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+--- Thread: My Ballistic Advantage build (/showthread.php?tid=14865)
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-20-2017
Yeah, another "but this one is mine" thread, lol. This will be my first Grendel. I had intended to build it around a Criterion barrel but when BA put their 20" DMR Premium Series stainless barrels on sale for $228 bucks shipped with a free upper, it was like Pavlov ringing the dinner bell. I couldn't get my credit card out fast enough.
I have one of their 16" midlength barrels on a 5.56 build I did. It's a great shooter so I'm hoping for good things out of the 6.5G.Anyway, I'm on a pretty tight budget like a lot of folks but I don't want a cheap rifle either. I've been shopping the sales and so far the parts list looks like this:
BA 20" DMR stainless barrel (rifle length gas)
BA upper
Gamma VG6 762 muzzle brake
Seekins adjustable gas block
Toolcraft black nitride bolt carrier
"Monster" bolt
Aero Gen 2 lower
mil spec buffer tube, standard rifle buffer and chrome silicon spring
Magpul PRS stock (Gen 2) and MOE grip
Still need a hand guard, trigger and some E-lander mags. I'll be scavenging an optic off another rifle to function check this one but ultimately I think I'll go with something from SWFA. I've read such good reviews of their stuff that I've been looking for an excuse to buy something from them. The longest range I have regular access to is about 500 yds so I'm thinking something like their 3-15X42 would work nicely.
Like I said, this is my first Grendel build so any tips or advice will be greatly appreciated
My Ballistic Advantage build - bj139 - 12-20-2017
Great deal on the barrel and upper.
I had just bought the Faxon 20" group buy barrel and about the same time bought a BA 18" barrel from someone here or I would have been tempted.
I barely shot the BA barrel but I think it shot Wolf steel ammo at about 2 MOA which is very good for Wolf steel.
I did post about it here somewhere.
You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew to your lower to get rid of most creep and polish the sear with a dremel and polishing compound.
There are threads about this here as well.
I did this to one trigger and the feel is not too far from the LaRue trigger.
I could tell you about temporary handguards but if you are interested search "schedule 80".
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-20-2017
bj139 Wrote:Great deal on the barrel and upper.Too good. It derailed my plan for the Criterion barrel. Oh well, I still have another lower that needs to get built so...
bj139 Wrote:You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew...Yeah I did that on a carbine I have and on my M&P 15-22 and changed the springs too. Big improvement for only a couple bucks and a little time invested.
bj139 Wrote:I could tell you about temporary handguards but if you are interested search "schedule 80".I saw that. Very creative.
My Ballistic Advantage build - blackholegun - 12-21-2017
Just kind of curious, why the 762 VG6 instead of the 65
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-21-2017
I bought it for my Savage 10 FCP-SR in .308 because I wanted a brake and it was on sale for only 40 bucks shipped. Being an AR style brake, I'm not sure I really like the way it looks on there so I'm going to stick it on this rifle. I've seen tests where there is only about a 3% difference in damping by using the larger brake so I can't justify buying one specific to the 6.5. I'll probably pick up a Precision Armament M11 for the Savage if I see a good sale on one.
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My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-21-2017
Hahaha, I just made the mistake of totaling up what I have in my "budget" rifle. 640 bucks so far and I still have 3 of the bigger ticket items to go. I'd like an SSA-E but I may go with an MBT trigger and save the 80 bucks. I was looking around at some of the fancier handguards too but I keep coming back to the ALG EMR V3 15". I don't think you can beat the value and quality of that piece. I have a V1 on another build and I really dig it. The only beef I have with it (and it's a minor one...) is that it's a little plain looking. Optics-wise, I hope I can scrape together enough dough in time to take advantage of the next big sale at SWFA. Either that or maybe I'll look into a 4-16 Viper PST from A&A Optics. They sell factory refurbs, indistinguishable from new and full lifetime warranty at substantial discounts. I got the 6-24X50 on my Savage from them for 500 shipped and I have zero complaints.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-23-2017
Just grabbed a 15.5" Odin Works O2 Lite M-LOK hand guard for $140 shipped from Primary Arms. So now I just need a trigger and an optic and I'll be all set. I could use a stock trigger that I tweaked but I think I'll wait until I see a sale on something I really want.
My Ballistic Advantage build - Frontier Gear - 12-23-2017
kcb38 Wrote:Hahaha, I just made the mistake of totaling up what I have in my "budget" rifle. 640 bucks so far and I still have 3 of the bigger ticket items to go.
Adds up fast, don't it? It's sounding like a really nice build though. You won't be disappointed.
My Ballistic Advantage build - blackholegun - 12-23-2017
I am doing a build that is almost identical to yours.
I also purchased the 20 BA barrel although I got the fluted version.
Also the BA BCG.
AP matched upper and lower.
