6.5 Grendel

[JOSHnKY]

Good morning!
Has anyone come up with any data for the Hornady 123 grain CX bullets for the 6.5 Grendel yet?
I loaded some with AA2200 and I’m not impressed.

Thanks!

 

[searcher]

In a heavy Krieger barreled A/R, I shoot 123's using IMR8208XBR. Also good in my rifle are N140, TAC and H322. All 1/3" MOA or less. I'm shooting 123 Scenars and using CCI450's- so you might have a bit more bearing surface (?), but these powders would work. These same powders also did well when shooting the Berger 120's. Work up.

 

[JOSHnKY]

In a heavy Krieger barreled A/R, I shoot 123's using IMR8208XBR. Also good in my rifle are N140, TAC and H322. All 1/3" MOA or less. I'm shooting 123 Scenars and using CCI450's- so you might have a bit more bearing surface (?), but these powders would work. These same powders also did well when shooting the Berger 120's. Work up.

Thanks for your input. I switched to CFE223 and so far so good.

 

[Lone Hunter]

I’m with searcher on the IMR 8208. Using 123 gr Hornady CCI 450’s. H335 with lighter bullets 100 gr and down. Watch the CFE 223 with pressure spikes too.

 

[Sandstorm]

Ramshot TAC works well with 123s..Its pretty much all I use any more.
AR Comp works too..but not quite as good.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

My best results are with Power Pro Varmint and 8208. The top Sierra book load is the best accuracy/speed combination, and 8208 comes in a close 2nd for velocity. All loaded to max magazine length in my Howa Mini.

 

[jghoghunter]

I have a Howa mini and I use 8208 with Hornady 123 SST. It's the Howa with the sporter weight barrel. It hits one MOA plates out to 500 yd with boring regularity. The rifle is completely stock with a 6.5x20 Leupold scope.

 

[GaryL1959]

As said above TAC and 8208 work well in the Grendel. Another powder that works very well, in my experience, is Leverevolution....Hodgdon won't publish, or hasn't so far, any data for Lever in the Grendel, but it just flat works. I use it under 130 Berger AR Hybrids, and have took the Grendel, both AR platform and bolt gun, out to 1200 on steel. Works well with 123 SST's and 125 Partitions too.

 

[jbmarshtx]

I use H4895 under 130 berger AR/Hornady ELD. 4895 works well for the heavier bullets, and 8208 is one of the go-to powders on the grendel forum for anything lighter than 123ish. I also used Leverevolution under the 130 Berger. H4895 and Varget work well for the lighter bullets, they just won't go very fast.

Since the CX is all copper, probably treat it a bit more like a heavier bullet is what the grendel forum says.

 

[TrapperBR549]

How would barrel length affect your powder choices? I have a 14" AR and am currently loading 8208 with 123 SST's. I just got some 95 vmax so stick with the 8208 or look for something else?

 

[South Paw Sammy]

8208 is what I use in my wife’s 6.5 Grendel pushing 100 nosler btips and it’s a killer on hogs and deer. AR platform 20” BHW barrel. 8208 Should be good with the 95s also.

 

[SG4247]

Good morning!
Has anyone come up with any data for the Hornady 123 grain CX bullets for the 6.5 Grendel yet?
I loaded some with AA2200 and I’m not impressed.

Thanks!

Try AA2520…

 

[Turpentine]

I run 123 sst and 123 hornady eldm. My newer grendel 20” AA 1 in 9 is lights out with 28.1 8208, federal ar 205, seated at 2.580
My older 1 in 8 20” barrel Grendel is much more finicky but it will shoot a 1 hole 4 shot group with 28.5 Power Pro Varmint. However, I really don’t care for ball powder very much. PPV tends to get a little squirrely when temps get hot. The same rifle shoots well inside of 5/8s MOA with 27.7 -27.9 with Ar comp and 123s. H 4895 has also turned in good groups but it’s not the fastest.
I also have a load for it with 129 accubond long range at 26.7 grains AR comp that stays around 5/8” at 100. All these loads use federal primers. Shot at 100 yards and occasionally out to 600. CCI 41s do ok but my statistics are much worse with that primer.
If I had to pick one powder for my Grendel’s and my AR 10 in 308, it would be AR comp. I get good speed, very good accuracy and very low ES and SD numbers using this powder. It would likely do well in the Bolt Gun too but I have IMR 4064 , Varget and H4895 for that.
I tried some Leverevolution in the newer Grendel and speed was good. Accuracy, not so much. Truthfully the 8208 shoots so well in it there’s no need to change though I will try some AR Comp loads in it at some point.

