I know this has been started and talked about before, but being that deer season is just 5 days away I am starting to panic...
What are you guys using for deer hunting loads? Along with your load, please share primer, brass, and OAL, along with barrel length. 
I know there are lots of threads with load data but it doesnt really help when all is given is "120gr NBT with xx.x of ..." and no OAL is given, nor if it is x39 fire formed brass or actual small primer Grendel brass. :confused:
I don't have the equipment to get velocity or pressure reading for my hand loads.
Bullets I have for loading right now are 100gr and 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips, few friends have advised me to stay away for taking white tail deer because of the strength of bones (if it would just shatter if you hit a rib or the shoulder??) Do you have to worry about shot placement using a 100gr Nosler Ballistic tip?
All in all.... Help would be appreciated Please!!
Side note: I have a 20" barrel Upper with M16 carrier, 9mm heavy buffer. (also have 1.5x stronger buffer spring laying around and not sure it I should put it in or not.)
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Turbo I use 100 TTSX with 30 gr of h-335 (courtesy of PAallen). Offhand I do not know the OAL but it is set for my rifle you need to measure the OAL for your rifle with every new bullet you try. This is how I measure my oal http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...-amp-crimp It is important that whatever load you try you start a couple of grains low and work up I go up .5 gr increments and have the brass marked on the head with magic markers to indicate the different loads so I can inspect them for pressure signs. I used to use Nosler partitions but found that the lead is soft and sprays around inside the animal.
rasp65 Wrote:Turbo I use 100 TTSX with 30 gr of h-335 (courtesy of PAallen). Offhand I do not know the OAL but it is set for my rifle you need to measure the OAL for your rifle with every new bullet you try. This is how I measure my oal http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...-amp-crimp It is important that whatever load you try you start a couple of grains low and work up I go up .5 gr increments and have the brass marked on the head with magic markers to indicate the different loads so I can inspect them for pressure signs. I used to use Nosler partitions but found that the lead is soft and sprays around inside the animal.
Thank you for replying, I have been reloading for a few years for the AR, but havent done any OAL testing before, and go out and have no problem prairie dog hunting at 300+ yards with the 5.56, hopefully that will help me a little more all around!
Being that I don't have equipment to test velocity or pressure so I just start with someones load and start low work up to it and change .5grs of powder around that load to see if any certain grain load affects accuracy then will play with OAL a small amount.
That is weird that you say that about the Nosler, for the most part I have read it has been 50/50 between the Nosler and the Barnes, but have heard some peole say that they would stay away from the Barnes because they have seen them fragement.
The biggest problem is that I only have one more chance before I head up north to Bemidji in 3 days for this seasons opener. Unfortionitly the range is only 50 yards since this weekend at the 100 yard range I couldnt get a chance to test out hand loads, only the factory loads I bought to sight in the scope with...
My deer load is 28 gr. TAC under a 120 gr NBT. Shoots 1/2" 3 shot groups from a Liberty 16" barrel at an avg. of 2450 fps. The Cous deer here in AZ are small so a 100 gr wouldnt bother me but the 120 shoot so well I couldn't resist. My hunt starts Friday so hopefully I will have results soon.
I have had wounded animal problems before with the ballistic tip in a 308 with 150 grain. I shot a dozen deer wtih a 260 with the 120 balistic tip and no problems. I wouldnt use the 100 grain ballistic tip I am not sure if that is what nosler calls a 'varmit' bullet or if it labeled for deer. I think the lower velocity of the grendel would actually produce less wonded animals with the ballistic tips than other higher velocity cartridges but that is only a theory. I would prefer the 120 over the 100 grain ballistic tip if that was my only choioce but I think there are better deer bullets out there, even from Nosler.
I think the nosler accubonds and partitions are better hunting bullets and have never had failures with these bullets in a variety of weapons. Other bullet makers have excellent deer bullets in 6.5 as well.
I just built my first grendel right before hunting season so I will be seing what the hornady amax factory load can do. but if I had time I would be handloading an accubond or a partition. If i get good accuracy and terminal performance from the hornady amax, i might not bother, but if i dont it will be back to the reloading bench!
Best of luck with whatever you decide to use!
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TurboFour. Check out my answer to CTS in reloading.
