Want a 18" LW 1-8 twist 6.5 Grendel buy a barrel and build or buy an upper? Thoughts and links please? Using my existing lower, Bush Master Lower with Jewel trigger. Buddy gave me a stripped upper receiver.

I bought an Alexander Arms Lightweight Upper with the 18” barrel last fall and have been happy with quality and accuracy. It is a full pound lighter than the LaRue kit that I was also considering. Very nice to carry and the Fusion round plays havoc on whitetail innards

I built mine:



It didn't end up quite as light as I intended. I got impatient and ordered a Midway barrel during the long wait for AA to deliver their lightweight barrel. It arrived a month or so after I finished the build and I will likely put that one on a slick side upper I have laying here to make a truly lightweight upper. All I need is a BCG (I have the AA bolt) and a light handguard.

Take a look at Faxon barrels, there lightweight profile, and the gas hole is not super large like some manufactures like to drill (over gas) the gas hole. Another would be BHW Black hole weaponry known as Columbia river barrels, they chamber in 264 LBC which is more less a match chamber, tighter neck by .003 then saami and a slightly shorter throat depth. If you go BHW I'd recommend ordering it in polished and no fluting. If you want flutes to lighten it have a gunsmith do itReason I say this BHW does not cut very deep and there fluting does not lighten up barrel enough for what you pay them. Also when ordering from BHW specify a gas hole diameter such as .070 you can always drill it out but you cant make it smaller. If its over gased you'll be doing things like trying heavy buffers, ect. which ads weight to rifle. As of right now the best magazines are Alexander arms and usually on back order, best to order them right away so you get them in the near future. If you get the saami .136 bolt depth barrel, I like JP enterprise bolts. Cant recommend a specific .125 bolt depth bolt for the 264 LBC but I went with a Aim surplus NIB bolt and been working just fine so far.

BCM Mlok and Daniel defense XMR Mlok would be my choice for forarms.

How are the Stoner upper assemblies?

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1...rendel-20-barrel-with-15-m-lok-handguard

Larue Ultimate Upper Kit. His barrels shoot and the guns work.

Bought a 20" Upper complete 1-8 Twist from shoots great and accurate. Bought it from here.


https://www.ar15part.com/AR-15-Upper-Receiver-Assemblies-s/1834.htm

20" 1-8 Upper 6.5 Grendel (AR15Parts.com )1X4 SWFA, BMaster lower.

Try some 123gr amax, crazy accurate in my grendal.

Those seem reasonably priced - can you elaborate on the accuracy (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 MOA)? What did you use for magazines (didn't see any on their site)?

Only shot it 20 times with Hornady 123 GR factory less than 1.5" 3 shots 4th opened to under 2". Used there 10 shot mag its on there site have not tested the 25 rd ones, but look well made.

Found some more ammo plan on shooting it again soon, ammo not readily available at every store here. So far very impressed.

The bolt carrier group is the more expensive ( premium Nitride) one on there site.

Lots of reports of the 6.5 Grendel bolt breaking, very thin at out side edge, compared to a regular 5.56 bolt.

Get one from Young manufacturing.............it's thicker where it matters.

I think AR Performance & Alexander Arms also have a beefed up version as well.

MM

Young 6.5 Bolt

Build one.

Shot the 6.5 Grendel today with a 3 X 10 Grand Slam Tact. with turrets, very impressed with rifle.

4 @ .843 120 Gr Midway bulk and Tac

3 @ .42 4 @ 1.3" 123 Horn Amax & Tac

90 Gr Fact HP FC 4 @ .592" 2 failures to feed bullet is short?

Windy conditions all shot at 100 yards. Fed and functioned great with my reloads.

I've had similar accuracy results with 123gr Amax/ELD and 120gr SMK handloads in my 12.5" 6.5 Grendel. It seems to be a cartridge that just shoots well easily.

For cheap blasting ammo, the Wolf "military classic" is pretty decent in my rifle, turning in 100 yd groups close to 1 moa which is better than I'd hoped for a short barrel and steel jacketed FMJ. If any of you guys see more of that stuff available in less than full case quantities, I wouldn't mind picking up some more. (Clarification - Cabelas usually has it, but for double the price of everyone else. It can be had for $5-$6 per box.)

DiamondBack Arms has just released a new AR in 6.5 Grendel that retails for about $700 bucks. Saw one at my LGS yesterday. If it shoots half as good as my DiamondBack AR in .223 or Barry’s DiamondBack AR in .308, it will be a hell of a deal. Thinking I may just need a new pig killer for the Ranch. It comes with a nice slim free floating hand guard and a collapsible stock and has a full length picitany rail for a scope or sights.

My question is how the 6.5 Grendel compares to the 6.8 and 300 Blackout round ballistics wise? It should have at least a higher BC.