95 gr VMax

[8Crow]

Anybody here put a 95 gr VMax out of their Grendel through a deer and willing to admit it?

I know it's nowhere near what the bullet was designed for, but at modest Grendel velocities, it should be a little less violent so I'm betting someone has tried it? Curious what the result was

[Harpoon1]

Anybody here put a 95 gr VMax out of their Grendel through a deer and willing to admit it?

I know it's nowhere near what the bullet was designed for, but at modest Grendel velocities, it should be a little less violent so I'm betting someone has tried it? Curious what the result was

I personally think you’re onto something but,……this is a public forum! YMMV!

Feel free to disagree!

[603 Country]

I probably won’t try it on a deer, but the next hog I see will be a test subject. Speed at impact will be well below 2500 fps, I’m sure.

If Nosler will ever get back to having bullets for sale, I plan to use the 100 gr Ballistic Tip. Should be just about perfect for deer and hogs. I’ve used it in my 260, at a MV of about 3000 fps, with great results. Should work great at 2500 or so.

[Harpoon1]

I probably won’t try it on a deer, but the next hog I see will be a test subject. Speed at impact will be well below 2500 fps, I’m sure.

If Nosler will ever get back to having bullets for sale, I plan to use the 100 gr Ballistic Tip. Should be just about perfect for deer and hogs. I’ve used it in my 260, at a MV of about 3000 fps, with great results. Should work great at 2500 or so.

Right on, looking forward to your “test” results!

[Double Naught Spy]

Works fine on hogs, but don't expect a lot of heavy bone penetration. No reason it would not work fine on deer, but you may have a lot of metal bits polluting more meat than you would like, depending on where you shoot the deer.

[video=youtube;rwNtJU4b6R0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwNtJU4b6R0[/video]

[northdude]

I was using 85gr sierra varminters on goats today. Dropped them on the spot. Hit one at 256m same result

[Harpoon1]

I was using 85gr sierra varminters on goats today. Dropped them on the spot. Hit one at 256m same result

Curious about shot placement, head, neck, double lung?

[dammitman]

always good on stupid coyotes,,,,,

[Double Naught Spy]

It is hell on skunks.

[northdude]

Curious about shot placement, head, neck, double lung?

double lung

[Harpoon1]

double lung

Thanks

[Growler]

Nice video DNS. Here’s to more success eradicating skunks…those chicken and goose murdering bastards!

[8Crow]

The bullet fragments are one of the biggest factors in my hesitation. Even using bullets designed for the task in more powerful calibers, I've come across fragments in cuts of meat that weren't all that close to the point of impact or the path the bullet would be expected to take. If a) you could actually find bullets and b) I had lots of time for load dev it probably wouldn't have even occurred to me. But my primary purpose for the Grendel is coyotes so I worked up the 95's and found a combo my gun likes. I would expect Northdude's results below as long as your placement is good.

[lazyengineer]

Personally it's not really my favorite bullet - though I don't have the round-count on target DNS and other do. In my experience I've taken some hog shots that weren't fruitful (and some that were). Though of course, I could have just clean missed. As to accuracy performance, it's OK, but when I shoot 500 yards, I don't score as well with it as other choices. And when I shoot 100 yards, I don't score as well with it as other choices. It's fine, but in my experience a TNT 90 is more accurate, and has been more fruitful, at a substantially better price. The H 95 does have a better BC, so a little longer legs as a TNT 90; but I'm not so sure it's terminal performance is as good as a TNT 90, so more of a wash, IMHO.

You can run it and use it of course; and at times I do as that's what I have loaded. But it's just not really my favorite bullet. Where it shines the best is basically in settings where simple .223 will probably work about as well (JMHO).

[CJW]

I’m with LazyE,

The 90 TNT just shoots well in every Grendel I have……

30.1 grains of 8208 is a potent pig round.

They are hard to find right now.

Chuck

[northdude]

we don't have coyotes here but Id use these light bullets on small stuff like wild dogs goats and fallow deer. Id only take a shot at a pig or a red deer if I was pretty close and had time to place a good shot. If it was pigs or deer larger than a fallow I was purposely chasing Id probably use my 6.5x55

[mikeO38]

8Crow, I loaded up some 95 grain VMAX's for last deer season. I was in search of something that would do good tissue damage at longer ranges with the Grendels lower velocities. My load was 30 grains of IMR 8208 XBR in Starline brass with CCI 450 primers and an overall length of 2.230". My chrony showed 2693 to 2715 from an 18" Bartlein barrel (fouled) at 65 degrees F. Was getting about .65" 5 shot group at 100 yds.

