My Ballistic Advantage build

[kcb38]

Yeah, another "but this one is mine" thread, lol. This will be my first Grendel. I had intended to build it around a Criterion barrel but when BA put their 20" DMR Premium Series stainless barrels on sale for $228 bucks shipped with a free upper, it was like Pavlov ringing the dinner bell. I couldn't get my credit card out fast enough. I have one of their 16" midlength barrels on a 5.56 build I did. It's a great shooter so I'm hoping for good things out of the 6.5G.

Anyway, I'm on a pretty tight budget like a lot of folks but I don't want a cheap rifle either. I've been shopping the sales and so far the parts list looks like this:

BA 20" DMR stainless barrel (rifle length gas)
BA upper
Gamma VG6 762 muzzle brake
Seekins adjustable gas block
Toolcraft black nitride bolt carrier
"Monster" bolt

Aero Gen 2 lower
mil spec buffer tube, standard rifle buffer and chrome silicon spring
Magpul PRS stock (Gen 2) and MOE grip


Still need a hand guard, trigger and some E-lander mags. I'll be scavenging an optic off another rifle to function check this one but ultimately I think I'll go with something from SWFA. I've read such good reviews of their stuff that I've been looking for an excuse to buy something from them. The longest range I have regular access to is about 500 yds so I'm thinking something like their 3-15X42 would work nicely.

Like I said, this is my first Grendel build so any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated

[bj139]

Great deal on the barrel and upper.

I had just bought the Faxon 20" group buy barrel and about the same time bought a BA 18" barrel from someone here or I would have been tempted.

I barely shot the BA barrel but I think it shot Wolf steel ammo at about 2 MOA which is very good for Wolf steel.

I did post about it here somewhere.

You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew to your lower to get rid of most creep and polish the sear with a dremel and polishing compound.

There are threads about this here as well.

I did this to one trigger and the feel is not too far from the LaRue trigger.

I could tell you about temporary handguards but if you are interested search "schedule 80".

[kcb38]

Great deal on the barrel and upper.

Too good. It derailed my plan for the Criterion barrel. Oh well, I still have another lower that needs to get built so...

You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew...

Yeah I did that on a carbine I have and on my M&P 15-22 and changed the springs too. Big improvement for only a couple bucks and a little time invested.

I could tell you about temporary handguards but if you are interested search "schedule 80".

I saw that. Very creative.

[blackholegun]

Just kind of curious, why the 762 VG6 instead of the 65

[kcb38]

I bought it for my Savage 10 FCP-SR in .308 because I wanted a brake and it was on sale for only 40 bucks shipped. Being an AR style brake, I'm not sure I really like the way it looks on there so I'm going to stick it on this rifle. I've seen tests where there is only about a 3% difference in damping by using the larger brake so I can't justify buying one specific to the 6.5. I'll probably pick up a Precision Armament M11 for the Savage if I see a good sale on one.

IMG_20171121_232337258.jpg

[kcb38]

Hahaha, I just made the mistake of totaling up what I have in my "budget" rifle. 640 bucks so far and I still have 3 of the bigger ticket items to go. I'd like an SSA-E but I may go with an MBT trigger and save the 80 bucks. I was looking around at some of the fancier handguards too but I keep coming back to the ALG EMR V3 15". I don't think you can beat the value and quality of that piece. I have a V1 on another build and I really dig it. The only beef I have with it (and it's a minor one...) is that it's a little plain looking. Optics-wise, I hope I can scrape together enough dough in time to take advantage of the next big sale at SWFA. Either that or maybe I'll look into a 4-16 Viper PST from A&A Optics. They sell factory refurbs, indistinguishable from new and full lifetime warranty at substantial discounts. I got the 6-24X50 on my Savage from them for 500 shipped and I have zero complaints.

[kcb38]

Just grabbed a 15.5" Odin Works O2 Lite M-LOK hand guard for $140 shipped from Primary Arms. So now I just need a trigger and an optic and I'll be all set. I could use a stock trigger that I tweaked but I think I'll wait until I see a sale on something I really want.

[Frontier Gear]

Hahaha, I just made the mistake of totaling up what I have in my "budget" rifle. 640 bucks so far and I still have 3 of the bigger ticket items to go.

Adds up fast, don't it? It's sounding like a really nice build though. You won't be disappointed.

[blackholegun]

I am doing a build that is almost identical to yours.
I also purchased the 20 BA barrel although I got the fluted version.
Also the BA BCG.
AP matched upper and lower.
I went with the MBT because I used one on my AR10 and really thought it was a nice trigger for the cost

[kcb38]

Adds up fast, don't it? It's sounding like a really nice build though. You won't be disappointed.

Being a car guy in the process of building a street/strip 66 Chevelle, I should know better than to look at all the receipts at once.

I am doing a build that is almost identical to yours.
I also purchased the 20 BA barrel although I got the fluted version.

Can't wait to hear how it shoots. These barrels were highly anticipated on AR15.com but there haven't been many range reports since they came out. They guarantee sub MOA but I'm secretly hoping that I got lucky and got a real shooter. Time will tell I guess.

[jackwagon]

I bought it for my Savage 10 FCP-SR in .308 because I wanted a brake and it was on sale for only 40 bucks shipped. Being an AR style brake, I'm not sure I really like the way it looks on there so I'm going to stick it on this rifle. I've seen tests where there is only about a 3% difference in damping by using the larger brake so I can't justify buying one specific to the 6.5. I'll probably pick up a Precision Armament M11 for the Savage if I see a good sale on one.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10513[/ATTACH]

I put a Smith Industries break on my FCP, I only have about 60 rounds through it but I like it.https://www.midwayusa.com/product/98...0-lr-308-matte
100_3178 (800x600) (800x600).jpg

[zcostilla]

You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew to your lower to get rid of most creep and polish the sear with a dremel and polishing compound.

If you're going to polish the sear, be VERY careful not to overheat it and mess up the tempering of the steel. Those are hardened with a very specific process to get it right. If you use too much pressure, or go too long, and heat it up, you can make it more brittle.

[kcb38]

I was ordering a couple more odds and ends that didn't show up in my stocking and I decided to try one of those Radian LT charging handles I've been seeing lately. Similar to the Raptor but made of aluminum with a polymer overlay on the ears. This rifle will never see any real abuse so I can't imagine the polymer being an issue. Radian makes good stuff so I'm sure it'll be fine. At 46 bucks shipped I couldn't pass it up.

[kcb38]

Scarfed up a High Speed National Match trigger today with the 3 spring kits from Brownells. They had it on sale for 219 and I got it for 199 shipped with the coupon code (H7L I think). I was really leaning toward the MBT trigger but that's the first time I've seen the Nat'l Match kit for less than 2 bills so I got a little excited.

[kcb38]

Sneak peek at the new 65G. Still missing a few major parts but I couldn't wait to mock it up with glass.

sneak.jpg