If you could only choose one?

[CJW]

[grayfox]

Good morning Chuck,
You have asked the $64 question...
But you haven't listened to your barrel yet. What length, who made it, after all, the barrel is the gun. Must you be lead-free or are all bullets on the table?

#1. For your first 100 or so shots, do the break in with factory ammo, like Hornady Black, then you will need to experiment with a few bullets to see which one your barrel likes. Use 1 or 2 of the more prevalent powders; get the Grendel Handbooks (2 vols) from the AR15 build box section of this forum.
Only accurate bullets in your barrel are interesting.

#2, what purpose(s) will you use this rifle for the rest of your life?

Once you know the purpose, and know which bullets it likes, then you can settle on that one bullet/powder combo and shoot away.

For each one of my rifles, I have found 1, maybe 2, bullets and loads that the barrel likes and that I could use exclusively in that rifle. Powders, again, 1 or maybe 2, that I put underneath.

But it has to be something you find out through your own testing. That's part of the fun.

[CJW]

Gray fox,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.
If you had to only choose one bullet and one powder to hunt with for the rest of your life what would you choose??

I am an experienced reloader, but know zero about the Grendel. I just happened across this website talking to some boys on the Texas Hunting Forum. To make a long story short, I ordered an upper, dies etc that next day.

Example answer:
1. 123 SST Hornady
2. IMR 8280 XBR

I hunt a lot with a 7mm-08....... for that cartridge my answer would be 1. 139 grain LRX BT. Barnes bullet
2. Varget.

Chuck

[A5BLASTER]

Gray fox,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply.
If you had to only choose one bullet and one powder to hunt with for the rest of your life what would you choose??

I am an experienced reloader, but know zero about the Grendel. I just happened across this website talking to some boys on the Texas Hunting Forum. To make a long story short, I ordered an upper, dies etc that next day.

Example answer:
1. 123 SST Hornady
2. IMR 8280 XBR

I hunt a lot with a 7mm-08....... for that cartridge my answer would be 1. 139 grain LRX BT. Barnes bullet
2. Varget.

Chuck

Buy the 2 book set reloading manual for grendel that's sold through this fourm.

Buy you some factory ammo, enough to break in the barrel.

If I could only have one bullet and one powder. It would have to be the 127 LRX and leverevolution being lit by a cci 450 primer.

[CJW]

[kmon]

129gr NoslerLong Range Accubond on top ofCFE223.

[CJW]

Thanks Kamon,
I shot pigs close to you in Mount Vernon last week.
Chuck

[rabiddawg]

Only one, hmm. Guess I would stick with the one I have been using for years.

100 grain Nosler bt over 8208. Have used it on foreign ducks(trying not to incriminate myself), rabbit , grackle, coyotes, pigs, whitetail, sika, axis and steel plates out to 685 yards.

[grayfox]

OK, good! don't forget to "ask your barrel"!!

For me and my 20", 123sst and AR-comp. Mostly for deer hunting but it can double in for most anything else up to medium game size.

[CJW]

Just got off work.
Thanks for all of the replies so far.

Keep them coming, I need more data.

This is important to the Great Unwashed Members , we know nothing.......

[Kswhitetails]

If I could only have one bullet, one load;

120 SMK, and 27.2gr Benchmark. Don't care what small primer. Both rifle and pistol stack these with no effort, it's pull-push and go on the press, and it's repeatable now in three lots of powders. If a barrel won't shoot this load, I'd find what it would as far as charge weight, and keep rolling.

[LR1955]

EDIT:

Just now saw he said one bullet and load for HUNTING. Thought he had said to 'have' and not 'hunt'.

Nope -- 120 Match King would not be a good choice. Wouldn't venture a guess with all the different hunting bullets around today.

I would ask on the hunting forum. In fact, I bet it has already been asked on the hunting forum.

LR55

[xlcc]

Good morning Chuck,
You have asked the $64 question...
But you haven't listened to your barrel yet. What length, who made it, after all, the barrel is the gun. Must you be lead-free or are all bullets on the table?

#1. For your first 100 or so shots, do the break in with factory ammo, like Hornady Black, then you will need to experiment with a few bullets to see which one your barrel likes. Use 1 or 2 of the more prevalent powders; get the Grendel Handbooks (2 vols) from the AR15 build box section of this forum.
Only accurate bullets in your barrel are interesting.

#2, what purpose(s) will you use this rifle for the rest of your life?

Once you know the purpose, and know which bullets it likes, then you can settle on that one bullet/powder combo and shoot away.

For each one of my rifles, I have found 1, maybe 2, bullets and loads that the barrel likes and that I could use exclusively in that rifle. Powders, again, 1 or maybe 2, that I put underneath.

But it has to be something you find out through your own testing. That's part of the fun.

Good answer,I agree with all of the above.What is really good in my pipe might be so so in yours.

[xlcc]

I use IMR 8280 XBR and SST 123 or 100 A Max for everything in my Howa 20"HB.I try other bullet, powders but I go back to these.

[CJW]

Unwashed Horde,
Keep the cards and letters coming.

Even if a member has posted your exact hunting combo, please still post it for me.

My upper might just get here today.


Chuck