4th Range trip with 18" GrendelHunter

[mdewitt71]

I didnt take any pics or document my 3rd range trip with this 18" GrendelHunter build but, after a long 3 weeks of no shooting, I was able to take it out for it's 4th Range Trip.


I stacked deep with the Hornady American Gunner 123gr the last 2 months... I think I bought a dozen or so cans.
I am very glad I did after I seen the great results from today.
Despite the heat and humidity and being a new build, the rifle shot this bulk ammo great.

My Athlon Argos was over a Mil high at 100 yards from my last range session... I am not sure if the zero shifted or if this stuff was that much different from the Hornady Black I was shooting before.
Will def keep an eye out on next trip.
I was able to get several groups under 1" at 100 with the American Gunner.... most were around .75" - .85" and one only opened up over an 1" but, I knew it was me.



It even shot well at 200 yards on some very soft (that is why it was free) steel.


10 shots in 10 seconds from a cold barrel at 100 yards.
[/QUOTE]

I now have 250 rounds thru the new build and am seeing great results thus far.....
I will now start to move onto hand loads for my next Range Trip.

[BluntForceTrauma]

Great report, and with pix!

[mdewitt71]

Great report, and with pix!

Thanks....
I have some 90gr TNT hand loads I will try next, then move onto some 120gr Pro Hunters loads.

[1Shot]

I get really great accuracy sub 1/2 MOA with the 120 Pro Hunter with a MAX load of 28.5 grs IMR 8208, Hornady case, CCI 450 in one of my rifles and the other likes CCI BR4 best. Use them sparingly right now because NOBODY has any. OUT OF STOCK every place I know to look. I have a stock pile though.

If you run into some Speer 120 Gold Dot bullets you might want to give them a try. It might have been one of those flukes but yesterday I went to the range with a bunch of loads to try. I did a powder work up to see what velocity and pressure signs I would get with the Gold Dot with IMR 8208. Speer's load data is WAY TOO LOW. They list I think it is 25.4 grs as a MAX load. I went up to 28 grs with a Hornady case, cci 450 and loaded it out as long as I could get it and would just fit in a ASC/AR Stoner magazine COAL 2.277 with no issues at all. I was only shooting 3 shot groups at this point but two shots touched and I called the third shot as it went off just as my sight picture was a bit off and the bullet hit about 1/4 inch away from the other two which was about what my sighting era was. Average velocity out of a 20" barrel was 2520 fps with ES 19 and SD 10. This bullet has a small rounded nose with a long slender taper back to the ogive. My loaded length still has the ogive 75 thousands off the lands. This is a bonded bullet and should make a good pig / deer bullet. They also don't cost anymore than standard cup and core bullets. I got mine from Midway. I am going to load up some more and hit the range as soon as time and weather permits.

It is funny how over the past 40 years of my reloading how loading data has changed. The Speer data used to be some of the hottest. I have one Speer manual that I started off with that has loads listed that you can't get that much powder in a case. Now days Speer and some of the other's are you might say VERY CONSERVATIVE.

[mdewitt71]

Good info 1Shot.... thanks.
Sierra is just up the road from me and the Lead Ballistician is a great friend; lets me know when they kicking out what each week or what is in the back.

[ported45]

Good info 1Shot.... thanks.
Sierra is just up the road from me and the Lead Ballistician is a great friend; lets me know when they kicking out what each week or what is in the back.

Wasn't it Sierra that sells bullet blems to walkin customers?

[1Shot]

Go up the road and tell Sierra to make some game bullets. LOL I think all they are making right now is match bullets because they are everywhere but there are hardly any hunting bullets. Another Sierra bullet that is showing promise is the 130 Game King HPBT with LVR powder. If I can get the time to do some loading in the next two days I hope to get to the range Friday morning before I have to qualify a group of people for their handgun carry permit and will report on what those 120 Speer Gold Dot's do.