Alexander Arms: Frequently Asked Questions

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6.5 GRENDEL®

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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the recommended new barrel break in procedure?

My Beowulf® has no ejection port cover - did you forget to put it on?

Will your uppers fit on my Bushmaster lower?

Will the Beowulf® magazine feed .223 shells?

Can any .223 magazine be used in the Beowulf®?

Are reamers available for the Beowulf® and/or the Grendel®?

How effective is the muzzle brake on the Beowulf®?

WHAT IS THE DIAMETER OF THE BARRELS: Beowulf®, Grendel®?

WHICH GUN IS BETTER FOR HUNTING AND WHY?

BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCES IN BARREL LENGTHS AND WHAT LENGTH IS BETTER FOR GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES.

PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE 6.5 Grendel® CARTRIDGE.

PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE .50 CARTRIDGE.

WHAT IS THE RECOIL ON THE Beowulf® SIMILAR TO?

CAN I USE A CO LAPSABLE BUTT STOCK ON ANY OF LOWERS?

AT WHAT DISTANCE DO EACH OF THE GUNS PERFORM MOST ACCURATELY. EXPLAIN BRIEFLY.

WILL THE Grendel® CARTRIDGES FEED FROM AN AK47 MAGAZINE?

WHAT IS THE TWIST RATE ON THE 19.5 Grendel®, THE 24 Grendel®?

WHAT IS THE TWIST RATE ON A 16 Beowulf®, A 24 Beowulf®?

What is the recommended new barrel break in procedure?
The break in of a barrel is one of the most discussed subjects I deal with. My goal in any barrel break in is to get the unit to the stage where it shoots without copper fouling and with only the minimum of carbon fouling. When and if the barrel can achieve this the best accuracy will be produced.

My current procedure involves shooting the first ten rounds and cleaning between each shot with Hoppes Elite Bore gel and a bronze brush. I always use a bore guide and I make sure that the brush does not completely exit the muzzle so that the rod does not fall against the bore. If at any time during the ten shots I see copper streaks at the muzzle after cleaning I will go back into the barrel with Butche’s Bore shine, again on a bonze brush and make sure that the coloration is scrubbed out. I then clean with bore gel to remove any ammonia and fire the next shot. After ten shots I will clean and then make ten passes with JB Bore Bright paste working only breach to muzzle. This pulls out any hard carbon and also any residual copper. I will then proceed with shooting two or three round groups between cleaning again watching for copper streaks.

There is no hard and fast number of rounds that should be used. On Beowulf® and Grendel® rifles the barrel may settle in after as few as 3 rounds or may have to be worked out as far as 50. each barrel is individual. The little Genghis is an exception as it uses bullets that are copper coated steel. These always create copper fouling even in well broken in barrel.

On the cautions column I would never suggest that anyone employ a solvent that cannot be left on ones hands, electrolysis methods are not safe and if in doubt throw a bore brush away and buy a new one.

My Beowulf® has no ejection port cover - did you forget to put it on?

No, we didn't forget it. The Beowulf was designed to not have an ejection port cover. Clearly the port is much larger than a typical AR-15, so no, you cannot retrofit one. Trust us, you don't need it.
Will your uppers fit on my Bushmaster lower?

Yes. Not only will it fit on your Bushmaster, but it will fit on any mil-spec lower. No fitting, no modifications, nothing - it will just drop right on.
Will the Beowulf® magazine feed .223 shells?

No it will not.
Can any .223 magazine be used in the Beowulf®?

Yes, but the feed lips must be modified. The feed lips need to be opened up to allow for the much larger cartridge.
In addition, a new follower needs to be installed to allow for the single stack configuration of the Beowulf® cartridge.
Are reamers available for the Beowulf® and/or the Grendel®?

