[Big Tool]

I posted this in the handloading forum, and figured I would share it here as well.

I love my 6.5 grendel but ammo has always been hard to find and expensive.

I eventually started reloading to save some $$$. However the 6.5 grendel brass is often sold out and is now costing 70-80cents a piece.

After reading alot I found out how to convert regular ol cheap 7.62x39 brass into 6.5 grendel and it is easy as heck.

I started off by buying 1k pieces of IMI 7.62x39brass from wideners. Then I followed proceeded in this order.

1 .lube then Run imi 7.62x39 brass through 6.5 grendel sizing die
2. Prime resized cases with CCI BR2 Large rifle primer
3. Load case with 27 grains of Hogdon BCL-2
4. Seated 120gr. Speer hot cor bullet "cheapest 6.5 bullet I could find"
5. To fireform just load and shoot.
6. Now you have pretty new 6.5grendel brass

Before it is shot the first time the shoulder isn't fully blown out so therefore there is less case capacity. You also will not be able to fully load a magazine until the cases are fireformed. I loaded 5rds at a time into my 10rd magazine and didn't have any problems with the action cycling or ejecting.

ONce these steps are complete you have 6.5 grendel brass that cost about 17cents a piece. ONly difference is the brass has a large primer pocket instead of a small primer.

Just thought I would post here in case any of you guys are considering purchasing a grendel but are worried about finding ammo and components in the future.

These were shot while fireforming the brass. Just casual fast follow up shots. Grouping was better than I expected at 100 yards.


If you look closely at the shoulder of these bullets you can tell the fireformed cases have a crisper shoulder angle. The loaded bullets haven't been shot yet and are more rounded like a.



This shows the 7.62x39 loaded with a 6.5 bullet before being fireformed into 6.5 grendel. The Outside bullets are factory 6.5 grendel. AGain notice the shoulder angle.

[SwedeSteve]

Thanks for the info !!

[Darth AkSarBen]

I believe if you buy Remington bullets or brass they have the small rifle primers in them. That was always a thing about the 7.62 x 39 Soviet. It made a difference in who made the bullets.

[Palladin8]

Big Tool, have you fired them since? I have read many posts on the 6.5grendel forum about guys fire forming but then having to inside ream the necks as the brass creates a "doughnut". If you don't then you can see a significant rise in pressure even with minimum loads. That is one thing you have to consider when reducing the neck diameter.

[Darth AkSarBen]

Too bad someone like Lee Precision doesn't make a 2 stage die set. 1st one to resize using hydraulics (water) and then the next one to resize to 6.5 Grendel specs. Wold save some wear and tear on the firing a live round, and save expending bullets.

[Palladin8]

Darth, There was a video on youtube some time ago that someone had done that very thing. I think he modified an old sizing die and the welded the bottom of a shell holder closed. I believe he would first size the neck and then would seat an old primer and then use a .264 or slightly smaller punch and hit it with a hammer. It would blow out the body of the brass without splitting the necks like fire forming does sometimes. It does save on the price of reloading components but the trade off is time and the mess it makes.

[Darth AkSarBen]

I saw that video, and saved it from the temporary Internet folder to "My Videos" so I can watch it again without having to go back to www youtube.com I saw the water, but was unsure of what kind of die he was using and what kind of punch he was taping at the top. You are right....looks messy but should water form the brass to the right dimensions.

What would be better would be a die and press that as you pushed the cartridge up, it created pressure inside at the same time without the hammer and punch affair coming down from the top. That would be so much faster and easier. Just push up the shell in the holder and the water pressure inside would resize the brass into the new 6.5 Grendel size, then just resize in a 6.5 Grendel resizing die. Lee makes them for Alexander Arms. I saw it advertised on Alexander's web site.

[Ferroflame]

Nifty way to save a lot of money for those who love 6.5! Very good. :] I love stuff like this.

[Darth AkSarBen]

Or.... you can also fire form the brass as I saw on another spot on the web. Just use lighter loads, resize the neck to hold the 6.5 brass and fire away. He actually had pretty good groups even with the fire formed stuff.

Here is a link to a blog about stuff, and it shows a documented target of the 6.5 Grendel shot at 660 yards (that's 1,980 feet!!) and a 5 shot group of just 1.198" at that distance. and the link: http://www.6mmbr.com/BlogMarch2006.html

[gun monkey]

A good read for any handloader is, The Handloaders Manual to Cartridge Conversions. There's alot of tricks in there that have been forgotten.