Grendel chambers.

[6.5 mm Shoot]

Hi all.

As I have stated in other posts I am looking for a 20" barrel for a Grendel build. I keep running into the barrel sellers stating that it is a type 1 or 2 then one will say SAAMI Grendel chamber.

I know that the SAAMI Grendel Chamber is the brain child of Alexander Arms and some other people and they did a lot of testing to come up with the SAAMI Grendel chamber as well as the bolt.

It has been stated that B.H.W. don't use the SAAMI Grendel chamber or the .136 bolt face recess. they use a 264 LBC chamber that is close to the SAAMI Grendel chamber. The bolt they use is a type 1 that has a bolt face recess of .125. When you are configuring your barrel they ask what bolt type you want and only give you one choice, the .125.

Liberty makes both types. If you want a cut rifle barrel it comes SAAMI Grendel, If you want a button riffled barrel it comes type 2. Why? On both type barrels the bolt is included. They don't say what face depth it has. Is there a reason to not buy the type 2?

Now I picked up my first Barrel for my Grendel from Alexander Arms with a bolt. I am very happy and would buy a 20" barrel from them but they don't offer one. One reason I would get it from them is because the barrel I got from them is great, very accurate and the weight is good for me.

Now I don't want to step on toes but people on this site are saying to go with this barrel or that barrel and when I go to look at the barrel it's the type one or type two.

So my question is if I get a barrel from B.H.W. is it going to work? Will I have problems with it feeding? There are several other barrel sellers that have prices on barrels that compare with Alexander Arms pricing and the reviews are good. Then they could have been written by people that work at the place that is selling the barrels. I have no idea. Is there a reason not to buy them?

For me it is a big deal to buy a barrel for $400 when I can get one for $200 that works as well. As far as the bolts go they cost about the same. The type one being a little cheaper. I am retired and if I spend $200 more for something there should be a good reason to do so.

I can buy a barrel from Heart and I know they make good barrels. I just have to send them the bolt and they will send me a barrel back that is fitted to the bolt. They make no claims if it is type one or two. They will fit the barrel to the bolt. They just say it will be 6.5 Grendel.

So what I am getting at is will both types work? I know the Grendel SAAMI works, I have one and it works great. Thank you Alexander Arms, you make a great product. Now make me a 20" barrel. Please, please, please.

[Slappy]

It is confusing to me also. What is a given is if they do not use Manson reamers then I would and do pass. Ran into this just the other week at a local gun show. Asked a couple questions and the sales pitch started up, I knew then just to say thank you for your time and walk away. Manson reamer, compound throat and 136 bolt., to me that is a Grendel. Best of luck to you. Contact Precision Firearms?? Change your mind and go with a 16 and get in on the group buy?? BANG BANG!!

On a side note there are some way serious shooters on here about the types and all that. But for me I always thought that the Grendel with the compound throat and all that what I call the true Grendel that should be #1 along with the bolt and the rest should fall in line #2, #3, #4 it would make things a lot more simple for us simple folk??

[Joseph5]

Get a Criterion barrel from Precision Firearms.

[VASCAR2]

When the panic buying happened a few years ago Alexander Arms quit selling barrels and only sold barreled uppers and complete rifles. In the last few months AA has started selling the 16" mid length gas system fluted 6.5 Grendel barrel which has achieved very good sales. Demand and manufacturing capacity may determine what products AA offers for sale.

The 264 LBC barrels offered by Black Hole Weaponry can be machined to use either .125 or .136 bolt face. Supposedly you can call BHW and order a barrel with .136 bolt. BHW came up with the nomenclature of Type I to signify .125 bolt face depth and Type II to signify .136 bolt face which is the bolt used with SAAMI compund throat chambers. BHW started marking their barrels to help them identify which bolt the rifle barrel had been chambered.

Why BHW started using the .125 bolts is unknown to me, may have been price difference and availability but it has added confusion to the shooting public. My best recommendation is to reasearch the different barrels on the market and if still in doubt call the manufacture/retailer to get specific details before purchasing.

At this time SAAMI chambered barrels are distributed by AA, Precision Firearms, JP, Lilja, Shilen, Double Star/J&T Distributing, Odin Works and Olympic Arms. There maybe other SAAMI 6.5 Grendel barrels manufactures but these are common sources. The other 264/6.5 varient chambers have a loyal following, such as Les Baer, Lothar Walther, Satern and BHW to name a few.

