The 6.5 Grendel was built for the AR-15, and the 16 inch carbine barrel is the length most owners actually shoot. This page opens with velocity and energy figures for two loads fired from a 16 inch barrel, together with the drop of the 123 grain load on a 100 yard zero. Below that sit the only two factory loads whose makers publish a 16 inch test barrel, followed by the rest of the factory record with each load’s own barrel stated beside it.
Velocity is in feet per second, energy in foot-pounds and trajectory in inches, with distances in yards.
Table of Contents [Click to minimize]
6.5 Grendel Ballistics Chart, 16 Inch Barrel
| Distance (yd) | 90 gr Speer TNT Velocity (fps) | 90 gr Speer TNT Energy (ft-lb) | 123 gr Hornady SST Velocity (fps) | 123 gr Hornady SST Energy (ft-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muzzle | 2750 | 1511 | 2440 | 1626 |
| 50 | 2600 | 1351 | 2360 | 1521 |
| 100 | 2450 | 1200 | 2285 | 1426 |
| 200 | 2170 | 941 | 2145 | 1257 |
| 300 | 1910 | 729 | 2005 | 1098 |
| 400 | 1665 | 554 | 1875 | 960 |
| 500 | 1445 | 417 | 1745 | 831 |
| 600 | 1250 | 312 | 1625 | 721 |
| 700 | 1090 | 237 | 1510 | 623 |
| 800 | 970 | 188 | 1400 | 535 |
| 900 | 885 | 156 | 1300 | 461 |
| 1000 | 820 | 134 | 1210 | 400 |
The chart above traces both loads from the muzzle to 1,000 yards, with velocity in the top panel and energy in the panel below.
The Light Bullet Starts Fast and Fades
The 90 grain Speer TNT leaves the 16 inch barrel at 2,750 fps, a full 310 fps ahead of the 123 grain SST. Drag reverses that order early: the TNT is down to 1,910 fps at 300 yards while the SST still holds 2,005 fps, and at 1,000 yards the light bullet has slowed to 820 fps, below the speed of sound.
Energy Belongs to the Heavy Bullet
The TNT opens with 1,511 ft-lb but sheds energy quickly, slipping under 1,000 ft-lb before it reaches 200 yards. The SST starts at 1,626 ft-lb, keeps 1,257 ft-lb at 200 yards and still carries 831 ft-lb at 500 yards. At 1,000 yards the heavy bullet holds 400 ft-lb, roughly three times the 134 ft-lb remaining in the TNT.
The Match Load Tracks the Hunting Load
Figures for the 123 grain ELD Match from the same barrel length begin at 2,438 fps, just 2 fps behind the SST at the muzzle. Its velocity matches the SST row at almost every step downrange, reaching 1,745 fps at 500 yards and 1,210 fps at 1,000 yards, so match shooters give up almost nothing to the hunting load at this length.
Drop on a 100 Yard Zero
| Distance (yd) | 123 gr Drop (in) |
|---|---|
| 50 | -0.1 |
| 100 | 0.0 |
| 200 | -5.1 |
| 300 | -17.8 |
| 400 | -39.5 |
| 500 | -72.0 |
| 600 | -117.5 |
| 700 | -178.5 |
| 800 | -257.5 |
| 900 | -358.5 |
| 1000 | -485.0 |
Zeroed at 100 yards, the 123 grain load sits 0.1 inches low at 50 yards, crosses the line of sight at 100 and falls 5.1 inches by 200 yards. The fall steepens quickly after that: 17.8 inches at 300 yards, 72.0 inches at 500 yards and 485.0 inches at 1,000 yards, where the bullet has slowed to 1,210 fps.
Factory Loads Tested in a 16 Inch Barrel
Only two factory loads in the collected maker data carry a stated 16 inch test barrel, and both come from Lehigh Defense, which publishes velocity to 300 yards and a trajectory path for each of them.
| Brand | Load | Product Line | SKU | Bullet Weight (gr) | BC (G1) | Test Barrel (in) | Velocity Muzzle (fps) | Velocity 100 yd (fps) | Velocity 200 yd (fps) | Velocity 300 yd (fps) | Energy Muzzle (ft-lb) | Trajectory Muzzle (in) | Trajectory 50 yd (in) | Trajectory 150 yd (in) | Trajectory 200 yd (in) | Trajectory 250 yd (in) | Trajectory 300 yd (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Defense | 110 gr Controlled Chaos | Controlled Chaos | LA65G-110-CC | 110 | 0.405 | 16 | 2500 | 2302 | 2113 | 1933 | 1527 | -2.5 | -0.5 | -1.1 | -4.1 | -9 | -16.0 |
| Lehigh Defense | 120 gr Tipped Controlled Chaos | Tipped Controlled Chaos | LA65G-120-TCC | 120 | 0.475 | 16 | 2300 | 2138 | 1983 | 1835 | 1409 | -2.5 | -0.4 | -1.5 | -5.1 | -10.9 | -19.1 |
Lehigh Defense prints no 100 yard trajectory point for either load, so the path columns use exactly the distances it publishes. It also releases energy at the muzzle only, which is why the energy group holds a single column.
Two Lehigh Loads, Two Speeds
The 110 grain Controlled Chaos starts at 2,500 fps and 1,527 ft-lb, the highest factory muzzle velocity in this article that is tied to a 16 inch barrel. The 120 grain Tipped Controlled Chaos trades speed for weight and a higher ballistic coefficient, opening at 2,300 fps and 1,409 ft-lb, and it falls 19.1 inches by 300 yards against 16.0 inches for the lighter load.
