Opinion Please, Alexander Arms or Surplus Ammo with BHW barrel

[astro451]

I'm looking at ordering a 20 inch Grendel and am wondering what you all think of the uppers from Surplus Ammo that are built around BHW barrel vs products from Alexander Arms. I know AA has SAAMI spec. Grendel chambers and the BHW uses the 264 lbc but has that actually made a difference in the functionality one firearm vs another. Since I can't really try them out first or event inspect 'em I'm wondering what your opinion is of the quality of these two companies products.
If you have a strong opinion of one chamber over the other and can articulate it I am interested in hearing it.

[Kilco]

Never used BHW or surplus ammo stuff, but AA is top notch in every way. Only pain in the wait times.

[rabiddawg]

Surplus ammo may build the best gun out there but I will never know because I would never consider buying a gun built by a company called Surplus ________. Just like I will never try "Monkey Shoulder" whiskey. It may be the best but they aren't getting my money.

Stick with Alexander Arms and don't look back.

[Bisley]

Surplus Ammo does not "build" anything, they are simply a vendor for BHW. I feel sorry for those who base opinions on ignorance. I know of two of us, my buddy and myself, who both own BHW barrels in .264LBC that are both 1 hole guns with reloads and factory ammo. Even with the so-called "evil" bolt and non SAAMI chamber. Same results with a 5.56 barrel as well. I understand AA is an excellent company as well as a vendor here, but don't fool yourself into believing they are the only or always the best there is. Especially if you have zero experience with something else. BHW is one of the best price/performance around.

[biodsl]

IIRC, the Surplus Ammo barrels are headspaced at .125. I own a BHW barrel that shoots well but I had to specify a .136 headspace when it was made. It makes buying quality bolts much easier.

[rabiddawg]

Surplus Ammo does not "build" anything, they are simply a vendor for BHW. I feel sorry for those who base opinions on ignorance. I know of two of us, my buddy and myself, who both own BHW barrels in .264LBC that are both 1 hole guns with reloads and factory ammo. Even with the so-called "evil" bolt and non SAAMI chamber. Same results with a 5.56 barrel as well. I understand AA is an excellent company as well as a vendor here, but don't fool yourself into believing they are the only or always the best there is. Especially if you have zero experience with something else. BHW is one of the best price/performance around.

Ignorance? LOL!

If you want to imply quality in your brand you Do Not use "surplus" in the name. Marketing 101.

Im glad your surplus gun shoots for you, but I wont own anything "surplus".

[Redraider]

Personally, non-SAMMI is all I need to see to WALK!!

Redraider

[1911man]

My only experience so far is with a BHW barrel I bought from Surplus but I do have a Criterion barrel from PF and a 16" lite barrel from AA on the way so I will be able to compare each. The only downside of the BHW 264 LBC barrel is that you have to use a 7.62x39 bolt which is an inferior design to the Alexander arms/true SAMMI chamber bolts. The benefit you get from the BHW barrel though is the poly rifling. My barrel runs a solid 50fps faster than others on this forum the same length and does not show pressure signs at higher charges because of the poly rifling so I can push my loads a little further than most. My pet load in my 18" BHW barrel runs 2500 fps average and is 3/4 MOA accurate out to 600 yards with me behind the rifle. Hitting steel at 600 yards is almost boring its so easy.

[Bisley]

Ignorance? LOL!

If you want to imply quality in your brand you Do Not use "surplus" in the name. Marketing 101.

Im glad your surplus gun shoots for you, but I wont own anything "surplus".

Apparently somebody needs a vocabulary lesson on the difference between "manufacturer" and "retail vendor". Same barrel as the manufacturer, BHW, only in stock at a vendor without the several month wait, and a slightly better price.

[rabiddawg]

I don't shop there so why should I know.

I made my reccomendation which is what the op asked for.

[astro451]

I do thank you all for your opinions, that is what I asked for after all. To be honest I have wanted to try out a Black Hole Weaponry barrel for a long time and with inventory being readily available I placed an order from Surplus Ammo, the order should arrive tomorrow which'll be Monday 12-December for those doing a search in the future. I will let you know how it works out after I've been to the range and shot some groups with this set up. I have read a lot of good recommendations for Black Hole Weaponry barrels and since I am kind of lazy the reports of being quick and easy to clean are a big plus, not to mention the claims of accuracy so I will report my finding when I have gotten to know this product better.
Thank you for your input and hopefully I don't regret this decision. I do have to admit that Alexander Arms was a very compelling alternative because the the founder is clearly a stickler for details and I tend to be the same way but I have read so many good reviews about about BHW barrels that I've been looking for an opportunity to give them a chance at my business so that is where we are now.
Again thank you and look for my updates.

[Scatterbait]

I bought and built a complete rifle kit from Surplus Ammo and I am very pleased with the results. I guess that name doesn't agree with some, but I didn't buy the store, just a gun.

[maximus924]

Bisley - dont waste your energy on someone with a closed mind. no battle is ever won on a forum lol.

OP,
I ordered a BHW barrel, when it arrives I will give my input on it. I went with the 7.62x39 bolt for two reasons
1) compatible with 7.62x39 pistol upper, parts interchangeability within my own collection
2) availability

Shops around me dont sell Grendel ammo, let alone gun parts for a grendel. Alot of shops dabble in the 7.62 chambered AR's

I am not trying to start a war, just explaining why I made my choice. With proper quality steel, I doubt either will have the bolt problems that were around when the Grendel came on the market.

Astro,
from everything I have read, both are solid choices. I am really looking forward to my BHW barrel, and its black coated stainless barrel.

[astro451]

Howdy all, I guess I've been remiss in that I said that I would provide a review of my upper from Surplus Ammo and didn't deliver.
I received the upper on schedule as expected and everything was in perfected order. They said that every upper is test fired and it was very clear that this upper had a few rounds put through it. When weather and holidays allowed I made my way to the range to do some testing. This thing really likes the Hornady factory 123 A-Max Match ammo, about eighty to ninety percent of five round groups are less then 1 MOA with about thirty percent being closer to 0.5 MOA. The 123 SST factory ammo didn't fare as well but it was still pretty tight for an AR. I started working up some hand loads with BL-C(2) but realized that since it was about 29 degrees I'd have to go through the build up again when Spring comes so I changed over to Benchmark because I already had some on hand. I found 27.5 grains of Benchmark under a Hornady 123 gr A-Max using a CCI-450 primer shows a lot of promise, so far the best five shot group with this combo is 0.33 inches at 100 yards.
So that's the state of my Grendel campaign so far, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I am seriously considering a lite-weight bolt action rifle now, it'll make a great mountain rifle.

[The Profit Joseph Sith]