I Agree, I've dropped a lot of game with 129 grain Accubond bullets at 2400 fps and I dare say that if some Idiot wants to invade my home the Accubonds will have a similar effect on him.
Excellent video. Glad to see that a few of you reputable you tubers giving the Grendel light. Finished my build early this year and love it. Have everything to hand load for it just haven’t yet. With the help of a very experienced hand loading friend and taking some classes soon locally I will be loading in no time. Thanks to your channel and a few others that have helped me to start my loading journey with much less head ache and peaking my enthusiasm!! Keep up the great work and awesome content!!
Thank you SgtDvldawg and thank you for watching the channel. I am hoping to get out to the long range this week with the hand loads to see how it performs. Have a great week!
For those that reload 6.5 Grendel, there are a complete reloading guide two volumes published by Las Positas Group, LLC P.O. Box 824, Livermore, California, 94550. The two volumes contain everything 6.5 Grendel reloader needs to know.
I have both. Great info in them. Brings you up to speed on the cartridge how it evolved and load data. I highly suggest it to anyone interested in the Grendel.
Great video Ray. I really like 8208 XBR under the 107gr SMK, which has a higher Litz BC if you look at it. As you mentioned, you really need to watch yourself with 8208 XBR under anything in the 120gr weight range or higher. It can spike on you once you get up to a certain charge weight even when following published data. With the 100-107gr weight class, it is far more forgiving. On the POI shift when you went to the lower target: I’ve seen this a lot and I think it’s more of a positional thing. The top 2 bulls on paper targets tend to be more ideal once we’re settled into position, then when we depress the muzzle without really paying extra attention to building the rear bag up more solidly and settling the gun into the rear bag before breaking shots, we’ll get POI shift and vertical strings. What I do to mitigate that is really beef up the rear bag so that it doesn’t fall apart after the first shot, and settle it with shaking motion simulating recoil until the sight picture naturally settles into the new POA.
I love mine. I hunt with it, Hogs and deer. It performs well on both. I have not taken mine out to distance yet. Looking forward to doing that. Working on some 95 grain bullets as well. I hunt with the 123's.
...just built - or caused to be built - as 24 in upper in 6.5 Grendel...looking forward to developing loads....thanks for the information...also gotta get a Labradar chrono!!!
Darn, wish we would be allowed to have this kind of weapons over here, looks amazing and plenty of fun. Again, thanks for sharing and keep up your great work. (In the meantime I will be working on my old Rem 308 WIN -lol )
I love the Grendel! I have taken a handful of white tail with it and a cow elk using the 123 sst. I have a 3 groove hybrid rifling 18" barrel that I'm working up new loads for. My old 20" 3 groove polygonal barrel loved the 120gr smk, not the best bc but really tight groups. I've shot 95gr all the way to 160gr that I loaded as fun subsonic rounds.
is that 8208XBR??? been lookin for it the last 2 yrs..worked great just scored 3# from Powder valley ! heard hodgen was was going to discontinue this powder… just subscribed to your channel! keep em in the 10 ring!💪💪💪💪💪💪😎btw..company is veteran owned!🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅
I like your videos a lot. Johnny's Reloading Bench has had a LOT of luck with the Hornady 120gr EDL. Check him out, a lot of good info on the 6.5 Grendel. Worth looking at.
I had good results using Benchmark powder in the 6.5 Grendel I built. Better accuracy than IMR8208xbr, but slightly slower velocity. In a 24” bbl, I get 2550 fps with Benchmark and about 3/4 MOA for 5 shot groups using the H123ELDM bullet.
I have a handguard that looks a lot like yours from Lyman. Cost was better and no special mount to run a bi-pod. I'm enjoying your video's on the Grendel. I have 2 brothers that have Grendel's as well. Keep up the great work.
X-Ring, thank you for the videos and 6.5 Grendel information. Curious as to why the Hornady when the Federal was grouping so good initially. Sorry if you covered it in the 'Live' feed; I may have missed it. Looking forward to you stretching the legs on this one. Built out a PSA last year after watching Kotaboy32 review one on his channel. I'm not a precision shooter, so I know it's not at the Lancer level, but it hunts! Also starting a 6.5 Grendel build in a Howa 1500. Stay safe and healthy.
Nosler Hunting 120gr bullets and H335 for me. That way I don't have to adjust loading for range and hunting. Dime size groups at 100, quarter size at 400. Still waiting for Hornady to make ELDX for Grendel. I wish I had found this cartridge sooner.
