Grendel shooters, brass question

[Riflehunter1776]

How many of you guys have had success with fire forming 7.62x39 commercial brass to 6.5 grendel?

I have a ton of good new commercial brass (mostly Win, some FC) for an AR-47 and CZ bolt gun; and since I'm cheap...I mean 'thrifty', I thought I'd use some of it for my new Grendel build. So after talking to a few people and watching a few youtube videos for procedure, I loaded a flat of 50 WW cases by running them through a Grendel FL sizer, checking them with a case gauge, and then loaded a starting charge with light bullets. No problems.

However, once I had my fire formed cases in hand, I went searching for various loads to try out with the powder I currently have .... and at that point I began to come across more and more online threads with people claiming that the 7.62/6.5 grendel brass only lasts 2 or 3 loadings....claims that the primer pockets loosened immediately, that the brass fails regularly, that pressure is considerably higher, etc etc. Basically many of these comments made it sound like I'm a walking dead man just waiting for the catastrophic failure to happen, because of resizing the 7.62 brass rather than buying the expensive Norma stuff.

So, has anyone here done it, and what were your actual results? Respectfully, I'm not looking for what a non-grendel-owner heard from their cousin's former roommate, but I am very interested in info from anyone who has actual first hand knowledge.

thanks.

 

[MudRunner2005]

For my AR I use the Hornady Grendel brass (pretty cheap). But if I was shooting a bolt-action Grendel, I'd be using Lapua Grendel brass.

As cheap as Hornady Grendel brass is ($0.46 each), I don't think the effort to reform 7.62x39 brass into Grendel brass would be worth the hassle.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply..../6half-grendel-unprimed-rifle-brass-100-count

 

[Riflehunter1776]

For my AR I use the Hornady Grendel brass (pretty cheap). But if I was shooting a bolt-action Grendel, I'd be using Lapua Grendel brass.

As cheap as Hornady Grendel brass is ($0.46 each), I don't think the effort to reform 7.62x39 brass into Grendel brass would be worth the hassle.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply..../6half-grendel-unprimed-rifle-brass-100-count

thanks; I have seen that .46c hornady brass on that website as well as midway, and if it's a safety issue I'll certainly go that route.

But forming the 7.62 was so easy that I didn't find it to be much of a hassle. I just don't want to do something that others have found to be dangerous ....... if it is indeed dangerous, and not just more internet yammering.

 

[MudRunner2005]

thanks; I have seen that .46c hornady brass on that website as well as midway, and if it's a safety issue I'll certainly go that route.

But forming the 7.62 was so easy that I didn't find it to be much of a hassle. I just don't want to do something that others have found to be dangerous ....... if it is indeed dangerous, and not just more internet yammering.

I don't know if it's any more dangerous than forming any other cases into wildcat cartridges... The internet is filled with dumbasses, and those dumbasses fill the internet with false information. It's hard to wade-through the BS to find the truth sometimes. I form cartridges for wildcats with no problem, so I wouldn't think its anymore dangerous than that.

But for 6.5G, I just buy 6.5G brass. Just personal opinion. But if you already have all that x39 brass, you might as well use it. Hell, you might could even sell it, and ****-near pay for the 6.5G brass?

 

[RT2506]

I just bought 100 rounds of Hornady 123 SST ammo from Midway to break in my soon to come Grendel upper. I bought it cheaper than I could get the brass and bullets and powder and primers and load them. Plus I have learned over the past 30 years of hand loading that I want cases that have been fired once to do my load work up with. New cases do not shoot the same as cases that have been preciously fired and then full length sized.

 

[Ckgworks]

Riflehunter, when I started down the Grendel road, brass was hard to find. I had about 100 7.62x39 brass cases so I formed them up. Forming was easy, but I never found a decent load for use during forming (the forming load was shooting about 2" groups) In short, the 6.5 grendel brass became more available and I went that way. I still use the 7.62 brass that I have for a hunting load I worked up with Leverlution powder and 125 gr Noz. partitions. I have at least 4 loads on them and I haven't lost any brass or body parts, but they are not a hot load. I just read on another form about a guy going subsonic with 160gr bullets in the grendel. His prefered load was in a non fire formed case! I will play with this someday I think and if it works, I may have my fireform load. Anyway, just more info for you.

 

[Mach 1]

I would just save the time and buy lapua brass. I've shot all different headsramp. On the crap end is hornady on the good end is lapua. Granted the lapua brass cost twice as much but in my experience it will last way longer, especially if you don't anneal your brass. Ar guns are hard on brass

 

[Alaska_Guy]

I own a 6.5 grendel and asked this same question a while ago to a person I trust who owns his own gun store. He said he has used 7.62 brass countless times and has had zero issues with it. He said if you have a bunch laying around to give it a shot. Brass life will vary based on brand, but he said it was worth the effort in his AR platform.

 

[Pootyng]

There is an enormous amount of Grendel info on the 65grendel forum. You don't have to be a member to use it.