Grendel crimp ?

[SEM]

I would like to hear from an actual Grendel shooter. This is truly for a friend, I have not loaded this cartridge before, Question for an AR using light 95 grain bullets should I use a taper crimp or LEE factory crimp, and then same question through 100-120 gr bullets

 

[DLT]

I would like to hear from an actual Grendel shooter. This is truly for a friend, I have not loaded this cartridge before, Question for an AR using light 95 grain bullets should I use a taper crimp or LEE factory crimp, and then same question through 100-120 gr bullets

I’m my experience, using either a full length die or a body die with the Lee collet die neither kept light bullets or heavy bullets from moving inside the case necks. I annealed every firing also. A Lee crimp die did stop the movement

 

[GLShooter]

No crimping for any of my Grendels or their variants. These are shot in bolt and AR rifles. In fact I don't crimp any of my AR rounds.

 

[Kevin1990]

I would like to hear from an actual Grendel shooter. This is truly for a friend, I have not loaded this cartridge before, Question for an AR using light 95 grain bullets should I use a taper crimp or LEE factory crimp, and then same question through 100-120 gr bullets

I've shot a lot of the 95gr Vmax as well as the 120s I never crimped them. I used 3 thou neck tension and that not only kept them in place just fine, but it shot better in my AR with a little more neck tension. If you're still in the fence load a few with no powder or primer and pull the charging handle back and send it home with a few of them, and then measure. I did this, and mine did not move. YMMV

 

[SEM]

Thank you all,

 

[Mark611]

JMO, I also use a LEE Collet die to size the neck, body sizing with a Redding die, I also use a LEE factory crimp die, I do this the crimp die it makes me feel better that I did it, it's just a light crimp, it doesn't hurt my accuracy at all! I consider 3/4'' groups @200+yds pretty good from my Sanders 24'' tube with a 1&8 twist, with my hand loads!

 

[5spd]

I don't crimp at all with my ar15 6.5 grendel. No issues in many hundreds of loads

 

[Lone Hunter]

^^^^ This ^^^^ I don’t crimp the AR or the Howa Mini. The Grendel is a great little round.

 

[EdHarley]

Agreed, don’t crimp Grendel in AR or Bolt guns, 123gn SMK and 130gn GMK

 

[DHD]

I've been shooting and loading for the 6.5 Grendel since 2009-2010 (can't really remember exactly when). 3 different rifles and 5 different barrels. I've tired the Lee FCD and keep one on hand. I have shot preferred loads back to back with the only difference being crimped and uncrimped. No real difference in group sizes

 

[misser]

crimping for a bolt gun ,not necessary . in a AR 10 that can be a different story .i found that I could make the bullet move forward out of the brass when the cartridge is slammed into battery .its an inertia thing . the brass stops when brass hits head space . the bullet wants to keep moving . one round may move a few thousand one may move many thousands one stay right where you put it .

 

[Hudge76]

I load Grendel in AR and Howa Mini, and I’ve yet to crimp for either. I did order a Lee factory crimp .223 die for another AR though. I’m doing an expirement to see if my groups tighten up and if it will help lower ES and SD’s.

 

[Kevin1990]

I will also add, I like the lee factory crimp die and I have one and use it from time to time. That being said, if your trying to go for supreme accuracy, I feel like adding a crimp is just adding another variable. If you're looking for consistency I don't think crimping is going to help. Especially if you have a single stage press. I feel like you'd be adding variation to the crimp, thus adding or subtracting neck tension, and that could effect accuracy.

How do I know this? I don't. I've never tested the theory. Nor am I an expert. I'd just do what you feel comfortable with.

 

[searcher]

The nice thing about bushing dies is they allow you to get the neck tension one needs without ever crimping. I have never crimped with my Grendel, nor in any of my other A/R's. You can't "squeeze" brass against a loaded bullet without distorting it somewhat and it takes surprisingly little force to do so. The collet-type method is not actually compressing the brass smaller to fit tighter, it is making more of the neck uniformly make contact with the bullet - and that has another set of issues regarding what it does to accuracy and why. I'd not crimp.