Speer Gold Dot

[Greg Langelius *]

I've done a fair amount of load development work for 223, 308, 30-06, and now 6.5 Grendel. I've also been an admirer of the Federal Fusion MSR 223 loads.

I recently came to the conclusion that the accurate and terminally effective Fusion MSR loads employ the Speer Gold Dot Projectiles. I am currently testing the 6.5mm 120gr Gold Dot for the 6.5 Grendel (and later, the .260), and the 308 168gr Gold Dot for the 308 (and later, the 30-06), and am also looking to eventually test the 62gr and 75gr .224 Gold Dot in the 5.56 AR and Savage Bolt guns I own (using 223 brass).

Initially, I'll be substituting the Gold Dots for bullets of the same diameter and weight in known accurate loads. Later, I'll tweak them to find any potential improvements.

More as it develops.

Greg

 

[nn8734]

I like Gold Dot HPs for pistol (9 and 45) curious to see how your load development comes along.

 

[Middle Man]

Running Gold Dot 150gr 30 cal Blackout specific bullets with good (for Blackout) results. Accuracy was just over an inch at 100 yards shooting off a tripod and Gamechanger bag. Well within acceptable measures for anticipated usage. Reports elsewhere online indicated good terminal performance at lower Blackout velocities. If daughter sees a deer, perhaps we’ll add first hand report...

Noted Speer is introducing factory Blackout loads in 2020 with this bullet.

 

[BIGJOE38922]

I'm using the 140 Gold dots over 35.4gr of varget in my 6.5creedmoor. Accuracy is outstanding

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Well, I learned a bit of a (couple of?) hard 6.5 Grendel lesson(s) at the range Thursday. Broke an extractor.

Intro, first; I shot a box of the new Frontier 123gr FMJ in my 24" Upper. I had pulled 10 and substituted 120 SGD's, but never got to shoot them; powder charges were pretty consistent, 30.0gr of something-something flake, one of 29.9, and one of 30.1

The unaltered factory loads showed very significant pressure signs, and accuracy was not especially good; about on a par with the Bernaul 100gr steel case stuff. This will not be used in my guns.

Accuracy development will once again be confined to the 120 SGD.

Next up, I was going to try a 120gr SGD handload with just one increment above published max. Bang, stovepipe. Case still chambered, knocked out very easily with cleaning rod. Second try, same result.

Took the BCG out, inspected. Extractor hook end missing. Hmmmph!

Gun's done for the day.

Ordered the JP Improved Extractor. In stock, not cheap; but JP..., worth the price.

Then the kicker, a second Email after the order confirmation. Ships in 13-24 weeks, have a nice day... Hmmmph!

My take: now I understand why the published loads are so mild. The 6.5G has a lot of case surface area, and during the dwell, can overstress the extractor. Combine that with a 24" barrel and the dwell gets even longer.

Followup plan, the load development will continue (using the 20") but will keep charges below published max. Will keep using W748, but will also try IMR-4198, of which I have several pounds left after a disappointing project with the .30BR from a couple of years back. The JP Improved Extractor will go into the 24"'s BCG, and loads from the 20" will be final tested in the 24".

Overall take; I should pay attention to basic handloading technique. Dummy!

Greg

 

[SkyScrapin]

Big fan of the GD in 6.8 for its terminal affects. Accuracy is there and a velocity of 2700fps from 12.5” of barrel. Not bad!

 

[Ravenworks]

Primary arms has JP extractors in stock.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Thank you.

I've already spent the money on a JP extractor, and I can afford to wait. I have another Grendel, a 20" Upper.

With the Gold Dot, I'm looking for accuracy first, and terminal effects only maybe. I hunt, but not as much lately. I ran into pressure issues with the ELD-X in my .260, and that project is done/cancelled

Meanwhile, I'm perfectly happy punching paper/ringing steel with a round that can also take on dangerous critters, too.

The Gold Dot is the current project.

As I reflect on the extractor failure, I'm wondering whether the 24" is such a great choice after all. That extra 4" is definitely increasing dwell on a round that probably doesn't handle dwell all that well.

Then, I do have a second 20" barrel, literally identical (as much as that can be true) to the one in my 20" Upper.

I'm mulling over a choice.

I could reserve the 24" for lighter bullet weights, turning it int a true varmint gun. Or I could pull the 24" barrel, and replace it with the second 20".

I had been attempting to get additional distance from using the 24", but that might be foolish goal if the extractor can't endure the pressures that a buck snortin' LR round might want to have driving it.

Still thinking...

Greg

 

[Greg Langelius *]

I just revisited this to see if the Primary Arms option would be a better choice. I couldn't find anything related except for a complete JP Arms 6.5 Grendel Bolt assembly. It not cheap, and it's just plain overkill at this stage.

