Giday from New Zealand.

[sneaky one]

Von.,, I heard the same -about the fallow's. Maybe I'll make it down there -someday. The 6.5 Grrr is an awesome round, it replaces many old school rounds here for us yanks., =.223 ,.243, .257., .308., .32 spec. , 30-30,, -- and many more midsize rounds. I've tried a many different wts. and profiles--cut to my wts., and boattail ideas. They all shoot great. Bill A . mentioned to me to stay with the 105-115 grn. bullets, so that's been my( projectile window for experiments) lately. BTW.., I hit a whitetail deer @ 400 yds. -4 yrs. ago--129 SST -Hornady=took the front leg completely off , at the bicep area, direct bone hit - in a 35- 40 mph cross wind----pure luck of a hit, we harvested the deer 2 min. later... Wow! the 6.5 cal. is great. I hit another deer with a 100 grn. GMX at 60 yds., he looked like a lightning bolt hit-killed him. Full length,( frt. shot taken) body penetration-bones,organs-leg=wow. This rifle replaced my 7mm. Mag., and my .308.

[Von Gruff]

Have you stayed with the 105-115 weights Sneaky. I have yet to dip my toe in the 6.5 waters but in a couple of weeks when I head to my usual hunting ground am going to pick up a BRNO 601 in 6.5x39 to have a play with when I go past a friends place. He built it some time back and hasnt used it for a while'. I had thought the 123gn bullet weight was the favoured range but wondered about the 107gn Scenar as being a good all round weight for the general run of up to deer sized animals.I am going to build a stock for a new Martini he has just aquired and it may be that I get the BRNO in part trade and he says he is getting over 2700fps with the 123gn Amax so will be interested in running a few over the chrono.

Von Gruff..

[sneaky one]

Von, yes that's the range I'll stay with. Hornady I. bonds-Hornady GMX-,Barnes TTSX, Nosler Accubond, and maybe a Trophy bonded later. All are mill/lathe turned to that range. It's the 2600-2700 range that seems to fit for this caliber in that wt. class- w/ X-terminator, and IMR 8208,,, for now. I have no use for pokey , and heavy 2200-2300fps. units for my hunting style. 2 yrs. ago, I shot a group with 95 gr. GMX's @ 200y. into a dime size group- over x-term powder, close to 2800fps. Bill A. offered up the bullet wt. advice-so I ran with it-on the 105-115's. He thought the 95-100 class is a tad lite. I shot the 105-110gr. I.bonds 2 wks. ago, through h2o jugs, devastating performance & 1" diam. recovered bullets. Have not shot the factory 107's etc.= no use here for legal hunts-bullets must expand and try to hold together, not fragment. One other guy here is due to try some of my I bonds-106---115gr. thru a polygonal rifle bbl. soon, so we'll have a good idea of what the next step will be, cheers Von! Dan.

[OLd Man]

Last Saturday I shot the Grendel at 200 and did so well that I took it out to 300 and was amazed that out of 20 rounds I got everyone in an easy kill zone for a deer doping for distance and wind off the top of my head. All my groups were 3" or less. This was with 123 Hornadys. I also loaded my first reloads and I am anxious to see my results. If I were in NZ i think that in the evening you could set up and shoot bunnies any evening you want. MY AA is not light don't take it in the mountains.

[Von Gruff]

Last Saturday I shot the Grendel at 200 and did so well that I took it out to 300 and was amazed that out of 20 rounds I got everyone in an easy kill zone for a deer doping for distance and wind off the top of my head. All my groups were 3" or less. This was with 123 Hornadys. I also loaded my first reloads and I am anxious to see my results. If I were in NZ i think that in the evening you could set up and shoot bunnies any evening you want. MY AA is not light don't take it in the mountains.

You and sneaky have got me thinking. I just pulled down the sample round I have for the 6.5x39 I will be picking up late next week and he has been running a 95gn Vmax but mostly for lighter bodied wallabies etc.
At present when I go for a run up to Central Otago for a days hunting and freezer filling I take my 20 VarTarg for the rabbits and my 7x57 for the goats. They both have 25in barrels and the 20VT with the supressor is overly long and unweildly for the goat country ( although I have taken goat with it) and my 7x57 is an aperture sighted rifle so not the best for rabbits out to 200 yds.
I wont be picking up the BRNO till I am coming home but next trip out I would look to take it as a one rifle for the two areas and animal sizes. It is not uncommon to fire over fifty rounds on the rabbits from up close to 200yds and mostly because of the rolling terrain ( and a shoulder problem) it is not feasible to go prone, so all shooting is done standing with bog-pod tripod sticks. Have fired up to 15 7x57's (although there was scope for more) on the goats at 25 - 200yds with animals being spotted out past 600yds at times.
With that in mind it seems that there are three differing camps as far as bullet weight goes. The present 6.5x39 is set for the 95gn V Max, although it is a 6.5x39 and not quite up to the Grendel, Sneaky is firmly in the 105-110gn and you in the 123gn corner.
Of course this is all just discussion for now but have decided I will not get to Africa now so it looks as if the 404 Jeffery I built may go toward building a Grendel as a one gun solution to my usual hunting activity.
Then the question is bullet weight and I wonder if the V max might be a bit lightly constructed for the goat although it would be great for the rabbits and hares. So 105-110 or 123 is what I will have to decide on.

Von Gruff.

[JASmith]

I'm curious about the differences between the 6.5X39 and the Grendel. Has anyone measured the case volume using water? That would be with a fired case to the top of the case mouth.

We can get a pretty good clue about velocities from the volume -- assuming the pressures are run at the same level.

[Von Gruff]

That was part of why I pulled the bullets from a sample of each yesterday, that is a Winchester 7.62x39 with a simple neck down to 6.5 and no shoulder or body work and a Hornady Grendel case and there was a 2 gr advantage to the Grendel using BL-C2 poured gently to the case mouth. I understand from other posts that this is about the same differential as when the 7.62 case is reformed to grendel. They are both loaded to the same OAL.
Having said that, the 6.5x39 with the 95gn V Max has the bullet base about level with the neck shoulder junction and the powder was a lightly compressed load. The Grendel with the longer 123gn A max has a lot more case displacement with the bullet. I would have to think that the only way a necked down 7.62x39 (but otherwise unchanged) case could equal the capacity 9and therfore the performance) of the Grendel would be by an Ackerly improvment of the chamber with the shoulder forward as in the parent case and longer throating in which case it ia a no brainer to re chamber to Grendel and use Grendel brass.

Von Gruff.

[Von Gruff]

Just for a comparison this is the two cartridges. Excuse the pic quality.


Von Gruff.

[JASmith]

Thanks!

That 7% difference in power weight will add just under 100 ft/sec if you are using bolt-gun pressures and running those 95 gr bullets above 2900 ft/sec in the 7.62X39.

That, and going to a much nicer-looking cartridge might make the change worthwhile!

Cheers!

[Von Gruff]

Thanks!

That 7% difference in power weight will add just under 100 ft/sec if you are using bolt-gun pressures and running those 95 gr bullets above 2900 ft/sec in the 7.62X39.

That, and going to a much nicer-looking cartridge might make the change worthwhile!

Cheers!

You said it in spades.


Von Gruff.