6.5 Grendel Forum
12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - Printable Version

+- 6.5 Grendel Forum (https://65grendel.com)
+-- Forum: 6.5 GRENDEL DISCUSSION FORUMS (https://65grendel.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=3)
+--- Forum: 6.5 Grendel ARs and Other Semi-Autos (https://65grendel.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=8)
+--- Thread: 12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build (/showthread.php?tid=24941)

Pages: 1 2

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-16-2022

Good afternoon horde

Been a member here for a while but just started posting and would like some feedback on the above barrels and recommendations for which.

I've been shooting the 6.5g for a while but with some stamp approvals recently I am wanting to build a 12" with primary use as hunting rifle and range toy. I am at the point that barrel decision is all that is left and while I am currently leaning towards the sixfiveoutfitters Monster I am wondering what feedback and recommendations you all can provide. I have been through some of the threads in regard to both barrels in the forums just looking for that little bit of extra info before I make the purchase.

I hunt in the north Texas area in a lot of brush, typical sightline is around 100-125 yards so extreme distance on whitetail and hogs isn't a necessity.

Also have seen some crazy accuracy reports from the reloaders, any info that can be provided related to 6.5g reloading would be great.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - VASCAR2 - 09-16-2022

I have a 16” and 18” Faxon Group Buy barrels which I really like plus I have the Group Buy 12” Monster logo barrel manufactured by Green mountain. BFT decided to open a web store to facilitate the group buy barrels but he has since added quite a few quality products. All the Monster barrels are manufactured to BFT’s specification.

The Faxon and Monster Green Mountain barrels are rack grade so it is kind of luck of the draw on accuracy. At the price of the Monster barrel I think they are well worth trying out. If you happen to have an issue BFT will try his best to resolve any issue. I can’t see any significant quality difference between the Group Buy Faxon or Green Mountain barrels. I really like the contour and balance of my three group buy barrels, 12”, 16, 18”. Living in Illinois it is unlawful to possess a suppressor but my three Monster logo barrels are perfectly gassed and reliable with carbine buffer and carbine spring.

With the current supply chain issues I’m not sure you can find a Faxon 12” for sale however BFT has the 12” GM Monster barrels in stock ready to ship.


https://www.sixfiveoutfitters.com/product/monster-12/

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-16-2022

VASCAR2 Wrote:I have a 16” and 18” Faxon Group Buy barrels which I really like plus I have the Group Buy 12” Monster logo barrel manufactured by Green mountain. BFT decided to open a web store to facilitate the group buy barrels but he has since added quite a few quality products. All the Monster barrels are manufactured to BFT’s specification.

The Faxon and Monster Green Mountain barrels are rack grade so it is kind of luck of the draw on accuracy. At the price of the Monster barrel I think they are well worth trying out. If you happen to have an issue BFT will try his best to resolve any issue. I can’t see any significant quality difference between the Group Buy Faxon or Green Mountain barrels. I really like the contour and balance of my three group buy barrels, 12”, 16, 18”. Living in Illinois it is unlawful to possess a suppressor but my three Monster logo barrels are perfectly gassed and reliable with carbine buffer and carbine spring.

With the current supply chain issues I’m not sure you can find a Faxon 12” for sale however BFT has the 12” GM Monster barrels in stock ready to ship.


https://www.sixfiveoutfitters.com/product/monster-12/

Thanks for the reply and the feedback. I failed to mention in the original post I do have some green mountain experience with a couple of different calibers and have not had a bad experience.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - Arkhangel5 - 09-18-2022

Heartburn,

I have no experience with the Faxon brand, but can wholeheartedly recommend the Monster barrels from BFT. I have one in 12in that is a shooter.

I built mine around a Aero Prec upper with a Odin Works bcg, worked great right from the first shot. Very accurate for the shorty barrel.

It was built as a nite time short range hog hunter and has taken quite a few hogs.

