Requesting opinions regarding 6.5 Grendel for hunting

[grayfox]

AA, you're definitely in my age group!! I'm in the "half-century-plus" shootin' club, accuracy comes and goes, there are FAR better shooters on here than I!
As to the upper recvr and lower, you know-- if they are matched and you have them in hand, they would be good to go for you in this grendel build.
All I was saying is that for decent quality upper/lower and more or less stock pieces (exc for of course the trigger), you'll have a great build on your hands.
Building it gives you a lot of personal satisfaction since your own sweat and blood goes into it.
The build itself is not hard and there are lots of how-to's and videos on line you can learn srom. Plus the guys on here have a wealth of knowledge.
Take it a step at a time and don't rush it, you'd do fine I'm sure!
Final thought is, when it comes to the rifle stock, do some studying and make sure you get one that can give you a good cheek weld. This one thing helps me a lot in the AR.

[Wafavre2]

Go with Mark at PF, get the best barrel you can afford. Don't pinch penny's on barrel, bolt, BCG from PF , Larue 2 stage trigger, Larue QD scope mounts and a very good Scope. That way when you pull it out of the case and lock the scope on, it will not disappoint you.

Will

[tdbru]

AA,
i too am fond of Leupold. outstanding optics for the price. rugged in the extreme. boringly repeatable adjustments. you might consider a Foxtrot Mike FM-9 match trigger. brownells carries them. i sure like mine. it's a 2 stage, so if you've been familiar with the M1 or M14 it'll be a familiar trigger. and they're $89 which isn't too bad. previous poster all offer great suggestions. one thing to consider for a hunting rifle is, how much do you want it to weigh? those bull barrels are very rigid and all, will be as accurate as you can shoot, but it'll make it a lot tougher hiking up and down with a heavy rifle and all the other stuff one carries when out hunting on foot. Faxon has a 20" american gunner pattern that is going to be a bit lighter. SixFivearms, a vendor here, has a nice 20" tube too, that is not too heavy. i think he's back ordered on them at the moment. IM him and see when the next shipment comes in. so do you want 10+ lbs at 1/2 MOA or is 8lbs at 1MOA just fine? of course handguard choice, buttstock choice, etc. all go into the weight consideration. just some thoughts....
-tdbru

[Klem]

Appalachian,

Leupold is a reputable brand with lifetime warranty. They make a range from cheap-and-cheerful to good quality. If you want 0.5MOA you have focus less on cost savings here and more on quality.

Like you say, there's the Law of Diminishing Returns to consider. As you fork out more money the incremental accuracy gains lessen, until you become the weakest link in the system.

I think you should focus on the barrel as this is the heart of the gun, and be prepared to change it if it doesn't impress. This implies you build it yourself which puts a lot more control into your hands than otherwise. You might not save much money building it yourself but this is the only way you will have every single part exactly to your needs and priorities. It's a Lego set for adults and unless your time is money then there's no need to have others building half the gun, which then leaves you forever wondering whether you could have done a better job. Plus, it's your gun, you built it.

I would save $250 by not fitting those Troy BUIS. Let's be honest, quality scopes don't fail often enough to justify fitting a BUIS. Plus, what are the chances you will continue hunting with BUIS if this scenario were to ever happen (...and you could remove your scope in the field)? I have a plastic bag with three sets of Troy flip-ups sitting in the parts box. Took me a while to come to my senses.

That Surefire brake - You could probably save some more dollars there. Surefire charge like wounded bulls for pretty much everything they sell. If you look around you can find another brake that will diminish the felt recoil just as much, for cheaper. Perhaps consider not using a brake at all; it's not a heavy recoiling calibre.

Any dollar savings can go into the barrel fund. Consider buying more than one because one will always be better than the other.

I use the Geiselle National Match but there are other good triggers out there that you might prefer. The Geisselle's SSAE is also a good trigger for an all-round hunting precision rifle, but the NM is adjustable and can be adjusted lower. Geiselle retails double-stage triggers. There are single stage triggers from other manufacturers if you prefer this.

Consider using a fixed stock for maximum rigidity (accuracy), unless there's a compelling need to make it shorter.

Why do you need a side charger? Side chargers tend to be expensive and the normal design works perfectly well.

[Appalachian American]

Klem, I use the Leuopold VX 3i series- works for me but, as I have stated, I don't take those monster shots. Our range goes out to 300 yards, which is fine with me. And we only have one range like that in our county.

I don't plan to put a compensator on this rifle. The Lilja 720 is the early winner but I am still going to research it some more. I am still trying to decide between having the barrel fluted or just buying it as it sits. The side charger was more a curiosity question than anything. Thanks for your reply.

[hill37]

No problem. Greetings and welcome to the forum. I'm a tight old fart. But mainly I was just trying to get the discussion started.

[Klem]

Fluting a 740 shaves 0.2lb off a 2.43lb barrel. It's not a lot (8%) for an extra $130. If you stick with the unfluted version you can buy the Maxim matching bolt and thread protector instead ($100).

[grayfox]

Yeah I left my 740 as-is, I have a BA that is fluted and truth be told the 740 feels better in hand and during the shot, a little bit but noticeable. So I'd say the fluting idea could be set aside.
Unless you hike over miles of mountainside... my body's not up to miles of hiking any more so I just plan out my walks a bit better and avoid any long stretches. That way my rifle can be what I need it to be.

[crusader18]

This is all excellent data. I've been looking for a list like this for comparison on barrel lengths, can you tell us what brand barrels you tested on the 18" and 20" and if that should make a substantial difference? I've got a 20" Criterion from PF and an "18 in Criterion coming(also PF). The 20 shoots better than me and I anticipate the the same results from 18". I don't reload so I'm stuck with factory ammo, but that's not so bad either(Hornady 123ssts). I was figuring on 2450 FPS from the 18" and maybe a little less than the advertised .510 BC from Hornady's website. If I were going to use their ballistic calculator, what numbers would get me close with the 123ssts?

[VASCAR2]

[VASCAR2]