6.5 BR in the AR-15 platform

[1stmarine]

Dear fellow members,
Anyone has experience with the 6.5 BR? I was thinking to cut an old barrel for the AR-15 in this chamber a 20 incher or so.
The math seems right. I am worry with bolt thrust but there are bolts out there available that work with the AR15/M16 carrier.
Ideally this would be used for long range work using Match/VLD 120-123 grainers.
I am not looking for the Grendel or LBC or any other but this one only.
Any insight is appreciated.

 

[68wj]

Best I could do: http://68forums.com/forums/showthread.php?22400-Your-65BR

 

[1stmarine]

Many Thanks! that is an interesting post.

 

[Taurus44]

Just out of curiosity, why not the Grendel?

 

[1stmarine]

I already have it and want to try something closer to the 308 based platform but in the smaller billet.
Thanks

 

[madcratebuilder]

Going in the wrong direction I think. The 6.5BR (bench rest) shoots a 80gr bullet. If you want to use a .308/7.62 platform AR then a .260 may fit your pistol.

 

[1stmarine]

I think makes some sense right?
- A very accurate baseline case (BR has many WW records)
- Strong case that can be pumped up a little w/o concerns
- Extremely good uniform brass (Lapua, Norma...small spreads)
- Just enough capacity to make good use of a 20" barrel w.o having to go huge on the barrel.
- It doesn't suffer as much from the WSSM ailment of COAL limitation. 123s and 130s seem a great option w/o setback. wssms are awesome options an great brass too though but I am not looking for a terminal energy record.
- Reports are that it feeds great from PRI/6.8 mags. A 15 round will hold 10BRs and a 30 rd will hold 19-20BRs.
- Thought about necking down a 30REM AR but then this one is less complicated and should be plenty for long range surgical work if needed.

My only concern is the bolt back thrust in the AR-15 but it seems these issues are being addressed by some folks with new bolts and barrel extensions.

For everything else there is no really practical need for this as we have the awesome 6.8, 6x45, LBC, etc.. and even the venerable .223 that with modern ammo (75 TAP) is a very versatile option too.
Many other great options for many different tastes and purposes.

I think that the 80gr is the begining for the BR (Varmint loads) but neck will be cut to maximize use of 123 and 130 grainers.
Are you using it? Any other specific concerns with this one? What is exactly worrying you?
your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Zerodefect]

Will it even fit in an AR?

Isn't the 6.5mm BR and 6mm Norma BR both much longer than a 6.5 Grendel? Why would the Grendel even exist if the far superior BR rounds would work in a AR?

 

[1stmarine]

Hi Zerodefect,
I think there are many more 6.5 possibilities regardless of the status of existing established or non-established cartridges and depending on the purpose. The objective of Bill Alexander was to produce a proprietary casing to be commercialized with a little more capacity than the 22 PPC (based on that one) that will accommodate a low drag 6.5 bullet while maximizing round count capacity in the standard magazine.
A cartridge was proposed and widely accepted. Then the 6.5 LBC came along with a slight improvement over the Grendel's neck dimensions.

Wildcatters (including AR ones) look for alternatives all the time to meet their specific needs. Unlike many folks out there their focus is not to see if they come out with the next AR-15 big thing cartridge that is going to be a huge success and "the military might look into it".

I think the Grendel is a great cartridge and case but I need a tad more. If I wanted to get more from that case in one specific area I would probably neck-it down to 6mm or neck it up to 7mm depending on purpose.

This is not something new, it is just more popular among certain BR shooting circles than the AR world. The 6.5BR will fit in the AR magazine w/o any issues.

i found this...http://65br.com/index.htm

I thought about necking down the 30RAR but this is easier. Remington do not have a clue the opportunities they are missing with the RAR.

I hope this all makes sense. Any opinions, experiences, suggestions are welcome.

 

[1stmarine]

Now I am working on the 6.5BR. At some point I thought about necking down the 30RAR but in the end the BR performs very well, it is super accurate and it is way easier. I do not need 30 rounds. Even I can put 19 to 20 in the longer mags but my normal use is 10 or 5rds rounds. 10 for the bench and 5+1 for hunting.

This is a modest load tested out of a 20"!! krieger barrel so from a longer poly or 5R barrel might even get better. It makes an awesome hunting upper but also a nice 1000 yards target system.

6.5BR AR - 130gr Berger VLD 20"Krieger

Range (Yds) 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
Speed (fps) 2675 2506 2345 2190 2042 1901 1766 1638 1516 1399 1289
Energy (ft.lb) 2065 1813 1587 1384 1204 1043 900 774 663 565 480
Drop (in) 0.00 2.54 10.61 25.02 46.69 76.73 116.42 167.32 231.31 310.62 407.99
Path (in) -1.50 2.02 0.00 -8.35 -23.97 -47.94 -81.58 -126.43 -184.35 -257.61 -348.92
Elevn(MOA) -1.92 0.00 2.65 5.71 9.13 12.95 17.20 21.95 27.26 33.23
Windage(MOA) 0.31 0.64 0.99 1.37 1.77 2.20 2.66 3.15 3.69 4.26
Time(Sec) 0.00 0.12 0.24 0.37 0.51 0.67 0.83 1.01 1.20 1.40 1.63

IMO it doesn't get any better than this. I have not tried the 160gr subsonics. I need to research that one in the future.

 

[480 Alaskan]

get a 260 Rem if you want a ar based 308 but with a smaller bullet...love mine!

 

[1stmarine]

Very nice rig in deed!
I have been thinking about taking the 260 and creating a new improved case. Nothing wrong with the .260 but just to give it a little extra edge. Then I came across Bob Whitley's super LR. I think that is going to be the next one..

http://6mmar.com/65_SuperLR.php

AR-10
6.5mm SUPER LR (whitley chamber) 22" 1:8
Berger 140gr VLD Alt.4500ft Temp62F Zero @ 600

Range (Yds) 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Speed (fps) 2921 2761 2607 2458 2315 2177 2045 1919 1797 1681 1569 1463
Energy (ft.lb) 2652 2369 2112 1878 1666 1474 1300 1144 1004 878 766 665
Drop (in) 0.00 2.11 8.79 20.59 38.15 62.22 93.63 133.39 182.65 242.78 315.36 402.30
Path (in) -1.50 12.24 21.42 25.47 23.77 15.56 0.00 -23.90 -57.31 -101.58 -158.31 -229.40
Elevn(MOA) -11.66 -10.20 -8.09 -5.66 -2.96 0.00 3.25 6.82 10.75 15.08 19.86
Windage(MOA) 0.25 0.51 0.78 1.07 1.37 1.70 2.04 2.41 2.79 3.21 3.65
Time(Sec) 0.00 0.11 0.22 0.34 0.46 0.60 0.74 0.89 1.05 1.22 1.41 1.61


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