02-11-2020, 03:37 PM
Congratulations monty! You've found the point in this particular recipe where the chamber pressure is still high enough during the early unlocking stage of BCG/Bolt movement that the friction of the case walls to the chamber walls exceeds the physical limits of your extractor. We call that success in destructive testing. Now, to change variables and continue, or to stop at 26 grains and call it good?
Have I missed resulting velocities? If you're not shooting over a chrony, you should be. Especially when pushing loads. You want to be watching for velocity spikes or dumps in conjunction with erratic ejection patterns like you've found here to tell you that you've found the limits of your barrel. In Grendel, things start to break before you find the typical case deformation signs. Velocity is the only early indicator you're getting close to danger. The good part of this is that the bolt or ejector fails before something even more catastrophic happens.
I have found "low nodes" for all three of my Grendels, and have to say, I've had a clam like permanent smile at the range. Predictable, shootable, and boring. But stacking slow projectiles at range has it's own charm; Mainly bragging rights. And equipment that never fails.
Are you wanting to make this your hunting load?
Have I missed resulting velocities? If you're not shooting over a chrony, you should be. Especially when pushing loads. You want to be watching for velocity spikes or dumps in conjunction with erratic ejection patterns like you've found here to tell you that you've found the limits of your barrel. In Grendel, things start to break before you find the typical case deformation signs. Velocity is the only early indicator you're getting close to danger. The good part of this is that the bolt or ejector fails before something even more catastrophic happens.
I have found "low nodes" for all three of my Grendels, and have to say, I've had a clam like permanent smile at the range. Predictable, shootable, and boring. But stacking slow projectiles at range has it's own charm; Mainly bragging rights. And equipment that never fails.
Are you wanting to make this your hunting load?
Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.