6.5 Grendel ammo

[longshot2000]

I am new to the Grendel. Was going to stay away until DOD picked winners in the 6.5 / .260 battle, but then LaRue is offering a great deal on uppers...


So, it looks like Hornady 123gr. has some of the better ballistics. Does anyone have experience / comments on Black v. SST ? It looks like one is target and the other for hitting things that live and move, but looking for other insights. Thanks.

 

[.30kal]

Yes, Black uses 123 ELDs and is meant to be long-range precision ammo, while the SST is purpose built for hunting.

 

[Wyzrd]

I've had good results with the Hornady Black, SST, and some of the loads from Precision Firearms. Hoping to snag some of the new Federal ammo loaded with the Berger bullets and see how they perform in my grendel. AA's lapua scenar load is always a solid performer too.

 

[Jibnast]

If you don't reload the 123 SMK load from precision firearms is hard to beat and I have never seen a rifle not shoot them well.

 

[longshot2000]

Yes, Black uses 123 ELDs and is meant to be long-range precision ammo, while the SST is purpose built for hunting.

Yes, but what does that really mean? Is the ELD any less lethal, in terms of terminal energy?

... Have not seen Precision Firearms ammo. I will have to look into it. Thanks.

 

[.30kal]

Yes, but what does that really mean? Is the ELD any less lethal, in terms of terminal energy?

... Have not seen Precision Firearms ammo. I will have to look into it. Thanks.

Not necessarily. The difference is in jacket design. I have no personal experience with hunting with ELD, but check out the hunting forum as some folks use the AMAX/ELD on game. If you are going for accuracy the ELDs are the way to go over the SST.

 

[NHPiper]

I was shooting Black Hills 123gr ELDM out of an 18" Odin Works build and it shot about 3/4 MOA, maybe less.

My upper is for sale if you are interested. PM me for info. Less than 100 rounds on this one.

 

[longshot2000]

I was shooting Black Hills 123gr ELDM out of an 18" Odin Works build and it shot about 3/4 MOA, maybe less.

My upper is for sale if you are interested. PM me for info. Less than 100 rounds on this one.

...sounds like a nice rig. I have purchased a platform. The question was limited to ammo. You said "Black Hills?" I have not seen Black Hills in this caliber and bullet. Did you mean, perhaps, Hornady Black 123 gr ?

 

[longshot2000]

I see that LaRue is stocking the E-Lander magazines. I also found some from C-Products that is less expensive. Any experience with that brand?

 

[NHPiper]

Sorry for the lack of clarification. I did mean the Hornady Black Hills 123gr ELDM. Out of my 18" barrel, velocities were about 2500 FPS.

I used C-Lander 6.8 SPC mags (half price during Midway sale) with great success. I could get 14 rounds in a 15 rounder and all fed solid.

 

[pdq5oh]

Maybe a little late to the game but l have 5 of the C products mags with the blue followers. All 5 have had zero failures in the 4 years lve used them.

 

[FCS]

I've got C products that have run well and C products that have given me some issues, latest version C Products have been pretty solid.. Elander has been pretty solid magazine thus far, only had that in hand / in use for 2 months.
Played with a PRI 6.8 SPC magazine a little bit for feeding a Grendel, initial results look promising but far from rung out and trusted.

Running a LaRue lower, correct? What buffer are you planning on using? LaRue MBT trigger or something else?

 

[AR805]

Sorry for the lack of clarification. I did mean the Hornady Black Hills 123gr ELDM. Out of my 18" barrel, velocities were about 2500 FPS.

I used C-Lander 6.8 SPC mags (half price during Midway sale) with great success. I could get 14 rounds in a 15 rounder and all fed solid.

hornady black* ? About 2500fps, did you chrono?

I ran chrono w/ a magnetospeed v3 on 123 black, sst and amax factory loads. My velocity ave was 2470 out of a 20" barrel.

 

[Strykervet]

I never got good data using factory ammo, especially the 123gr. Hornady offering. Do know that some 6.5mm bullets won't chamber correctly in the Grendel, appears to be due to the ogive. Anyway, they do make more 6.5G as well as .300BLK specific bullets now, but what I've experienced the best results with was when using 95-115gr. primarily, along with Nosler and Berger BT's (some of those are 120's IIRC). Sierra makes their 107gr. SMK as well as others, then there are the other mfg.'s, etc. My best results come from using the Berger BT's after one of my conversations with Bill Alexander.

Note I do have precision barrels, one being a Lijla and one being a Satern. Both like to chamber the round right up the lands so the bullet has to be set back more than the book data unless you have bullets that "work" for the Grendel. A call to mfg.'s cleared up the problems for the most part. Then there's brass. I've used Hornady brass, it's not bad but the Lapua brass is hands down the best there is. Older AA brass used to be contracted through Lapua until they changed their contract and gave it to Hornady. So new AA brass is Hornady brass. Older AA brass is Lapua brass.

Given how well the Laua brass had performed for me over the past, I intend on sticking with Lapua brass even if it costs more.

I get .33MOA groups consistently with this rifle using proper handloads. I'm lucky to get 1-1.5MOA using the factory ammo. That speaks voulmes IMO.

 

[260284]

I am new to the Grendel. Was going to stay away until DOD picked winners in the 6.5 / .260 battle, but then LaRue is offering a great deal on uppers...


So, it looks like Hornady 123gr. has some of the better ballistics. Does anyone have experience / comments on Black v. SST ? It looks like one is target and the other for hitting things that live and move, but looking for other insights. Thanks.

My son has shot 2 Kansas whitetails with my Grendel, 1 with the 123 A-max and 1 with the 123 SST. They both worked fine, the SST is supposed to hold together better. I have not tried the 123 ELDM, but I had a 140 ELDM out of my 260 pencil thru the neck of a 225-250 lb buck's neck last year at about 75 yards. The 140s do not expand like the old A-max does.