AA barrel accuracy

[LR1955]

Good to know that the standard barrel is plenty accurate. I have questions, off-topic: What would be a good upper to get in addition to the Entry? I am thinking about one in a shorter barrel length. Gas piston vs DI, and why do the shorter barrels have a faster twist-rate? Thanks

CMDC:

I would rate their standard barrel as service quality. Shorter barrels have a faster twist rate to stabilize the bullet due to the much lower velocity caused by the short barrel. Also I bet they have something to do with timing and pressures.

How short a barrel do you want? It gets to the point where you might as well buy a pistol. I doubt you will see any real advantage between DI and pistons. My experience with these super short barrel carbines is that they either function or they don't.

LR55

[cmdc]

I was thinking of the 16" barrel ultralight. I think the barrel is actually 14.5" and the rest is the flash hider, just like other 16" rifles, if I understand correctly. I don't want a super short one. Like you, I see no real point to it.

[leopard6.5]

cmdc: Sorry for being off the original topic, but cmdc if you want to see what one of the 16" Satern Spartan barrels looks like in an upper you could look at my ad in the classifieds section.

Unfortunately, I never got the chance to shoot it( although Satern's reputation is excellent) but it is definitely the lightest upper I've ever felt.

My thinking in having it and the GDMR rifle was so I could do target shooting with the GDMR( Grendel Designated Marksman Rifle) but then just switch uppers to have a lightweight rifle as a carry rifle for hunting.
The reason I went with the Hogue handguard with the rubber inlay is so it wouldn't be so cold on my hands while hunting in cold weather.

Good Luck with your purchases.

Lee

[IndyGrendel63]

Most everyone gets their factory Grendels to shoot around 2MOA or better at 100, even with the Entry level models. There is some variation, but most people find that there is at least one load that will shoot sub MOA groups, even with the basic barrel models.

Some have shot even sub 1/2 MOA groups, but that would be the exception rather than the normal.

I have to agree with the 2 MOA part. I have a AA "Hunter" upper that I put on a RRA lower with Geisselle trigger and if I get a 1.5 MOA group I am doing good. My regular RRA .223 right now will shoot rings around my Grendel but I am working on it. The quality of the AA upper is excellent, but I think I should have dropped the extra $$$ for the Shillen barrel (I was unemployed at the time so I didn't have the extra $$$). I sold my LR-308 to buy that AA upper and it was a good trade, that 308 was a heavy SOB and didn't shoot any better than the AA hunter I bought. Anyway, like the op I am looking for that one load that prints one ragged hole at X yards with my upper or I am going to get rid of it and build one myself with top shelf goodies.

With my rifle I shoot 3-4 MOA with Wolf gold ammo, some days better than that. With my hand loads I can just touch 1 MOA but usually a bit bigger (1.5 to 2 MOA) Good enough for deer hunting but for a $900 upper I was expecting more from that. Like I said my 223 RRA HBAR will out shoot my Grendel any day of the week.

Just my .02
Indy

[oxn316]

i have the factory aa barrel in 24" and shoot .5 inch groups with 123 amax factory loads and have shot just under that with 123 smk hand loads.

[Hoot]

ER Shaw was selling production overuns from AA barrels through Midway under their AR Stoner name earlier this year when I bought mine. The bore finish was the finest I've ever gotten in an off the shelf AR barrel, regardless of caliber. A dry patch goes through like butter. I don't know what performance you're expecting, but here's 123gr Amax over Alliant AR-Comp, 5-shot groups at 100 yards fired round robin. I am by no means a self proclaimed marksman, nor competitor, but that tube delivers if I do my part and those are first try experimental groups with AR-Comp, not tuned for maximum performance. Don't pay more just for the bragging rights unless that is important to you. The grid pattern is 1/2 inch.



Hoot

[davidj]

Great shooting Hoot,
How does this load compare to your 8208 loads?

[Grendelseeker]

ER Shaw was selling production overuns from AA barrels through Midway under their AR Stoner name earlier this year when I bought mine. The bore finish was the finest I've ever gotten in an off the shelf AR barrel, regardless of caliber. A dry patch goes through like butter. I don't know what performance you're expecting, but here's 123gr Amax over Alliant AR-Comp, 5-shot groups at 100 yards fired round robin. I am by no means a self proclaimed marksman, nor competitor, but that tube delivers if I do my part and those are first try experimental groups with AR-Comp, not tuned for maximum performance. Don't pay more just for the bragging rights unless that is important to you. The grid pattern is 1/2 inch.



Hoot

Very nice!! And encouraging for this newbie.
Well, that post was ages ago, so that deal is likely gone like smoke in the wind. But these are the kind of groups I want to be able to throw if I'm going to drop $2k. I hear 1 MOA and that's an insult for that price, really. Might as well learn to cycle a bolt faster. So, $250 extra for a Shilen on an AA upper is a small price to pay instead of chasing load combos for months trying to squeeze better groups out of a production barrel. Reload and range time is valuable to me. My bolts all do .5 MOA or better and I want to approximate that with a Grendel. (My standard $700 Savage in 7RM does .1" x .4" @ 100 yards throwing 140 Barnes @ 3250. My Xbolt .5 MOA. My BAR in 270 does 3 out of 4 in cloverleaves with 130s going 2940. The Grendel is supposed to be an accurate cartridge and .223s bore me.)

[wheelguner]

AA 24" Overwatch

These are the only groups that I have pictures of in my online albums.
The larger group was while sighting in at 100yds and incluses scope adjustments. The other is with 5 of my 95gr VMAX Handload. I am most satisfied with it. It shoots factory Hornady 123gr Amax into +/- 3/4" consistantly.20in Light Hunter.jpgAA Overwatch.jpg