Best 6.5 Grendel Ammo (Excellent Trajectory, Recoil and Ballistics)

The 6.5mm Grendel is designed for long-range shooting out of the AR-15 platform. Its incredible accuracy and low recoil have generated quite a stir amongst hog hunters, deer hunters, and long-distance shooting enthusiasts.

You're caught up in that stir, and are debating whether to purchase a 6.5 Grendel rifle – or, barring that, have already purchased one. You're now wondering which 6.5 Grendel ammo is best, but you won't for much longer. We tested and researched many options and created this "listicle" to make your choice easier.

Short on time? Then let's cut out the fat. Hornady Black 123 Grain ELD Match is the best ammo overall for the 6.5mm Grendel.

The Best Ammo for the 6.5 Grendel On the Market

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 Grain ELD Match - Best Overall
Wolf Military Classic 6.5 Grendel 100 Grain FMJ - Best for Plinking
Prvi Partizan 6.5 Grendel 120 Grain HPBT - Highly Accurate

Best 6.5 Grendel Ammo Overall

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 Grain ELD Match

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel Ammo - 20 Rounds of 123 Grain ELD Ammunition

$28.99

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Specs

Case: Brass
Bullet Type: Extremely Low Drag (ELD) Match
Bullet Weight: 123 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,580 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,818 ft-lbs

Pros

Trusted brand
Accurate
Competition grade

Cons

Expensive
Not designed for hunting/defense

Why We Chose It

Hornady is one of the most trusted ammo brands. They consistently produce high-quality ammo, largely because they are one of the world's greatest designers of bulets.

The polymer-tipped ELD Match bullet is extremely accurate for competition shooters. Its AMP jacket, Heat Shield tip, secant ogive profile, and other drag-reducing features are all in service of improving aerodynamic efficiency, flattening trajectory, and reducing vulnerability to wind deflection.

Competition-grade ammo like this ain't cheap, though. I recommend full metal jacket (FMJ) ammo if you're only shooting targets casually or for fun. Also, take care that the ELD Match may look like a hunting bullet, but isn't. It's not designed for terminal expansion or especially deep penetration.

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 Grain ELD Match is a great choice for long-range competition shooters. If you want a ballistically similar hunting load by Hornady, then check out the Nebraska company's 123 grain SST option.

Honorable Mentions

If your gun isn't chambering Hornady ammo well, try Nosler Match Grade 6.5 Grendel 123 grain HPBT or Nosler Trophy Grade 6.5 Grendel 129 grain AccuBond. These loads are also pricey, but Nosler's bullets are among the very best on earth. Choose the HPBT loads for precision target shooting or hunting varmints; choose the AccuBond ones for taking medium game.

Wolf Military Classic 6.5 Grendel 100 Grain FMJ

Wolf Military Classic 6.5 Grendel Ammo - 20 Rounds of 100 Grain FMJ Ammunition

$19.99

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Specs

Case: Steel
Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket (FMJ)
Bullet Weight: 100 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2,690 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1,607 ft-lbs

Pros

Inexpensive
Surprisingly accurate

Cons

Steel cases aren't reloadable
Bimetal jacketed FMJs attract a magnet

Why We Chose It

Wolf is known for producing inexpensive yet serviceable ammunition. This 6.5mm Grendel ammo is no exception.

This factory ammo is surprisingly accurate in light of its low price tag. You can achieve MOA groups with it.

The steel case is a bit of a drawback. In addition to allowing more fouling to gather inside the action, it is not reloadable. (You can purchase bulk 6.5 Grendel Wolf ammo in order to offset that shortcoming – you'll get a lower cost per round that way. Also, take care that the bimetal-jacketed FMJ will attract a magnet. Many commercial ranges prohibit such projectiles.

I noted less recoil from this round's 100 grain bullet. That's nice for obvious reasons, but take care that the ligter bullet is suboptimal if you're attempting to cover very long distances.

If you're looking to spend a day punching holes with your AR-15 or bolt-action rifle, Wolf Military Classic 6.5 Grendel 100 grain FMJ gives you more trigger pulls for less money, which is why I recommend it.

Prvi Partizan 6.5 Grendel 120 Grain HPBT

Prvi Partizan 6.5 Grendel Ammo - 20 Rounds of 120 Grain HPBT Ammunition

$24.99

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Specs

Case: Brass
Bullet Type: Hollow Point Boat Tail (HPBT)
Bullet Weight: 120 grains
Muzzle Velocity: 2673 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1904 ft lbs

Pros

Consistent
Accurate
Reasonably priced

Cons

Not designed for hunting/defense

Why We Chose It

Prvi Partizan makes reasonably priced yet reliable ammo. It's not the cheapest on the market (we already determined that the most cost-effective 6.5 Grendel ammo is made by Wolf), but Prvi Partizan 6.5 Grendel 120 grain HPBT is still more affordable than many other options.

It's also accurate and consistent, with an HPBT projectile that's designed to exhibit an extremely predictable trajectory. Despite having a hollow point, the HPBT isn't designed for terminal expansion: the reason why we wouldn't advise using it to harvest medium game.

Honorable Mention

Barnes VOR-TX 6.5 Grendel 115 grain TTSX BT ammo isn't cheap, but it earns its price tag. In addition to being lead-free, the TTSX BT dishes out all the accuracy and terminal expansion it needs in order topple any whitetail in the woods.

