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Hi guy's got a question, I have been doing a lot of reading here + my own research else where, I have been reloading for 30+yrs so I have plenty of experience and about 10k worth of precision tooling for reloading! I'm new to the Grendel cartridge, but after a few yrs of researching and study of the 6.5 Grendel in an AR plat forum I'm ready to put together a rifle, I'm planning on using a Sanders Armory 24'' Beast Side Charging upper, {southpaw shooter} anyway my experience with shooting auto loaders and reloading them is they usually need to resized with a small base sizing die, for example my 308win Vepr I just tried to use my Redding 308win body die to resize my PPU Match brass, I loaded 3 rounds and tried them for fit and they would not go into battery! this die works perfectly in my custom built bolt gun that was cut with a match reamer in my Brux M40 barrel, after discovering the web area of the cases were not sized down enough to fit the chamber I proceeded to set up my RCBS SB dies to form the cases back to the shoulder length of some FGMM factory loaded cases, I use just for reference, and yes the web area of the PPU cases were sized down and now fit the chamber of the Vepr, I made sure of this by tearing the rifle down to visually measure the case head protrusion between the PPU brass vs the Federal Gold Metal Match factory loaded rounds, so this leads to my question on the use of small base die for the Grendel? Have any of you experienced this same issue with loading the Grendel in ur AR uppers:confused:
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I'm going to go out on a limb and say. No.
I use hornady full size die for the ar and Redding neck die for the bolt action.
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01-01-2019, 02:26 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-01-2019, 08:56 PM by Wheelhorse.)
Another no vote.
My Grendel and almost everything else, is loaded with a Redding type S bushing die. I just push the shoulder back enough for the bolt to easily close and use the bushing that gives me the neck tension I want.
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I have never needed SB dies for 6.5 Grendel or 223/5.56 in any AR and I have a number of them. Only SB dies I have is for a custom Heart barrel 308 Win. Rem 700 with a very tight match chamber that has a tight neck that you need to turn the necks for. It was built as a hunter class benchrest target rifle in the early 1990's. It is a bug hole shooter that I use mainly to shoot deer with these days.
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I use Lee full length dies and have not had this problem. I have a RCBS small base die for a 6x45 because it was the only set in stock at the time, not that I needed it.
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Thanks for the replies, I'm gonna probably get kicked in the butt for saying this but here go's LOL, this is the first AR rifle I have tried to even keep after having a few of them over the last 30yrs that I fired about a 100 rounds thru them! so this plat form is still new to me! The appeal of the 6.5G and the newer side charging uppers for the AR has made me jump all the way in LOL!!! so all ur guy's help is much appreciated 
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Mark611 Wrote:Thanks for the replies, I'm gonna probably get kicked in the butt for saying this but here go's LOL, this is the first AR rifle I have tried to even keep after having a few of them over the last 30yrs that I fired about a 100 rounds thru them! so this plat form is still new to me! The appeal of the 6.5G and the newer side charging uppers for the AR has made me jump all the way in LOL!!! so all ur guy's help is much appreciated
Your opinion is welcome here. This is the most civilized gun forum out there. I have been kicked in the butt on a few others.
Great bunch of guys here. Thinking "outside the box" will not get you slapped down.
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Thank you! 
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my plans on dies I plan to use are this system because it has worked very well for me, I know LEE doesn't offer this die as of my findings or maybe I just haven't seen them yet? is their neck sizing collet mandrel die, with a Redding body die, I have a universal de priming die, I turn all my necks and tip all of my bullets, I try to build super match grade rounds and this is the best method I have found after finding the right seating depth to the lands, but with AR mags OAL my be a challenge! 
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Mark611 Wrote:my plans on dies I plan to use are this system because it has worked very well for me, I know LEE doesn't offer this die as of my findings or maybe I just haven't seen them yet? is their neck sizing collet mandrel die, with a Redding body die, I have a universal de priming die, I turn all my necks and tip all of my bullets, I try to build super match grade rounds and this is the best method I have found after finding the right seating depth to the lands, but with AR mags OAL my be a challenge!
I have heard Lee will make a custom collet neck die for the 6.5 Grendel. I think it was $75 the last I heard.
I don't know why they don't just stock this size.
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good question! the 6.5G is getting popular IMO, especially for longer range target shooting, the LEE collet neck dies I already use for my 223 or 308win rifles give me less then 1k'' of run out after my necks are turned! and after fired, formed cases necks after turning stay consistent at less then 1k'' after neck sizing only, this why I use the Redding body die! even prepping new cases or resizing provided you have necks with minimal run out to begin with 1 to 2k'' this Lee neck collet die with the rest of my loading set up I use I can get 1/4moa from my custom built Savage M40 308win with 175gn SMK's @200m 
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I have the LEE 6.5 Grendel collet neck sizing die. The procedure for ordering is on the Lee Precision site. A seating die comes with it. Both dies arrived in good quality. The seating die is not necessarily made for VLD's. I think I can fix that.
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COOL! thanks for the info!!!! Greatly Appreciated
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FW Conch Wrote:I have the LEE 6.5 Grendel collet neck sizing die. The procedure for ordering is on the Lee Precision site. A seating die comes with it. Both dies arrived in good quality. The seating die is not necessarily made for VLD's. I think I can fix that.
I love the Redding body die and Lee neck collet die combo for my bolt guns.
I havent done it for the Grendel because I didnt think Lee made a neck collet die for it.
Im still not seeing it on there website?
Did you have it custom made?
-Leo
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Out of three Grendel AR chambers, two M1A's, and I don't remember exactly how many 5.56 AR's over the years, I have never needed a "small base" sizing die. I use Forster, Redding, and RCBS.
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yes thank you guy's very good info
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I had a custom built Grendel by a very well known company that after resizing Alexander factory rounds with a RCBS sizing die would not chamber. the case body was not reduced enough. tight chamber. after discussion with the builder I sent him a fired case and he had another sizing die chromed to reduce the case body to chamber. not happy about that , but just another step in reloading. resized round work fine. Chas
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Mark,
Very unlikely you will need an SB die unless the person chambering your rifle deliberately made it tighter than SAAMI. SB's were popular for auto loaders back in the 80's/90's but the shooting community figured out normal FL work fine with a little more bump than bolt guns.
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