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Speer 6mm .243 Diameter 75 Grain Hollow Point
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10-04-2020, 12:39 AM
Anyone try these? $12.28/100 at Midsouth, which is cheaper than any 50+ grain .224 bullet on ammoseek as of now (Hornady 55 gr FMJ is 13¢ per!). If 7.62x39 brass works for me, it'll be cheaper high volume ammo than .223, use large rifle primers and be effective on 2 legged varmints if it comes to that. 1.5 - 2 MOA would be fine....
10-04-2020, 06:20 AM
(10-04-2020, 12:39 AM)StoneHendge Wrote: Anyone try these? $12.28/100 at Midsouth, which is cheaper than any 50+ grain .224 bullet on ammoseek as of now (Hornady 55 gr FMJ is 13¢ per!). If 7.62x39 brass works for me, it'll be cheaper high volume ammo than .223, use large rifle primers and be effective on 2 legged varmints if it comes to that. 1.5 - 2 MOA would be fine....Dang thrifty AND wicked on bi-pedal critters.... What velocities are you expecting?
10-04-2020, 02:39 PM
(10-04-2020, 06:20 AM)danm Wrote:I'll probably just look for a mild load in the 2800s. No need to burn the barrel with high volume target loads. I'll also probably try to find a POI close to my 95 gr TMK load. I got the 70 grain NBTVs going 3100 with XBR out of my 18" 243 LBC but ended up deciding to keep my stash of them dedicated to my 6x45 where I get them just shy of 3k out of a 24".(as well as keep my XBR for my 6.5G).(10-04-2020, 12:39 AM)StoneHendge Wrote: Anyone try these? $12.28/100 at Midsouth, which is cheaper than any 50+ grain .224 bullet on ammoseek as of now (Hornady 55 gr FMJ is 13¢ per!). If 7.62x39 brass works for me, it'll be cheaper high volume ammo than .223, use large rifle primers and be effective on 2 legged varmints if it comes to that. 1.5 - 2 MOA would be fine....Dang thrifty AND wicked on bi-pedal critters.... What velocities are you expecting? 
10-05-2020, 01:20 PM
The Grendel community used a lot of 7.62x39 brass in the early days when factory brass was hard to find.
Observations: 1) Brass cases should be used 2) At least some 7.62x39 brass is thicker than Hornady & Lapua brass. — Max safe loads will have abit less powder — Weigh or, preferably, measure the volume with water to verify difference in unternal volume. 3) Some 7.62x39 brass useslarge primers, so check that too in the brass you collect. There might be other issues raised in the Grendel forum, but the stuff should work! 
In my box of miscellaneous fired brass, I found I have some Remington 7.62x39 brass that uses small rifle primers. All other brands of 7.62x39 brass in that box use large rifle primers (Lapua, Winchester, PMC & some with an IK [Yugoslavia] head stamp). I resized some of them to 6.5 Grendel & found the Lapua brass might need to be neck turned. Their brass is thicker in the neck than the other brands after resizing.
The trick is growing up without growing old. -- Casey Stengal
10-12-2020, 03:43 AM
Ran some 7.62x39 brass through my Hornady 6mm ARC sizer die. The first two cases collapsed at the neck. Changed over to the 6.5 Grendel sizer & ran 10 more cases without any problem. Ran those 10 cases in the 6mm ARC die & they all sized down without any cases collapsing. So folks, it looks like 7.62x39 brass might need two sizing steps to get them to 6mm ARC.
I have no plans on reloading those cases. This was just an experiment. I have 100 rounds of 6mm ARC (Hornady 105gr BTHP) on the way from Graf & Sons. Tracking says Wednesday... :-)
The trick is growing up without growing old. -- Casey Stengal
10-12-2020, 08:01 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2020, 08:01 PM by GrendelHunter.)
Im using Nosler and Win unfired 7.62x39 brass (both large primer) and was able to size it straight to 6mm ARC using Lee case lube (kinda pasty buttery stuff). During fire forming it will stay the rough trim length or shrink slightly. Just a heads up.
The 7.62 X 39 brass I have is all once-fired, mixed head stamp brass (range pick-ups). I used Hornady spray lube on them which is what I use when I resize any brass. The only other lube I have is that RCBS stuff you spread on a pad that you roll brass on. I used to have some of that Lee case lube. Looked like lard to me, but butter fits too.
 Just looked at tracking for the ammo I have coming... it now says Thursday... Dang UPS! 
The trick is growing up without growing old. -- Casey Stengal
10-13-2020, 03:16 PM
Bob, use the RCBS stuff. I've been applying it to the inside and outside of the neck and the shoulder with a Q-Tip. Save the pricey spray stuff for elsewhere. The case body of 7.62x39 is smaller so the die doesn't even contact it.
I'm done with my experiment. I'm not gonna reload the stuff so the brass is already back in the fired brass box. I had some of that 7.62 X 39 brass that was really difficult to size down when I ran it through the 6.5 Grendel die. There is a ring around the head of the brass that didn't get sized down. I'd say the chamber it was fired in was a bit over-sized.
The trick is growing up without growing old. -- Casey Stengal
10-14-2020, 05:40 AM
Crikey! Yeah, some of the brass I got was pretty scary. Those AKs are violent. Crushed mouths, bent rims (although not as bent as I some I got with 22 Nosler) and the brass is as soft as a babys bottom. I haven't gotten to the range yet as it's sight in season and everything around me is running at 50% capacity, but I'm hoping the Geco brass works so I can just buy it new. I've got enough BR2's and GM210M's to last my 6.5 Creed through the 2024 election, so I might as well put my stash of CCI 200s and GM200s to work. Funny thing is if I could have shipped them. I probably would have sold the primers on Gunbroker when I got out of 308 and sold off my factory ammo, brass and bullets. I'm even thinking about breaking down the 175 rounds I had made for my P308 and forgot to shoot - there's a pound of powder in there I can use, I can make 300 BO plinkers with the bullets and someone might pay some coin for the primed brass!
10-14-2020, 02:25 PM
My 16” J&T barrel must be a little oversized chamber as I get that same ring just ahead of the case head on some brands of brass. Lapua brass being thicker gives a more pronounced ring on my 6.5 Grendel brass. The ring was there after sizing x39 brass to 6.5 Grendel. The x39 brass sized for 6.5 Grendel doesn’t last but a few reloads. All my x39 brass used large rifle primers.
I’m curious how my large primer PPU brass would fire form to 6 MM ARC. Some of the later lots of PPU LR primer brass was decent brass or at least equivalent to 7.62x39 brass.
10-15-2020, 09:48 PM
Starline just had 7.62x39 pop up in stock on their website. Ordered 500 for $168 shipped no tax. Hoping they use a harder alloy. We shall see.
Anyone use this Starline Grendel Basic brass? Seems like a lot of work to me. Gettin' lazy in my old age...
https://www.starlinebrass.com/grendel-basic
The trick is growing up without growing old. -- Casey Stengal
10-16-2020, 12:16 AM
The basic brass uses the precious small rifle primer. And for whatever reason, costs 50% more than the 6.5 G and twice as much as the 7.62x39. And the basic isn't even annealed.
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