Might need some help/ advise

[nboost]

Hi everybody, first of I am new to the board and I have gathered a wealth of information by reading it.

I have a AR15 in the .223 caliber, but would like to step up the power a little and build a 6.5 Grendel. Let me ask, is the upper assy of the receiver and barrel a pretty simple process or do you need a gunsmith? It looks like you just need to slip the barrel in the receiver and torque down the barrel nut. Is it really this easy?

I am looking at getting the AA 18 inch barrel, but I see there is a difference in price. One is rifle cut and one is not. Is the rifle cut worth the extra money?

I would also like to get the AA upper receiver with a side charging handle. Does the come with the bolt carrier? Is that the reason for the additional cost?

Is there anything else I need to now before I start purchasing parts?
Thanks in advance

[noone]

Fitting a new barrel into your upper receiver is a pretty simple process, but I would recommend that you have someone who has done it before give you a hand, unless you are really handy at things like that.

The cut rifled barrels usually shoot a bit better than standard barrels...but not always. It all depends on your requirements. If you were lucky enough to get a standard barrel that shoots .65 inch at 100 yards, do you really need more accuracy, or would you be able to use more accuracy than that under your normal shooting conditions?

Machining the upper receiver and bolt carrier so you can have a side charging handle, is extra machining work, therefore it makes sense that it would cost more. I still haven't decided if the benefit of having a side charging handle is worth the extra risk of possibly getting debris into the receiver. Any opening is somewhere for dirt to get in and muck things up. Again, it depends on what you want the rifle for, and your shooting conditions.

AA is really great to deal with, and they would certainly have thought all the possibilities out well before they started making a side charging receiver, so at the very least, it would be worth a call to them.

Everything I have purchased from AA worked great, and I had no regrets after the purchase. Again, I recommend at least giving them a call. In my experience, their customer service is top notch.

[montana]

There's a good video on youtube showing how to assemble a 6.5 Grendel. Very easy. You will have to purchase a few tools.