6.5 grendel deer load ?

[pinsum1]

2011-04-15_21-43-49_79.jpg
Here's the recovered SST. Shot in the sweet spot found in the opposite rear flank. Guess the expansion is closer to 50% and weights in at 98.0 grains. The grendel is decent with the SST but the 30-06 is a beast with 150g SST'S at 3100fps

[Whelenon]

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Here's the recovered SST. Shot in the sweet spot found in the opposite rear flank. Guess the expansion is closer to 50% and weights in at 98.0 grains. The grendel is decent with the SST but the 30-06 is a beast with 150g SST'S at 3100fps

How long of a shot was it?

[pinsum1]

Sub 100 yards I figured. Easy shot.

[Whelenon]

Good to know, the SST is what I plan on using come Nov. The picture tells the story, thanks.

[tx4guns]

My deer load is 29.0gr BLC-2 under a 129gr SST to 2.260" OAL Win SR Primers. Shoots 1/2MOA or less to 200 yards and holds MOA at 300 in high winds. Still have not been able to test it at longer ranges on a calm day.

Took my first deer with it on New Years Day this year. It penetrated both sides of her ribcage bones and made jello of her lungs. She ran 50 yards and piled up. It was a quick shot off a wobbling rest in a popup blind around 100 yards. I can't wait to get a steady shot in a blind and actually take a heart or head shot with it. This is truly a "which eyeball?" load.

Just be warned that if you have a compensator on your rifle like I do, hearing protection is recommended. It was painful. Ringing for 15 minutes.

[mseric]

I think I found my Deer load. 100gr Barnes TTSX powered by 28.5gr of H-322 @2750 avg fps out of my 18 inch barrel. I tried 2230 and several other powders, but I couldn't get the accuracy and velocity I was hoping for.

[Whelenon]

I am also in the market for a good Whitetail bullet for my Grendel. I gave the 120gr Nosler BT a whirl this past season and I wasn't impressed with it's terminal performance. I going to give the Barnes TTSX at try this year, just need to decide on the 120gr or the 100gr.

I'm considering the Nosler 120 BT for deer this year and have seen high recommendation for it. Would you please give a little more info as to why you weren't "impressed with the terminal performance"?
Whelen

[mseric]

I'm considering the Nosler 120 BT for deer this year and have seen high recommendation for it. Would you please give a little more info as to why you weren't "impressed with the terminal performance"?
Whelen

I thought the Nosler BT was going to be the perfect Whitetail bullet out of my Grendel, not so. I had a nice MN Whitetail out about 130-150 yards. Perfect shot placement just behind the shoulder, I could see that he was hit hard. He ran and ran fast. I waited 45 Min or so and went tracking, very little blood. Took several hours to track and find him. Autopsy showed the bullet exploded just under the hide on impact. Several of the small bullet fragments managed to penetrate the shoulder to do enough damage to the lungs to take him out. It did the job, but not very well.

[warped]

Try the 123 AMAX, also shoot a bit lower than you would do so normally, try taking out the heart and lungs in one shot.

Its about 4" up from the bottom of the chest.

[Whelenon]

Thanks, that good information to know. My conclusion would be, if using the Nosler 120 BT shot placement is critical, stay away from a shoulder shot.

[JASmith]

The discussion about shot placement reminds me that you can find illustrations in conventional shot placement in a discussion of the Grendel suitability for big game hunting at http://shootersnotes.com/grendelmani...or-large-game/ and at http://shootersnotes.com/grendelmani...nd-aim-points/. These will give you a first cut approximation of how the aimpoint needs to change so that a 129 gr Hornady SST will hit the center of the boiler room. The second article assumes a 3.5" high zero at 200 yards to maximize the point blank range.

Generate your own trajectory and then go to http://shootersnotes.com/calculator/quickpix/ and calculate your own sight pictures for a variety of scope reticles and magnifications.

[mseric]

Thanks, that good information to know. My conclusion would be, if using the Nosler 120 BT shot placement is critical, stay away from a shoulder shot.

No bone, exploded on muscle and hide.

[Whelenon]

Wow, that's a head scratcher? I've heard of bullets breaking up on contact but that involved velocity exceeding bullet construction. With the 120 BT a Grendel is moving at 2400-2500 fps. I wonder what Nosler would have to say about it? The BT's max rating is 3200fps.

[PinkoDiesel]

I use Sierra 120gr SPT Pro-Hunter on top of Alex-A brass with mag CCI primers with AA 2520 30.0grs. I have never missed a deer, nor ever shot more than once and the deer always seems to fall were they stand. Can't wait to use on big game "elk".

The Sierra bullets are some of the best and most accurate bullets I have come across for the 6.5 Grendel, the Varmit, Pro-Hunter, and Gameking all shoot as if they were match rounds (very comparable to Berger VLD bullets).

What I really like is how the BC goes up as FPS goes down with the 120 SPT Pro-Hunter's. The 120 SPT Pro-Hunter was shoot 1/2 MOA at 200 yards from my 14.5" and 19.5" hunter.

I have tried Hornady (140 interloc, 129 SST, 95 V-Max), Barnes (120/130 TSX/TTSX), Nosler (120 Spitzer), and Sierra (85 varmit, 120 pro-hunter, 140 gameking). By far the best being Sierra (IMO).

[hm2 clark]

I've had the 120 gt nosler BT load seperate and fail to penetrate a hogs side plate. And again I've seen the nosler BT 120 fail to penetrate the hogs ham bone. I have not seen the BT fail on deer, but somtimes both present themselve during season so I use a harder bullet now.