Just like the title says...

any interest in the 6.5 Grendel and Blue Dot Load data... talking bolt action here...

Been working on some for myself since winter is finally here and the lock downs are going full bore...

If not I won't pursue it any further than I have with it....

John,

I would like to see what kind of velocity the little case can muster with Blue Dot.

Absolutely

Seafire.

I do not own, nor have any immediate plans to own a 6.5 Grendel, but I'm thankful for any of your research that YOU want to conduct. You add a lot to the conversation, and I thank you for it.

You beat me to it, AS.

Your experiments are always appreciated, Seafire.

Heck yea, especially if the loads can apply to another cartridge.

I too would be interested in what kind of velocities you can generate with Blue Dot. And from days of old, I used some .243 Blue Dot loads of yours in a .243 to start my now 22 year old daughter on in a M7 at age 8. Always appreciate your good info.

Okay guys....

Will be happy to post if you're interested...

Its rain season here, so it may take some time to chronograph the rounds...

What I have done so far is the old formula I posted long ago, about figuring out how to find the high end and low end with Blue Dot in about any rifle case....Fill to the brim, and then weigh the powder volume it held.... then parameters going from 20% of that capacity, up to 60%...
Short fat cases like the Grendal, usually work safely with up to the 60 % point...

So what I have to share up to this point:

Case Capacity : 27.3 grains ( Hornady Case)

Bullets weights confirmed;
1. 100 grain SP Hornady
2. 120 grain Sierra HP Match
3. 130 grain Gamechanger from Sierra
4. 140 grain Speer SP.

Based on the small capacity of the case, I started out with 30% of max...

What that works out to be:
1. 35% is 9.6 grains of powder
2. 40% is 11 grains of powder
3. 45% is 12.5 grains of powder
4. 50% is 13.7 grains of powder.

I quit testing the loads being safe at this point first...
the 140 grain bullet and max load, were safe and were hitting the 300 yd bank I was using for a back drop..
There fore I feel with the drop I saw, at 300 yds, those loads would be useable for 300 yd hunting distances...

Observed very light recoil with any bullet used with the 35% and 40% loads, would work real well for kids and new shooters...

I also tested at that point... 55 and 60% loads with the 140 grain bullets.... 55 % worked great..
The 60% load when processing the case to reload again, did notice some slight loosening.. but then the primer still seated stiff and tight..
the other loads above, the primer went back in as tight and stiff as it if was the first time reloading...

All cases were resized after each time... neck sized first, shoulder bumped back second, Annealed third...then primer seated once again.

Hornady Brass has proven tough, especially for Hornady, which I am usually not impressed for the long run...However another batch of the brass I tested and used for hunting season, have been loaded 11 times now ( batch of 10 cases), and primer pockets are still nice and tight like new... and have digested stiff loads each time...

Rifle used for testing: Ruger American Predator.... came with a 10 round AR style magazine...

as weather permits... I'll chronograph loads with
1. 85 grain Sierra HP
2. Speer 90 TNT
3. Hornady 95 V Maxes
4. 100 grain Hornady SP or A Maxes
5. 120 gr Sierra HP Match
6. 129 grain SP Hornadys
7. 140 grain Speer SPs...

another side interest I am going to chase, is to try the case with 160 gr RN... to kind of explore an equal to the concept of the 300 Blackout...
this will be done with other powder than Blue Dot...

Will keep folks posted here on the Big Game Reload forum...

Good on you John for doing these tests.

I will be watching for the new loads/bullets.

Nice job! I was just thinking about this a couple days ago and wondering about blue dot in a .223 or 7.62x39.

I've been doing 223 load data for 15 years if not more.... that info is all over the net...

haven't owned a 7.62 x 39 in 25 years tho... may get one tho to test with Blue Dot...

Your efforts and generosity in sharing are always appreciated, Seafire

Guys, this is a littler older thread

I thought I had posted this, as I had done a work up on all of that... but don't see it here... So maybe I got side tracked and it got lost in the shuffle.

Last couple of days, I did some work up loads for deer season here, some loads with Blue Dot. Can't find my original work from 2020.

Maybe after deer season here I'll have more time to go and duplicate the original work up on the loads I did and evidently never posted.

Here's what I did the last few days over at the range, for this season's use.

1. 100 grain Hornady SP 13 grains: 2069 14 grs: 2219

2. 90 gr Nosler Varmaggedon:
A) 13.5 grain Blue Dot: 2221 fps
B) 14.0 gr Blue Dot: 2296 fps
C) 14.5 : 2315 fps
D) 15 gr: 2400 fps
E) 15.5 gr: 2475 fps
F) 16 gr Blue Dot: 2529 fps
G) 16.5 Blue Dot: 2572 fps ( 60 % ) capacity load..
Blue Dot to the Rim of the case ( Hornady Case) 27.4 grains.

3. 100 grain A Max
A) 15 gr Blue Dot: 2278 fps
B) 15.5 gr Blue Dot: 2334 fps
C) 16 gr Blue Dot: 2409 fps
D) 16.5 gr Blue Dot: 2452 fps

4. 100 gr A Max
A) 28.5 gr AR Comp: 2825 fps.

Will follow up when I get a chance to do more chronographing work, with Blue Dot.

6.5 Grendel aficionado here. I would love to see some more data for it. I’ve mostly toyed with the 120-123 gr class of projectiles with stellar results with Benchmark and CFE223

I for one would definitely be interested

Because you are a new member here I want to advise you that BlueDot is not a propellant for high velocity loads. Rather, it is a fine powder for reduced velocity loads - but those can still be high pressure loads. I’ve used Seafire’s BD data as well as my own for many years, but you need to realize that it is not for careless reloaders. It is possible to double charge a case with BD, which will disassemble your rifle quickly.

Based on my own experience, I don’t load to the 60% charge weight maximum, BlueDot burn rates have changed over the past 15 years with recent lots a bit hotter than older lots - or so it seems based on my chrono data. I do use BD a lot in many of my rifles, for example in my .338 Magnum it provides excellent deer and hog hunting performance with reduced recoil and blast from my M116. My No. 1 Ruger in .22-250 shoots sub-moa using it. It often provides excellent accuracy, but it is not for everyone.




.

Love this experiment!
I have 3 Grendel’s
Including a Ruger American predator also, which is an unbelievably accurate budget rifle! It’s literally a .4”-.5” gun with Hornady black
Thanks for sharing the info

TAG

Tag also

Good stuff here. Thanks John.

Tag

Donkey Schoene...

Seafire, correct me if I’m wrong but don’t you have quite an extensive library of reduced, efficient & perhaps unique loading configurations that you’ve shared through the years?

POC

I know you played with the blue dot loads for quite some time. what about temperature sensitivity & powder position? you noticed any definite issues with that?

Yeah POC... you can google Seafire's Blue Dot loads and find a lot of it floating around the internet...

the Archives here on the Campfire has a bunch of them... when I had to upgrade my computer, when the old one went Snafu, a lot of them got lost in the transition of the hard drives... however I look a lot of them up on the internet myself...

1.. Position sensitivity ? none noticed. ever

2. Temp Sensitivity? between 20 degrees and 100 degrees, none noticed... ever.

Have loaded and fired thousands of Blue Dot rounds, in multiple calibers... in 223 caliber, at least 40,000 or more...

If you have any caliber in mind.. let me and I should be able to locate and pass on the info I compiled, with Charge, bullet weight, from starting to max loads...

Pistol and shotgun powders do have much different characteristic than rifle powder, but they still work just fine in rifle cases....