Working up my first loads

[bigbear_98]

So I am finally getting around to loading for the Grendel. I know this type of information has been beaten to death, and I'm sure not very many of you care about all of my details, but I want to share, so here goes.

I am going to try 8208, 123gr amax's and sst's and Federal 205 primers. I also have some remington 6-1/2s and a few winchester 6-1/2s but I have been using the Winchester in my 223 loads and want to conserve them.

I am using a Redding type S sizing die set with the competition Seating die. I spray all of my brass with Hornady one shot. I clean the flash holes out with a deburring tool, and clean the primer pockets with a uniformer.

According to my Sinclair Bump Gauge, using a 30A insert, my fired brass was 1.138" shoulder. I can still chamber a fired case and close the bolt all the way, with the bolt rotating completely closed, but the case is sticky to eject. I bumped the shoulders down to 1.133" and they chamber and feed perfectly. I pulled a factory round apart and the shoulders measure 1.130.

Next I measured the neck of a factory round. They are .289. I first used a .286 collet to neck size, but was only getting the brass down to .288. I then put a .285 in and got it to .287" giving me .002" neck tension. I like to have .003" for my 308, but I loaded some dummys at this anyway.

I loaded the four dummy rounds using a 25 cal (.257") comparator collet since the .264 went all of the way to the neck. .256" is shown as the Bore diameter on the SAAMI drawing so I think I'm doing well. My ogive dimension was 1.640 for three rounds, and 1.639 for the fourth. I then measured COAL of all rounds. Three were exactly 2.249" and the fourth was 2.248".

I then loaded them in a mag and fed them through my rifle a number of times. First with dropping them in the chamber, letting the extractor to touch and using the forward assist to close the bolt all of the way. Then by riding the charging handle down a few times. Then letting the bolt release go home full force a few times.
I took the rounds and measured them again and didn't have any setback movement. All of them measured exactly the same. I took the shortest round and squished it nose first into the loading bench to see if I could set the bullet back any. I pushed HARD. The COAL changed .001" but the ogive was still the same. I'm guessing I smooshed the plastic tip.

I am pretty happy with this and hope to get some good results.

From what I read here and on Hodgdon's website I'm going to load these charges

27.4
27.7
28.0
28.3
28.5

I'll start by shooting a ladder test at 200 and then groups round robin style at 100. This has always worked well for me.

Let me know your thoughts.

[Blacklab]

What's the barrel maker and length?

[LR1955]

So I am finally getting around to loading for the Grendel. I know this type of information has been beaten to death, and I'm sure not very many of you care about all of my details, but I want to share, so here goes.

I am going to try 8208, 123gr amax's and sst's and Federal 205 primers. I also have some remington 6-1/2s and a few winchester 6-1/2s but I have been using the Winchester in my 223 loads and want to conserve them.

I am using a Redding type S sizing die set with the competition Seating die. I spray all of my brass with Hornady one shot. I clean the flash holes out with a deburring tool, and clean the primer pockets with a uniformer.

According to my Sinclair Bump Gauge, using a 30A insert, my fired brass was 1.138" shoulder. I can still chamber a fired case and close the bolt all the way, with the bolt rotating completely closed, but the case is sticky to eject. I bumped the shoulders down to 1.133" and they chamber and feed perfectly. I pulled a factory round apart and the shoulders measure 1.130.

Next I measured the neck of a factory round. They are .289. I first used a .286 collet to neck size, but was only getting the brass down to .288. I then put a .285 in and got it to .287" giving me .002" neck tension. I like to have .003" for my 308, but I loaded some dummys at this anyway.

I loaded the four dummy rounds using a 25 cal (.257") comparator collet since the .264 went all of the way to the neck. .256" is shown as the Bore diameter on the SAAMI drawing so I think I'm doing well. My ogive dimension was 1.640 for three rounds, and 1.639 for the fourth. I then measured COAL of all rounds. Three were exactly 2.249" and the fourth was 2.248".

I then loaded them in a mag and fed them through my rifle a number of times. First with dropping them in the chamber, letting the extractor to touch and using the forward assist to close the bolt all of the way. Then by riding the charging handle down a few times. Then letting the bolt release go home full force a few times.
I took the rounds and measured them again and didn't have any setback movement. All of them measured exactly the same. I took the shortest round and squished it nose first into the loading bench to see if I could set the bullet back any. I pushed HARD. The COAL changed .001" but the ogive was still the same. I'm guessing I smooshed the plastic tip.

I am pretty happy with this and hope to get some good results.

