Brand new member seeking advice on a barrel.....

[North Florida]

Hello members,

I am going to begin my first 6.5 Grendel AR build in December. I saw that some of you were doing group buys like the "monster 20 group buy". I like the fact that these have a SAAMI chamber. I have never heard of this brand / manufacturer.

Is this the same as Grendel type 2? Please educate me if I am using incorrect terminology here.

I am a new member to this forum and want to complete a build in 6.5 Grendel that will be accurate within 1 MOA or better.

I was looking at Satern barrels because they came with a matching head spaced bolt. However, I am hearing that Satern's barrels are not SAAMI. They are also more expensive. They do come with a matching head spaced bolt.

Any advice you guys with lots of Grendel experience could give would be hugely appreciated. I look forward to your replies.

Thanks,
North Florida

[VASCAR2]

Welcome to the forum North Florida!

The type II refers to the bolt face depth of .136 whereas type I refers to a 7.62x39 bolt which has been used by some barrel manufacturers. Satern has two lines of barrels, cut rifled barrels which are known for accuracy and button rifled rack grade barrels with a non SAAMI 6.5 Grendel chamber known as Grendel II. Any rack grade barrel is luck of the draw, you might get a good one or you might not.

I have been very fortunate and have gotten quality rack grade barrels. To get guaranteed accuracy you usually have to pay more. With the previous group buy barrels from Faxon there were a couple of issues where Faxon quickly addressed the problem. I have two group buy Faxon barrels and have been completely satisfied.

If I were going to buy a Satern/Liberty button rifled barrel I’d buy it from Brownell’s who has a no question asked guarantee. There have been issues with Satern/Liberty barrels which has soiled their reputation with some forum members. Green Mountain has a good reputation for manufacturing quality rack grade barrels. I would buy a group buy barrel from Green Mountain and intial reports have been positive. Normally a rack grade barrel will be more picky on which ammo provides decent to top accuracy.

As long as you buy a quality 6.5 Grendel bolt with .136 bolt face depth for the Green Mountain barrel you should be fine. I bought a Shilen 6.5 Grendel barrel with matching bolt in 2012 which has proven to be a very good barrel. I have also assembled two Faxon group buy barrels with non matched bolts without issue. As long as all components are in spec you should be gtg.

[North Florida]

Barrel info...

VASCAR2,

Thank you very much for all the information and advice. I really appreciate that. I sent a private message to BluntForceTrauma as it appeared that he was the leader or organizer of the group barrel buy. Is that correct? I have not heard back from him as of yet.

If I am looking for accuracy for target shooting as well as occasional use for deer hunting as well, would you recommend that I go with a 20" or 18" barrel length?

As of now, Brownells has a Satern button rifled 18" barrel which comes with the matched head spaced bolt on sale for $275.00 That is about $50 off their regular price.

The cut rifled barrels by Satern are way out of my price range.

If I am understanding you correctly, a Faxon or Green Mountain barrel on a group buy would be less than $175 and it would likely be accurate enough for smaller than 1 MOA groups.

I would be able to use one of my BCG's for either 300 BO or 5.56 and simply change out the bolt portion which is specific for the 6.5 Grendel case. I am not new to the AR platform, but this will be the first one I build myself. I would also need to purchase a "go / no go" gauge as well to verify correct head spacing.

Did I get all of this correct? If you guys are going to be buying a batch of Green Mountain or Faxon barrels in 18" or 20" length, I would like in on that purchase.

I look forward to your replies.

North Florida

[Popeye212]

No need to purchase go/nogo gauges you can rent them. From here https://www.reamerrentals.com/Produc...de=6%2E5GB%2Eg

[Bigs28]

What is the longest distance you think you will shoot while hunting? I hunt with a 12" barrel. I also have a 16". I don't personally see the need for a 20" hunting rifle barrel for me since hunting in florida doesn't give me allot of opportunities to shoot very far. Im perfectly confident and comfortable shooting a deer or hog at 300 yards with my 12".

[VASCAR2]

I tried to use a different color or font on these responses but my iPad is not cooperating or I’m to ignorant to make it work. I hope you can sort through this post North Florida. I just cut and pasted your questions and tried to give answers to each.




Thank you very much for all the information and advice. I really appreciate that. I sent a private message to BluntForceTrauma as it appeared that he was the leader or organizer of the group barrel buy. Is that correct? I have not heard back from him as of yet.


Answer: “Blunt Force Trauma (BFT) is the site adminstrator/owner and runs the group buy barrels, bolts and pending shirts and hats. BFT stays pretty busy but usually will answer emails in a day or two.”


If I am looking for accuracy for target shooting as well as occasional use for deer hunting as well, would you recommend that I go with a 20" or 18" barrel length?

Answer: “The velocity is 20 to 50 FPS difference between 18” and 20” barrel which doesn’t add a lot of distance to the expansion threshold for many hunting bullets. With Hornady 123 grain SST it is reported you need a minimum of 1800 FPS to get expansion. Most 16” and 18” 6.5 Grendel will provide enough velocity for ethical hunting out to at least 300 yards.”

