Cast Bullet for 6.5 Grendel

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  • Tearlach61
    Unwashed
    • Nov 2014
    • 20

    Cast Bullet for 6.5 Grendel

    I have been thinking of picking up a bullet mold for my Grendel. I saw a mold at NOE that caught my eye: a 125 gr FN which appears to have been designed for the Grendel.

    Does anyone here have any experience with this mold? I am shooting an AR and I'd like to have a load that will cycle the action. I also absolutely don't want any leading. I have a premium barrel and if leading is going to be an issue, I am inclined to just suck it up and stick with jacketed bullets. What sort of velocities do people go for?

    Just for comparison, I have a 45-70 load where I shoot a gas-checked bullet at about 1850 fps which I just love. If I could come up with a fairly accurate load in the 1800 to 2000 fps range which will cycle the action, I could have a blast at ranges inside say 200 yards. But not at the cost of gumming up my barrel.
  • 2_speed
    Bloodstained
    • Nov 2011
    • 73

    #2
    I normally try to keep quiet & learn stuff from the hoard but this time I'm gonna reveal my ignorance. I'm wondering how much lead from a cast bullet would get piped down the gas tube on a DI rig & be dumped out right by the shooter's nose. I think I'd use a piston setup for this one. (Trying to preserve of whatever remaining brain cells I have.)

    Comment

    • achristian8
      Warrior
      • Jun 2014
      • 129

      #3
      I use a lot of cast bullets in my .45 auto If you use them in the grendel I would recommend coating them with Hi Tek coating. There is a article on eggleston munitions website about using them in a FAL that may be useful. It has a good amount of info on leading and cycling the action.
      Adam

      Comment

      • ramslammer
        Bloodstained
        • Jan 2014
        • 69

        #4
        G'Day
        A gas check helps as it scrapes the barrel and when you recover them you can see the lead around them. I use cast a lot with good results.
        Juddy

        Comment

        • Kikn
          Warrior
          • Nov 2011
          • 689

          #5
          Personally I would stay away from lead ammo in a gas gun. If it were a bolt gun I'd say OK. But I've read enough on here and I'm sure others will chime in. That leaded gas will blow back in your face while you shoot; and can cause severe health issues down the road.

          If I'm off base I'm sure to be corrected soon.

          Comment

          • wfa17332
            Bloodstained
            • May 2015
            • 44

            #6
            I've shot lead through Garands, M1 Carbines, Remington 7400s, and the AR (various calibers). If you keep the pressure in line with the alloy you're using (and HARD is NOT always better!), lead in the barrel and/or gas system is not an issue - at least in the rifles I've used. Shooting cast bullets that are accurate may be an "art", but it's certainly not dangerous if you take "logical safety precautions" (That used to be called "common sense").

            Oh, I've also shot them through BHW barrels with good results (just don't use a "bore ride" bullet).

            Comment

            • wraith1516
              Warrior
              • Dec 2014
              • 316

              #7
              Didn't you ever read any of the safety warnings lead is only dangerous to people in California LOL

              Comment

              • FW Conch
                Warrior
                • Nov 2014
                • 289

                #8
                "wfa", why not "Bore Riders"? I shoot Grendels in a Bolt Rifle and the Bore Rider mold is what I would look for if I were to go with lead. The reason being, the best shooting pill in my 260Rem is the 140grn Rem PSP. I load them with the first canaleur against the lands, so the first 2/3's of the pill is down the bore. Since Remington has not made them for some time, I don't know if I'll be able to get any more?

                Of course lead is a different animal from jacketed.

                And a gas gun is way different from a bolt rifle.

                Just Askin :-) ... Thanks, Jim

                Comment

                • wfa17332
                  Bloodstained
                  • May 2015
                  • 44

                  #9
                  My OPINION, based on tests in my BHW barrels (300 AAC and 264LBC) is that since there are no "true lands" to support the nose of the bullet, it wants to "flop around" upon ignition. Loads that work nicely in a 5r 300 AAC won't even stay on my target board at 25 yards with the BHW.

                  I have a "custom" Lee mold I picked up years ago, no ID number on it, but it's very much like the 311299 - 2/3 to 3/4 of the bullet is bore size and shoots very nicely in both the 5r and the BHW 300 AAC. In the 264LBC, the 266469 (Loveren style bullet) shows a lot of promise, but I haven't gone back to that project yet.

                  Comment

                  • Von Gruff
                    Chieftain
                    • Apr 2012
                    • 1078

                    #10
                    I have a great deal of experience with cast in many bolt rifles but not in gas guns. The mould I had made was designed for my chamber and a really nice plinking load that runs around 1600fps with blue dot has killed a few goats at over 100 yds with lengthwise penetration.





