Hi all. Struggling to find information regarding light bullets is this calibre here is Australia. Most seem to favour 123gr plus bullets for targets. Looking at shooting 85-95gr pills for light game. Looking for starting loads and powder selection. Any advice would be appreciated.
6.5 Grendel for Varmints
- Thread starter Barossa_222
- Start date
I run Benchmark and the Sierra 100 gr. HP with great results.
Ledd Slinger
Silver $$ Contributor
6mm Grendel would give you a much better lightweight bullet selection for varmints.
Lone Hunter
Silver $$ Contributor
I use H335 for 85 gr Sierra HP. Very good accuracy. I run IMR 8208 XBR in 123 gr. HORNADY ELD M with very good accuracy. Haven't shot anything with the 85 gr yet but the 123 ELD m performed great.
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/65-grendel/
https://load-data.nosler.com/load-data/65-grendel/
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Hoodoo
Site $$ Sponsor
I agree. a 6mm Grendel with 75 grain bullets would be a pretty sweet setup I would think.
Loads depend on what you are shooting. Semi auto (ARs) or bolt rifles. Bolt rifles can handle more pressure than the ARs. Most data is for ARs.
Check out Speer's and Sierra's data on the internet for their 6.5 Grendel data. Hodgdon powders has free data on their wed site.
I have two ARs in 6.5 Grendel. One with 18" and other 20" barrel. I have not shot anything lighter than 100s. I had problems with the 100 Sierra HP Varmint bullet. That big almost flat point HP did not want to feed well for me. 100 Nosler Ballistic tips work well and are very accurate. I have mainly concentrated on bullets that would be suitable for white tail deer. 100 Nos. BT, 120 Sierra Pro Hunter, 120 Speer Gold Dot, 123 Hornady SST. All have really been accurate with IMR 8208. I also had great velocity with WW 748 with the 100 Nos. BT. My Grendel Handbook list powders for 85 Sierra Accurate 2200 start 26.6 Max 29.6 Accurate 2230 Start 27.5 Max 30.6 Accurate 2460 start 27.4 Max 30.5 Accurate 2520 start 30.5 Max 33.9 H322 start 27.0 Max 30.1 H335 Start 29.0 Max 32.0 H4198 start 24.5 Max 27.2 Tac start 28.9 Max 32.2 X-Terminator start 27.5 Max 30.6 This should get you started. You might want to take a look at the Hornady 95 V-max also. Back off one full grain for the above powders starting load and work up slowly.
Check out Speer's and Sierra's data on the internet for their 6.5 Grendel data. Hodgdon powders has free data on their wed site.
I have two ARs in 6.5 Grendel. One with 18" and other 20" barrel. I have not shot anything lighter than 100s. I had problems with the 100 Sierra HP Varmint bullet. That big almost flat point HP did not want to feed well for me. 100 Nosler Ballistic tips work well and are very accurate. I have mainly concentrated on bullets that would be suitable for white tail deer. 100 Nos. BT, 120 Sierra Pro Hunter, 120 Speer Gold Dot, 123 Hornady SST. All have really been accurate with IMR 8208. I also had great velocity with WW 748 with the 100 Nos. BT. My Grendel Handbook list powders for 85 Sierra Accurate 2200 start 26.6 Max 29.6 Accurate 2230 Start 27.5 Max 30.6 Accurate 2460 start 27.4 Max 30.5 Accurate 2520 start 30.5 Max 33.9 H322 start 27.0 Max 30.1 H335 Start 29.0 Max 32.0 H4198 start 24.5 Max 27.2 Tac start 28.9 Max 32.2 X-Terminator start 27.5 Max 30.6 This should get you started. You might want to take a look at the Hornady 95 V-max also. Back off one full grain for the above powders starting load and work up slowly.
This gun is going to used mainly for culling kangaroos under spotlight. Head shots at less than 200 yards. I've used a 222 religiously for years with 52 and 55gr bullets. I thought the grendel might be a bit better because of the heavier pill. Can offer a bit more penetration from a wider variety of angles. The gun I've selected is a CZ 527 varmint. I'm thinking the Sierra 85gr with ADI BM2. Maybe the 95gr vmax, but in my experience with vmax bullets, they like to be fairly close, if not jammed, to the lands.
3Ackleys
Gold $$ Contributor
Look here: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/
I have an AR w/ 26" barrel I love it. i'm using 123 and 129 grain bullets
I have an AR w/ 26" barrel I love it. i'm using 123 and 129 grain bullets
I have had great luck with 95 grain VMAX with either imr 8208 or accurate 2460 in a gas gun. Devastating on coyotes. Culling kangaroos sounds like a hoot. One of the best times I had was culling springbucks in the eastern cape. We were doing it during the day, to make sport of it we had a fellow on horse back chasing herds by our stand for only running shots of 100 to 200 yards we piled them up for the market that day.
The 100 grain Sierra would be the "Cat's pajamas" for your intended application. JMHO
I like the look of the 100gr Sierra. If a shot is missed with them, what is the likelihood of ricochet?
Running shots are unethical. Very hard to hit them in the head on the run. The government issues the permits for destruction and stipulates head shots at less than 200 yards. Quite often we are doing it in areas of heavy cover and steep terrain, so animal recovery is hard if it doesn't drop on the spot. Animals also have to checked for young.
Running shots are unethical. Very hard to hit them in the head on the run. The government issues the permits for destruction and stipulates head shots at less than 200 yards. Quite often we are doing it in areas of heavy cover and steep terrain, so animal recovery is hard if it doesn't drop on the spot. Animals also have to checked for young.
Not sure on the riccochet but at Grendel velocites it does exit small Woodchucks even at closer distances when velocity is up. I just shot a 12 lb.'er at 182 yards and it didn't exit. Riccochets are so dynamic it's hard to quantify.
AckleymanII
Gold $$ Contributor
Loosing the brass every time you pull the trigger can't be good thing.
Adjustable gas block at least allows you to lose it closer. I keep my metal detector in my "Varmint Wagon"!
I killed 5 Yotes last winter with my Grendel, shooting 120 nosler. 3 of them had no exit, all were well places shots. 2 of them were running shots and not so well placed, it did tear them up a little. All of the shots were from 75 to 175 yards. I will say it anchors a coyote, I shoot suppressed and all you hear is a thump, DRT. I am trying to work up a load with 95 gr v-max, just not having the accuracy of the Noslers.
I like mine running Varget and 95 gr Vmax
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