I shot a 6.5 grendel in XTC competition for 2 years. The 107gr non tipped match king was the best bullet for me. I used a 130vld at the 600yd line for a while but eventually just used the 107 for all ranges.
My personal favorite is the Hornady 123 gr ELD over 31.8 gr CFE 223. At 2600 FPS out of my 20” barrel I’m supersonic to 1200 yds and holds under 1 MOA.
Today I loaded 100 rounds of 6.5 Grendel Bullet: Barnes match burner 120gr sku 30234 Powder: Hodgdon H335 26grs Case: Hornady Primer: Federal AR small rifle match primers #GM205MAR
I'm the same way. Got a 5.56 load with 62 grain Hornady otm that shoots inside 1 MOA at 2860 fps. Not going to mess with it. No signs of high pressure, case life is very good (average 14 loads without annealing)
man I had awesome success with the Xbr @ 28.1grains ... but if you bumped that powder charge just a tad you fall into another node. was also another 70or so fps faster too which is wierd,,, Oh well glad you are doing this, we can compare notes !
Do you have a video on load development? I like the way you teach in a simple way and get straight to it. I feel I would understand it a lot better coming from you.
Do your research, prep your brass carefully, and resist the temptation to hot rod it. Try different powders, primers, and seating depth, different bullets, too. If you already handload, you've got this.
I’ve been using a Hornaday case with 100 to 120 grain bullet the EDL and I’ve been using LT 32 this is a bench rest powder for PPC. you look the up stats on it and it works really good for my Grendel.I’m talking a whole and Whole shots at 100 yards.I also have an AR 15 in the 65 Grendel 18 inch barrel 1-8 twist I can’t remember what is flying at but it’s a darn good powder I use it in .223 i’ve used it in 308 I’ve tried it 6.5 Creedmoore it’s real stable powder you should try it too.
So you are .75 MOA at 100? I've gotten that with a whole host of handloads, and .625 with a couple others. Still chasing that .5. I have waaaay less in my build than yours.
Ok so what does standard deviation mean and then what does it mean when you start going to longer range, what is it that it does. Thank you for tha video sir keep it up can't wait for your next one
Think of SD as a measure of consistency in velocity... the lower the number the more uniform the velocity. The higher the number means that velocity has more of spread in it. You want lower SD to be more consistent at longer ranges.
Uhinta. Precision makes a bolt action rifle actually they make a bolt-action upper and I want to get it in 6.5. Grendel. I think it would be fun. Like your gun shoots really nice. Happy Shooting
Thanks Dean. I really haven’t thought about this cartridge for bolt gun application but I am sure it would be great for hunting. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Im sure you are a much better marksman than myself. And I sure do not know remotely as much about guns and reloading as you. I probably cant carry your ammo can. Thats why I was surprised to hear you say you were happy with 1 MOA at 100 yards. That 1st good group was pretty good. But Im no where near satisfied with my AR15 6.5 Grendel shooting 1 MOA at 100 yards.Im not shooting reloaded ammo yet.Im not that far along.Bjut with 100 grain WOLF ammo at all 5 shots are touching are in the same hole and it looks like MICKY MOUSE Ears & Nose.And I built this rifle.It was the 2nd one I built and I have a cheap BCA Barrel and the rest of the parts came from PSA except the BCG and it is a ToolCraft from Arm Or Ally...I was shooting Hornady Black and Hornady Match 123 and Hornady Custom 123 SST.. After I fould that my gun loves the Wolf 100 Grain better I shooting.I was just lookng for extra ammo and something cheaper to shoot and got lucky.Im going to buy myself a Lab Radar so I can learn how to get better and to reload. Im not bragging .Just telling how my cheap gun shoots.I guess I just got lucky and got a good barrel.
Thanks for the comment Trey. While I like small groups in any rifle. I think most people can do anything they need to do with 1 moa. That is my minimum requirement for all of my rifles.
@@XRING While I know you can kill any animal with that degree of 1MOA..I was just surprised at it for you because you normally shoot closer groups than that.I enjoy your videos and I have learned alot and Ive been refreshed on some things Id forgot. Id just add that for myself I have closer.Most welders are perfectionists as thats what I did for the first 20 plus years of my working life until I switched to traing race horses.And then it really got competitive. I really enjoy your videos and respect your opinion and appreciate your knowledge. Thank you.
There’s quite a following on the Grendel it kinda maxes out in the 120s weight in most of the reloading manual , I have 140 gn Bullets and Hornady doesn’t have load data for the bullet , have you noticed how hot the brass is after firing ?
