heck out of your friends!

Our Testing Procedure

When it comes to testing ammo, my procedure is rather simple. I want to make sure that the ammo functions flawlessly in my rifle and produces acceptable groups.

For Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel, I want to see repeatable sub-MOA groups at 100 yards since it’s loaded with match-grade Hornady bullets.

Shooting conditions were rather miserable here in Indiana at the end of November, as it was raining with gusting winds and an ambient temperature around 40 °F.

After zeroing the rifle at 100 yards, I settled in to see how good this ammo could perform. On average, I had groups around 1-1.3 inches center to center on the extreme spread.

My best of the day was a lovely 0.78” group that I landed near the end of my shooting session.

Although I did not have multiple sub-MOA groups (0.78 MOA was my best), I think this is more a reflection of my marksmanship than the ammo itself.

The 123 grain bullet was comfortable to fire, with felt recoil only being mild. It was a tough heavier than a 223 Rem, and definitely less than a 7.62x39, 6.5 Creedmoor, or 308 Winchester.

Admittedly, it was not the best day for shooting in terms of the weather, but overall, I was impressed with this ammo. I had no failures to fire or extract with the 60 rounds I squeezed off.

Yes, that is a small sample size, but I feel this performance is extremely representative of Hornady Black ammo in general. It’s reliable, accurate, and affordable. Can’t ask for much more than that!

Ballistics for Hornady Black Ammo

Here is a ballistics table for the Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammunition reviewed in the previous section. Please note that velocities vary depending on barrel length, and that Hornady uses a 24” test barrel for 6.5 Grendel.

Parting Shots

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo is everything I could want it to be. It’s accurate, reliable, and shooting through a few boxes at the range won’t break the bank. I found this ammo to be very clean . It caused zero malfunctions in my 6.5 Grendel precision AR-15 build.

Although not great for hunting, Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 grain ELD-M rounds are perfect for long-range target shooting and can easily produce sub-MOA groups in the right hands.

Make sure to check out all of our Hornady ammo for sale here at Ammo.com. I'll see you out on the range!

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some questions we get asked a lot here at Ammo.com about Hornady Black ammunition.

Is Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel worth buying?

Yes, this ammo is accurate, reliable, and affordable in light of its match-grade bullet.

What is the range of Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel?

The effective range of Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel ammo depends mostly on the length of the barrel it's fired through. Shooters with long-range target shooting experience should have no problem hitting targets out to 800 yards with this ammo.

What’s the difference between 6.5 Grendel and a 6.5 Creedmoor?

The 6.5 Grendel was designed to be fired in the AR-15 platform, whereas the longer and more powerful 6.5 Creedmoor was designed for long-range bolt-action rifle competitive target shooting (though it is often chambered in AR-10 platform rifles). The 6.5 Creedmoor has a significantly larger case and can therefore hold more gunpowder, giving it higher muzzle velocity and energy.