6.5 Grendel Extreme feeding Issues (pics)

M

mako8551

New member
I ran into a guy at my local range with a 1st class Grendel build. Unfortunately is he was having one of the worst feeing issues I have ever seen in an AR. Anyone ever seen anything like this??
First of all this is a Factory Alexander Arms upper and he has already been on the phone with them and it is not a know issue. Second this only happens with Hornaday factory 6.5 Grendel. He has over two cases of the stuff and would like to be able to shoot it, or at the very least like to know what the cause is.

Issue happens on about the 4th or 5th round into every 10 round Alexander factory magazine.
Bolt closes 90% on damaged round
Extreme force needed to remove round from chamber
Plastic tip of bullet not damaged
No noticeable dings on leading edge of case neck
Deep scratches in double dents on case.
Unable to tell where the dents are orientated while round is chambered

I’m pretty sure I got the what. Just looking for the why. The deep cut in the dents tell me that they are not case bends, but mechanical dents from metal on metal contact. It looks like the case is misfeeding and getting pressed against the barrel feed ramps hence the symmetrical double dent. I just can’t figure what is causing the case to come out of alignment and forced over the feed ramps by closure of the bolt. Upper is already going to be sent back to Alexander with some of the ammo, but I’m still scratching my head…Help???
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Classic bad mag issue. There is definately something feeding the bullet in the wrong direction. 99% of that problem is caused by a bad mag. Most everyone knows that AA mags are made by C products and are spotty at best. Here is what I would do. I would buy a 6.8 mag from a reputable manufacturer. (Not CProducts). If he felt inclined, he could switch out the 6.8 follower with the 6.5 follower from his crappy mag. (This is not usually needed as the followers are mostly identical). Try shooting them from the 6.8 mag and see if the problem still exists. If it does, then there is something else wrong. However, I can't imagine this being anything but a mag issue.
 
I agree with Jake, I ran a Grendel upper a few years ago and had the same problem. I can't believe this problem is still going on.

It's the angle of the feed lips, the rounds need to sit a bit higher in the mag because the bolt is riding over the top of the rim rather than stripping them out of the mag. You can try to modify them yourself, but you run a high risk of making the problem worse. Google the 6.5 Grendel forum, they may still be active.

My information is old but I called C Prod direct and they said they would absolutely warranty their mags, and they did admit there was a problem - at that time, and to always order direct from C Prod and not get the mags from any other vendor.

The feeding issue was the reason I got out of the Grendel, an AR rifle that operates slower than a bolt action is not worth having.
 
I'm telling you, the high quality 6.8 mags work perfectly in the Grendel. I own 4 cproducts 6.5 grendel mags and they all work pretty darn well. It is a shame to get rid of a great rifle simply because you bought some bad mags.
 
this only happens with Hornaday factory 6.5 Grendel. He has over two cases of the stuff and would like to be able to shoot it, or at the very least like to know what the cause is.
Click to expand...

If this rifle is feeding other brands of ammo with 100% reliability then I would first look at the Hornady ammo. Is the OAL in spec?

I'm shooting Hornady with new production Cmags OK. The early production Cmags had hit or miss reliability.
 
You can see in the picture that he is using a 14 round mag. Those were never known for being very reliable. Tell him to try a 25 round mag. They seem to be working well without any issues.
 
I agree, bad magazine. What is happening is that as the cartridge is being stripped the bullet is sliding up the m4 cuts, but when the cartridge slides free of the magazine feed lips the rim isn't high enough so it drops down onto the neck of the round beneath it and the bolt slams the shoulder into the lugs of the "star chamber" and makes the distinctive twin dents. If you look on the opposite side of those dents I bet you will see the scratches from the bolt.

Jimro
 
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