Best factory ammo for the Grendel.....

Agree. I use a 105gr MKZ in mine and it has done great.

I think pushing the 6.5 grendel to past 400 yards with a copper bullet will not yield much expansion. I limit the 6.5 creedmoor with copper bullets to about 400-450 as far as expansion goes.

Yea I've done a lot of whitetail depredation work with the Grendel and never could get the Federal Fusions to open up correctly (basically same bullet as Speer gold dot). They will penetrate like crazy and were fast (2650fps average out of 16 inch Ruger Ranch bolt gun) but they always just seemed to pencil through. The ELD-Ms were the best performer as far as factory ammo in that little Ruger Ranch and actually the best in my longer barrel Ruger predator bolt gun also

​@@chadmcswain5389what was your range/approx impact velocity? It is a bonded bullet, so that would make sense if you were shooting some distance. Most shots on deer here in Indiana are well under 100 yds.

All ranges from 25 yards to 450+

What Handbooks? Where are these sold for the Grendel? Thanks!

@@stephenhair5501 Search: 6.5 Grendel Handbooks Vol I & II

Common misconception. The 115gr has one of the highest expansion velocities, which is utterly baffling since that's what Barnes loads in their factory ammo. The 100gr TTSX and 127gr LRX have the lowest. Here are the expansion velocities for their 6.5mm lineup (grabbed from a forum, but also matches what customer service gave me): 100 gr TTSX = 1600 fps 120 gr TTSX = 1700 fps 127 gr LRX = 1600 fps 120 gr TSX = 1800 fps 130 gr TSX = 1800 fps 115 gr Tac-Tx = 1800 fps

I can personally recommend the 105gr mkz if you reload. A little on the expensive side, but performance has been amazing for me.

Both of those have a hard time expanding at Grendel velocities once you get out past 200yds. Maker TREX and Cavity Back bullets expand down to much lower impact velocities.

@@LRRPFco52 I would like to see them actually tested together.

@@blackfam972 There’s a big thread on all the Lead-Free Projectiles on the Grendel Forum. We even used cut-down GMXs back in the day. I shot some 94fr GMXs at 2800fps. Performed well for several hunters. Anything 120gr is too long to get a lot of velocity from, unless the maker uses softer alloy like Maker and Cavity Back did with 105s and 118s.

@@LRRPFco52 Yes i know you banned me from the Grendel forum remember ? but you are wrong with the 120 Nosler Etips velocity is decent better than the GMX or TTSX. I get about 2540 from my 22in and 2500 from my 20in with CFE223. Thats without pressure signs on the brass i can't swear thats below 52K but good for my purposes. I think my load is around 30.5g of CFE223 r if i remember right. . With a BC of .500 thats good for several hundred yards. I killed a mule deer with one but as it was a pass through head and neck shot i could not determine expansion.

@@blackfam972 I’ve only banned spammers. It must have been another moderator if I recall. They will all kill, but the 120gr lead-free bullets are often hard to get to expand as-designed.

This was a load I worked up using CFE 223. At the time I did not have any load data to go off of. Since then, nosler has some load data using 130 grain bullets posting very similar velocities to what I was getting with these LRX bullets. Obviously there can be differences from one gun to the next. Just because I'm getting 2500 ft a second doesn't mean that someone else will get that without seeing pressure signs. However, in long heavy bullets for the Grendel, I personally have found that CFE 223 is king for velocity

Thanks for the response! I know the LRX bullets are typically longer than their grain weight suggests, and I know that any AR platform cartridge is limited in head height, so I was worried that even though you may get these velocities out of typical jacket-core bullets at 130 gr, you may not get them from similar weight monometal copper bullets, since with the latter you may have to seat them lower and thus reduce powder capacity. This is very promising! I'm thinking of getting a Grendel myself and this is a key bullet in my decision process. VhitaVuori has some load data on the Grendel too but velocities are pretty low; they've got a 123 gr Lapua Scenar maxed out at 2431 fps on a 24" barrel.

Yes, those speeds were a bit spicy. You can get a little more velocity by increasing the COL and adding a little charge weight, as long as you don't jam the lands and mags will allow longer COL. CProducs mags allow longer COL than Elanders.

Imr 8208xbr would be my go to for that weight and bullet. It's also hard to come by. I would put benchmark or ramshot tac on that list too

Depends on the bullet. 129gr ABLR expands down to 1300fps, has a really high BC at .562 G1. Maker TREX and Cavity Back monoliths expand down to lower impact speeds in the 1600fps region.

@hernanderforce That statement couldn't be further from the truth. I've taken out several mule deer at 800m with Barnes 120gr TSX. Regardless of the caliber and bullet characteristics, shot placement is crucial. Barnes is the superior bullet, as far as solid copper projectiles and expansion have always been consistent within the parameters I've taken my shot.

@@surq0784 Which cartridge were you using at 800m for the 120gr TSX?

​@@surq0784 Yeah this guy is crazy. They're taking out elk at 400 and mule and antelope way out at 800+

I load a 105gr MKZ and run it at 2800 fps from a 24" barrel getting 1/2 moa groups or better. Farthest shot so far on a deer was 297 yds and he was quartering away heavy. Entered behind the ribs, through the heart, and out the brisket. Field dressed 180 lbs. Not a monster, but not Bambi either. Based on the internal wounding, I'd say the projectile expanded nicely and penetrated roughly 30" before exiting.

A higher sectional density and more mass is the reason for deeper penetration. The 127-grain bullet is longer and heavier than the 120-grain bullet.