[6.5 mm Shoot]

Guys you are not answering my question. I know some of you are buying the 264 barrels with the type one bolts because you have sent me to the site to check out their barrels. So my question is do they work? Do they have feeding problems, what sort of groups are you getting? I can't believe that BHW is still in business if the barrels they are selling are junk. It seems like all I here is good things about their barrels. I know some of you have them. Do they work for you? Do they have feeding problems? What sort of groups are you getting with them?

I am not trying to be difficult. I am just trying to get information from people that are using the stuff to make a choice on a costly investment with the most information I can get.

Thank you all for your help.

[bwaites]

BHW builds good barrels.Llast time I talked with them, they were going to build both SAAMI spec and 264 LBC barrels. I requested a SAAMI spec and have not yet received it. Their BHW 264 LBC barrels generally shoot well, and some members have barrels that shoot exceptionally well. That said, they have tended to use what they call Type 1 bolts, which have a shallow face depth. They started doing this years ago when true Grendel bolts were hard to come by. This leads to increased risk of extractor failure, because it has to be cut thinner near the top to extract the thicker rim of Grendel brass.

I had them cut my last BHW barrel to function with a SAAMI spec bolt and they had no problem doing so. The barrel shot well, but was pickier about ammo than my SAAMI spec barrels have been.

If you are wanting the best barrel for your money, contact Mark at Precision Firearms, and get his barrel that fits your price and length needs. He will offer a guarantee.

Have you read this?: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...e-Grendel-bolt

And this?: http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showt...opment-history

Those should help.

[IceAxe]

I have one of the BHW barrels in 6.5LBC, its a 24 inch. It functions/ cycles great and I have had no problems. It also shoots sub MOA and I am happy with it. As for the bolt it is a type 1 as I prefer not to remove any more material (personal Preference). I also have a new build with a 20 inch PF/ Krieger barrel, chambered in SAAMI 6.5 G , headspace'ed for the Type 1. It too cycles great. I have also heard as of late BHW is experiencing personnel issues/departures. I have bought 5 of their barrels in various chambers. My recommendation would be to order a 20 inch from Mark at PF headspaced for the bolt of your choice.

[ahillock]

Why BHW started using the .125 bolts is unknown to me, may have been price difference and availability but it has added confusion to the shooting public.

Wasn't it because there was a time when the .136 bolt was hard to come by?

[NugginFutz]

I've three BHW barrels, two of which are 264LBC. My experience parallels bwaites' fairly closely. Both are picky-ish about what they like, but one is noticeably more accurate than its younger, shorter sibling. Both use the .136" bolt, and I've never had issues with extraction or case belting.

Had I the chance to do it over, I would like to have gone with the SAAMI chamber. Not because of BHW (Lord no!), but because I am convinced I would have spent less time developing my "happy loads" and more time shooting for the sheer enjoyment. Mark at PF recently had a short run of BHW barrels in which he'd cut SAAMI chambers. I've kicked myself several times over having missed that opportunity. Sadly, I had just bought and received my second 264 LBC from BHW a few weeks earlier.

Right now, I'm saving again, and keeping tabs on a couple of different builds which involve SAAMI chambered economy barrels, as well as a couple of higher end builds. A bonafide Grendel will be joining my collection soon enough.

[bob4432]

[6.5 mm Shoot]

Thank you guys for the information you have given.

I went to Precision Firearms and priced out a barrel and with the bolt it's $400 +. I went to Odin Works and got a price of $430 but that is with a B.C.G. and a adjustable gas block. I called them and they confirmed that they use a SAAMI chamber and the .136 bolt. The only thing that kept me from getting this barrel I couldn't find anyone that was willing to post if it was good or bad. I found no posts about their barrels.

So I went with what I know. I went back to Alexander Arms and bought an second 16" barrel form them with a bolt for around $240. They had everything on sale. I think it lasts till the 25th.

After much thought I decided that the 16" will do everything I need it to do. I built the first one for hunting and I am building the second one for punching paper. The max I will ever shoot the either one of them is 500 yards.

Thank you all once more for the information.