I will say the only bullets I have put thru it are 120+ class, though I do want to try lighter, just havent gotten around to it.

This is an old vid I posted a while back showing how accurate it can be with 123gr bullets. I hunt with 120gr'ers.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SxLCpYtPa_fvKsGwjYbhDB1jn80N7Meg/view

I don't think you would be disappointed with a Monster barrel.

SY

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-18-2022

Thanks for the reply. I will probably be ordering one this week and am leaning to the monster at the moment. It will be installed into a BCM blem upper, SLR ION handguard, Toolcraft BCG and bolt and running a DA Sandman S. Little doubt this will be my goto rifle for anything game related once completed.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - LRRPF52 - 09-18-2022

This one has a 12” Monster initial group buy barrel from Faxon.

So far, it and the other one I built around the same time shoot most factory loads into 1 MOA, 5rd groups.

That includes 90gr TNT Federal load and 123gr ELD-M.

It hits steel targets really hard at 400yds. I shoot it regularly out to 800yds.

[Image: ?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi1085.photobucket.com%2F...f=1&nofb=1]

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - lazyengineer - 09-18-2022

TBH, it's a 12" BBL for field hunting, so hard to mess this up. Get which ever one is on sale - JMHO. All else being equal, I lean towards Monster simply because it's spec'd by a Grendel focused enthuiest who will be more focused on the details of getting it right. I can't recall which of the 2 runs Wolf Steel better. But that's getting kind of Academic, now that that door has been closed.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-19-2022

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Looking forward to getting this one together and doing some hunting with it. Keep sharing any stories, pictures, range reports or field reports. I really felt that for the purpose either barrel would perform fine. I never frequent this forum but have seen a few reports here and there of the group buy barrels and seems in most cases both the faxon and the monster are pretty well regarded.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - VASCAR2 - 09-19-2022

Here is a picture of my 12” Monster next to my Tavor for size comparison.


[Image: 51539711954_f63dd7b45a_z.jpg]

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-20-2022

Great looking rigs, thanks for posting those.

Also thanks for those that have mentioned that round and weight. I haven't reloaded for the Grendel yet at all, will be looking to start that as well. My current Grendel rifle is more of just a hunting tool, never used as a range toy as the cost of even reloading ammo was higher than the 5.56. Shot enough rounds to function check the rifle, center scope and a handful of groups to gauge accuracy and that's about it. Looking forward to moving beyond that and rolling my own, doing some accuracy shooting and hopefully stretch it out to distances beyond my hunting length. Any info anyone can provide on reloading would be great. I've had hit and miss luck with 5.56/223 handloads in AR's in the past and beyond plinking ammo have never really tried to work up and accuracy load.

Got the barrel ordered. Now the wait begins to get it in. I have all of my other parts here and ready to go.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - peak98 - 09-20-2022

heartburn Wrote:Got the barrel ordered. Now the wait begins to get it in.

Which barrel did you go with? I’ve got a 12” Monster barreled upper and just completed a 12” Faxon Match barreled upper. Picked up the Faxon new, never fired and can’t wait to see if one shoots better than the other.
peak98

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-21-2022

peak98 Wrote:Which barrel did you go with? I’ve got a 12” Monster barreled upper and just completed a 12” Faxon Match barreled upper. Picked up the Faxon new, never fired and can’t wait to see if one shoots better than the other.
peak98

I ordered the monster from sixfiveoutfitters. Looking forward to hearing your results and hopefully posting some of my own soon.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - Tx264 - 09-21-2022

Hb.Excellent choice of parts.
When you assemble the rifle,put the barrel in the freezer for about 4hrs.
Wear a leather glove.Heat the upper with a heat gun.pull the barrel out of the freezer,slide it in.
Dead nut accurate hunting bullets to reload.
Look for 120gr nosler ballastic tips or Sierra pro hunters.90gr tnt.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-22-2022

Tx264 Wrote:Hb.Excellent choice of parts.
When you assemble the rifle,put the barrel in the freezer for about 4hrs.
Wear a leather glove.Heat the upper with a heat gun.pull the barrel out of the freezer,slide it in.
Dead nut accurate hunting bullets to reload.
Look for 120gr nosler ballastic tips or Sierra pro hunters.90gr tnt.

