AR Upper: 6.5 Grendel

[epic1856]

I'm building an AR for hunting and looking for some advice on those who have built a hunting AR.

What metal for the barrel?
Barrel length?
Barrel Twist?
Should I buy it piece meal or the whole upper?
Recommended Manufactures?

My budget is $600-$900.

[Aeonstar]

http://www.careycustomrifleco.com

Take a look at What he can build you. He has done two for me, one in 204 ruger and another in 6mm woa. Both are amazing guns that shoot 1/4" groups. He does the 6.5lbc but give the 6woa a look. Its my go to gun now

[bigboarstopper]

Take a look at the threads from the last few days called "AR calibers that compare to standard big game bolt action rifle calibers" there is some good info in there that a person should consider if they want to hunt with their AR and have a caliber that will have the same capibilities as most big game bolt rifles

[epic1856]

Take a look at the threads from the last few days called "AR calibers that compare to standard big game bolt action rifle calibers" there is some good info in there that a person should consider if they want to hunt with their AR and have a caliber that will have the same capibilities as most big game bolt rifles

Thanks I know what I'm getting with the 6.5 grendel and it's limitations. My primary big game rifle is a Stainless Tikka T3 7mm Rem Mag. I've already made my decision on the caliber just want recommendations on what folks have experienced and done with the 6.5 grendel.

Here is my Tikka and I:

[180ls1]

If your building a AR15 upper for hunting i wouldnt consider anything less then a WSSM upper, you really owe it to the animal.

[bigboarstopper]

You look a little jaundice. May wanna get checked out by a doctor

[epic1856]

You look a little jaundice. May wanna get checked out by a doctor

I'm not gonna lie. I had to google what jaundice meant.

[180ls1]

Remember to get decent performance from the Grendel you will need the 24" barrel and that is a lot to be lugging around.

[drutledge79]

Haha, I think the answer is that no one here knows the answer to your questions.

I've got a Bison 6.8 upper (16" barrel; JT rifle-length forend). I bought it complete and it's been great since the day I got it. Sorry I can't help with the Grendel. The one note I'd have is to go 20" which is a really good compromise for it: it benefits a lot from the extra length over 16" but going to 24" nets only 100fps advantage and then you're talking a rifle that's pretty damn long. I went w/ the 6.8 over a Grendel partially because it does so well at hunting ranges with the short barrel.

[steveOsteezy]

A 16" Grendel will perform better than a 16" 6.8 or 300blk. With that being said, you should probably look for an 18" barrel to have a nice balance between ballistics and maneuverability.

[Aeonstar]

If your building a AR15 upper for hunting i wouldnt consider anything less then a WSSM upper, you really owe it to the animal.

That is just a false statement sorry bro. For all pacific hybrids and black tails the 6.5 is a great choice. Any of the 6.8spc or Grendal variants are great do it all west coast guns. Deer pigs and varmints are all on the menu

[runway1]

A 16" Grendel will perform better than a 16" 6.8 or 300blk. With that being said, you should probably look for an 18" barrel to have a nice balance between ballistics and maneuverability.

Huh?? Dear God. The stuff you hear on this forum is dazzling. Under 300 yds, you're totally backwards.

[180ls1]

That is just a false statement sorry bro. For all pacific hybrids and black tails the 6.5 is a great choice. Any of the 6.8spc or Grendal variants are great do it all west coast guns. Deer pigs and varmints are all on the menu

False statement? Show me where he said he was hunting pacific hybrids.... Why would you build a hunting rifle with marginal performance that limits you when you can build one with much more case capacity that does a much better job?

[fonzy]

It is said to get the full potential of the 6.5 you need a long barrel, doesn't mean a 16" barrel wont work.

Not my experience, I have none. Just some research I did contemplating between 6.5 and 6.8.

[drutledge79]

Question for OP: Why are you building a Grendel? What are you going to hunt? Why not use the 7mm mag?

I think answering this might get you better answers to your own questions, although you'll get a lot more noise, too. You'll probably get a lot more informative answers on a Grendel-specific board.