6.5 Grendel stalking rifle with 115gr Barnes Tac-X

[Gatehouse]

Some D8208 powder showed up, so time to make a stalking load with the 115gr Barnes bullet specifically designed for the Grendel. Since I had been shooting jacketed bullets in this rifle I decided to clean it down to bare metal. It didn't take a lot of effort- the IBI barrel sure doesn't foul much.

Usually this rifle has a LPVO and a light stock on it:

But for some bench shooting a I slapped on a larger scope and stock better suited to precision.

D8208 has been known to be a bit faster burning than it's cannister grad counterpart so after discussions with my Quickload Consultant we started slightly under Barnes minimum charge load.

The first shot from the squeaky clean bore was a bit of a wild flyer and over 40 FPS different than the rest of the group, making me wonder if the powder charge had been weighed incorrectly? But no real concern as the other 4 rounds all stacked up nicely. In hindsight I should have made a couple of fouling rounds and had a full 5 rounds for the group but not a big deal as the point of this was to just to get the feel of the D8208 and will serve as a starting point for developing the load.

it will be interesting to see where this leas to and what velocity I will get with the little barrel. Stay tuned!

 

[Bare]

Very cool. I love the Grendel. Your shorty looks pretty slick. I’ll have to find some of those bullets to try. I’m currently shooting 130 at hybrids and 129 accubond long range at 2550fps using h4895.

 

[blargon]

I couldn't see pics on my PC, but can on my phone...weird..

What does that rig weigh?

 

[conor_90]

Does this count as a bolty?

 

[Gatehouse]

Does this count as a bolty?

Absolutely

 

[Gatehouse]

I couldn't see pics on my PC, but can on my phone...weird..

What does that rig weigh?

It's pretty light. Once I get the load development done and I put it back to hunting weight I'll weigh it. I wouldn't care if it was twice the weight though, the compactness makes it so comfortable to carry when hunting, especially in thick stuff.

 

[remington jim]

Pretty Kool rifle ! Have you any pictures before you Modded it ? RJ

 

[Gatehouse]

Pretty Kool rifle ! Have you any pictures before you Modded it ? RJ

Before I put it together it was just a receiver set. looked like this

 

[Big bore dinosaur]

Sweet rig, looks great , and shots well. Nice job

 

[todbartell]

Dude you #Vortexnation prostaff?!

 

[Djb1]

My modern sporter set up in 6.5 grendel with a lighter scope, loaded with sling is 8.5lbs. Barrel is 20"

Curious what your barrel length is?

 

[Gatehouse]

Mine is 12.5" Legal to hunt with in BC, which has a foolish "minimum barrel length" rule.

But I probably wouldn't have gone any shorter even without the rule. Anything in the 16-12" is really nice to use.

 

[hoytcanon]

That is the quintessential "stalking rifle"... beautiful, classic piece... well done.

 

[Djb1]

Mine is 12.5" Legal to hunt with in BC, which has a foolish "minimum barrel length" rule.

But I probably wouldn't have gone any shorter even without the rule. Anything in the 16-12" is really nice to use.

Interested to know what your velocities are.

 

[Suther]

Very interested to see what kinda velocity you get.

I am assuming you didn't chrono the first loads from the OP?

 

[todbartell]

One thing for sure, it will have superior velocity downrange than the venerable 30-30 WCF

 

[Ustauk]

Mine is 12.5" Legal to hunt with in BC, which has a foolish "minimum barrel length" rule.

But I probably wouldn't have gone any shorter even without the rule. Anything in the 16-12" is really nice to use.

Not sure with Grendel, but with 223 some spec operators interviewed on Garandthumb said 11 to 14" provided the best compromise between compactness and range; any shorter, and you lose too much range. One operator had an under 10" rifle, and ended up on a rooftop, unable to hit anyone pinning him down from the surrounding buildings.

 

[Gatehouse]

With the starting load it’s slow - about 2100 FPS. Still lots of room to go

 

[Slimbo]

Not sure with Grendel, but with 223 some spec operators interviewed on Garandthumb said 11 to 14" provided the best compromise between compactness and range; any shorter, and you lose too much range. One operator had an under 10" rifle, and ended up on a rooftop, unable to hit anyone pinning him down from the surrounding buildings.

Rooftop fire fights are always at the forefront of consideration when selecting a classic stalking rifle.

 

[Ustauk]

^
LOL, indeed, it is a funny comparison. But an extremely short barreled Grendel may lack the same accurate range in a similar manner; the obtuse law in this case could be making the rifle usable a a reasonable distance, was my point.