My wife and I shot 7 does with that load last season, 6 dead and one that got away (one of mine). I'm going by memory but I'll try to descibe each of the shots. The first was a mature doe I shot broadside at about 100 yards. Double lung hit, she traveled about 80 yards. Not any blood where she was when hit. I ended up seeing her before I ever saw a good enough blood trail to track. There was a decent amount of blood where she was laying and I didn't back track the trail due to fading light. When I field dressed her there was a lot of dammage in chest cavity and it was full of blood and lung tissue, bullet did not exit.

The second deer, a yearling doe,was shot by my wife at approximately 25 yards quartering away. Deer made it about 5 steps and DRT. No exit on that one either, shrapnel in off shoulder.

The third deer was a yearling doe I shot at 237 yards that was slightly quartering away. She made it about 25 yards and had the same wound caracteristics as the last doe, no exit.

The fourth doe was a mature doe shot by my wife at about 125 yards broadside. That doe ran about 60 yards. She didn't leave an immediate blood trail and I could see her before I did pick up any blood. She was double lung shot with no exit hole and a lot of blood in the chest cavity upon field dressing.

The next doe shot was a mature doe facing me at about 100 yards. At this time I decided to see if that bullet would work on a shot that had more and tougher body mass to penetrate before it got into vitals. I placed the shot in the chest while she was facing me hoping bullet would make it into the chest cavity. Shot was a rested shot and I felt like it was a good shot when the trigger broke. Upon going to where the deer was standing when shot there was a good blood trail starting 5 yards from where she was standing. Long story short I never recovered her and lost blood trail about 200 yards into the track.

The next two does I shot were neck shots at about 30 and 40 yards. Both were mature does and both were DRT. Later that year I gut shot a coyote that ran by me at about 40 yards. There were intestines sprayed into the brush where he ran past. He made it about 10 yards serious damage to coyote.

I will not be using the 95 grain VMAX's for this up coming deer season because I don't think it can be trusted with any shot. Works great for a perfect broadside and quartering away, but I wouldn't try a quarteing to shot after my experience with the frontal shot. None of the recovered does that ran left great blood trails due to no exit hole.

Previously I have used 123 Hornady SST's and have had good luck but don't feel like they will open up well at around the 300 yard and beyond. I'm going to try 100 and 123 ELD's next hoping they are a little more destructive at longer range than the SST, but not so explosive I don't get an exit.

Hope this helps!

[BliksemDonder]

8Crow, I loaded up some 95 grain VMAX's for last deer season. I was in search of something that would do good tissue damage at longer ranges with the Grendels lower velocities. My load was 30 grains of IMR 8208 XBR in Starline brass with CCI 450 primers and an overall length of 2.230". My chrony showed 2693 to 2715 from an 18" Bartlein barrel (fouled) at 65 degrees F. Was getting about .65" 5 shot group at 100 yds.

My wife and I shot 7 does with that load last season, 6 dead and one that got away (one of mine). I'm going by memory but I'll try to descibe each of the shots. The first was a mature doe I shot broadside at about 100 yards. Double lung hit, she traveled about 80 yards. Not any blood where she was when hit. I ended up seeing her before I ever saw a good enough blood trail to track. There was a decent amount of blood where she was laying and I didn't back track the trail due to fading light. When I field dressed her there was a lot of dammage in chest cavity and it was full of blood and lung tissue, bullet did not exit.

The second deer, a yearling doe,was shot by my wife at approximately 25 yards quartering away. Deer made it about 5 steps and DRT. No exit on that one either, shrapnel in off shoulder.

The third deer was a yearling doe I shot at 237 yards that was slightly quartering away. She made it about 25 yards and had the same wound caracteristics as the last doe, no exit.

The fourth doe was a mature doe shot by my wife at about 125 yards broadside. That doe ran about 60 yards. She didn't leave an immediate blood trail and I could see her before I did pick up any blood. She was double lung shot with no exit hole and a lot of blood in the chest cavity upon field dressing.

