I am looking for a 6.5 grendel upper and don't find a lot of options out there on the interweb. Any recommendations? I thought about just building one but would prefer to find one complete from a reputable company. Would like to keep cost around a grand and want an 18 inch barrel. Will be used for hunting and plinking. I also don't have all of the tools to build an upper but I know it won't take a huge investment to do so. Any thoughts?
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6.5 grendel options
- Thread starter mikethetiger55
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Aero Precision, Odinworks are a couple of good uppers. Try Granite Ridge and Arm or Ally and see if they have a sale on the Aero Precision.
Alexander Arms, Wilson Combat, JP, PrecisionFirearms for starters. Check over on 65Grendel.com, there are usually uppers for sale there. That said, have built 5 very accurate Grendel uppers and would look into it if you feel confident and can put together a few basic tools. Focus on the barrel. Satern cut rifle barrels have been exceptional, Lilja and JP, as well. Keystone can spin you up a Bartlein or Krieger, as well.
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One time offer from Midway. $349.
I finally bit on the bait when I saw this one. Ordered it Monday, paid the extra shipping, and it should arrive today.
20" barrel with the A2 flash hider. I've had good results from this one's 16", 1:7", 5.56 chambered cousin.
I'm planning on buying some American Eagle 90gr Varmint/Predator loads. If it shoots it good, I'll just skip the load development stage.
For now, I'll put on an older Tasco 6-24x42 MilDot Varmint/Target Scope in some Nikon P-Series mounts.
Yes, it's a cheap scope. I've had three of them for well over a decade, and have used one of them on a 260 at 1000yd for years of F Open competition. They just keep on truckin', and have never made me feel like I made a mistake on them.
Looking at these magazines to complete the ensemble.
Greg
I finally bit on the bait when I saw this one. Ordered it Monday, paid the extra shipping, and it should arrive today.
20" barrel with the A2 flash hider. I've had good results from this one's 16", 1:7", 5.56 chambered cousin.
I'm planning on buying some American Eagle 90gr Varmint/Predator loads. If it shoots it good, I'll just skip the load development stage.
For now, I'll put on an older Tasco 6-24x42 MilDot Varmint/Target Scope in some Nikon P-Series mounts.
Yes, it's a cheap scope. I've had three of them for well over a decade, and have used one of them on a 260 at 1000yd for years of F Open competition. They just keep on truckin', and have never made me feel like I made a mistake on them.
Looking at these magazines to complete the ensemble.
Greg
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I was farting around and looked at the Satern site and they have about five or six different cut rifle Grendel barrels. Now ordering a custom cut from Satern is like pulling teeth but if they have it in stock and it'll work, you really can't do better. My 20" is the only AR I've got that can do .33MOA groups consistently. Just a ragged hole.
I like the VLTOR uppers for these and I used a 2nd gen. Noveske lower. Noveske makes one of the best receivers you can get, better than the KAC lowers IMO/E. They make a matching upper but the VLTOR MUR1 matches it like it was made for it too (Noveske uses/used a lot of VLTOR stuff). Geissele Hi-Speed. I usually use a JP Ent. FMOS carrier but this one has a carpenter steel milspec type, PRI gasbuster handle. URX4 keymod, MIAD grip and UBR A5 stock assy. This one has a Larue gas block, it's solid and Satern cuts use a long gas block. TBAC 6.5 Ultra 9 suppressor is the tits with these rifles. The 3.5-10x Mk4 is getting the job done; the Badger mount is high to accommodate night vision.
I'm tempted to get another Satern barrel and if I had the extra money I'd definitely get one while they have a selection to choose from. I think I saw an 18" in there, definitely a 20 and a 24. Bill Alexander was using a 22 or 24 inch Satern when I used to talk to him back when these came out. He's the one that told me to use 120gr. Nosler BT's and they turned out to be the magic for me too. Another guy on here has a 24" Satern and he's getting sub-MOA results also just starting out. Satern was also one of if not the first one to cut a Grendel barrel for AA too.
Good luck, whichever way you go I'd highly recommend these barrels though.
