08-29-2013, 03:18 AM
By the way, that "friends gun" was a standard 24" Satern heavy barrel with 1:8.75 twist.
XCR's gun does appear to get higher velocities. But his loads are too hot, and he has posted pics of the cases that show significant extractor marks and flattened primers. He has been urged to back off on those loads and work up again with close attention to pressure signs on his brass.
I agree with JASmith and others who have posted the view that gaining 50 - 100 fps to extend hunting reach is not worth the risk of broken bolt lugs or much worse. There is a nice write up on hunting reach of the Grendel in the Reloading Handbook and on JASmith's nice paper on "Ideal Bullet Weight". Pushing the biggest bullet as fast as possible is not necessary to hunt with the Grendel.
XCR's gun does appear to get higher velocities. But his loads are too hot, and he has posted pics of the cases that show significant extractor marks and flattened primers. He has been urged to back off on those loads and work up again with close attention to pressure signs on his brass.
I agree with JASmith and others who have posted the view that gaining 50 - 100 fps to extend hunting reach is not worth the risk of broken bolt lugs or much worse. There is a nice write up on hunting reach of the Grendel in the Reloading Handbook and on JASmith's nice paper on "Ideal Bullet Weight". Pushing the biggest bullet as fast as possible is not necessary to hunt with the Grendel.