Buyer’s Guide: What to Look for in 6.5 Grendel Ammo

Whether you're doing it for your 300 Blackout bolt-action rifle, 6.5mm Creedmoor semi-automatic rifle, or 6.5 Grendel whatever, buying ammo can be confusing.

You can make the decision easier on yourself in a few ways.

First, set a budget. Determine how much you will spend on ammo and stick to it. We will discuss a few ways to save money on ammo later in this article.

Second, decide what you'll use the ammo for. This will also help you know which type of bullet you should look for when buying ammo. If you plan to use it for hunting, you'll need different ammo than you would if you plan on shooting steel targets.

Lastly, test which ammo works best in your firearm and stick with it. You'll need to experiment to find the best 6.5mm Grendel ammo for your situation, but that's the fun part!

Common 6.5 Grendel Bullet Types

Different 6.5 Grendel bullets have various purposes. Some bullets are better for hunting. Others are designed for target shooting. No matter how you intend to use your rifle, you should know the standard bullets and their intended purposes.

HPBT

Hollow point boat tail bullets are designed for long distance shooting. The HPBT's jacket is created first, and subsequently filled with liquid lead which hardens into a balanced, form-fitting core. In addition to excellent rotational staibility, the HPBT exhibits low drag courtesy of its aerodynamically efficient frontal profile and tapered base.

JHP

A jacketed hollow point bullet is designed for terminal expansion, and is accordingly better suited for home defense or varmint hunting. It won't deliver the same degree of accuracy as the HPBT, but it's serviceable for covering all but the farthest distances.

FMJ

The cheapest ammo for 6.5 Grendel are rounds with full metal jacket bullets. These non-expanding bullets are best for plinking and target shooting – not match accurate, but accurate enough to make any range day rewarding.

Bullet Weights for the 6.5mm Grendel Cartridge

Below you'll find the most common bullets for the 6.5 Grendel-

90 grains
100 grains
105 grains
115 grains
120 grains
123 grains
129 grains
130 grains

Choosing the best bullet weight for your situation is essential because each weight has pros and cons.

Lighter bullets (e.g. 90 and 115 grains) have higher muzzle velocities than heavier ones. That enables them to display flatter, easier-to-aim trajectories at close-to-medium range. But due to its lower inertia, a lighter bullet is also more vulnerable to wind drift, and therefore likely to prove less accurate than a heavy bullet at long range. You may also prefer a heavier bullet if you are hunting, as its higher momentum promotes deeper, deadlier penetration.

You may notice that your rifle prefers certain bullet weights over others. A little experimentiation is essential to discovering which types of ammo are most reliable in your firearm.

How to Save Money When Buying the Best 6.5 Grendel Ammo

As you may already have noticed, 6.5 Grendel ammo is costly. I use three ways to save money on ammo, be it 6.5 Grendel or anything else: buying in bulk, reloading, and a combination of the two.

Buying in Bulk

When you buy bulk 6.5mm Grendel ammo, you'll spend more initially – but you'll also save nearly $0.20 per round (as of late 2024). That's roughly a $100 savings for 500 rounds.

High-quality bulk ammo is difficult to find. Don't regret not snapping it up if you get the chance to.

Reloading

Reloading is another way to save money on ammo, but it costs more upfront if you need a reloading equipment and all the supplies. You'll achieve the lowest possible cost per round once you've purchased them, though.

Handloading won't just let you fine-tune the ideal cartridge for your particular rifle. By reloading and buying in bulk, you can maximize your savings. First, purchase bulk brass-cased ammo. Then take it to the range and have fun. Finally, collect your spent brass, bring it home, and reload it.

Brief History of the 6.5mm Grendel

Alexander Arms introduced the 6.5mm Grendel at the 2004 SHOT Show. Bill Alexander developed it as an intermediate cartridge that would outperform the 5.56x45 , be effective up to 800 yards, and function in the AR-15 platform.

The resulting cartridge has a “necked up” case based on the 6mm PPC bench rest cartridge. It holds 4" groups at 600 yards: a level of accuracy that earned its popularity among varmint hunters. The 6.5 Grendel retains relatively more energy than the 5.56x45 throughout its trajectory due to the superior ballistic coefficient of its sleeker, heavier bullet, as well as its larger case.

This round does not require as much powder to generate the amounts of energy found in similar cartridges, which results in less recoil and longer barrel life.

Widespread adoption of the 6.5 Grendel was somewhat hindered by Bill Alexander himself, as he insisted that the cartridge be trademarked and, therefore, could not be standardized by SAAMI.

However, in collaboration with Hornady, Alexander Arms registered the 6.5 Grendel with SAAMI in 2010, thus allowing other manufacturers to create and sell 6.5 Grendel ammo and greatly expanding its reach.

Although it is still a relatively new cartridge, the 6.5 Grendel has developed a dedicated following who enjoy the terminal ballistics similar to that of a 308 Winchester without having to upgrade to an AR-10.

Its long-range capability, extended barrel life and MOA-level accuracy make the 6.5 Grendel an excellent choice if you want to upgrade your AR-15 platform to something with more stopping power than a 223 Rem with similar recoil.

Parting Shots

Hornady Black 6.5 Grendel 123 Grain ELD Match is our top choice of 6.5 Grendel ammo, even if it isn't designed for hunting or defense. If you're looking for an inexpensive round, go with Wolf Military Classic 6.5 Grendel 100 grain FMJ.