Thanks for the feedback on this. Barrel showed up just now, probably won't get to work on it until this weekend. Hopefully posting some photos and range report info soon. Looking forward to finding some projectiles and giving it a shot. I have a good amount of H335 and Benchmark powder sitting, plenty of once shot factory brass to get started and I may even have some primers.


[Image: 52378790014_2bbbaebb83_c.jpg]65Grendel_Parts by Heartburn, on Flickr

More pics of assembled rifle soon

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-27-2022

Upper assembled, pretty straightforward nothing to difficult. Everything is together and ready for function testing, sight in and hopefully some hunting this fall. Pics of it on a couple of different lowers for the pictures. One issue I do have is the adjustable gas block adjustment isn't easily accessible so will have to do adjustments with the handguard/rail removed.

KAC Lower:
Timney Calvin Elite trigger:
[Image: 52388420248_9c319b2fc6_c.jpg]65Grendel_KAC by Heartburn, on Flickr

PSA Lower:
ELF Match trigger:
[Image: 52388175361_25441ec427_c.jpg]65Grendel_PSA1 by Heartburn, on Flickr

[Image: 52388603155_d043aac512_c.jpg]65Grendel_PSA2 by Heartburn, on Flickr


Hopefully some action shots, target shots and range report later this week or the weekend.

Thanks for all the feedback about the barrels and continue to reply with critiques, range reports, pics of your own and anything else that you can provide or add.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - BluntForceTrauma - 09-27-2022

Lookin' good. Am also gonna put a Dead Air Sandman-S (assuming that's what it is) on my 12", so am very interested in how it works.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-27-2022

BluntForceTrauma Wrote:Lookin' good. Am also gonna put a Dead Air Sandman-S (assuming that's what it is) on my 12", so am very interested in how it works.

Thanks BFT, barrel seems nice from initial inspection, went together without any fuss. Will be picking up a bolt from 65outfitters soon based on the reviews here. Thanks for your support of the 6.5 Grendel community.
Yes, DA Sandman S. I will report back as soon as I've gotten to the range.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - LRRPF52 - 09-27-2022

Get a Bootleg adjustable gas carrier for shooting suppressed. They are much easier to deal with right through the ejection port with a small flat head.

4 positions, from full open to full choked suppressed, which is the setting I use on my 12” Grendel.

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - BlogSarge - 09-28-2022

LRRPF52 Wrote:Get a Bootleg adjustable gas carrier for shooting suppressed. They are much easier to deal with right through the ejection port with a small flat head.

4 positions, from full open to full choked suppressed, which is the setting I use on my 12” Grendel.

I’ve been looking at these. Do they cut down gas blowback or just moderate BCG speed?

12" Monster or 12" Faxon? Budget hunting barrel build - heartburn - 09-28-2022

LRRPF52 Wrote:Get a Bootleg adjustable gas carrier for shooting suppressed. They are much easier to deal with right through the ejection port with a small flat head.

4 positions, from full open to full choked suppressed, which is the setting I use on my 12” Grendel.

The Bootleg Inc BCG may be the direction I go. I want to see how this block will work and if the use of it is sustainable for this rifle. Primary use will be suppressed so hoping to not have to do a lot of back and forth adjustment. I have also looked as some other adjustable blocks that would be accessible with this rail. I have never used one of the SLR rails and didn't do enough research on carbine length adjustable gas block use to know to go a different direction. I have learned my lesson with this and won't make the same mistake again. Either way, thanks for the feedback and a simple possible resolution to what seems to be my first real issue with this rifle.