I went with the MBT because I used one on my AR10 and really thought it was a nice trigger for the cost
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-24-2017
Frontier Gear Wrote:Adds up fast, don't it? It's sounding like a really nice build though. You won't be disappointed.Being a car guy in the process of building a street/strip 66 Chevelle, I should know better than to look at all the receipts at once.
blackholegun Wrote:I am doing a build that is almost identical to yours.Can't wait to hear how it shoots. These barrels were highly anticipated on AR15.com but there haven't been many range reports since they came out. They guarantee sub MOA but I'm secretly hoping that I got lucky and got a real shooter. Time will tell I guess.
I also purchased the 20 BA barrel although I got the fluted version.
My Ballistic Advantage build - jackwagon - 12-24-2017
kcb38 Wrote:I bought it for my Savage 10 FCP-SR in .308 because I wanted a brake and it was on sale for only 40 bucks shipped. Being an AR style brake, I'm not sure I really like the way it looks on there so I'm going to stick it on this rifle. I've seen tests where there is only about a 3% difference in damping by using the larger brake so I can't justify buying one specific to the 6.5. I'll probably pick up a Precision Armament M11 for the Savage if I see a good sale on one.I put a Smith Industries break on my FCP, I only have about 60 rounds through it but I like it.https://www.midwayusa.com/product/983500/smith-enterprise-good-iron-muzzle-brake-5-8-24-thread-with-jam-nut-ar-10-lr-308-matte
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My Ballistic Advantage build - zcostilla - 12-24-2017
bj139 Wrote:You could get a better mil spec trigger by adding a 1/4-28 setscrew to your lower to get rid of most creep and polish the sear with a dremel and polishing compound.
If you're going to polish the sear, be VERY careful not to overheat it and mess up the tempering of the steel. Those are hardened with a very specific process to get it right. If you use too much pressure, or go too long, and heat it up, you can make it more brittle.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-27-2017
I was ordering a couple more odds and ends that didn't show up in my stocking and I decided to try one of those Radian LT charging handles I've been seeing lately. Similar to the Raptor but made of aluminum with a polymer overlay on the ears. This rifle will never see any real abuse so I can't imagine the polymer being an issue. Radian makes good stuff so I'm sure it'll be fine. At 46 bucks shipped I couldn't pass it up.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 12-30-2017
Scarfed up a High Speed National Match trigger today with the 3 spring kits from Brownells. They had it on sale for 219 and I got it for 199 shipped with the coupon code (H7L I think). I was really leaning toward the MBT trigger but that's the first time I've seen the Nat'l Match kit for less than 2 bills so I got a little excited.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 01-12-2018
Sneak peek at the new 65G. Still missing a few major parts but I couldn't wait to mock it up with glass.
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My Ballistic Advantage build - biodsl - 01-13-2018
Sweet rig! Looking forward to hearing how the BA barrel shoots.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 01-13-2018
biodsl Wrote:Sweet rig! Looking forward to hearing how the BA barrel shoots.
Thanks and believe me, I'm looking forward to seeing how the BA barrel shoots. That purchase was sort of a leap of faith. I'm kinda surprised about how little I've heard about these barrels since they came out, and that concerns me a bit. But like I said earlier, I have one of their barrels on a 5.56 middy that I built and I like it a lot. I hope this one shoots at least as well. If the rest of my parts ever come in I'll find out but until then I'm in a holding pattern.
My Ballistic Advantage build - kcb38 - 02-28-2018
Finally got a chance to get this rifle to the range yesterday. Function wise it was great with Hornady Black and SST. Wolf, not so much. I have the gas block adjusted pretty much all the way open and the bolt won't reliably lock back on the last round. The bolt is ending up on top of the follower so I assume it's short stroking to some degree? I don't think it's cycling too fast because I started with the gas block closed and opened it up gradually. The problem was present from the beginning.
As far as the accuracy of the BA barrel, I was hoping for better but it's too early to pass the final judgement. I think I was a big part of the inconsistency I saw. At 100 yds shooting Hornady I was getting 2 shots in one hole and then one 2 inches away or worse. Wolf was laughable. My "groups" were around 4". I couldn't get comfortable though. The scope needed to be repositioned, the benches at my club are less than ergonomic and I think I just had too many distractions. I'm looking forward to getting her out again after working out these little issues.
My Ballistic Advantage build - Kswhitetails - 02-28-2018
We really do need a like button. Glad you're seeing action with it.
My Ballistic Advantage build - bj139 - 02-28-2018
The barrel should get better as you fire more rounds.
They sell special bullets to firelap a barrel for the same reason.
Most people say about 100 rounds is necessary to get it smoother.
I think copper plated steel bimetallic bullets (Wolf )should polish faster but who knows.
I had a BCA barrel that was crappy at first and near 100 rounds through it I shot a .9 MOA five shot group with 85g HP handloads.