Question for anyone who reloads 6.5 Grendel

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DogBonz

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Can you load any thing heavier than a 123gr bullet in the Grendel? It seems that all of the “match” type bullets are 140gr. Can these be safely loaded? Is a magazine issue, aka, getting them to fit in the mag? Head spacing? If anyone has any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Hazzard

Thanks. I was actually looking for data on the 140 and 142gr Serria match Kings, but at least I know that I can load the 140's. I'm assuming that the OAL is the key factor. I'll give Alexander Arms a call and see if they have any data for the Match kings. I'm new to reloading so forgive me if I'm being overly cautious.
 
I'm assuming that the OAL is the key factor.
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DogBonz,

That would be correct. You run into the same problem (although to a lesser degree) with the .260 Rem. To keep the OAL to a length that fits the magazine, the heavy bullets have to be seated deeply which reduces powder capacity. Net result? Whatever you make up by firing a higher BC bullet, you more than lose by reduced velocity.

Don
 
Thanks Don

What if I fired one at a time, would the problem then be the bullet contacting the lands while the bullet is still in the case. Or by carefully measuring this could I get the bullet to *just* kiss the lands, and then seat it just a hair deeper, or am I barking up the wrong tree on this one? Is that potentially dangerous (or just down right dangerous)? You know what they say; a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing... I think that goes double in reloading.
 
Also

Does anyone know about how many firings a case is good for in 6.5 Grendel (assuming Lapua brass)?

Thanks for everyone's help so far... You guys are the best.
 
Dogbonz. The Berger 140g VLD load in that data is listed as "over mag length", so it would have to be loaded one at a time. Also, you could use the 144g listed data with a reduced starting load and work up from there.

Or by carefully measuring this could I get the bullet to *just* kiss the lands, and then seat it just a hair deeper, or am I barking up the wrong tree on this one?
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You're barking up the right tree. You may have to experiment a bit to find your rifle's "sweet spot". Just make sure that when you do that you increase powder charges incrimentally and watch your pressure signs. A chrono would be a big help here as well if you have access to one.

Unfortunately, I've never loaded the grendel, but I'm looking at a new upper chambered for it for my AR. Lupua brass is very good quality stuff and should last as long, if not longer, than most brands. Calling Alexander Arms would be a good idea. They should be able to give you a better idea on load data and brass life. I'd be interrested as well, so let us know what you find out.
 
Ah-ha

over mag length
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So thats what that means. I thought it might, but didn't know for sure.

Thanks Hazzard.

I'm going to give AA a call later today if i can find time. I'll let you guys know what they say.
 
ok... so,

Does anyone know about how many firings a case is good for in 6.5 Grendel (assuming Lapua brass)?
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I wasn't able to call AA, but from people who reload on the 6.5grendel forum are saying, the brass is good for about 5-6 reloads before it starts getting iffy. You can load the heavy match bullets, you can even mag feed them if you use a device called a "Tubb Bullet Base Trimmer". Allegedly, this tool lets you shave down the back of the bullet so that you can seat it normally and still clear the mag. I don’t know if it works, or for that matter if it is a good idea to be shaving bullets, but those guys seem to like it. They also seem to dislike the Rem Core-Lock’s (sp?).
 
Thanks for the info on number of reloads.

You can load the heavy match bullets, you can even mag feed them if you use a device called a "Tubb Bullet Base Trimmer"
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Wouldn't you just be modifying the heavier bullets into shorter, lighter bullets then? I have no experience with the Tubb base trimmer, so I'm probably not understanding the process correctly. But hey, if it works, I'd say give it a whirl. I'm not against trying new techniques.
 
Hazzard

Wouldn't you just be modifying the heavier bullets into shorter, lighter bullets then
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That's what I thought, but it seems that the minimal amount of material that you remove ( I think about .002 from the total lenght) somehow increases case capasity just enough to bring pressures down into the safe zone while keeping the bullet *just* off of the lands. I have not tried this my self. I am just starting out, and this seems kinda advanced and technical, so it might be a while before I consider modifying bullets. The people who I discussed this with claim to be very experienced reloaders, and I being a beginner, may not have followed them completely, but it seemed easy enough with the special tool.

Here's the tool:
http://www.creedmoorsports.com/store/product.php?productid=16397&cat=0&page=1
 
That's a meplat uniformer, which trims off the tip end of the bullet. Competitors use it to eliminate the variances between individual match bullets. I can see how this might help the long bullets fit in the mag, but I am at a loss as to the base trimming. Do you have a link to the discussion? I looked for it at the 6.5 Grendel forums but couldn't find it.
 
With the meplat uniformer, you would not lose near as much bullet weight as you would by trimming the base. As I said previously, I have no experience with this so I'm kind of guessing here. Seems like it may be a good idea, but others could probably offer better advice on that one. But I can see where it may work to fit the longer bullets into the mag.
 
Thanks

As I said before, I’m just starting out, so it’s possible that I misunderstood what they were saying. I have never done this, only read about it. I could be wrong… it did happen once before.
 
Using a meplat uniformer to try to give yourself a shorter OAL is just plain silly. That tool just reduces the length of the bullets by thousands of an inch, which is insignificant.

Don
 
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