6.5 GRENDEL IS MY FAVORITE ROUND FOR AND AR15..MINE SHOOTS GREAT SUB 1/2'' MOA @ 100 yards.I love it.Great video Nice shooting.The 1st group was pretty good. What is your favorite scope for this gun you're shooting today? What scope were you using today..I know said you swapping over to NF ATACR. What is your favorite Long Distance Scope?
I’m very interested to know how you got your coal. I have managed to get a sd of 8 for my browning bar in 30-06 but the 5 shot group was weak and I loaded to magazine length or 0.010 shorter than magazine length. I tried to figure out my jam but i just can’t do it with the bullet in the fired case method ( crimping nek with pliers as I don’t have mandrel die) figured I want to fit in the magazine anyway. Would you seat deeper or go longer than mag length? ( I know longer is not ideal but I’d rather load one a time and have t accuracy than be able to load more with less accuracy) if longer how can I get the jam (tight in the lands) for my browning mkiii I don’t know if it’s worth mentioning that I’m right on saami spec max length I enjoy your channel a lot
For 900 yds you got a winner there! It's that last 100 yds to get to 1000 that makes it tough for a 20 inch barrel... I hope to get enough stuff done this week so I can get out and test my AR Comp test loads... Take care
Sorry for misusing your time and knowledge, but I am trying to learn so I will ask anyways :) You mention in your video to mount a Nichforce ATACR with the Horus TREMOR3 reticle, why not the MIL-XT? Is is just because of the moving target evaluation?
Hello Oddur, no problem at all. The Tremor 3 has the built in wind holds and everything I could possibly need for range estimation as well. I have owned the mil-XT and it is also a great choice.
Hey brother, I was looking up those Labradar units last night. I usually shop at MidwayUSA but for some reason it wouldn't let me add it to the cart even though it was in stock. Anyway, is $559 a good price for the unit IYO? Also, would you recommend the tripod that is made for it? It looks pretty sweet and versatile. I think it is the best choice as you don't have to shoot over or through it to get a reading. That 6.5 Creedmore is very fast for that size bullet, I guess that's why it is so popular. ~Have a great week brother, cheers~
Hey Fumaster. I didn’t have to buy this unit. Some one shot my old chrono and replaced it with this!! I love this unit. The stand and a battery pack is a MUST!
@@XRING I figured the stand would be a nice accessory, I'm glad you mentioned a battery pack ~ I don't want to run out of power at the back of the property. Thanks brother!
X-RING. Have you ever tried Federal American Eagle 6.5 Grendel 120 Grain Open Tip Match Ammo - AE65GDL1. My 16" and 20" grendels love the 120 grain the best. American Eagle is the best for my guns. It's pricey though. Around $24.00 for a 20 round box.
How's that recoil on the 6.5 Grendel? Some are saying it's not much more than a 223 Remington. I would be very interested to get the accuracy of a 6.5mm with the lower recoil for shooting and hunting out to only 200 yards. In CT that's about all we shoot for the most part -- no open plains and shooting out to 500 yards. Would you say 6.5 Grendel gives you lower recoil?
Also, XRING - from some of your videos it looks like you work in a firearms store. You're so generous with your knowledge, etc. that I'd be happy to shop for stuff online in your store to return the favor. If that's the case, what's your store?
That first group was impressive. As you mentioned, the second group did move quite a bit with such minor adjustment. Nevertheless, really liked the performance of the 6.5 grendel cartridge. Been toying around for quite a while in building me one but haven't pull the trigger yet. Don't know if you mentioned whether you build the one you used on this video. Could you share?
I respect your opinion and your timing couldn't be better with the 6.5 Grendel build after a year of gathering Parts I just finished my 6.5 Grendel build 2 weeks ago 20 inch fluted Wilson Combat Barrel 17 inch utg handguard Aero upper and lower toolcraft nickel boron bolt carrier 3 lb velocity trigger Magpul stock about $850 into it not sure which scope will end up on it variable up 14 to 18 power or if I need to go higher any input on Optics $300 to $400 range I know that isn't much but that is budget for this year next year maybe put something better on it staline brass and hornady eld match 123 grain bullet came last week will try loading this week with ar comp and cfe 223 powder have to get some IMR 8208 XBR powder hearing hearing good results with that powder
AR-Comp and 8208xbr are very good accurate and consistent powders. I've had best results with AR-Comp out of both of my 6.5 Grendel barrels. There isn't any published load data for AR-Comp, so I'd start out at 26.4-27grs and once you start to go beyond 27grs go up 0.2grs till you start seeing pressure signs. Most people find their node 27-28grs but I have seen people have serious pressure signs at 27grs, so be careful. With my 20" Proof Research 6.5 Grendel Barrel and JP enhanced bolt (best 6.5 grendel bolt on the market) I've gone all the way up to 28.6grs of AR-Comp with a velocity of 2584fps, a 4fps SD, grouping 0.3moa, without having to bad of pressure signs (don't use this data. I have to vibrate the cases to get the powder below the neck and in the wrong gun it will grenade the rifle)
Check out Primary Arms scopes. There is a FFP SLX 4-14 ACSS-HUD-DMR for $279. It is labeled for 223/308, but if you look the ACSS info up it gives the holdover adjustments for many calibers. For 6.5 Grendel you zero at the 200 yard marker then the rest fall in line too 800 yards. It works perfectly. Range, predators, and deer.