I like the VLTOR uppers for these and I used a 2nd gen. Noveske lower. Noveske makes one of the best receivers you can get, better than the KAC lowers IMO/E. They make a matching upper but the VLTOR MUR1 matches it like it was made for it too (Noveske uses/used a lot of VLTOR stuff). Geissele Hi-Speed. I usually use a JP Ent. FMOS carrier but this one has a carpenter steel milspec type, PRI gasbuster handle. URX4 keymod, MIAD grip and UBR A5 stock assy. This one has a Larue gas block, it's solid and Satern cuts use a long gas block. TBAC 6.5 Ultra 9 suppressor is the tits with these rifles. The 3.5-10x Mk4 is getting the job done; the Badger mount is high to accommodate night vision.
I'm tempted to get another Satern barrel and if I had the extra money I'd definitely get one while they have a selection to choose from. I think I saw an 18" in there, definitely a 20 and a 24. Bill Alexander was using a 22 or 24 inch Satern when I used to talk to him back when these came out. He's the one that told me to use 120gr. Nosler BT's and they turned out to be the magic for me too. Another guy on here has a 24" Satern and he's getting sub-MOA results also just starting out. Satern was also one of if not the first one to cut a Grendel barrel for AA too.
Good luck, whichever way you go I'd highly recommend these barrels though.
I had those same questions not so long ago. I had advice from a veteran gunsmith to do a complete build. Tools were a small expense, just shop around for the specials and tools and the parts.
I ended up going with a Faxon 20" match fluted SS barrel, (they offer complete uppers last I checked), Odin works BCG and adjustable gas block, Geissele SSA-E trigger and loved doing it and now shooting it. Best way to know your rifle is to build it.
Build it. ARs are like Legos. Not doing so is ridiculous - an upfront investment of perhaps $100 in tools gets you a lifetime of serviceability and configurability. Check in with Paul Craddock for a barrel - I had him spin up a pair of shorties on a Bartlein blank that shoot incredibly well, at a fair price.
The AR Stoner Upper arrived last afternoon. Looks very neat and slim; not much else can be said until it's fired. Mounts, Magazines, and 100rd of American Eagle 90gr Varmint/Predator ammunition on order from Midway. Checked and confirmed barrel is 8" twist, heavy fluted, 5R rifling.
Although I have built an Upper, I went with a complete one from the factory. I like the idea that the item will be one that's been developed and debugged by someone who knows more about it than I do. AR Stoner appears to be like a house brand at Midway. I took a chance on a 16" lightweight 5.56 one earlier, and it worked out well; hence this choice.
I'd been hung on the idea of getting/building an AR-10 in .260 for years. But the costs were just daunting. So when this came along, I did a retry on my research, and recognized that the Grendel did what I wanted about putting a 6.5 in an AR type firearm.
Not quite as capable as the .260, but a lot easier and more affordable, providing the ability to employ a very nice Stag Model 6 Lower with a 6.5 capability. Some deeper consideration, and I came to the conclusion that my LR needs are not as compelling as they once were; so the Grendel fits my goals a lot better than it might have before.
I'm really glad I joined this topic; thanks folks.
Greg
Although I have built an Upper, I went with a complete one from the factory. I like the idea that the item will be one that's been developed and debugged by someone who knows more about it than I do. AR Stoner appears to be like a house brand at Midway. I took a chance on a 16" lightweight 5.56 one earlier, and it worked out well; hence this choice.
I'd been hung on the idea of getting/building an AR-10 in .260 for years. But the costs were just daunting. So when this came along, I did a retry on my research, and recognized that the Grendel did what I wanted about putting a 6.5 in an AR type firearm.
Not quite as capable as the .260, but a lot easier and more affordable, providing the ability to employ a very nice Stag Model 6 Lower with a 6.5 capability. Some deeper consideration, and I came to the conclusion that my LR needs are not as compelling as they once were; so the Grendel fits my goals a lot better than it might have before.
I'm really glad I joined this topic; thanks folks.
Greg
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One thing of note about Grendel I’ve seen with a good representation of quality barrels is how forgiving this caliber and 8/8.5 twist is with a variety of powders and bullet weights from 100-129gr. There seems to be a broad range in which to find very good to excellent accuracy and velocity. From a handloading perspective, extremely flexible, and factory ammo almost equally good.
Has anyone found a maker of barrels that will reliably shoot steelcase Wolf 6.5 into very small groups? My friend has an older AA barrel that shoots sub-inch 5-shot groups at 100m, another has a PSA stainless barrel that will do the same, but the AA barrel I bought 6 months ago shoots them into 2-3" groups (same lot of ammo). My Bartlein also will not shoot it well. The bullets are undersized by something like 0.002", for what it's worth.