Absolutely but both cartridges (and reamers ) are proprietary property of Alexander Industries Inc. and protected under
Federal US Law. In order to purchase a reamer, the purchaser must contact Alexander Industries (contact@alexanderarms.com)
and request a license. It is a simple process and for most applications it is a royalty free license – that is there is no cost.
Once the license has been issued, simply contact the reamer manufacturer, they will confirm the license and sell you the
requested reamer. We work with many manufacturers – both large high volume manufacturers and many small custom shops.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
How effective is the muzzle brake on the Beowulf®?

Extremely so. Felt recoil is somewhat subjective, but I estimate at least a 30% reduction if not up to 50%. Obviously the
muzzle blast noise is dramatically increased but it makes the recoil feel like that of a stout 12 gauge load. It is the single
best option you can buy with the weapon.
WHAT IS THE DIAMETER OF THE BARRELS: Beowulf®, Grendel®?

The Beowulf® barrels are 0.980” diameter under the hand guard and have a gas block diameter on 0.906”.
They are set to balance well between the hands and have a responsive feel. The 24” Grendel® is 0.890” under
the hand guard and 0.830” in front of the gas block. The profile provides a good foundation for shooting
from a rest or bipod as the center of gravity of the gun is just behind the front hand position but equally
the barrel is not overly heavy and carries well. The weight of this barrel will not flex the standard receiver.
The 19 ½ “ Grendel® barrel is not only shorter but is also a different contour to suit the differing application.
This barrel is 0.770” under the hand guards, and moves the center of gravity back to give a lighter handling
and carrying rifle but still capable from a bipod. The lightest Grendel® barrels are the Tactical series. These
are 0.730” under the hand guards and are very light for fast responsive fire. Obviously they are easy to carry
but with the center of gravity near the rear hand they are more of a challenge to shoot from a bipod or bags.

WHICH GUN IS BETTER FOR HUNTING AND WHY?

It is very difficult to compare the Beowulf® and the Grendel® when discussing hunting as they are very dissimilar
guns and were built for very dissimilar hunting needs. Equally hunting equipment is somewhat a personal choice so
it is only possible to give general advice. The Beowulf® is particularly well suited to close cover hunting where shots
are not likely to exceed 200 yards but it is imperative to anchor the game quickly. The heavy bullets from the Beowulf®
are quite capable of breaking both shoulders of a moose but the trajectory of the round will limit the range it can be
used over. Conversely the Grendel® has the ability to operate from 0 to 1000 yards with flat trajectories and bullets
well suited to deer and varmints. For general all round use the Grendel® is probably superior but it lacks the pure
short range smashing power of the Beowulf®.

BRIEFLY EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCES IN BARREL LENGTHS AND WHAT LENGTH IS BETTER FOR GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES.

This mainly refers to the Grendel® as the Beowulf® is best in a 16” barrel unless specifically used for bench type shooting.
The two Grendel® barrels which are best suited to hunting are the 24” and the 19 ½ “ barrels. The shorter tactical barrels may be
applied but beyond slightly lighter weight and handier silhouette they have no advantage and give up velocity but they are
superb choices for general shooting or a utility rifle. The 24” Grendel® is well suited to most hunting applications and if one
can live with the longer barrel it is the most versatile of the Grendel® barrels. Accuracy is superb and the rifle is capable out to
1000 yards with the right ammunition. The balance of the gun assists stability in most position shooting and it is excellent for
use from a bipod. This one barrel can bridge across a range of shooting tasks including long range varmint work. The shorter
19 ½” barrel Grendel® is both shorter and lighter than the 24” gun which is a big consideration if the gun must be carried. While
it gives up some stability from a bipod it is just a versatile.
PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE 6.5 Grendel® CARTRIDGE.

The origin of the Grendel® may be traced back to the Soviet 7.62x39. This was modified for European competition,
being necked down to form the 220 Russian. From here Dr Lou Palmisano and Ferris Pindel took the case and blew out the
shoulder to create the 22 PPC and the 6mm PPC which currently dominate the bench rest competitions. In designing the
Grendel® the starting position was the PPC design, but it became quickly apparent that the caliber of the PPC was not as
flexible as was needed. Early research with a wildcat 6.5 PPC also showed that the case lacked powder capacity which in
turn created pressure problems. The final Grendel® design draws on the PPC but it is very much it’s own cartridge. The
internal capacity was expanded by shifting the shoulder forward and the wall thicknesses in the neck and shoulder were
increased to provide a more robust case capable of being fed within a semi automatic rifle. Finally the external taper of
the case was adjusted for reliable feed in the magazine.
PLEASE EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE .50 CARTRIDGE.

