Constrained by the dimension of the STANAG magazines, the Grendel's designers decided to use a shorter, larger-diameter case for higher powder volume while allowing space for the long, streamlined, high ballistic coefficient 6.5mm (.264 cal.) bullets. The goal of the 6.5mm Grendel design was to create an effective STANAG magazine-length cartridge for the AR-15 platform that could reach 200–800 yd (180–730 m) and surpass the performance of the native 5.56mm NATO/. It was a trademark owned by Alexander Arms (Bill Alexander's company in Radford, Virginia) and manufactured at Radford Arsenal, until legally released in 2010 for SAAMI standardization with collaboration from Hornady. The name 'Grendel' is inspired by the mythical monster antagonist from the Old English epic poem Beowulf. Since its introduction, it has proven to be a versatile cartridge and is now expanding into other firearm design platforms including bolt-action rifles and the Kalashnikov system. The 6.5mm Grendel cartridge was first unveiled in May 2003 at the Blackwater Training Facility in North Carolina, where it remained supersonic at 1,200 yd (1,100 m) range and out-shot the 7.62mm NATO with only half the recoil.

It is an improved variation of the 6.5mm PPC.

The 6.5mm Grendel is an intermediate cartridge jointly designed by British-American armorer Bill Alexander, competitive shooter Arne Brennan (of Houston, Texas) and Lapua ballistician Janne Pohjoispää, as a low- recoil, high- precision rifle cartridge specifically for the AR-15 platform at medium/long range (200–800 yard).

Source(s): Alexander Arms Pressure-safe Load Data

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