new guy with questions

[Redraider]

Hi,

Just joined and haven't had a chance to look around, but I thought I would get things started with a question or two.

I know absolutely nothing of the AR format, so be patient. please. Who makes these rifles in this caliber besides Alexander Arms? What makes one AR more accurate than the others? Am I wrong in thinking the 6.5 Grendel is the better option?

Thanks, in advance for any info you feel might help me.

Redraider

[jawbone]

there's a LOT of info on this site. some accepted as definitive, some a matter of differing knowledgable opinions.

as a Grendel noob, i hit this site some time ago and just started reading, cutting, and pasting, and paying particular attention to the gurus.

if you are serious about learning about the AR and the Grendel, i recommend this approach. i'll bet you like what you see.

[JASmith]

Welcome to the site RedRaider!

Jawbone has it right -- except that some of our best info comes from folks new to the sport. They tend to see things that folks who have been in the business for a long time either forgot or take for granted!

[LRRPF52]

Welcome. There's a thread with all the different manufacturers, upper suppliers, barrel-makers, etc. if you search. The search function works pretty well on this site, but will still require some sifting and reading.

The AR15 is actually a very inhernetly accurate design, since it's so easy to free-float, and drop a nice trigger into. It's probably the most affordable rifle to accurize, since there is no need to glass-bed, pillar-bed, blueprint, or do any bottom metal work on like bolt guns require.

That said, the biggest factor in any rifles inherent accuracy will be the barrel. This is your accuracy recipe starting point, if accuracy is your goal. Everyone has different standards of accuracy, and you may find that a standard barrel satisifes yours, while seeming attrocious to a benchrest shooter.

Most button-rifled Grendel barrels are able to shoot under 1 MOA at 100yds, even for 4 or 5-round groups. The next level of accuracy is a barrel that will consistently shoot under 3/4 MOA at 100yds. Most cut-rifled barrels will do that, and usually will shoot 1/2" groups at 100yds, with a few groups larger than that, but still at or under 3/4".

Shooters who compete at greater distances lean towards barrels that hang around more at the 1/2" grouping pattern, since they are dealing more with wind-reading and distance errors that can make a difference when the shot pattern is 1 MOA versus 1/2 MOA.

[ricsmall]

Welcome redraider! There are some extremely smart and talented people on here. You will learn a lot.

[txgunner00]

Howdy & welcome!

[mlmiller1]

Welcome Redraider,
This isn't exactly answering your questions, however, if your screen name has anything to do with Lubbock, Tx, that is where I am located. Feel free to PM me or look at our club website & shout at me through it. Most months we have a match of some type & the AR format, grendel in particular can do very well at them. www.westtexasmarksmen.com . We have a good time & of course learn & improve our skills. We also get together sometimes & tell really big lies about how good we shoot. hahaha.
MLM

[Redraider]

Maybe I should re-direct this thread a little................if you were to gather up all the parts for your first AR type rifle, what would they be, keeping accuracy as the primary goal?

[bwaites]

Welcome to the board!

If I was going to start with my first AR rifle, I would start the way I started, with a GDMR upper from Alexander Arms.

However, a lot of what you are asking is really dependent on budget.

Since that original rifle, I now feel reasonably comfortable building AR's, but I still want AA to build them if I am focused 100 percent on accuracy.

If you want a rifle that will shoot as well as you are capable, than an upper from Alexander Arms, JP, Precision Firearms, or Templar would be a good place to start. Add a lower with a good trigger, (Geissele is probably the best there is in that regard), and you will be shooting good groups right off the bat.