6.5 Grendel

[lrgrendel]

Hi Guys

Just bought a Alexander Arms 6.5 grendel overwatch upper 24" 1/9 twist.
I want to shoot 123g SMK or Hornady AMAX.
What would be the best powder to use. I want max velocity.
Thanks

 

[Red_Beard]

H335 or imr 8208xbr are generally the propellants of choice. I haven't been able to get my hands on the 8208xbr, so I can't give you a first hand account, but the H335 is giving me right around 2420 @ 28.5g. I wasn't getting pressure when I went higher but my accuracy suffered.

 

[Hummerdawg]

30.5 AA2520 2575 fps 20" barrel 123 amax

 

[TRAAV]

I had good luck with XBR8208

 

[cotntop]

Got same setup, 123 Lapua/28.0 AR-COMP is what works for me.

 

[MTyotehunter]

YOur not in montana are you? The store in my town has like 15lb of 8208xbr

 

[lrgrendel]

I appreciate the input. No not from Montana but thanks for the heads up

 

[Drifter™]

Hi Guys

Just bought a Alexander Arms 6.5 grendel overwatch upper 24" 1/9 twist.
I want to shoot 123g SMK or Hornady AMAX.
What would be the best powder to use. I want max velocity.
Thanks

CFE 223 and Leverevolution will likely provide the highest velocities. The tradeoff is temp sensitivity.

 

[CTone03]

Don't overlook Nosler 123 grain Custom Competitions. The Amax works well for me too, but I haven't tried the SMK. I've had excellent results with 8208xbr - I worked up in Alexander Arms (Lapua) brass with it and have settled on 28.3 grains for x1 or more brass, and 28.5 grains for new brass with the Amax and Noslers, respectively. I'm getting ready to play with CFE powder, but I have no complaints with 8208. I get a clean 2,480 to 2,500 fps between cold and hot temps, so it's been stable (18" barrel).

 

[bobke]

Have three Grendels from 18-24" and have found load combos with everything from 100gr Nosler BT's and TAC, 107 Sierra and 108 Lapua's and 8208 thru 120 Nosler/123 Hornady AMax and SST/123 Lapua and Nosler and Sierra 123's with CFE, TAC, 8208, BLC2, RL15. Use mostly CCI 41's or Rem 7 1/2 primers. Hornady brass most often, but have a good stash of Lapua brass in reserve. Current favored load is 123 SST and 31.7 CFE in Hornady brass or cheaper 123 Nosler CC's for banging steel or longer range practice.
Point is, the Grendel is a potentially very easy cartridge to load for accuracy with a wide range of components and will reach out further than it's size would indicate. Am in mid 2500's with 20" Bartlein barrel with above favored load.

 

[GoVandals]

bobke

Do you know how much jump you have on your cfe sst combo?

 

[bobke]

Have an 18" AA barrel, 20" Bartlein barrel and 24" Satern barrel-the 18/24 are pretty close chamber/throat/freebore length, the Bartlein has a REALLY long freebore, but still shoots lights out and load to absolutely max length I can feed reliably from std mags for that barrel, if loading for that gun alone. If loading this same load for all three, move to longest length that will still reliably chamber/extract a loaded round from all three. Don't have the numbers in front of me, but can repost tonight or in the morning with exact data. The 123gr SST is impressive in that it's easily as accurate as the Amax and is a capable hunting configuration if so desired. And, the base/ovive measurements are very close to each other, making them almost entirely interchangeable, but I'd still confirm that assertion in your chamber/rifle. I'd also suggest dropping down 1 gr from 31.7 and work up in your gun/weather/humidity, with summer coming on pretty strong about now.

 

[GoVandals]

Thanks. I've worked up to 31.4 with no pressure signs, but havent got great results. The factory amaxes group about 1.25 moa so my gun may not like the sst/amaxes. Factory 123 scenars are into the lands but shoot .5moa. I have a 20" shilen that midway used to sell.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jmb03]

Bobke- where did you get your Bartlein barrel. I called them and they said they don't make AR barrels. Who made yours?

 

[bobke]

Bob Reynolds at Templar Custom. He got the blank from Grizzly and cut the chamber himself. I was a bit concerned at the outset because of the long freebore, but this barrel just seems to improve the more I shoot it. It will take 123 Nosler CC's to 2.315" OAL and 123 Hornady AMax to 2.375" OAL and about same with 123 SST's. Deeper throat than Linda Lovelace, but it's still a shooter, no doubt. And pretty much steers you towards jump tolerant bullets. The 123 SST has proven to me, to date, the equal or better to AMax, in this barrel. PRI mags allow you to go long, but hadn't fed as well as std ASC mags loaded to 2.260 with Noslers.
All said, the Bartlein has been a very load tolerant barrel. Had to supply Bob with my spare bolt to speed the process, and was only an upper build, completed before all the more recent demand peak. Plan on waiting for the supply chain to catch up if you're anxious for a quick turnaround.

 

[BIPMaster]

8208XBR under 123 Scenar is a great combo so far in limited testing.

 

[Hill.brandonj]

In my sixteen inch AA Barrel The nosler BT 120g over XBR is shooting at 200 yards inside a quarter (currency) It loves noslers and XBR

 

[Unknown]

So far, the powders that have worked out the best for me have been W748, 2520, and Tac. I have stayed with bullet weights around 120-123 grains, and barrel lengths of 18-19.5 inches. I used to have a 24 inch tube, but it was simply too long and unweildy for practical rifle shooting. It was neat when just shooting from the bench, but that was a very small part of the shooting I do with Grendels.

I haven't tried 8208 yet, so I don't know how my rifles would like it. However, a friend of mine loves 8208 in his Grendel.

 

[rgky1]

Relatively new to 6.5 Grendel and have a 24" heavy barrel J&T upper. Factory Hornady 123 A-Max velocity runs 2650-2670 fps in 70* temps. At 30.2 grains of AA2520 with Hornady cases and RP 7 1/2 primers seated to match the factory rounds the velocity equals the Hornady factory in my rifle. My experience comparing the results with Lapua and Hornady cases, the same charge in Hornady cases gives 60-75 fps more velocity. Don't know if it's internal volume or not but I believe it's the effect of the smaller flash hole in Lapua cases. My load at 30.2 grains of AA2520 shoots very well in my rifle with no pressure signs. Your results may differ? Have read that AA2520 is slightly temp sensitive but from what I've read it's tops for higher velocity. At 30.2 grains I see no pressure signs from 70-90 degrees. Like I said I'm new to 6.5 Grendel and still haven't done a lot of testing. I've tried AA2520 at 30.5 grains with Sierra 123 MK hp's, oal 2.250-2.264", new Lapua brass , RP 7 1/2 primer and get 2645-2660 fps in 90 degree temps with no pressure signs in my rifle. Tips vary so oal will vary. With BL-C2 powder RP 7 1/2 primers gets about 20 fps less than does CCI 41's with the 123 A-Max. Still have some testing to do. Had scope problems and that put me behind. Had to send it back for repair.

 

[jetlyting]

PM Thud, he is a great benchrest shooter and bought one of the first 6.5 grendels, I am sure he has a lot of load info and could answer any questions....he also has one for sale.