@@alexspencer8904 Glad to hear you've had good luck with the Proof Barrel and JP Enhanced Bolt. I think that's how I'm going to proceed into the Grendel world.
Try CFE 223, I've been loading for the Grendel for years and that's the fastest powder besides blc 2 but its really unstable. If you can get around 31.3 to 31.7 you will be around 2500 with a 20inch barrel.
Derrick Graham have you tried the 8208 XBR?? I have used both out of 20” barrel and CFE is faster but XBR shoots a tighter group. I shoot my Grendel out to 500, 650, 800 and 1000. For me the trade off of 50 FPS vs 1/4 to 1/3 moa is worth the velocity loss.
In case you missed it below, how's that recoil on the 6.5 Grendel? Some are saying it's not much more than a 223 Remington. I would be very interested to get the accuracy of a 6.5mm with the lower recoil for shooting and hunting out to only 200 yards. Would you say 6.5 Grendel gives you lower recoil than 6.5 creedmoor?
I don't remember the name but it is an Apple only product. Not available for Android last I looked. If anyone knows of an Android version please let me know
Funny you should ask. I have had zero issues with tracking or reliability with that scope. It was very odd that it moved as much as it did with only .2 correction. I still have to do a full review on it and will definitely include a tracking test in it as well.
@@XRING Good stuff, thanks for the reply Finally got my Bartlein in from compass lake and it arrived assembled. I had planned on shimming it, but it was shooting so well that i didnt really want to mess with it. Now at ~200rds in, im consistently getting a 1/5 flyer (seems like a fairly consistent low left during a 6x5) that opens up .5 groups to .75-1. Could very easily be me or my poor handloading technique, but also seems like something shimming would correlate to. Should probably tackle that before I put too much more in to load development Very impressive barrel so far. Somewhat unfortunately, finding all of my nodes well below max charge so far and velocities have been lacking.
I along with many others on the 224 Valkyrie forum have been chasing accuracy. If I had to do it over again I would try the Grendel. As a matter of fact I just might buy a Grendel upper. I've found long distance shooting 700+ yards in windy conditions, frustrating with my Valkyrie. I have been able to get about .5 MOA @ 100 though.
Simple answer, look at the BC of each standard bullet weight. Complicated answer, a lot of shooting with your chosen cartridge. For me the choice was simple after trying a 6.5 Creedmoor. Now when I go to the range if I want an easy day I take Creedmoor, if I actually want to practice marksmanship skills I take the .308. The 6.5 in Creedmoor and Grendel are like cheating. The BC makes an incredible difference. I haven't fired any .223 seriously since Grendel came into my life.
X-RING get the books they sell there also. Tons of tested loads. I get 6 loads out of my Hornady brass using it but I am only shooting steel for fun out to 600yds and deer hunting inside of 250yds. You are in a totally different game.
have you tried the 107 smk i recently did some load workups with benchmark out of a 20" ballistic advantage barrel started at 27.2 grains and worked up from there going to settle on 29.6 light pressure signs also 28.8 grain showed promise 29.6 was up at 2750 fps low teen to single digit sd's but watch for pressure
@@XRING if i have my data in correctly the hornady bc calculator says its still supersonic out to 1700 but i don't know about that, seems a little far to me but definitely past 1200
@@XRING my 28.8 loads were in the 2700 fps range no sign of pressure at all which would still put you supersonic past 1200 but try load work up and see which works best in your rifle these are beyond most tables so work up to them. i believe someone makes a 108 also, cant remember off hand who it was maybe nosler the tipped smk has a better bc at around ,465 I believe.
Have you played with CFE223 with those 123's yet? I'll double check my #'s, but I'm thinking my velocities were closer to 1600fps without doing any hot-rodding.