I'm just trying to get 123gr SST to 2300fps in mag length out of a 12.5" grendel. Factory ammo is close to that. Probably seat at the cannelure and crimp
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Create a channel Learn moreGot 4 new 10 round ACS mags. I can fit 2.280" no problem. As you indicated, 2.290 ish is about as far as I would go. Turns out my problem was with some VERY old 5-round CProducts mags. Must be the damn 5 round limiter that does not allow for proper stacking/compression. Strange. My old 30 round mags seen t be GTG out to these lengths. Mystery solved.
I'm just trying to get 123gr SST to 2300fps in mag length out of a 12.5" grendel. Factory ammo is close to that. Probably seat at the cannelure and crimp
That's pretty easy with a number of different powders, unless you just have a slow barrel. 8208 and IIRC H4895 will do it, as well as several ball powders like CFE223, TAC, and Lever which all do that fast easily without pushing the limits.
My 12.5" go-to load is the 123 ELD-M over 8208 for 2340 fps, that's a comfortable accuracy load not a max brass-killer load. Work up to something like that and then tune your OAL for accuracy.
I've got plenty of 8208 though i really wanna try Staball because i could throw it and load faster.
I feel the same way. I’ve been dreaming of a 12.5 upper for my registered lower. But now I’m thinking. A lot of my friends who are really into night time hog hunting have ditched their scars in favor of a lwrc 6.8. Maybe that should tell me somthibgI've been on the fence about an AR build and up until recently my caliber of choice was going to be Grendel.
Seems like a lot of the hype for the caliber has diminished, and with the announcement that the Army will be moving to 6.8 I think I may switch.
I reload, but I availability of surplus ammo for plinking and harvesting brass is a consideration, so if Grendel is on the way out I'm not sure I want to jump in.
I feel the same way. I’ve been dreaming of a 12.5 upper for my registered lower. But now I’m thinking. A lot of my friends who are really into night time hog hunting have ditched their scars in favor of a lwrc 6.8. Maybe that should tell me somthibg
Good to know, and you’re right I check ba about once every 2 weeks to get one their premium 12.5 barrelsBoth a buddy and i went 12.5" grendel for night setups for hogs. To me there is no reason to go 6.8 less drastically reducing the barrel length. BA has been sold out of those barrels for months so i really don't think it's dying. Bullet and brass selection alone for the grendel is enough to sway me away from 6.8spc. There's just something about a 12.5" grendel with a 123gr SST @ 2300fps that screams versatile SBR. It crushes a full size AK with the same weight 7.62x39. I know lots advocate the 6.8 SPC for SBR setups but i honestly don't see the grendel losing that much to it in setups above 11.5"
The 6.8 works-I feel the same way. I’ve been dreaming of a 12.5 upper for my registered lower. But now I’m thinking. A lot of my friends who are really into night time hog hunting have ditched their scars in favor of a lwrc 6.8. Maybe that should tell me somthibg
The 6.8 works-
It shoots the same weight bullets out of the same length barrels apx 100fps faster using Hornady ammo for each. If you handload the 6.8 will gain more difference since the 6.8 can handle more pressure without bulging the cases or breaking bolts. There are more USABLE hunting bullets that expand properly at the velocity the 6.8 can propel them, 130gr and under. Many of the heavier 6.5 bullets were designed for the 6.5x55 and 260 Rem, they will not expand at a distance after they slow down. 6.5 has the advantage when it comes to target/match bullets.Does it work better though? I know it works. It’s a mean round for the application.
If you have a 6.5 there is no need to buy a 6.8, If you have a 6.8 there is no need to buy a 6.5...for the purpose of hunting.
Did some velocity testing couple of years ago with 556, Ramshot TAC beat out CFE223 for the 75gr class bullets. Not sure why its not as popular these days for the Grendel.
F/L die is readjusted, fired/resized brass from second outing now agrees with case gauge, more on the longer side than short. I'm trying to keep brass working at a minimum.
I like to have the checking taking place out in the open where I can see what's going on.
But mainly, when the symptoms appeared, the case gauge agreed there was something wrong. I kicked myself for assuming something I should have been checking against a known standard. When I corrected the situation to agree with the gauge, the dummy chambered fine.
The gauge agrees to a standard, the gauged rounds chamber, and the factory rounds agree with the gauge.
For me, that's close enough; I'm not building ICBM's here.
Good question.
Greg
When you compare your sized brass to your fired brass by measuring base to shoulder, that is out in the open so you can see it. Adjust your sizing die to bump the shoulder back .002-.004" from your fired brass.
The "known standard" should be your barrel if you want to get the most out of it. Case gauges are made to minimum spec and do not reflect what your barrel necessarily needs. This has been discussed here a lot.
Worthless is a stretch, but like all tools, you gotta understand your use case.
I had a very difficult to load cartridge pop up in my handloads at a match. Bear in mind that I intentionally crush cases back to factory fresh dimensions- full length resize with cam over. Having a sticky case, upon chambering, was unexpected. Running all of my "FL resized" cases through my rifle yielded ~ 10% that were oversized, compared to my chamber. A case gauge gave me a slightly higher % of "failures." Running those empty cases through the gun was a pain in the dick. But, using a case gauge is...
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I've since found that particular die is out of spec (based upon comparing results using that case gauge), and replacing it with a different die solved my sticky case issue. The gauge made comparing results from dies easy, and I've also found that if the case doesn't fit the gauge, it probably won't fit my chamber. My primary concern is reliability and I'll gladly take a hit on case life, to prevent a stuck case.
Saying a case gauge is totally worthless is like throwing out your hammers because they suck at turning screws...
Running all of my "FL resized" cases through my rifle yielded ~ 10% that were oversized, compared to my chamber.