AR handload?

[Taz575]

I just picked up a 20" Faxon barreled upper. All of my handloads have been for my howa 1500 mini so far and may be too long or too much pressure for the AR, so I need to load ammo to mag length and AR pressure. I am thinking 123 SST over 28gr XBR at 2.25". Does this sound like a reasonable load to test out the rifle with (function wise) without being too much pressure? 20" barrel, rifle length gas and fixed A2 stock with rifle buffer currently. I saw the 123 A Max at 28.5gr XBR at 2.25" was a load many had tried, so I figured dropping the powder charge a bit would be OK?

[Bobke]

[Taz575]

Yeah, I have no factory grendel left, so I want to start with a good handload that isn't too high pressure to get to know the rifle.

[Bobke]

[Taz575]

AR Comp, TAC and CFE223 I have I think. 26.5gr AR Comp under a 129 ABLR is my bolt action hunting load.

[Gunn]

I use 123 gr SST with 25 gr of Benchmark.

[cwlongshot]

This load shoots very well in my AR too!

My Howa loading is a bit north of yours TAZ but is for the 120GD.

CW

[Taz575]

I did 25 rds of 29.4gr Lever under a 129ABLR (load from previous owner of the upper) and 24rds of 123SST over 31.4gr Lever (load from the Grendel 2 load book). Leverlution goes thru a measure very nicely, much better than the extruded powders like AR Comp and XBR.

[meatsweats]

27 grains of TAC with the 123 SST
2.255 OAL
CCI 450 primers

[grendelnubi]

Try 26.9gr of AR Comp, 129 ABLR seated to 2.265, Ogive to base 1.641 with CCI450 primers. Shoots less than a moa out to 500 yards for me using my 18" Odin Works DMR barrel.

[Djgrendel]

I would start a bit lower than 28 grains and work up over a chrony. But it's your rifle.

[LRRPF52]

You need to work up a load for the rifle, not look for someone else's load that may or not be working for them.

Run a pressure ladder or 2 with the powder/bullet combo over a chronograph and see where the trend between charge weight and velocity increase is, then pick a safe node in that trend line where it is flattest, referencing as much of the available load data as possible.

If you look in the 6.5 Grendel Reloading Handbooks, you'll fine a ton of start loads and max loads for appropriate powders in 6.5 Grendel.

[Taz575]

Today went well. The 129 ablr over 29.4gr of Lever was ok, 2240-2260 fps, 1-2 moa. 123 sst over 31.4 Lever did a nice group of .75" for 4 shots, 5th one was 1.25", around 2450fps. It was 32 degrees out, so that may have pulled the velocity down a bit. Ejection was consistent between 3 and 430pm and usually close together. I noticed with the 123 sst load, some ejected well, others kinda dribbled out of the port. Not sure if that was the hornady or starline press. Hornady needs me to work the bolt harder than starline to eject from my howa.

Now that I function tested the mags and upper, I can put a better scope on it and start load development!

LRRPF52, yup. I was looking for some generic loads (work well in most rifles, no pressure signs, etc) since I didn't have factory ammo on hand to try out and test the mags a bit. Now I start mo load development!