Greyfox
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Turbo I would agree with Smokey about the Hornady 123A-Max factory loads. If you don't have time to develop handloads those loads worked well in my 18" rifle and others have reported good results with it hunting.
Turbofour, If you will tell us which powder you have on hand we could probably suggest a place to start. There is nothing wrong with the Hornady 123gr factory load for dear, use it with confidence. The Grendel dosnt push any hunting bullet fast enought to shatter it on any bone a deer has. If your gonna work up a load I sugggest starting with the 120gr BT; the 100gr BT will work fine too.
rasp65 Wrote:Turbo I would agree with Smokey about the Hornady 123A-Max factory loads. If you don't have time to develop handloads those loads worked well in my 18" rifle and others have reported good results with it hunting.
I have heard that about that factory ammo, the thing is that I can't find anything around me that sells it. I live in the twin cities, MN and the only thing close to me that carries factory 6.5 Grendel ammo is Sportsmans Guide and they only have Wolf factory ammo.
hm2 clark Wrote:Turbofour, If you will tell us which powder you have on hand we could probably suggest a place to start. There is nothing wrong with the Hornady 123gr factory load for dear, use it with confidence. The Grendel dosnt push any hunting bullet fast enought to shatter it on any bone a deer has. If your gonna work up a load I sugggest starting with the 120gr BT; the 100gr BT will work fine too.
Off hand I know that I have Varget, TAC, H335, H322, BLC 2 (hardly any though) a few IMR powders that I do not remember. Primers, I have CCI #400 and #450. I am using AA brass, brand spankin new.
I have only worked on 120gr bullets only cause what a few of my buddies has told me, but they have never touched a grendel before, not sure if that would make a difference. Right now I got my rifle sighted in with factory Wolf ammo and have only shot 120gr Nosler ballistic tip with 29.0grs TAC loaded at 2.2230". Only because that is a load I have read about out on the interweb. I guess I would just like to know if there is a better load out there or if there is a certain techneak (sp?) of using the grendel for white tail deer up here in MN. My average shot in most of the stands we hunt on is around 80 yards. One of our stands I can reach out to 180 yards, but that stand gets cold since there is consant wind off the lake.
I bought 100 rounds of 100gr Nosler Ballistic tip and planned on useing them to take deer this year, since i was reading a artical from gunblast (?) that the guy used a 19.5" barrel with 100gr nosler B.T. with H322, but ended up running out to Gun Stop to buy some 120 Nosler B.T. because of what i have been told that 100gr bullets would shatter upon bone impact of a deer.
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...port/page3
Check out this thread, a lot of discussion on the 120gr & reloads using different powders.
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11-03-2011, 01:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-03-2011, 01:17 AM by sneaky one.)
Turbo, pm me again if you need ammo specs. Want some gmx - units?- They will fly true to 300 y. Oh no ! too late, my ride to the up north hunt is upon me.. let me know... pm me after hunt season is done.
Well if you have TAC and Nosler BT, you have a place to start. I have loaded 27gr TAC behind 120gr and 100 gr NBT. OAL about 2.25". Both shot reallly well I used rifle primers and Laupa brass (well under 1" out of a 18 inch barrel). If you site in for 2.5 inchs high @ 100 yards you will hit the deer no more than 3" high or low from 0-past 200 yards. Both bullets should travel @least 10 inches through a deer even after hitting heavy bone. Maybe best to avoid a Texas heart shot. If its a really big northern dear it wont hurt nuthin to double tap him after he is down.
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I have some gmx's loaded up=95 grn., 29.6 x-term.,,, they will do better than any lead core bullet, of say-100-120 grn. They are the Bad Boys on the block, I trust them all the way to a 350 lb. buck. , and 300 yds. Good luck hunting.
Thank you for everyone for all of your help. It was kind of a split decision to finally get parts to build the Grendel, and only had two weeks before deer open... Ended up stressing for nothing opening weekend sucked up in Bemidji, MN for deer 52*F with 40mph gusts and Sunday was mostly raining...
Load is 27.8 gr. of TAC., 120gr. Barnes TTSX. This load out an 18 barrel gives me 2400 fps. And shoots just over 1/2 MOA.
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