 

[Oso]

8208 XBR is temp stable, but is a bit sluggish when moving to +120gr bullets. Also, it has tendency to pressure spike when used with heavy bullets and max loads. However, it does solid performer for lighter bullets (90gr - 115gr).

ARComp and H4895 are temp stable and perform very well with the heavier bullets

CFE223 & LeverEvolution give the highest velocities for heavier bullets, but are temp sensitive powders.

 

[HandgunHTR]

I am not sure I would use the CX bullets in the Grendel. In my experience mono-metal bullets don't expand well in the slower rounds unless they are pre-skived, which I don't think the CX bullets are.

 

[S3silver]

I don’t think they make a 6.5 123gr CX; they only have a 120 and 130 on their site. Also, Hornady is recommending a 2000 fps expansion velocity which would really limit the hunting range in a grendel. Maybe if they made a 100 gr.

 

[284winner]

I know this is an old thread but I see Hornady is making a 90CX bullet for the 6.5. I shot a buck with the 123 ELDM(6.5 Grendel) today and it did a great job anchoring him. Wondering if those 90 solids would exit shot from a Grendel with an impact velocity over 2500 fps. The 123 ELDs don't exit but they do destroy everything in its path.

 

[S3silver]

I think it'll depend on how fast you're pushing them. I haven't used the 90 CX but have used the 100 ttsx for a few seasons out of a 16" and 24" grendel. The 16" only goes 2600 fps and the 24" goes 2800 fps. Shot one buck with the 16", no exit, found bullet in the offside hide, typical barnes mushroom. 25 yard shot, slightly quartering away and he ran 10 yards and crashed. Lots of damage inside. I was surprised there was no exit on this one being it was only 25 yards.

Shot two bucks with the 24", both pass throughs. One was quartering towards when hit at about 60 yards and ran about 20 yards before tipping over. The other one was about 50 yards broadside. Put it right behind the shoulder and dropped right there, didn't even move. Both were pass throughs. Entry was typical pencil, but exit were both about 1.5" wide.

 

[NZ_Fclass]

I confess to have pretty much given up with the Grendel. Too busy with other projects/F-Class/FTR. However, a new member turned up at the range with a 6 ARC. A fairly well sorted rifle - Howa mini, Krieger barrel - and shot well for her first time at 500. I was impressed with the speed - clocked at a 2800+ average with a reasonable SD. It peaked my interest again with the 6.5. I still have 300+ 108 Lapuas in the cupboard and a couple of kilos of 8208 I may get the freebore lengthened a bit and play with adding powder -I hate compressed loads with low neck tensions. I suspect that 2600+ can be achieved in a bolt gun with Lapua brass. Maybe a 300m rifle with a new barrel?

 

[284winner]

I think it'll depend on how fast you're pushing them. I haven't used the 90 CX but have used the 100 ttsx for a few seasons out of a 16" and 24" grendel. The 16" only goes 2600 fps and the 24" goes 2800 fps. Shot one buck with the 16", no exit, found bullet in the offside hide, typical barnes mushroom. 25 yard shot, slightly quartering away and he ran 10 yards and crashed. Lots of damage inside. I was surprised there was no exit on this one being it was only 25 yards.

Shot two bucks with the 24", both pass throughs. One was quartering towards when hit at about 60 yards and ran about 20 yards before tipping over. The other one was about 50 yards broadside. Put it right behind the shoulder and dropped right there, didn't even move.

I'm impressed with the 123s. Just would like an exit if possible. The gun is very accurate. Half inch groups are easy. Putting a bullet where I want isn't hard at all. It's more of a "let's see what I can get the CX 90 to do" in the Grendel. Speer has an XBR8208 load that runs 3013 fps in a 24" barrel using a 90 grain bullet. Should put me in the neighborhood of 2900 with a 20" barrel. That's an impact velocity of 2650 at 100 yards. Most solids should do great at those impact velocities.