The next doe shot was a mature doe facing me at about 100 yards. At this time I decided to see if that bullet would work on a shot that had more and tougher body mass to penetrate before it got into vitals. I placed the shot in the chest while she was facing me hoping bullet would make it into the chest cavity. Shot was a rested shot and I felt like it was a good shot when the trigger broke. Upon going to where the deer was standing when shot there was a good blood trail starting 5 yards from where she was standing. Long story short I never recovered her and lost blood trail about 200 yards into the track.

The next two does I shot were neck shots at about 30 and 40 yards. Both were mature does and both were DRT. Later that year I gut shot a coyote that ran by me at about 40 yards. There were intestines sprayed into the brush where he ran past. He made it about 10 yards serious damage to coyote.

I will not be using the 95 grain VMAX's for this up coming deer season because I don't think it can be trusted with any shot. Works great for a perfect broadside and quartering away, but I wouldn't try a quarteing to shot after my experience with the frontal shot. None of the recovered does that ran left great blood trails due to no exit hole.

Previously I have used 123 Hornady SST's and have had good luck but don't feel like they will open up well at around the 300 yard and beyond. I'm going to try 100 and 123 ELD's next hoping they are a little more destructive at longer range than the SST, but not so explosive I don't get an exit.

Hope this helps!

Great report, thank you.

<asbestos suit on>

All of the above tells me a story of not enough gun, not wrong bullet choice. I know I may be new to 65grendel but I have harvested game on 2 continents over 4 decades and so far am not impressed with the performance on game with this cartridge. Having to use just the right combination of ammunition under seemingly perfect conditions smacks of very niche capabilities. Been there, done that.

When you consider the cost of a hunting trip, or safari, that costs of serious $ and much travel then taken way more gun than might be needed is the wise choice. There is a reason the minimum cartridge in some parts of the world is 375H&H, it always works.

Flame away yea zealots, it is a nice cartridge but is not the bolts of Zeus.

<asbestos suit off>

Have a wonderful evening folks.

[lazyengineer]

Great report, thank you.

<asbestos suit on>

All of the above tells me a story of not enough gun, not wrong bullet choice. I know I may be new to 65grendel but I have harvested game on 2 continents over 4 decades and so far am not impressed with the performance on game with this cartridge. Having to use just the right combination of ammunition under seemingly perfect conditions smacks of very niche capabilities. Been there, done that.

When you consider the cost of a hunting trip, or safari, that costs of serious $ and much travel then taken way more gun than might be needed is the wise choice. There is a reason the minimum cartridge in some parts of the world is 375H&H, it always works.

Flame away yea zealots, it is a nice cartridge but is not the bolts of Zeus.

<asbestos suit off>

Have a wonderful evening folks.

Depends on yoru interests and setting. 6.5 Grendel was designed to be the most potent round you can fit into a small frame AR15 platform. And so it is. But in the end, it's stil about 28 gr of gunpower power Comparing it to a .308 or other larger class rounds that run 40 gr of gunpowder power, is obviously a stark comparison. The trade off is with those game rounds, you have to run a heavy frame rifle. With bolt-action, not so big a deal; and one reason I wold never bother with a bolt-action 6.5 Grendel. But if ou want a a self-loading rifle (again, the entire point of Grendel), then that gets into a whole separate classification of rifle and management. For example, I run my 6.5 Grendel hunting rig with a light weight 14.5" pin and weld barrel, and light weight Hogster Thermal. The system allows me to one-hand glass my night-zone while I'm walking, with that rifle. While my left hand is carrying the tripod for fast deployment. I can't dream of doing that with a .308 class rifle. And this system gives me 27 rounds in teh gun, if I so choose (rarely do I). More importantly, it's a system that allows fast follow-up shots if I am engaging multiple targets, or the first shot needs a follow-up. The 6.5 Grendel is the only hunting rifle I've ever used, where I was able to fire a successful follow-up shot onto game and drop it right there.

but in the end, it's still just 28 gr of gunpowder. It's the most power you can get in an AR15, and it IS effective, with 800/1000 ft-lb of energy going out quite a ways. but really, to me, if I'm hunting deer, it's a 200 yard gun - not a 400 yard gun. It'll work at 400 yards, but that better be a good shot. I would not take it on an african safari. I would take it as my first choice for a night hunting rifle, as well as for a wide distance 200 yard staking deer rifle, which I do.

[grayfox]

+1. good for what it's designed for. All the more reason to have more than 1 gun!!


(ps, the wife has lots of pairs of shoes... like the Larry Potterfield ad!)