New attitude for a new toy.

More expensive to feed, but worth it.
RBriscoe
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by RBriscoe »

A member of our club shoots a 6.5 Grendel with 130 gr bullets (SMKs, I think). I don’t know the exact barrel length, but I think it is longer than 20”. He has surprisingly good luck on rams. I do not know the load, but I’ve looked at fired cases and they were definitely not “rocks & dynamite” loads.

IMO there is no good reason to chamber a bolt gun in 6 ARC. If you must chamber for a PPC case head, there are better options. If someone wants a 6mm of some sort and can chamber something with a .308 case head there are all manner of choices. The 6 ARC was created for the AR-15 platform. That’s what is best suited for.
Last edited by RBriscoe on Sat Jul 30, 2022 8:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by Merlin »

What I have so far... Howa Mini 6.5 Grendel in a Bell and Carlson M40 stock. Special ordered it 14.5 LoP. I added a Jefferson Howa mini-cz bottom metal kit to use the CZ 527 steel mags and the side mount magazine release. I have Lapua brass, Hornaday 123 ELD bullets and a jug of H335. Around 2400 fps is right in the middle of its recommended velocity range and that is what I am hoping for.

Going in for my 3rd surgery on my right eye on Tuesday and if it is successful and I can see again I will work up a loading.

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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by Grantmac »

Any concerns about avoiding supporting it on the magazine?
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

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Good looking rig.

Dennis
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Merlin
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

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Grantmac wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:16 pm Any concerns about avoiding supporting it on the magazine?
The magazine is definitely exactly in the way. The same general configuration with the stock magazine as factory fitted.... . I bridge my thumb on the trigger guard and two fingers on the stock.... I THINK there is someone making flush fit bottom metal. DIP? What I hope to find is someone to make/print me a flush fit mag single shot conversion like is common in Smallbore.
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by Grantmac »

Merlin wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 8:48 pm
Grantmac wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:16 pm Any concerns about avoiding supporting it on the magazine?
The magazine is definitely exactly in the way. The same general configuration with the stock magazine as factory fitted.... . I bridge my thumb on the trigger guard and two fingers on the stock.... I THINK there is someone making flush fit bottom metal. DIP? What I hope to find is someone to make/print me a flush fit mag single shot conversion like is common in Smallbore.
Exactly the same problem and solution I'm dealing with on the T1X for smallbore. Although I use a trigger guard cradle hold on the base of my thumb.
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

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IMR 4320 used to be the go to powder for JD Jones' "hand cannons". People started blowing up guns with starting loads which had previously been published. The story that came out was that IMR allowed the man who knew the production process retire without training someone to take his place. They had a number of reports of overpressures (and apparently had failed to test the new production). They never really succeeded in getting the process right and had horrendously poor acceptable batches of powder. It was a case of terrible management. A company should never let one person be the only one who knows a process. They had a similar problem with another powder.

A guy I used to know in Houston was shooting a 6 PPC in an AR platform for National Match Course competition. He and Dr. Louis Palmisano of PPC fame worked with Knight Armaments on the development of the 6.5 Grendel. It was expressly intended to be chambered in the AR platform and fit within the AR's magazine length restrictions. It was intended to be sold to the Army, but the cartridge was kept proprietary for too long and it never really had a chance as the Army was not about to buy ammo for over a dollar a round (long before the present pricing). The 123gr Scenar is a fairly well balanced bullet for the intended use. Because a silhouette rifle is not restricted in the OAL of the cartridge the way an AR is, it could be throated longer so that the heavier bullets would not invade the powder capacity so much, but it is still at something of a disadvantage compared to the 6.5x47 Lapua, 6.5 Creedmoor, .260 Rem, 6.5x55 Swede and some others. It does do surprisingly well with the 130s though and recoil is more pleasant than the others.

The cost of brass is less than some of the others, but everything has gone crazy. I just got some Peterson 6x47 Lapua brass. Where I got is was not price gouging, but I hope it lasts a while.

Enjoy!

Rick
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by TheBugFather »

Rick, my reamer was made at Pacific Tool and Die, same place that made the original 6.5 Grendel for Alexander Arms, the creator of the round.

My reamer was slightly modified to take advantage of being in a bolt action rifle. Other friends have used it for Pistol Silhouette.

Good info, nice that Lapua made the original brass and still does.

Dennis O.
Last edited by TheBugFather on Fri Apr 15, 2022 11:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by RBriscoe »

Having your own reamer, the way you want it, is well worth the cost and effort. Ignoring the AR mag length restriction really does make it a more viable round.

For anyone interested in the Howa 6.5 Grendel barreled action, I got an email from Brownell's. They were mentioning several things that were back in stock and one of them was the Howa.

Cheers!

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/r ... RifleParts+
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by jbmarshtx »

Merlin - The bottom metal you want for the howa is made by oregunsmithing. I thought there was another too. I had the oregunsmithing one on my first grendel that I used for hunting. I've since sold it.

http://www.oregunsmithingllc.com/

Grantmac - If DIProducts has them in stock, they make a Tikka T1x magazine bottom that isn't quite flush fit, but is close. They show backordered.

https://www.diproductsinc.com/Detail.as ... &CAT=13213
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Merlin
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by Merlin »

The setup from oregunsmithing looks to be the perfect answer. I'm going to try my current setup and see if I can use it but what you have shown is definitely a better setup for our sport....
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Re: New attitude for a new toy.

Post by Grantmac »

jbmarshtx wrote: Sun Apr 17, 2022 12:58 pm Merlin - The bottom metal you want for the howa is made by oregunsmithing. I thought there was another too. I had the oregunsmithing one on my first grendel that I used for hunting. I've since sold it.

http://www.oregunsmithingllc.com/

Grantmac - If DIProducts has them in stock, they make a Tikka T1x magazine bottom that isn't quite flush fit, but is close. They show backordered.

https://www.diproductsinc.com/Detail.as ... &CAT=13213
I also shoot NRL22 and need the 10rd mags for that, I'm happy single loading for silhouette though.
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