Maybe it's all just my Google Fu failing once again.

If you could link to the individual part, I'd be grateful.

Still thinking...; continued...

I'm going to reserve the 24" as a Varmint Gun. I expect the lighter weight 90gr Speer TNT is not as likely to generate especially bad pressures, particularly when I rein myself in and accept the velocities the book loads can produce. There will also be the new improved extractor in the mix.

The 20" and the spare identical barrel can carry the load with the 120 SGD's; again keeping within published load limits.

Greg

PS - Semper Fi "66-68"

 

[Greg Langelius *]

13-24 days, not weeks; not charged until shipped.

D'oh...

 

[Greg Langelius *]

My load development is not a lickety-split process.

The sustained winds around here on the High Desert only get down below 10MPH about 1/3 of the time. That's great for wind training, not so much for load development. I had to get up and chase down things that had blown off the bench roughly half a dozen times Thursday. Whatever else that is; it's also pretty tiring for this elder fart.

My health/my Wife's health make roughly half of the good days unusable. The Range is 50 miles South, within one mile of Mexico. When we look South, anything more than a mile out is a foreign country. Border jumpers reportedly have a main route North that runs just back of our 300m berm.

FWIW, we share our range facility with ICE/CBP/County Sheriffs, but sometimes I'm the only human being legally on the property. I'm always strapped at the range.

Last Thursday's debacle has resulted in all my handloads requiring disassembly and reassembly with more sane charges.

I also have other projects going on; currently doing a shop restoration of an M1 Carbine (reblueing/wood refinishing). The shop's not heated, and we had snow forecast for last night (we are nearly a mile up..., fortunately the snow stayed above/about 7000ft).

--------------------------------------

BIGJOE, I'm assuming that load is for the 6.5CM. I love Varget, and still have a few pounds; but the propellant seems to require lower load densities to work. I am taking a page from your book and using it in my .260/140SGD testing.

H4350 is getting hard to find. Back in 2002, the old timers shooting the .260 at Whittington were telling us to use a 140 and 34-36 of Varget(260), and call it good. Starting with 35.

We were using 139 Scenars and 41 of N550(260), and my 24" gun was blowing primers even with a 1gr reduction to 40.

However, I also have H4831SC, and the .260's barrel is 28". I've already done up to 50(C/Max) with 142/H-4831SC(260) in 24" and seen minimal pressure. Not the fastest powder/velocities, but very accurate. I consider the 6.5CM to be the .260's shorter twin.

Our altitude and the longer barrel tend to make velocity a bit less important for me.

Greg

 

[Hunt]

I'd like to find a load with RL-16 and a 75 gr Gold Dot for the .22-250 (8 twist barrel). Anyone tested this?

 

[bobke]

Greg
Had a similar experience with over pressure in 6.5 CM in a known accurate Lilja AR barrel-flattened primers, etc with 41.5 H4350 and 140 Amax. Turned out my gas rings were shot and pushing all pressure to the case without much buffer in between. Changed them out and issue gone. Just something you might check if you haven’t.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Thank you, I definitely will.

Greg

 

[bfoosh006]

FWIW... Speer publishes load data for the GD bullets.

https://www.speer-ammo.com/reloading/rifle

 

[bobke]

About to go down the Gold Dot testing path, as well, with 75gr in 223 and 120gr in 6.5 Grendel, 6.5x47 and Creedmoor. Couple of guys on Grendel forum tell of very positive game performance and accuracy, with some indications that, aside from prudent load work up process, GD’s behave more like a Barnes TTSX/TSX, building pressure earlier than conventional cup/core bullets. Not certain if that’s because they’re bonded bullets or not. Curious minds would like to know. Regardless, always looking for more tools to increase versatility of 223/6.5 platforms.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

OK, have plotted charge increments for 6.5gr 90 TNT and 120 Gold Dot using W748, TAC, and Varget. I'm using .3gr increments, staying within limits of Speer published data.

I'm also testing 308 with 168 Gold Dot and 43.5gr IMR-4064 and 42.5gr of TAC, with Starline .308 Win brass. These would be iffy in case the Gold Dot develops pressure early. Will be paying attention to pressure signs in the 308. Two guns involved, Savage 11VT 308 24" and PSA PA-10 20", Savage first. Both rifles employ Bushnell AR Drop Zone 308 BDC scopes, which are calibrated for FGMM 168 (my IMR-4064load is an FGMM clone when loaded with 168SMK).

Greg

 

[ubet]

I’ve been thinking about traveling down the gold dot 62gr 556 road for sd rounds. Love the 230grs in 45acp.

 

[737shark]

Big fan of the GD in 6.8 for its terminal affects. Accuracy is there and a velocity of 2700fps from 12.5” of barrel. Not bad!

whats your load I just bought some bullets . If you kindly please