SCHULTZ & LARSEN LEGACY - Little Big Gun

The 6.5 Grendel cartridge was launched in 2003. It’s essentially an improved 6.5 PPC (.220 Russian case) and primarily aimed at the AR15 platform, for low recoil, high precision 200 to 800-yard competition. With a 123-grain Sierra Match King bullet, it’s said to generate 2650 fps from a 24” barrel and stay supersonic at 1000 yards. Quite a claim for a load that uses not much more powder than a .223 Rem and heavier bullets!
I tested a straight-pull AR15 in Grendel for Shooting Sports magazine and liked what I saw. The trouble was, that it had to be downloaded to reduce primary extraction issues, which robbed performance. So, maybe a bolt-action platform would be better?

Enter the CZ

So, I needed a bolt-action in 7.62x39mm, finding it in CZ’s 527. Back then, Derek Edgar (Edgar Brothers Ltd) persuaded CZ to give me a new action and stock. Riflecraft built it using a 22” Pacnor light/medium barrel with a 1:8.5” twist. It was a gem, being light, handy, and accurate, with a great deal of potential.

Problems of perception

A few companies offered bolt guns in Grendel, but like other experimental intermediates, it was never adopted by the US military, so it fell out of favour. Plus, and as a friend of mine said, why bother when 6.5 Creedmoor offers so much more versatility and is readily available? I must agree, but for shorter ranges and smaller deer species (up to Roe), plus foxes, it’s a viable and alternative choice!

Schultz & Larsen surprise

With fewer manufacturers chambering for Grendel, I was very surprised to find out that Schultz & Larsen now offer their Legacy model in this calibre. I tested their Classic Synthetic in Gun Mart a few months ago in 6.5x55 SE and was seriously impressed.
The Legacy is essentially a smaller version, specifically chambered for true short action cartridges, so .222 Rem, .223 Rem (1:10 and 1:8 rifling twist, respectively), 6x45mm, .300 AAC Blackout, and now Grendel. This model still features all of S&L’s USPs, so QD mounts, cut rifled barrels, the ability to change calibres, a sweet trigger, and a high-quality build.

Steel appeal

The all-steel action shows a 3-position rolling safety on the rear right, so forward for FIRE, middle for SAFE with bolt operation, and rear for SAFE with bolt lock. The top of the receiver is machined for S&L’s two-position Slide & Lock mounts, which offer a practical QD solution. The action is drilled and tapped for their Picatinny bases too.
The trigger is adjustable from 2 – 7 lbs and came from the box at a sweet 2 lbs, with a Match-like release. The steel bottom metal offers a single-column detachable magazine with a 3-round capacity. There’s a push button release at the front of the well.
The rifle comes with a walnut stock and taking it apart shows metal pillars in the action void, with a curved, steel plate under the rear of the receiver, plus strips forming the recoil lug pocket surrounds. It seems a lot of work to me, especially as S&L’s synthetic stocks are so practical and well-presented. I was told that the Legacy does not offer this option, which is a big mistake!

Built!

The bolt shows three locking lugs, plus the usual spring/plunger ejector and claw extractor. The long, straight handle is dovetailed in and angled back slightly, plus offers a low lift angle. At the rear is a round shroud with a cocked action pin that can be seen and felt. The rifle is offered in true right and left-hand options.
The 22” barrel (on test) is threaded 14x1mm and comes with a protector. S&L use a cut rifling process and finish off by tin-lapping the bore. They say it produces more consistency and tends to resist the negative effects of torsional stresses and rapid heating.

In and out

As a switch barrel system, it uses a variant of the Sauer 202 system, with a split clamp receiver and tensioning cross bolts. A Torx T-key is provided for insertion and removal. Simply slack off the cross bolts and front action screw a couple of turns and pull out the barrel. On insertion, it slides in and locates by a notch and pin, then the bolt is closed to set the head space. As you insert it, put the serial number at 12 o’clock, so it’s pre-positioned. The fit is snug, so you will feel a bit of resistance as the barrel moves in or out. They don’t say anything about torquing the bolts down, just nip all three tight then apply a final 1/4-turn to lock, which I discovered is all that’s required.

