Alexander Arms' Grendel, which made  its public debut at the Shoot-out, hurls a  6.5mm, 120-grain slug at 2,600 fps.

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DÉJÀ VU (SORT OF)

Evaluators who participated in last year's Shoot-out saw another line of somewhat familiar weapons - M16 lookalikes with large-caliber barrels - in the hands of a group from Alexander Arms. In the August 2002 Shoot-out report, one of the featured weapons was a "Mini-.50" - the Leitner-Wise LW15.499. Referred to as the Multi-Level Threat Response System (MLTRS) by the folks from the Alexandria, Va., company, the weapon mounts a top-end conversion kit, a new upper receiver bolt, and other modifications on an M16, M4 or AR15, turning those familiar designs into .50-caliber-firing weapons.

Subsequent to last year's Shoot-out, the U.S. Coast Guard placed a substantial order for these formidable weapons.

As reported last August, a somewhat similar weapon design is being marketed by a group whose original roots are intertwined with those of Leitner-Wise. Alexander Arms LLC, headquartered on the U.S. Army's Radford Arsenal in Radford, Va., calls its .50-caliber the Beowulf. As with the MLTRS, the Beowulf is an adaptation of Eugene Stoner's AR15/M16 design chambered for 12.5-by-42mm cartridges based on .50 Action Express handgun rounds. Alexander Arms and Leitner-Wise are now fierce competitors in the .499 market.

Like the MLTRS, the Beowulf can be purchased as a full weapon or as an upper-only conversion kit. Available in various configurations, all models hold seven-round magazines and have flat top receivers with Picatinny rails.

Loaded with standard 325- or 400-grain slugs, the Beowulf packs impressive stopping power in an M16-size package. (Other available ammo includes the 334-grain FMJ that punched a hole in the ADS glass and a lead-free, 300-grain slug.)

The Beowulf, itself, was reason enough to invite Alexander Arms to the Shoot-out; however, the crew from Radford sweetened the pot with the addition of two other variations on the M16 theme. One of those, a 6.5mm version called the Grendel, made its public debut at the Shoot-out.

As mentioned previously during the glass-busting discussion, the .50 Beowulf was the only round that penetrated the ADS glass. The 325-grain slug that accomplished the feat hit the glass at a speed of somewhere around 1,950 fps. But getting that kind of punch from a lightweight package also exacts a toll on the sending end of the tested version, which sported a 12-inch barrel.

"Recoil takes some getting used to," said one person, "but it's to be expected with a bullet this size. It's a good concept: a large caliber adapted to an existing platform."

Another evaluator found the recoil "a little heavy, but acceptable, considering the punch. I'm very impressed with this weapon, especially for special missions." He also was impressed by the Aimpoint sight on the weapon: "It's excellent. I hit the swinging target [about 50 yards away] with every shot."
"I like!" said another. "Love this gun. It's easy to maintain control, and it could stop a vehicle."

Only one of the evaluators said he was unfazed by the rifle's recoil: "Amazingly low recoil for such a large round. It's the ultimate in man-carried stopping power. The .50 Beowulf, paired with LeMas ammo, would be the ultimate point-defense combination."

"Take your AR15 bear hunting!" said another.

Two evaluators felt the Beowulf was an interesting concept, but questioned how it would be used.

In Coast Guard service, AFJ was told, the Leitner-Wise version will be issued to guards at critical facilities to disable vehicles being operated in a threatening manner. The Coast Guard also plans to use the rifles to disable small vessels, such as "Go-fast" drug-smuggling craft.

As for the weapons' broader utility, an evaluator summed it up best in a recent e-mail to AFJ: "After shooting the Leitner-Wise .499 last year, and the Alexander Arms Beowulf this year, I have renewed the drive to get these weapons for our command. … I'd be interested in a shoot-out between these two next year. Either way, if we can get LeMas to start making rounds for these two weapons, everyone would win."

VARIATIONS ON THE M16 THEME

The Beowulf wasn't the only AR15/M16-style weapon on the Alexander Arms table. The group also brought its .21 Genghis, and selected the Shoot-out as the venue for unveiling the new .26 Grendel. Fewer than two dozen people had even seen the Grendel prior to the Shoot-out, a company spokesman told AFJ.

Like the Beowulf, the Genghis is built around an M16 operating system, but is chambered for the Soviet-designed 5.45-by-39mm cartridge, the round for which the AK-74 assault weapon is chambered. This round, Alexander Arms personnel pointed out, delivers 20 percent less recoil than a 5.56, yet creates a wound cavity up to 30 percent greater than the M16's 5.56 round.

The Genghis at the Shoot-out was a semiautomatic version - it lacked three-round and full-auto capabilities; nonetheless, our evaluators found the 11-inch-barreled system a great weapon.
"It's easy to shoot; very similar to a 5.56 M4," an evaluator said. "Alexander Arms claims it has better ballistics than the 5.56; the lower cost of ammo is its main appeal over 5.56 use."

Another found it "a dream to shoot. It has countersniper written all over it. The form and fit were unmatched - what a great gun."

Alexander Arms sees the lower-cost ammo -officials say 5.45-by-39mm rounds can be purchased for approximately half the cost of 5.56 ammunition - makes the Genghis an attractive training system for M16 users.

"It has no recoil," another noted. "Comfortable to shoot; easy to keep on target. I'd like to try one on full auto and with three-round bursts."

"Super-low recoil and smooth operation," another said.

But at least one evaluator felt the weapon would face an uphill battle in being adopted by U.S. military units. "I'm very much impressed with the weapon," he said, "but the caliber limits its potential adoption."

Only a few evaluators got to try their hand with the new Grendel, but those who did liked what they saw. One of them found the 6.5 round "very easy to shoot," and was impressed by the 120-grain round's 2,600 fps speed.

"Good integration of the AR-series frame," another said. He and his colleagues gave the new weapon a resounding thumbs-up.

As learned in Afghanistan and again in Iraq, the M16's 5.56 round lacks the punch needed for long-range engagements. That's why Special Operations Command has been toying with the idea of adopting a larger round - something on the order of a 6.8 - for some time. So it's probably no coincidence that Alexander Arms has adapted an AR15/M16 platform for its 6.5 round, and why company officials demonstrated the Grendel's abilities from the 600-yard line at Blackwater.