From what I read here and on Hodgdon's website I'm going to load these charges

27.4
27.7
28.0
28.3
28.5

I'll start by shooting a ladder test at 200 and then groups round robin style at 100. This has always worked well for me.

Let me know your thoughts.

BB 98:

You are doing everything perfectly and ought to get the load you want. Probably around 28 grains. You will be pushing the limits at 28 1/2 with 8208 so I wouldn't settle on that load unless it is a load you won't shoot much during the year.

LR1955

[LR1955]

Woaah guys. I surely didn't lock this thread! Will see if this re-opens it.

[bigbear_98]

What's the barrel maker and length?

Krieger 20". They did all of the cuts. So far I have shot almost every round suppressed. I intend on every round after being suppressed as well.

I'm extremely happy with it. It has shot factory SST very well so far.

BB 98:

You are doing everything perfectly and ought to get the load you want. Probably around 28 grains. You will be pushing the limits at 28 1/2 with 8208 so I wouldn't settle on that load unless it is a load you won't shoot much during the year.

LR1955

I had read that 28.5 was hot in a few threads. I figured it would be getting there around the 28.3 mark especially since I'm running the 30BA. I may not even shoot the rounds loaded past 28.3 but like to take everything I intend on testing to the range. Range time can be scarce.

Woaah guys. I surely didn't lock this thread! Will see if this re-opens it.

I didn't even notice. Thanks for not locking it down. I need a place to share my OCD without getting into an argument about this great cartridge.

[bigbear_98]

Out of curiosity, how much does everyone bump their cases back? I usually only do .003" on my bolt rifles. I first bumped .003 (1.135") on two cases to try, and they worked fine, but I was a little worried about reliability, so I went the extra .002 (1.133") for a total of .005" shoulder bump.

[LRRPF52]

Page 65 of Volume II covers shoulder setback, at .003-.005". Shoulder setback is probably the biggest hurdle most people encounter when loading for the AR15, so just check your sized brass with your chamber before settling on your die height in relation to the cam over height in the press.

There have been some cases where we have seen people with shell holder and die combinations that did not allow enough shoulder setback, so the shell holder needed modification or replacement.

[bigbear_98]

Page 65 of Volume II covers shoulder setback, at .003-.005". Shoulder setback is probably the biggest hurdle most people encounter when loading for the AR15, so just check your sized brass with your chamber before settling on your die height in relation to the cam over height in the press.

There have been some cases where we have seen people with shell holder and die combinations that did not allow enough shoulder setback, so the shell holder needed modification or replacement.

With both my 308 and 223 I have to cam over the press. On the 6.5 it actually has a tiny, almost none visible gap between the die and shell holder.

[LRRPF52]

If that sizes your cases correctly with enough shoulder setback, that is the way to go. What dies and shell holder are you using?

[bigbear_98]

Redding Type S and RCBS #32

[bigbear_98]

I ended up loading a group of Amax's and a group of SST's to 28.3, 28, 27.7, 27.4, and 27.1.

On the Ladder test I found a node with the Amax between 27.7 and 28. I found a node between 27.4 and 27.7 on the SST.

However..... Because of the groups I got with the SST at 28.3, and the Amax at 27.1, I would like to play around more at these charge weights....

All of these groups were shot at 200 Yards.

123 Amax over 28 gr 8208
1.004" or .48moa
&
123 Amax over 28.3 gr 8208
1.099" or .52moa


123 SST over 28.3 gr 8208
.835" or .40moa


123 Amax over 27.1 gr 8208
.205" or .1moa!! Somehow I feel like this is a fluke, but it will definitely require more testing.

[bigbear_98]

Here is the overall 200 yard targets. They were already up so I just taped them over and reused them.
The top left group is a load test I did with my 308.

[bigbear_98]

AND. just because I wanted to show you guys. Here is a 5 shot group I shot on the same day with my pet 308 load. I zero the calipers to the bullet diameter and measure outside to outside, which gives me center to center of .223" or .213moa
175SMK over 44.2 Varget 2.880 COAL.

[LRRPF52]

Dude, that is sick. Krieger barrels are normally 1/2 MOA or better in a properly-built gun. That seems to be proving true with your rifle. Congrats.

[bigbear_98]

Dude, that is sick. Krieger barrels are normally 1/2 MOA or better in a properly-built gun. That seems to be proving true with your rifle. Congrats.

Thank you. I have been very happy with it.
I think I'll load the 27.1 Amax and 28.3 sst and shoot them over the chrono. If they still group like that and it wasn't a fluke, I'll stick to them.