New to reloading the 6.5G cartridge

[m4geek]

Although I have been reloading 308 win match as well as 223 rem match for a few years now with good success, I am new to the 6.5G cartridge.

So how abouts any pointers from you veteran 6.5 guys on the reloading side of things!

Here is what I have purchased so far.

Hornady A-MAX 123gr 100ct
Hornady SST 129gr 100ct
Hornady unprimed brass 50ct
Hornady 2 piece die in 6.5G
Hornady #6 shell holder x2
1LB of IMR 8208 XBR

And I generally load with Varget, so I have a couple of lbs of that also.

And of course I have a couple thousand small rifle primers, mostly CCI


My press setup is a old school single stage RCBS Rock Chucker that my grandfather has used for 30 years and it is what I learned on. So as long as it running, Ill probably keep using it.

My current barrel is a AR-Stoner 18in mid-weight w/ 1 in 8 and 5R rifleing.
The gun will be used for 'yote and whitetail hunting, as well as some 600+ yd target shooting in the off season.

[bronco_buster]

Go ahead and buy that adjustable gas block, heavy buffer, and M16 carrier.

[rickOshay]

Welcome M4 - you will find plenty of info on loading with 8208 in the reloading action of this forum. Many of us have had great results with it using AMAX and SSTs.

To help locate info, the thread has a search engine that works really well. http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=01...d_0xcu1o&hl=en

[Dogue]

Varget won't be the best powder for the Grendel, you'd be better off with CFE223, 8208XBR, TAC, or a number of other powders similar to those. You'll also probably want some small rifle magnum primers.

[Bwild97]

+1 to Dogues recommendation. You can also use LeveRevolution with those 129g SSTs. You may also want to purchase the Hornady headspace gauge and comparator set if you don't already have them.

[m4geek]

Thanks for the info guys!

[RangerRick]

One thing to keep in mind: the 6.5 bullets, particularly ones over 123 grains, are sensitive to length.

Be sure you can chamber them and eject unfired ones easily without marks from the lands on the bullet. If it is touching the lands you can get pressure spikes.

After you fire the brass once, reset your dies to be sure the shoulder gets bumped back enough. With some dies you have to put the resizer all the way down in contact with the shell holder. I was taught that was a no no, but it is sometimes necessary with some Grendel dies.

You may want to stick a small piece of the fuzzy side of some velcro on your brass deflector. The cases can get beat up on some guns and it shortens the brass life.

If you see a dent in the middle of the case or a flat side on the neck, that is probably what is going on.

Welcome, good luck, and let us know how she shoots!

RR

[m4geek]

One thing to keep in mind: the 6.5 bullets, particularly ones over 123 grains, are sensitive to length.

Be sure you can chamber them and eject unfired ones easily without marks from the lands on the bullet. If it is touching the lands you can get pressure spikes.

After you fire the brass once, reset your dies to be sure the shoulder gets bumped back enough. With some dies you have to put the resizer all the way down in contact with the shell holder. I was taught that was a no no, but it is sometimes necessary with some Grendel dies.

You may want to stick a small piece of the fuzzy side of some velcro on your brass deflector. The cases can get beat up on some guns and it shortens the brass life.

If you see a dent in the middle of the case or a flat side on the neck, that is probably what is going on.

Welcome, good luck, and let us know how she shoots!

RR

I've only gotten to shoot a handful of rounds through it just to get a basic zero, but I have already witnessed the denting on the side of the case. I will definitely give the fuzzy Velcro a try! Thanks