The 50 Beowulf® is the original big bore caliber for the AR style rifle. It parentage is from the 50AE which IMI
introduced for the Desert Eagle pistol but as is obvious from its external appearance that this is a somewhat removed
relation. From the ground up the Beowulf® is simply the biggest cartridge that can be fed reliably through an AR style
mechanism without massive internal changes. The case length is set to allow the use of near standard magazines without
having to use filler blocks and equally the volume allows the cartridge to work at very modest pressures which is essential
for such a large cartridge to be safe in the AR chassis.
WHAT IS THE RECOIL ON THE Beowulf® SIMILAR TO?

Beowulf® recoil can best be described as similar to a light 12 gauge load or a 20 gauge. With the addition of the
muzzle brake the recoil is reduced between 40% and 50% depending upon the shooters perception.
CAN I USE A CO LAPSABLE BUTT STOCK ON ANY OF LOWERS?

Any good quality collapsible stock may be used on both the Beowulf® and the Grendel®. It is essential that the buffer and
spring is also changed at the same time and both guns should be fitted with a carbine type stainless steel or chrome-silicon
steel spring. This spring is both shorter but is slightly different pitch with more pre compression . The buffer should be the
carbine type which is externally identical to the rifle buffer but shorter. Some people chose to fit heavier buffers to
slightly reduce the felt recoil, these being either the H1 type which has a mix of steel and tungsten weights or the H2 type
which has all tungsten weights, but the function of the gun must be checked to ensure that it is cycling fully. The heavy buffers
designed for 9mm guns should not be used.
AT WHAT DISTANCE DO EACH OF THE GUNS PERFORM MOST ACCURATELY. EXPLAIN BRIEFLY.

The accuracy of any gun is a function of the velocity, the barrel twist rate and the bullet. The Beowulf® is not optimized for
accuracy but will typically report 1” to 1 ½” groups or better at 100 yards. Good hand loads will shrink these groups but the Beowulf®
is simply not a bench rifle. The Grendel® capable of superb accuracy and the barrels are set up to capitalize on this ability at ranges of 200 yards and greater
with bullets in the 90 grain to 130 grain class.
WILL THE Grendel® CARTRIDGES FEED FROM AN AK47 MAGAZINE?

Grendel® cartridges will not feed from the AK47 magazines.
WHAT IS THE TWIST RATE ON THE 19.5 Grendel®, THE 24 Grendel®?

The twist rate for the 19 ½ “ Grendel® is 1 turn in 8 inches while the 24” Grendel® has a 1 turn in 9” barrel. The difference
in twist is due to the difference in velocity between the two barrels and the twist is set to provide optimum accuracy at ranges of
200 yards and out with bullets between 90 grains and 130 grains. The twist rate for the 6.5 caliber must be carefully matched to the
application for the best results, and one should note that we do not refer to 100 yard accuracy. This is because the ideal twist for such
a range would not work well at longer ranges with heavier bullets.
WHAT IS THE TWIST RATE ON A 16 Beowulf®, A 24 Beowulf®?

The twist rate for the 16” Beowulf® barrel is 1 turn in 19”, the twist rate for the 24” Beowulf® barrel is 1 turn in 24 inches.
The faster twist on the shorter 16” Beowulf® barrel was designed to allow the widest possible selection of bullet types and loads to
be fired from the gun even loads that are sub sonic. The slower twist on the 24” Beowulf® is optimized for accuracy with 300 grain to
400 grain bullets.

.50 Beowulf®

The original big bore AR style rifle - Still without rival

6.5 Grendel®

The most capable long range AR ever built.

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