The Rest of the Factory Record
Every other stored factory load is listed below with the test barrel its maker states, or marked where no barrel is stated at all. The Gorilla Ammunition 110 grain load heads the list because it publishes a muzzle velocity from a 16 inch gas gun, 2,290 fps, but no downrange figures, so it belongs here rather than in the full chart above.
| Brand | Load | SKU | Test Barrel | Muzzle Velocity (fps) | Muzzle Energy (ft-lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorilla Ammunition | 110 gr Punisher Fracturing | GA65G110PS | 16 in gas gun | 2290 | Not published |
| Hornady | 123 gr ELD Match | 81528 | Not published | 2580 | 1818 |
| Hornady | 123 gr SST | 8152 | Not published | 2580 | 1818 |
| Federal | 120 gr Open Tip Match | AE65GDL1 | Not published | 2610 | 1815 |
| Federal | 90 gr Speer TNT Jacketed Hollow Point | AE65GDL90VP | Not published | 3000 | 1798 |
| Federal | 120 gr Fusion Soft Point | F65GDLMSR1 | Not published | 2600 | 1801 |
| Remington | 130 gr Berger Open Tip Match | 21205 | Not published | 2400 | 1663 |
| PPU | 110 gr FMJBT | PP6GF | Not published | 2756 | 1855 |
| PPU | 120 gr HPBT | PP6GH | Not published | 2674 | 1905 |
| HSM Ammunition | 120 gr Pro-Hunter | HSM-65Grendel-1-N | Not published | 2557 | 1743 |
| HSM Ammunition | 107 gr HPBT MatchKing | HSM-65Grendel-3-N | Not published | 2750 | 1797 |
| HSM Ammunition | 123 gr HPBT MatchKing | HSM-65Grendel-2-N | Not published | 2557 | 1786 |
| HSM Ammunition | 130 gr Berger VLD | BER-65Grendel130VLD | Not published | 2450 | 1733 |
| AAC | 123 gr Sabre Blade Black Tip | AAC65GSAB1-20 | Not published | 2525 | Not published |
| Fort Scott Munitions | 123 gr SCS TUI | 758381721679 | 26 in | 2538 | Not published |
| Nosler | 120 gr Ballistic Tip | 61023 | 24 in | 2400 | 1534 |
| Nosler | 123 gr Custom Competition | 44501 | 24 in | 2400 | 1573 |
| Nosler | 129 gr AccuBond Long Range | 60146 | 24 in | 2350 | 1582 |
| Nosler | 90 gr Varmageddon | 65182 | 24 in | 2800 | 1567 |
| Barnes | 115 gr TAC-TX BT | 30829 | 24 in | 2590 | 1713 |
| Barnes | 120 gr Match Burner | 30831 | 24 in | 2590 | 1788 |
| Gorilla Ammunition | 85 gr Punisher Fracturing | GA65G85PS | 22 in bolt gun | 2850 | Not published |
What Is Not in the Tables
Hornady’s Frontier 123 grain FMJ load, item FR700, prints no ballistics at all in the factory chart, so it earns no row anywhere in this article. Sellier and Bellot lists two Grendel loads measured in metric units from a 600 mm barrel, and those figures are neither converted nor mixed into the imperial tables above.
What Four Extra Inches Buy
From a 20 inch barrel the same 123 grain SST load starts at 2,568 fps and 1,801 ft-lb, a gain of 128 fps and 175 ft-lb over its 16 inch figures. The drop gap widens with distance as well: at 1,000 yards the longer barrel’s bullet has fallen 413.5 inches, against 485.0 inches for the bullet that left the 16 inch barrel.
FAQs
What muzzle velocity does the 123 grain SST produce from a 16 inch barrel?
It starts at 2,440 fps with 1,626 ft-lb of energy, and it is still moving at 1,745 fps when it reaches 500 yards.
How fast is the 90 grain Speer TNT from a 16 inch barrel?
The TNT leaves at 2,750 fps and 1,511 ft-lb, the highest muzzle velocity in the opening chart, although it fades to 820 fps by 1,000 yards.
How much does the 123 grain load drop at 500 yards?
On a 100 yard zero it falls 72.0 inches at 500 yards, and the drop grows to 485.0 inches at 1,000 yards.
How many factory loads publish a 16 inch test barrel?
Two. Both are Lehigh Defense loads, the 110 grain Controlled Chaos and the 120 grain Tipped Controlled Chaos.
What are the figures for the Lehigh Defense 110 grain load?
Lehigh Defense rates it at 2,500 fps and 1,527 ft-lb from its 16 inch test barrel, with a ballistic coefficient of 0.405 and 1,933 fps remaining at 300 yards.
What are the figures for the Lehigh Defense 120 grain load?
It is rated at 2,300 fps and 1,409 ft-lb from a 16 inch test barrel, carries a ballistic coefficient of 0.475 and holds 1,835 fps at 300 yards.
Does the 123 grain bullet stay supersonic to 1,000 yards from a 16 inch barrel?
Yes, just barely. It arrives at 1,000 yards doing 1,210 fps, while the 90 grain TNT has already dropped to 820 fps.
Which factory load publishes a velocity from a 16 inch gas gun?
Gorilla Ammunition lists its 110 grain Punisher load at 2,290 fps from a 16 inch gas gun, alongside 2,425 fps from a 22 inch bolt gun.
How much energy does the 123 grain SST keep at 500 yards?
It holds 831 ft-lb at 500 yards, out of 1,626 ft-lb at the muzzle.
How much velocity does a 20 inch barrel add for the 123 grain SST?
The 20 inch barrel starts the same load at 2,568 fps, which is 128 fps more than the 2,440 fps recorded from 16 inches.