I've been working up a load for the 130 Swift Scirocco hunting bullet.
The bullet has an excellent reputation in other 6.5mm guns.
Alexander Arms sells loads with this bullet. Gel test pictures are on their web site for the 130 Scirocco.
The bullet tumbled in less than two inches, did not exit the last get block and stayed intact while mushrooming well. To see the picture, go to the Alexander Arms web site and select "online store" under "Products", select ammunition under Grendel, then choose the second picture.
The manufacturer claims a ballistic coefficient of .571. If true, that's an excellent BC. Some say the BC is more like .540, but even that is very good.
The bullet is usually used in guns with higher mv's than the Grendel is capable of with this bullet, so the BC may be even less at Grendel speeds.
The barrel used for this was a Satern 20 inch, 1 in 8.5.
Speeds were measured by chrono 15 feet from the muzzle.
I started out using the Alexander Arms load data. I had Winchester 748 and AA2520 on hand, so I used them.
2520 was a little better than the 748. I also had some LeveRevolution, so I gave it a try since it's a slower powder.
The mv's of 2300+ fps were significantly better than the other two powders I tried.
LeveRevolution is pretty dense too, so it leaves plenty of room in the case for the long 130 grain bullets.
If you calculate energy with the lower BC (.540) this doesn't give as much energy as the 123 AMax but the difference gets less with range.
Since the Scirocco is designed as a hunting bullet it holds together well and the extra weight will help it punch through bone and tough hides. It will expand at mv's down to 1400 fps so it's functional at ranges out to 750 yards.
The biggest disadvantage is price, it cost's nearly double the price of the AMaxes.
It's also very accurate. It has a polymer tip to increase BC and promote expansion, but it's very tough compared to some others polymer tips I've used.
C.O.L. was 2.260 for all loads.
One caveat, the data was taken with small groups of shots since I was working up loads. I'll follow up later with some data from a larger group of loads with 30.6 grains, and measure some drops to see if it tracks with the advertised BC.
Powder Average MV
(grains) (FPS)
Win 748
29.0 2237
---------------------
AA2520
28.0 2256
---------------------
LeveRevolution
30.2 2282
30.4 2288
30.5 2295
30.6 2310
RR
The bullet has an excellent reputation in other 6.5mm guns.
Alexander Arms sells loads with this bullet. Gel test pictures are on their web site for the 130 Scirocco.
The bullet tumbled in less than two inches, did not exit the last get block and stayed intact while mushrooming well. To see the picture, go to the Alexander Arms web site and select "online store" under "Products", select ammunition under Grendel, then choose the second picture.
The manufacturer claims a ballistic coefficient of .571. If true, that's an excellent BC. Some say the BC is more like .540, but even that is very good.
The bullet is usually used in guns with higher mv's than the Grendel is capable of with this bullet, so the BC may be even less at Grendel speeds.
The barrel used for this was a Satern 20 inch, 1 in 8.5.
Speeds were measured by chrono 15 feet from the muzzle.
I started out using the Alexander Arms load data. I had Winchester 748 and AA2520 on hand, so I used them.
2520 was a little better than the 748. I also had some LeveRevolution, so I gave it a try since it's a slower powder.
The mv's of 2300+ fps were significantly better than the other two powders I tried.
LeveRevolution is pretty dense too, so it leaves plenty of room in the case for the long 130 grain bullets.
If you calculate energy with the lower BC (.540) this doesn't give as much energy as the 123 AMax but the difference gets less with range.
Since the Scirocco is designed as a hunting bullet it holds together well and the extra weight will help it punch through bone and tough hides. It will expand at mv's down to 1400 fps so it's functional at ranges out to 750 yards.
The biggest disadvantage is price, it cost's nearly double the price of the AMaxes.
It's also very accurate. It has a polymer tip to increase BC and promote expansion, but it's very tough compared to some others polymer tips I've used.
C.O.L. was 2.260 for all loads.
One caveat, the data was taken with small groups of shots since I was working up loads. I'll follow up later with some data from a larger group of loads with 30.6 grains, and measure some drops to see if it tracks with the advertised BC.
Powder Average MV
(grains) (FPS)
Win 748
29.0 2237
---------------------
AA2520
28.0 2256
---------------------
LeveRevolution
30.2 2282
30.4 2288
30.5 2295
30.6 2310
RR
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