Sako 6.5 Grendel

[Roe]

Well, the reticle can be seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNyWmMZVkgc

It is shaped after training and exploits the shallow fall angle of the bullets. It is non-caliber specific, optimal scope setting and the killing windows just change a fraction between different loads. It is made for emergency response; both to deal with unexpected events where you need a better spy than a red dot offers as well as dominating a fairly long (7-800m) with accurate fire. If time permits, the reticle of course allows for whatever precision/ accuracy you can wring out of the system.

Also designed for shooters working alone, so the field where your eye has acute vision was left as clear as possible in order to maximize the chance of spotting your own shots. I will shortly mount one of these scopes on my Grendel just to show it works just as well there.

The prototype has been tweaked away from professional shooting and towards my own deer hunting. Allthough the design is registered, I chose to withhold significant details as it is cheaper than defending the patent paperwork in court.

[schrödinger's cat]

That looks really cool !

[Roe]

Here is the next segment of initial testing: Shooting moving targets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAgbyAdouUM

I'll be mounting one of these scopes on my Grendel this February, I will be hunting with it in March, upgrade my range a bit and hopefully have a lot more data within 2016.

[Doon]

Very impressive, like your work.

[WillD]

Nice work! I've enjoyed your videos. I wish I had a fjord in my back yard to shoot in

[Von Gruff]

Nice work! I've enjoyed your videos. I wish I had a fjord in my back yard to shoot in

Wouldn't a chevy do??

[KentuckyBuddha]

Lol

[Fredman]

Great job! I hope you bought your assistant a couple of beers for all his hard work.

[Beerswimmer]

Roe,
I see you have 6.5x28 and .243. How would you say that the Grendel performs on game vs the others? Strictly from a hunting perspective.

[Roe]

I haven't shot enough deer with it yet. We have of course the data from the "Grendel knockdown" thread that clearly indicates the Grendel works just fine


I've used these cartridges on deer (in numbers)

6mm-223 : Dead deer, but they run too far. Had to use dog to track maybe 1/3 or more of all deer shot. No good, spend the morning shooting and recovering 1 deer instead of 2-3.
243 : Drops deer really well, but suffering when windcall is poor. Very nice cartridge, makes me want a 6XC.
6.5 Grendel : Only shot a few deer with it. Works just fine with the 123 Amax. No recoil, seeing "everything" during the shot.
6.5x55 : Perfect recoil/reach/knockdown. "Nothing" walks.
6.5x284 : Lets me have long barrel 6.5x55 V0 in a short rifle.
308 : works, but excessive recoil. Stopped using it and never going back to it.

My assistant is paid good money for that work. It's not easy to find someone safe/fit/ accessible enough that can do 3-4 hours so I pay him better than tariff for his store job. However, this gets expensive fast so I have to invest in a motorized/ remote controlled solution if I am to keep this up. But it'll be some time before I can afford that.

Here is the next segment of the reticle testing, shooting moving targets at a little more than 600 meters (about 670 yds). I will mount a scope on my Grendel now and start shooting that next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJsriiRpO9Y

[Beerswimmer]

Excellent work! Your videos remind me of my time living on Kodiak Island, and hunting the Aleutian Islands. The same scenery and weather!

[Roe]

Kodiak Island appears very wet and windy to me. I saw a bushpilot show where they needed to pickup a few hunters between storm fronts. They had come up for the hunt of their lifetimes, but (to my eyes) brought plain silly equipment. Their camp blew to pieces in the wind and they didn't have the skills to stay dry/secure camp and was losing too much heat to make it through the trip or the next storm rolling in.

Anyway, been testing the Grendel with various bipods now. Nothing revelutionary and not even a good day at the range precision-wise. I've also tested the IMR8208 (?) powder and the sweetspot landed right smack in the middle of the data found listed in the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbook vol 2 (http://shootersnotes.com/articles/6-...ding-handbook/). I had a full grain where the bullets kept flying into the same cluster despite the variation in powder weight. That book and this forum have saved me a considerable amount of money/time with my Grendel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGbrnCDfieI&feature=youtu.be

[am4966]

Atlas is very popular in the States, and why do you feel it's slower in the field compared to the others you use? Great video at always Roe. When do you Leave to hunt again?

[Roe]

It's just because I usually hunt over very uneven/ broken ground where finding support for a bipod can be a real hassle.

The bipods that attach via a Versapod type spigot are very flexible and allows for a "larger span" than the stiffer bipod types. The size of the footprint also is a factor, I find support over a wider range of ground with bigger feet. (I'm sure some aftermarket product is available for the Atlas in that regard)

Hunting? Next weekend skiing the mountains for ptarmigan and next month in the forest for deer.

[Sauer 150]

Hi guys,

I am the new owner of Roe's "old" Sako. Been taking it to the range a few times to work out some loads for Lapua 120/123 Scenars since I had a few thousand of those laying around.

Have been doing ladder testing over a chronograph while measuring case heads for expansion, to make sure there is none.

Compared to Roe's data with 123 A-Max I get a little higher velocities with the same charges CFE behind 120L's, a little lower with 123's.

Has anyone else any experiences with the same combo in a B/A rifle?

So far I have been up to 33,3 grs CFE behind 123 Scenar for an average MV of right above 2600 f/s. 32,7 gave me 2520F/s, 33 2560.
Er was extremely low at 32,7- 15f/s for 5 shots. On 33 the ES was just above 20.

I saw Swift had a maximum charge of 32,6 behind a 120 SAF bullet in AA(Lapua?) brass.

Any insight anyone. Am I approaching the upper end of usable pressure?