I am a new 6.5 Grendel enthusiast. I'm now pretty familiar with the twist/performance effect vs. bullet weight with .223. Can someone fill me in on this science for the Grendel? I have a 1 in 8 and I thought I would like to work on loads for the 120 & 140 Hornady AMax in a 24" Pac-Nor barrel/AA upper receiver & bolt group. I'm looking for max accuracy at max range. Guide me.
Dinger
The 8 twist will stabilize just about any of the bullets suitable for the Grendel without issues, including the 140's. However...weights above 123 really push the cartridge. While some people have had success with the 129's and 130's, most think that the 110-123 range is ideal.
The 120 AMAX is not the best choice, its got a blunt ogive in comparison to the 123 AMAX which is specifically engineered for the Grendel. That 123 bullet shoots REALLY well in almost every Grendel that I've heard about. It's a "go to" bullet for people having problems finding accuracy.
For really long range stuff, beyond 600 meters, most people find the 108 and 123 Lapua Scenars to shoot the best. They are the same bullet profile, differing only in 15 grains of weight.
All that said, my best groups, .25 5 shot groups at 100 yards, were all either 100 or 120 grain Nosler BT's over BLC2, a powder which burns very dirty for me. I shot them well out to 700 yards, but never tried them at longer range, never having the opportunity.
I'll be the first to admit that I did not test the Lapuas anywhere near as extensively as I did the Noslers, since I had no where local to buy Lapuas and the Noslers shot so well!
Bill
Bill;
I'm just breaking into the 6.5G, having just finished assembling a 24" 1:9 barreled rig and my particular interest was also in the Nosler BTs. I'm no stranger to reloading and I'm at that point in a new caliber where I'm in the information sponge mode. Other folks more knowledgeable than me have advised using powders 12 or more steps faster than BL-C(2). You've been around the block. Elaborate on how to get all the energy out of slower powders. I always like to come in light, slow and work up on a new caliber.
Thanks,
Hoot
In Theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In Practice, there is.
So, with the 123 Lapua and BL-C(2) where do you seat the bullet and/or what is your C.O.A.L.?
Dinger
I generally seat everything to max mag length, unless I intend to shoot single load for long range competitions. So the Lapuas are set at 2.26.Originally Posted by Dinger
Bill
Hoot, the BLC2 is too slow for the 100 grain bullet, at least if it is going to be shot at extended range, at least theoretically! But like your sig line says, "In Practice, there is."
I don't like it, its really dirty, and I now use XTerminator with those bullets. I lost a tiny bit of accuracy, picked up a little bit of velocity, and in the end it was a push, except that it runs much cleaner. I suspect that part of the reason its so dirty is that its really a little slow for the light bullets.
At 120 grain bullets and the 123's, though, its very close to Alexanders factory powder velocities, in fact about as close as you can get. Its still dirtier than I like, but better suited to that weight. Accurate 2520 and Ram TAC might be a hair faster, but 2520 is more temp sensitive to me, (I shoot when its anywhere from 20-110 degrees in the shade). Others have suggested the same thing, so I don't think its all me.
However, I load very little BLC2 now, and mostly use TAC and XTerminator. They run cleaner and are very close to as accurate. Since I didn't start using them until my barrel had lots of round down it, I can't be 100% sure it isn't some barrel and some powder in the difference.
I've tried the new 8208, but not in the 108 Lapuas yet, and I've heard some good things, so I'll probably give that a try.
Bill
Hey Bill any chance we could get some of the old reloading info back on the forum. Any new stuff would be greatly appreciated. I am going to post on SnipersHide and let people know the site is back up and running. I think alot of guys gave up on the site ever coming back.
I have had very good luck with BLC2. Very accurate with Speer Hotcors. Mines an AA barrel. Any whoot, Bwaites, we should have a sticky post about trouble some bullets. The troubles we have had should be documented, so people don't waste so much time like I did trying to find an answer.
I'd like to add 95 gr Vmax to the troublesome list. You can use it but seat it 2.15OAL!
Last edited by cornholio1; 03-08-2011 at 05:29 PM.
I'll second what bw says about TAC, X-term, and 2520. Some of the faster IMRs work well with the Nosler 100gr. BTs.
Grendelizer is working on it, but ?
I'm hoping that the really cool list that was up reappears soon from whoever it was that created it!!
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote