6.5 Grendel - 130 VLD
- Thread starter desjardo
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Hodgdon site doesn't even have loads for 130gr, highest is 123gr, maybe your bullet selection is wrong not your book.
Have you been able to find any data for 130's? I'm running 129gr in my Creedmoor, maybe you'd be better off with a projectile closer to 100gr which seems to be more of a middle of the road projectile weight for that cartridge.
Have you been able to find any data for 130's? I'm running 129gr in my Creedmoor, maybe you'd be better off with a projectile closer to 100gr which seems to be more of a middle of the road projectile weight for that cartridge.
I have found load data for the 129/130
CFE223/LeverRevolution appears to be the go to powders for the heavy bullet.
Berger gave me almost the same load Data as listed by Hornaday for the 129 Gr.
I shoot to 200Max at my blind for White Tail so I am looking to setup a Howa Mini in 6.5G.
They are dropping massive hogs using that load in the US so it should easily drop a WT.
Looking forward to doing some load testing.
First time with Berger so step 1 appears to be finding correct COL.
I avoided using CFE223 as ball powders tend to be a lot more susceptible to large velocity/pressure variations with inconsistent temperatures. Being that I might be shooting at +35* or as cold as -35* I don't particularly care for that.
Looked through my Hornady #9 for you.
I'd be looking at lighter projectiles, those are some pretty low velocities with the 129/130 grain pills, trajectory will be harder to compensate for than if you used a lighter flatter shooting projectile and if you aren't going to be shooting past 300 yards you don't need a long low drag projectile.
I would also look into the velocities the bullets are designed to work at. A lot of "hunting" bullets need a certain velocity to actually expand correctly and since you will be shooting deer you may want to look into something with a thinner jacket and a lighter projectile to get the velocities up to where the projectile will expand reliably.
Berger also mentions that the 6.5mm 130gr VLD hunting is designed to turn a portion of it's weight into shrapnel once expansion starts which may not be the greatest choice for deer hunting.
I'd be looking at lighter projectiles, those are some pretty low velocities with the 129/130 grain pills, trajectory will be harder to compensate for than if you used a lighter flatter shooting projectile and if you aren't going to be shooting past 300 yards you don't need a long low drag projectile.
I would also look into the velocities the bullets are designed to work at. A lot of "hunting" bullets need a certain velocity to actually expand correctly and since you will be shooting deer you may want to look into something with a thinner jacket and a lighter projectile to get the velocities up to where the projectile will expand reliably.
Berger also mentions that the 6.5mm 130gr VLD hunting is designed to turn a portion of it's weight into shrapnel once expansion starts which may not be the greatest choice for deer hunting.
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I don't know this for sure but it would not surprise me if the ogive is below the case mouth on a 6.5 Grendel / 130gr VLD ?
CFE223 lost 3 fps per degree Celsius in the one rifle/load I shot.
CFE223 lost 3 fps per degree Celsius in the one rifle/load I shot.
I have found several shooters using it with success but I am hearing you on the velocity.
It was a concern for me as well.
There is a great study on the use of them to hunt large boars in the US with fairly good success.
Do you think a 123 is heavy enough for big WT/Mule deer?
It was a concern for me as well.
There is a great study on the use of them to hunt large boars in the US with fairly good success.
Do you think a 123 is heavy enough for big WT/Mule deer?
Shooting hogs is not the same as shooting deer, hogs are thick skinned animals with dense muscle and deer are much thinner skinned. This changes how the projectile reacts when expanding. The weight of the projectile is not what determines if it's suitable for hunting. Think of a 243, smaller and lighter but high velocity, I've killed my fair share of deer with an 85gr from a 243. For hunting under 300 yards disregard everything regarding ballistic coefficients and boat tails, they will provide you with no advantage hunting at the ranges you say you'll be shooting.
You want a projectile that is designed to expand correctly at the velocity it will be hitting the flesh at. If you pick a projectile designed for a 6.5x55 with a muzzle velocity around 3000fps and then put it in a rifle that has a muzzle velocity of 2400fps it's not going to perform very well when it hits the flesh at 2200fps.
Some projectiles are more versatile than others and only the manufacturer can tell you what velocity their projectiles are designed for.
I would personally go with lighter projectiles so you can get that velocity up and you may need to find a projectile designed for expansion at lower velocities. I shoot 300BLK and there are projectiles out now specifically designed to work at the lower velocities you get from these type of cartridges but I'm not sure if the 6.5 projectiles are there yet. I also shoot a 6.5 Creedmoor so it's less of a concern for me.
Personally I just don't hunt with my 300BLK, I have a Remington 700 in 7-08 that is my hunting rifle. If I was going on a hog hunt or varminting I wouldn't think twice about using the 300BLK but for hunting game I'm planning to eat I want a quick and humane kill so the animal doesn't suffer and so I'm not chasing wounded deer through the bush.
I understand that you bought the Grendel for hunting and you're going to use it so just make sure you pick the right projectile for what you need it to do. I would suggest that for your hunting load you don't look at the price on the box of projectiles and just worry about performance at the velocity your rifle can push that weight of projectile. Then have a cheaper projectile (same weight) for plinking and varminting the rest of the year.
In the big picture shot placement trumps all of what I've said and if you put a round through the lungs or heart it's going to do the job, where proper projectile selection is needed is for those not so perfect shots and it buys you a little forgiveness. Since shooting in the field with adrenaline pumping and a nice buck in the crosshairs rarely ends in a perfect shot I feel correct projectile selection is a necessity.
Just remember that these short little cartridges were designed to improve the performance of an AR-15 not as hunting rounds, they are quite anemic compared to regular centerfire cartridges of the same caliber and the bullet manufacturers are still playing catch up to provide suitable hunting projectiles that work at the reduced velocities. Lucky for you the Grendel is one of the better ones to come out recently and seems very popular so I'm sure there will be some projectiles specifically made for it very soon.
Good luck,
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Did some digging and found some good info.
http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/6-5-grendel-cartridge-guide/
From the article
The Sierra 120gr Pro-Hunter SPT or Nosler 125gr Partition will perform admirably at the velocities allowed by the 6.5 Grendel.
http://www.accurateshooter.com/cartridge-guides/6-5-grendel-cartridge-guide/
From the article
The Sierra 120gr Pro-Hunter SPT or Nosler 125gr Partition will perform admirably at the velocities allowed by the 6.5 Grendel.
