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Handloads for 6.5 Grendel
omansb
Member Posts: 34 ✭✭
Have been unable to find any handload information for this caliber using Alliant powders. Even Alliant says they are not in the prossess of developing any. Anyone out there developed any? I use R7, 2400, and blue dot. Most manufacturers have some data, but not Alliant. Let me know what you've developed in you own labs!
Comments
You will find that pretty much the only powder Alliant has that works in the Grendel is RE-15. I've tried it, it works.
For the best reload guide for this round go here:
http://www.alexanderarms.com/grendel_reloading.htm
It is Alexander Arms website. This round was worked up with all standard powders. The best powder you will find is AA2520. This round is pretty finicky when getting high pressure and pressure flow to work together. Most everything I tested came out in the 2500 category at best. Except the AA2520 which came out at 2600+ (normal temps). It's just the right pressure and speed. However, I did get good results from RE-15. And, in lighter bullets good results from RE-10.
"Am I missing something or what?"
Evidently. I will state it blatantly so there is no mistaking the idea.
Alliant Powders does not manufacturer a powder with a burn rate that is suitable for the spectrum of bullets loaded in the 6.5 Grendel. Given this, they decided that it does not behoove them to develop any data for this cartridge thus saving money and time for more profitable projects.
The problem is one of capacity vs bullet weight and performance. The case is small and the bullets are on the outside edge of viable weight to capacity ratio. So performance is not up to what we would normally expect.
Move on and find another powder from the published data.
Best.
While RE-15 isn't the best powder for that case (AA2520 is) it will work. H335...works too. It took me a bit to find what I did. (I put it all away since I no longer own it). Here it is: Even though RE-15 is a good bit slower than H4895 I found that loads often come up similar due to the higher operating pressure of RE-15. So, I used starting loads of H4895 and got dismal results with carbon all over the case (not enough pressure) to very good results as I worked up eventually to exceed the H4895 load by 1.4 gr. I topped out at 29.1 gr. of Re-15 behind a 120 Sie and 123 Lapua Scenar. Seems to me max velocity on that was 2540? Not as good as AA2520. But, there's your answer. Nothing came close in the AA brass (w/small primer hole) and RE-15 and H4895 did better with the LR primer hole (Wolf and reformed 7.62) Getting over 2500.
The best I got from it was using the 85 gr. Sierra's and pushing them over 2900 w/H4895. RE-15 again is a good choice following H4895. AA2520 got them right up there too, but I was saving that for the heavier bullets.
The problem with this cartridge is all the super high BC bullets are above what it can push out at decent velocities. Of the ones that work only a couple are high BC. Sierra and Hornady both came up with new high BC 123 gr. bullets. Both will get you supersonic to 1k but not competitively. If you plan on hunting varmints the thing I would suggest is using 85 gr. Sierra's at 2900+ and shooting relatively flat out to 300 yds.
The thing you have to get over is this is not a "miracle round". It hits harder than the 5.56 at long range yes. But has to give up short range trajectory. What really sells this round is the use of high BC 120-123 gr. bullets. Meaning the bullets keep on going, not that the round pushes them hard enough to really compete. Or, you can get flat trajectory (relatively) with 85/90/95 gr. bullets. They will stretch in the best case to 800 yds. Again, not competitively, though. But, they'll do it. Better than the 5.56 I might add.