                    The Grendel is in the centre with my Grendel-Max being the two on the right with an A Max and the cast bullet both loaded to suit my magazine and chamber with .010 clearance to lands for the A Max and actual touch engagement for the cast bullet

                    It loads so that the same ogive to land contact as the A Max has gives guidance to the bullet right from the first powder burn and enhances accuracy. There is no "flopping around" as the bullet is loaded as it is designed to be and this is the whole reason for the bore ride design.
                    I have run to to 2300fps but the harder alloy gave no expansion so wasn't suitable for hunting but 5 in 1 1/2 - 2 in at 100 yds is certainly up to serious plinking and the 1600 - 1650 fps velocity is a cheap and very effective bullet for any day/every day play.
                    It has to be noted that this is in my Grendel-Max but the same would be just as effective in the standard Grendel. My low velocity loads are with a 47-33-20 alloy (ww-Pb-lino) and Al gas checks while the faster load is the same alloy with babbit added or straight ww but with a Cu GC.
                    Last edited by Von Gruff; 07-31-2015, 05:52 AM.
                    http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                    sigpic Von Gruff



                    Grendel-Max

                    Exodus 20:1-17
                    Acts 4:10-12

                    Comment

                    • Tearlach61
                      Unwashed
                      • Nov 2014
                      • 20

                      #11
                      Thanks for all the input. I would definitely go with the gas-check design. My 45-70 cast bullet which has worked so well for me takes a gas check. I push that at about 1850 fps using straight wheel weights dropped out of the mold into water.

                      Does anybody know if lyman handles will work on NOE molds? I have 2 and 4 cavity Lyman mold handles.

                      Comment

                      • kos1966
                        Unwashed
                        • Mar 2016
                        • 1

                        #12
                        Von, I was discussing with you on the other site. May any of you can chime in. I use unique on several other rounds with success. Von gave me load load for blue dot but I have 5 lbs of unique, blue dot is no where to be found around me. I also have 8 lbs of AR comp. My mold comes today and I know I will be pouring and powder coating this week. Has anyone used unique? Do the shot shell powders cycle the AR. or is it smarter to drop the AR comp to 20 to start and go from there. I am looking at 20" barrel, regular brass, I want to plink at 100 yards for now. In doing the research with Blue dot compared to unique it is about a 2:3 ratio so 9 gr blue dot would equal 6 gr Unique as a starting point but until weather breaks I can't test the theory. I am using gator gas checks. Tumble powder coat bake size and do it again then check and size. I have had success with 223 and 308 all cycling properly with adjusting powder to shoot out of my rifles. Has anyone tried Green dot or Bullseye?

                        Comment

                        • Von Gruff
                          Chieftain
                          • Apr 2012
                          • 1078

                          #13
                          I used red dot which is just slightly faster than green dot to fireform my GM brass from Grendel and a 7 gn load was an effective light load. Whether it will cycle an AR I have no idea as a gas gun is not something I have ever played with.
                          http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                          sigpic Von Gruff



                          Grendel-Max

                          Exodus 20:1-17
                          Acts 4:10-12

                          Comment

                          • mongoosesnipe
                            Chieftain
                            • May 2012
                            • 1142

                            #14
                            i had a 300 blackout ar15 which saw lead bullets exclusively shot get with the gas checked noe 247 never had an issue with leading but it was a little loud for my taste so i sold the upper and got a bolt action blackout which i enjoy more, as fore leading and lead in the gas tube i shot around 200 rounds though the gunned never found a trace of lead in the gas tube wasn't any dirtier than jacketed 223 but i was shooting subsonic exclusively, if you keep your velocity reasonable, use gas checks and good lube i recommend carnauba red, you shouldn't have a problem with leading, powder coating the bullets is another option i haven't messed with it but a lot of people swear by it

                            i actually want to get a 257 spitzer mold and play around with paper patched bullets in the grendel but don't have time anymore, and those molds are kinda rare...

                            my next mold purchase will probably be a 850 grain 50 cal mold for about bolt action 510 bored 50 beowulf project i am helping a friend with
                            Punctuation is for the weak....

                            Comment

                            • TheGameMaster
                              Unwashed
                              • Aug 2019
                              • 4

                              #15
                              Old Thread; but I've re-sized my Lee 277-130 bullets to be .265. I powder coat them and gas check them, then size in the .277 Lee sizing die. Then re-size them in the .265 Lee sizing die and they come out at 141.6gr at 1.007 length. Now I just need data...

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