I need the experts opinion!

[doallgun2012]

So i have had nothing but bolt actions all my life with the occasional semi auto 22. then i bought an H&K AR style 22 and am hooked! Now i love my 220 swift for its accuracy and its, what i would call, light recoil. But i like the knock down power of my 06. So i decided i wanted to make a do all kind of gun and settled on the 6.5 Grendel. I have also decided i want to custom build it. My problem is i have read almost all the post and i haven't really seen any good websites/people i can check out. Templar Consulting is about the only one everyone seems to agree on. Money isn't a big issue but i am not ignoring it. What are the top 3 things for the money: barrels, triggers, uppers, lowers, stocks?
Some more questions. I like 26" barrels, does anyone make one for a Grendel and is it practical? I live in wide open country, what are we talking about for effective range with a lot of practice, good scope and custom reloads? i have read 400 yards clear to 1000 yards.
Anyways. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[stokesrj]

Hi Doall,
I also like 26" barrels on my bolt rifles but not so on an AR platform because of the action length. They get pretty bulky and heavy at that length, and it kind of messes up the inherent good handling qualities of an AR in my opinion. By far the most significant component is the barrel, followed closely by the trigger. Uppers and Lowers are pretty generic and almost any will do. Stocks are simply a matter of taste.
When you say effective range, do you mean for hunting or just hitting. For hunting deer size game I would limit my shots to 600 yards and then only under ideal conditions, the chance of wounding escalates rapidly as the range increases. Energy drops quite rapidly, but shot placement trumps energy significantly in my opinion and just too much can go wrong at longer distances.
My recommendations would be a 20" or 22" cut rifle barrel by Kreiger or Satern and a Geissele High Speed trigger. I'm sure others will join in and help with choices.
Bob

[doallgun2012]

Okay. Thanks Bob. My longest shots will probably be over a prairie dog town or coyotes. So 600 is plenty far. I was mostly setting this up as a varmint/bench gun but want to be able to shoot a deer or antelope. Possibly an elk. Thanks for the tip.

[Whelenon]

This is just some of the websites I bookmarked during my Grendel Research:

http://www.alexanderarms.com/

http://www.kiesfirearms.com/Home_Page.html

http://jtdistributing.net/store/product1280.html

http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/

http://www.blackweaponsarmory.com/

http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/#

http://www.blackholeweaponry.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=43&osCsid=fe92eae92dea21021c71f3a8b93fc924

http://www.jprifles.com/

http://www.spikestactical.com/new/z/-c-0.html

http://www.yhm.net/

http://www.precisionfirearms.com/

http://www.lokiweaponsystems.com/products/

I would recommend you start with Alexander Arms. They developed the Grendel and are the benchmark. I can also recommend Loki. Other than that I have no affiliation or experience with anyone else.
Good luck,

[LRRPF52]

Excellent bookmarks, Whelenon. To the OP's question, the AA 28" GDMR with fluted barrel and G10 carbon fiber handguard is amazingly well-balanced, and simply doesn't move under recoil when shooting it. It's extremely pleasant to shoot with.

For what you're doing, the most important component is going to be your barrel, so get a match-grade cut-rifled or match button-rifled pipe. I would prioritize my barrel sourcing from the following companies in this order:

Krieger
Bartlein
Obermeyer
Shilen
Lilja

The differences between them on-target could end up being non-distinguishable, but for some reason, every Krieger I have shot has always left me with a solid sense of confidence and affinity with the rifle. That said, my personal go-to barrel right now would be Bartlein because they are CNC cut-rifled, a little more affordable, and you have the option of using a progressive twist.

The next thing I would look at is a hard use bolt from AA, or a Super Bolt from AR Performance. That will allow you to take advantage of the higher pressure capacity of the Lapua Grendel brass.

Your next most important components will be your receiver set/chassis. For a bench queen, go beefy with a billet set, or have a smith select an upper for you that tightly mates to your barrel extension.

The next most important component will be your trigger. Get a Geissele and don't think about it again, unless you absolutely refuse to use a 2-stage. They are the trigger to beat right now.

The rest of the parts are basically up to you, but you will use a free-float tube of course, and ensure that everything is assembled competently. You can choose to do it yourself, or have someone with a good reputation do it. Some critical things:

Get a good gas block. If you do end up using a longer than 20" pipe, I would recommend an adjustable gas block as an almost must, especially for the 26" and 28". You will have a totally different dwell-time curve that needs to be mitigated with gas flow adjustment.

I would get a Magpul PRS for your stock, a Falcon grip, an AA G10 Carbon fiber handguard, and a Nickel Boron Bolt Carrier.