16" Mid or 18" Rifle

[Big Red Ram]

Building my first rifle for hunting deer and coyotes with some bench shooting now and then at ranges 300 yds and under.
Was thinking about a BA 18" fluted rifle length barrel until I stopped at the local gun shop. He suggested going with a 16" mid length since my range isnt all that far and the 16" would be easier to handle in the woods. My question for the Horde is should I be thinking about other factors than a slight decrease in velocity and range but a gaining a lighter barrel?

[Kilco]

Out to 300 yards both will suit you just fine!

What kind of hunting will you be doing with it?

I have a 16" Odin Works that I love, as well as an 18" AA, and I have to honestly say that after owning and carrying both, unless I was hiking mountains an 18" is a very handy portable build.

Nothing at all wrong with the 16", and you could Probobly get away with it no problem, but for killing things velocity is a great thing to have on your aide8

[Big Red Ram]

Thanks Kilco primarily whitetail deer and yotes here in WI. Our range is typically 100 yards or less in most cases.

[Frontier Gear]

100 yards is no problem, even with a 12 inch Grendel barrel. I have a 16" carbine length barrel and an 18" mid-length gas barrel. There is about 100fps difference between them.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?15660-Why-I-Chose-to-Hunt-with-the-6-5-Grendel

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?15526-Better-Entry-Level-Grendel&p=177887&viewfull=1#post177887

[Big Red Ram]

Frontier I wanted to thank you for your clear and concise post regarding how the 6.5 Grendel stack up against other calibers.
My concern was whether or not the Grendel would be sufficient for whitetail deer here in WI. Our calibers here are generally speaking .270, 30 06 and 308 with .243 considered bare minimum. I like the idea of a paradigm shift when it comes to acceptable calibers with plenty of killing power while not making a mess of the meat!
Your article was instrumental in my decision to go Grendel.

[Frontier Gear]

Glad I could be of help

[jurassic]

I like the way my 18" rifle gassed barrel shoots, but the 16" is easier to carry in the woods. They weigh about the same because of the barrel profiles.

[tracker12]

Your talking 2" how much harder is it going to be to walk around the woods. You should base your decision on performance for usage.

[Big Red Ram]

ok so it would seem that a small weight penalty is worth the added cost to go 18".
Now the profile, i am seeing and liking the fluted barrels and also the Hanson profile with attached gas block being a bit less expensive.
Weight is more for the Hanson barrel but not a lot. Is there anything else to consider between these 2 profiles?

[Kswhitetails]

Drop what you're doing and go buy one of the group buy 18s. Before they're gone, and you have to spend twice as much to get a barrel as well designed as this one. And before you regret it.

My two cents. Don't over think it, it leads to even deeper recesses of the Black Rifle Quarantine zone...

[Frontier Gear]

Your talking 2" how much harder is it going to be to walk around the woods. You should base your decision on performance for usage.

That all depends. I have a favorite gun case that I like to use, but I had to take the flash hider off of my 18" Grendel to get it to fit in the bag. So now it wears a thread protector. That 1.5 inch made a difference in my situation.

From a hunting performance standpoint 16" vs 18" doesn't make much difference. But if you are packing a rifle for many hours up steep mountain sides, you may want to shave off every once that you can. Again, it all depends on personal preference and individual situations. I currently have two hunting Grendels. One has an 18" barrel, rifle stock and 3-9x50mm scope. The other has a 16" barrel, collapsible carbine stock and will wear a 3-9x40mm scope. My third is currently being built as a 12" pistol and will have a 2-7x33mm scope. Each one will have it's own purpose, but all three are good for deer out to 400 yards.

[Lastrites]

Big Red Ram, stop and ponder what your next build may be and not focus as much on your first build, we all know building is addictive and the Grendel is very enticing indeed. My 4" mind-set goes like this, 12", 16" and 20" as each length just gives a bit more performance than the last. While I don't have a 12" yet the future is likely certain that something is going to happen in or very near that length as I first built/purchased a 16" then stumbled upon a 20".

[tracker12]

KS Whitetails gave you some very good advice. That barrel is the perfect profile for a hunting gun. I built mine on one last weekend and the weight and balance is perfect for a hunting weapon. Fit and finish is really nice.