Looking for advice - 6.5 Grendel AR upper or .243 Win Savage model 11?

[7kings]

Hey guys - this probably seems like a silly question, but bear with me.

I've been wanting to dip my toes into some medium-range / precision shooting (my club has a 300-yard range and another nearby range has a 600-yard range). My natural inclination was to go with a platform I'm very familiar with, the AR15, and pick up a 6.5 Grendel upper for it.

HOWEVER, I then realized that I already have a Savage model 11 in .243 Win sitting in my safe that's been there for probably 15 or more years. It was a rifle I bought to introduce my kids to shooting when they were younger. It wasn't anything special - just a package deal that I picked up from Bass Pro. It has a mossy oak camo stock and cheap Simmons 3-9x40 matching scope and a thin (standard?) profile barrel. It does have the accu-trigger, which I always liked.

My question: should I go with the 6.5 Grendel upper for the AR or am I better off putting a little money into the Savage in the form of a new stock (not a fan of what's on there now) and some decent glass? I'm not looking for 1-hole groups at 300 yards, but I definitely want something with good accuracy. Is the thin-profile barrel going to be a weakness or am I overthinking it?

I'll be reloading as soon as components are available again (I reload my handgun calibers, but haven't reloaded rifle in many years, so I don't have any components or tooling for it).

I appreciate your opinions. It's a new area for me, as I've spent most of my shooting experience with handguns, PCCs, or AR/Tavor platforms.

[Dave Hoback]

I would stick with the 243. It beats the Grendel in every way. The 243 WAS, IS & will always BE an awesome cartridge! Do yourself a favor & keep your ARs 223.

[7kings]

I would stick with the 243. It beats the Grendel in every way. The 243 WAS, IS & will always BE an awesome cartridge! Do yourself a favor & keep your ARs 223.

Thanks Dave. I appreciate your input. Is the thin-profile barrel going to be any sort of limiting factor for me on the model 11? I'm not sure if the heat soak or vibrations are going to be something that will have a significant impact on it for bench shooting. Also, any suggestions of what I might want to look at to provide any improvements to the model 11 or my shooting experience with it would be appreciated. As I said, this is kind of a new area of shooting for me.

Brian

[GaCop]

I had the misfortune of owning a 6.5 Grendel AR. Accuracy was never one of it's strong points. 1.5" was the best I could ever get out of mine with various bullets and powder combinations. My 243 would walk all over the AR Grendel. Now, the Grendel in a short action bolt action might be interesting.

[8mm RUM]

We also have a cheep crappy savage package 110, 243.
It was bought for my Daughter when she started hunting.
It has a 3X9 Bushnell and what ever barrel comes with it.
Turned out way to big and heavy for her small frame. She killed a lot of deer, antelope, coyotes, and Prairie dogs, but did not like it.
So I used it for years. I put a 4X12 Redfield and pillar bedded the Barrel. Then worked on loads.
It may be the most accurate gun I have for a 1/3 the price. It took a LOT of work to get the load JUST right very little changes made a huge difference. NOW off a bench 300 yards is nothing to be well under an inch group, with 75gr Barnes tsx bullets. We push them at MAX with varget.
For hunting we found a 85 gr Speer lead tip is the best and off shooting sticks 300 group is around 1.5 inch, not moa but inch! I have personally killed cow elk and bear with it with one shot.
I would save some $$$ and use the savage.
All that said we JUST added two Howa 6.5 Grendel to our stable, one a youth 20" and the other a 22". We are still braking in the barrels but it's looking very promising.

[7kings]

I had the misfortune of owning a 6.5 Grendel AR. Accuracy was never one of it's strong points. 1.5" was the best I could ever get out of mine with various bullets and powder combinations. My 243 would walk all over the AR Grendel. Now, the Grendel in a short action bolt action might be interesting.

Interesting, GaCop. Thanks for the feedback. I know that, in general, a bolt gun is going to be more inherently accurate than a gas gun, but I would expect better than 1.5 MOA out of a decent upper. Something for me to think about...

We also have a cheep crappy savage package 110, 243.
It was bought for my Daughter when she started hunting.
It has a 3X9 Bushnell and what ever barrel comes with it.
Turned out way to big and heavy for her small frame. She killed a lot of deer, antelope, coyotes, and Prairie dogs, but did not like it.
So I used it for years. I put a 4X12 Redfield and pillar bedded the Barrel. Then worked on loads.
It may be the most accurate gun I have for a 1/3 the price. It took a LOT of work to get the load JUST right very little changes made a huge difference. NOW off a bench 300 yards is nothing to be well under an inch group, with 75gr Barnes tsx bullets. We push them at MAX with varget.
For hunting we found a 85 gr Speer lead tip is the best and off shooting sticks 300 group is around 1.5 inch, not moa but inch! I have personally killed cow elk and bear with it with one shot.
I would save some $$$ and use the savage.
All that said we JUST added two Howa 6.5 Grendel to our stable, one a youth 20" and the other a 22". We are still braking in the barrels but it's looking very promising.

I'm starting to think that I'm going to try the same approach. It does seem like a waste to not give the Savage a fair go, especially since it's already in my safe. :D

Man, I can't wait to see primers back in stock anywhere. Fortunately, other components can still be found if you keep looking, but I haven't seen a single primer in months (and don't currently reload rifle, so I don't have any inventory of primers or powder for them). Looking forward to working up handloads for whichever direction I end up going, but I'll have to settle for factory ammo for now...