Return to zero

S&L’s Slide & Lock rings are a fast and practical system. The top of the receiver is slotted front and rear to accept them, and they can be set in two positions, giving a 1/2” length adjustment. Drop them on and slide them forward, then use a Torx key to nip them tight before doing another 1/4 turn. I shot a group, took them on and off and shot a second. I then repeated the process with the barrel and finally with both the scope and barrel. The deviation was minimal, with negligible disturbance to the point of impact. Very impressive!

Rigged and ready

The importer, Alan Rhone, supplied an S&L SuperDome moderator and their Professional bipod, which is a Spartan design with a magnetic attachment socket. I like the pod and have a short-legged one for my Blaser R8. But in this case, I found the legs, even when fully retracted, too long for comfortable prone use. Finishing off the package was a Zeiss Victory 3-12x56 scope in the Slide & Lock rings. Out of interest, I also borrowed one of their Picatinny rails, as it offers a cost-effective alternative.
Overall, this is a sweet little rifle, very handy and shootable too, with modest recoil and good accuracy potential. Plus, the slim SuperDome moddy suits it well and has little effect on handling. The calibre choice puts it firmly in the small deer and fox class. Even the 6x45, (AKA 6mm-223 Remington), which is a .223 Rem case necked up to 6mm, only makes 1560 ft/lbs and 2650 fps with a 100-grain bullet, on paper, probably less in real life. However, the Grendel, with the right bullet selection, might step beyond the 1700 ft/lbs large deer legal requirement.

Ammo access

As I said, the Grendel is a very niche calibre in the UK, and there was never a lot of interest, so ammo is thin on the ground. I have only ever got hold of Hornady’s 123-grain A-MAX (target) and SST (hunting) loads. PPU of Serbia produce a 123-grain soft point, which looks interesting, as does Federal’s 120-grain SP, and the chances are both would hit 1700+ ft/lbs.
With the exception of some 123-grain SST Hornady factory, I have exclusively reloaded for my CZ. My pet recipe uses a 100-grain Nosler Partition and Viht N530, and it just breaks the 1700 ft/lbs limit. It has proved lethal on Muntjac, Roe, and foxes out to 200-250 yards. I’ve never shot Fallow or Reds with it and if I did, I’d keep the ranges very sensible.
Bullet weights range from 85/90-grains (Varmint-types), then 100 to 130-grains (deer/fox) and the choice is good, with only Vihtavuori showing data for heavier 140 and 155-grain bullets, which are very slow and low energy, raising concerns about effective expansion. In the end, I picked five reloads and one factory. My thanks to Edgar Brothers for supplying Hornady small rifle primed cases and SST 123-grain bullets. Dies were from Lee Precision (Henry Krank) with other bullets and powders from my own stock.
As can be seen on the Ammo Table, nothing jumped the 1700 ft/lbs divide, but came very close as to make little practical difference. Also, 123-grain seems to be the maximum effective weight. As with any 6.5mm cartridge, barrel length matters, and my 100-grain Nosler Partition reload in my CZ with 22” tube is clocking 2804 fps |1746 ft/lbs and my 123-grain SST recipe manages 2499 fps |1705 ft/lbs. Both sub-MOA. It could be its 1-8.5 twist rate suits the lighter ammo better. The latter, although slower, carries energy better out to 200, as it still has 1281 ft/lbs compared to the 1133 ft/lbs of the Nosler 100. But the deer don’t seem to mind.
Accuracy in the Legacy was good in most cases, with only one load stepping over the MOA. Feed and function were much slicker than my CZ too, which tends to be a bit clunky at times. As I said, the Grendel is a rather specific cartridge and for what it is, it is very impressive, given what you want to do with it. But, with the current state of getting ammo into the UK, it’s more a reloader’s option.

Ammo Table

Name   Type     Bullet     Velocity   ES         Energy     Group  
Hornady Factory 123g SST   2496fps   18.1 fps   1684 ft/lbs   1.02”
Nosler   Reload 100g SP   2767fps   23 fps     1689 ft/lbs   0.76”
Nosler   Reload 120g BT   2517fps.  17 fps     1696 ft/lbs   0.7”
Sierra     Reload   85g HP     2804fps   32 fps     1484 ft/lbs   0.83”
Hornady Reload 95g VMAX 2671fps   23 fps     1608 ft/lbs   0.97”
Hornady Reload 129g SP   2290fps   28.1 fps   1513 ft/lbs   0.86”