As of now, Brownells has a Satern button rifled 18" barrel which comes with the matched head spaced bolt on sale for $275.00 That is about $50 off their regular price. The cut rifled barrels by Satern are way out of my price range.

If I am understanding you correctly, a Faxon or Green Mountain barrel on a group buy would be less than $175 and it would likely be accurate enough for smaller than 1 MOA groups.

Answer: “Accuracy is dependent on to many variables for me to make a blanket statement that X barrel will produce 1 MOA or less accuracy. Most typical AR-15’s are 1-3 MOA depending on many variables but I feel like the group buy barrels are adequate for most hunting situations. The only way your going to be guaranteed of 1 MOA or less accuracy with most ammo combinations is to buy a top of the line target barrel. My Shilen has proven to be consistently accurate for a buttoned rifled barrel. With a matched bolt the Shilen cost me around $450 in 2012. With load developement rack grade barrels can produce very useable accuracy. I am usually the weak link in the accuracy my rifles produce. I think my Faxon barrels are fun to shoot targets and are ideal for hunting where weight and bulk are a concern.” The Group Buy barrels can be used to make very versatile AR-15’s suitable for many task. I would not choose a Faxon or Green Mountain barrel where extreme accuracy is desired (F class or Camp Perry Competition).”

I would be able to use one of my BCG's for either 300 BO or 5.56 and simply change out the bolt portion which is specific for the 6.5 Grendel case. I am not new to the AR platform, but this will be the first one I build myself. I would also need to purchase a "go / no go" gauge as well to verify correct head spacing.

Answer: ”You can use any AR-15 bolt carrier with a 6.5 Grendel bolt and 6.5 Grendel barrel. The only caveat is there are some 6.5 Grendel bolts which might require a .01 shorter firing pin. This issue has only come up in the last year or two. If you buy a Group Buy 6.5 Grendel bolt or a bolt from Alexander Arms, Precision Firearms or Maxim bolt they are compatable with milspec firing pins. There are several threads discussing this issue.”

Did I get all of this correct? If you guys are going to be buying a batch of Green Mountain or Faxon barrels in 18" or 20" length, I would like in on that purchase.

Answer: “There are group buy barrels available from Green Mountain for sale now and other lengths to be delivered later as they are still in production. Just go to the group buy section and follow the instructions on the first page for purchase.”

[North Florida]

Thanks for the go / no go rental info. Great to know. That beats buying something you are not going to use more than 1 - 2 times. :-)

[North Florida]

Bigs28,

Thanks for that advice. I definitely won't be shooting much more than 300-400 yards here in FL. I do have a friend that lives on a ranch near Perry where I might get a 400 yd shot at a hog, but usually 100-300 yards would be the norm.

I was thinking more about the accuracy potential of a 20" for punching paper and knowing the accuracy capability I will have at 300+

However, you don't want to carry more weight around than necessary when hunting. That is for sure.

Do you have any personal experience with the "Monster Barrels" that our fellow forum member Blunt Force Trauma is selling here?

Thanks for your replies? How accurate is the 12" barrel you have? What make / model is it?

[North Florida]

Vascar2,

Thanks so much for answering all those questions for me. You are a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate your time in typing all of those responses.
Have a terrific weekend.

[Bigs28]

I do not have a precision optic or reticle at all. 1.25 moa aiming dot on a 1-8x but my faxon 12" group buy barrel and my cousins 12" odin both shot sub moa.

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?16923-12-quot-Faxon-SBR

My 12" faxon was from an old group buy. I have not seen any reports on the new 12" gb barrels.

[LRRPF52]

Welcome aboard.

[derek45]

I got a 16" FAXON from Joe Bob's outfitters. Very happy with it

https://www.joeboboutfitters.com/Faxon-Firearms-16-GUNNER-6-5-Grendel-Mid-Length-p/fax-15bg8m16ngq-5r-np3.htm

It shoots sub-MOA with my 107gr sierra / imr8208 handloads.

It was affordable and shipped the same day.

here's my thread from last year...

http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthread.php?15033-Very-Happy-with-my-16-quot-FAXON-6-5Grendel-build

[North Florida]

LRRPF52,

Thanks for the welcome message, Sir.

[North Florida]

derek45,

Thanks for info and advice Derek. I like the quote by Jeff Cooper. I used to read his articles all the time when I was in my teens and early 20's. Back before life got so busy and responsible. LOL

[Klem]

NF,

You want a sub-MOA gun but are concerned about the price then consider the difference between an average barrel and a best barrel is only a couple of hundred dollars. This, for a gun that you will depreciate over a few years is not a lot when you think about it. If its not a good shooter you will lose interest in it.

My suggestion is get a Lilja barrel, or a decent profiled Krieger or Bartlein. Get a decent drop-in trigger like a Giessele and a decent scope. Everything else you can save money on and you end up with a sub-MOA gun guaranteed every time...and not just on a good day.