Range report - 16" Wilson barrel

[Rivercityjeff]

Out at the range sighting in my muzzleloader for a hunt next week, decided to shoot the Grendel while the CVA cools. My Franken-Grendel is not impressed with Hornady 123 ELD-M. The 60 rounds I put thru it looked like a shotgun blast at 100 yards.

And then, there was Druid Hill Armory. THEIR ammo loaded with Hornady 123 ELD-M pills was much improved, same 100 yard range!
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And that's why I have 9 boxes of Hornady for sale! All sold by the way.

UPDATE 12/13

Back at the range. Shooting 123 ELDM over TAC w/450 primers, 100 yards. Fired four, 3 shot groups; 1st. 26.5 grains of TAC - 2"+, 2nd 27.0g - 2", 3rd 27.5g - 1 1/2", and then 28.0 grains of TAC -3/4". Control; Druid Hill 123g 3 shots = 1 hole group .

Something about the 16" barrel does not like/tolerate lighter loads.

I will adjust the loads +/- a few tenths of a grain to find the most accurate and then borrow a chrono.

[LRRPF52]

Weird. 123gr ELD-M shoots very well for me through multiple 6.5 Grendels, including 2x 12” pistols, 17.6” Lilja, and 18” LaRue.

Did you bed your barrels by chance? Also, I’m a bit confused about how many Grendels and which one has the Wilson barrel.

[Rivercityjeff]

Weird. 123gr ELD-M shoots very well for me through multiple 6.5 Grendels, including 2x 12” pistols, 17.6” Lilja, and 18” LaRue.

Did you bed your barrels by chance? Also, I’m a bit confused about how many Grendels and which one has the Wilson barrel.

Howdy Paul,

My buddy and I built Grendels on Aero Precision enhanced uppers. The barrel fit was perfect. Barrel nut was loosened and tightened 3x and torqued to spec. He has a 16" Faxon Gunner barrel and I opted for a 16" SS Wilson Combat. Both guns shot the Hornady 123 ELDM poorly, 1.5"-2" groups at 100 yards. I shot 60 rounds of Hornady and he shot 40, over 2 range days.

Druid Hill's Hornady 123 shot sub MOA in both guns.

Not sure if the barrels needed to be broken-in, or bad batches of Hornady factory from 3 different sources, or if there is an anomaly with 16" barrels or Druid Hill Armory is just magic?

I'm not a new builder, just 6 months ago I put together a .223 Wylde barrel (from AR Performance) on an Aero Precision enhanced upper, shoots sub MOA. It wears a LaRue 2 stage trigger, Zeiss Conquest 3.5x10 on a LaRue C.A.N. QD mount.

Any insight you can offer would be appreciated.

[kmon]

To be honest I have seen some Hornady ammo shoot very well and other lots not so much. Had one lot that was shooting poorly 2 plus inch groups at 100 yards and there was almost 200fps difference in shots from the same box not what I would expect for ES. A different lot of ammo the same day with the same gun ES was about 50fps with a few shots spreading it out not the majority of them.