What length or specific upper to get?

[amedeo1227]

I am about to jump on board the Grendel boat.

I will mostly be punching paper, some occasional white tail hunting. I would like to buy an AA, simply to support the company that invented the round. My range only goes out to 600 meters. I don't think I need a 24".

I'm also new to precision shooting, and from what I've read, the Grendel will be perfect for my distances and the good BC should make help. From what I have read - I don't want chrome lined barrel?
And I think I want 20"? And shoot the 123 Sencers by AA.

Any pointers or advice would be helpful.

[invisiman]

Welcome.

A 20 inch barrel would be good for what you are doing. I agree you can't go wrong with an AA weapon. I really like mine. A chrome lined barrel will not hurt.
From what I have read you may pick up a little bit more accuracy by not having a chrome lined barrel. I spoke with AA on this a few weeks ago. The
gentleman told me there was very little accuracy difference between a chrome lined barrel and a standard barrel. AA has such good products, both
are very accurate from what I have read. The 123 Lapua Scenars are worth the money. AA's price on them is hard to beat.

[LRRPF52]

Welcome,

Any barrel length from 16"-20" will be fine for you. Heavier barrels will be better for target work, and lighter will be better for hunting.

[amedeo1227]

I forgot to mention, money is an issue. I dont want to spend more than $1200, I would like to keep it under $1000 if possible.

On the chrome lining, some people on other forums (i.e. Snipershide) say chrome lining isnt good for accuracy. But if you're sure, that is good to hear. From what I understand, the chrome lining will help my barrel last waaaaaaaay longer. I guess I need to start reloading too.

Thanks for the help.

[LR1955]

I forgot to mention, money is an issue. I dont want to spend more than $1200, I would like to keep it under $1000 if possible.

On the chrome lining, some people on other forums (i.e. Snipershide) say chrome lining isnt good for accuracy. But if you're sure, that is good to hear. From what I understand, the chrome lining will help my barrel last waaaaaaaay longer. I guess I need to start reloading too.

Thanks for the help.

Amed:

Everyone wants a cheap, top end accurate, perfect for hunting, combat, self defense, and target work at 'long ranges'. It is not possible. And, I doubt you will get a top end precision upper for under $1500.00 anymore. You can get a good hunting grade upper for under $1000.00. It just won't be consistent enough at 600 meters to be competitive.

I have yet to know of any competitive shooter who is better than mediocre who also uses chrome lined barrels. They will not give the same consistency. And, unless you are doing IPSC or Three Gun where you are blasting thousands of rounds a month at very high rates of fire and where precision isn't as important as balance and speed, you will not wear out a Grendel chambered barrel any faster with one or the other.

Let me recommend you decide on the primary purpose of the rifle and look at the features needed for that purpose. You may also want to try to define 'precision', 'long range', and 'accuracy', too. It does help in making decisions.

LR1955

[Merrixs]

OP, The purpose of my rifle is similar to yours. I chose to go with an AA Heavy 20". Lugging around a little extra weight while hunting will just mean I have to be a little more determined to go hunting. My price tag is right around 850-900 without any optics. I shopped around looking for good parts that fit my purpose without breaking the bank. I am by no means an expert, but here is my thread if your curious about my project. http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...e-Assembly

[Variable]

Amed:

Everyone wants a cheap, top end accurate, perfect for hunting, combat, self defense, and target work at 'long ranges'. It is not possible. And, I doubt you will get a top end precision upper for under $1500.00 anymore. You can get a good hunting grade upper for under $1000.00. It just won't be consistent enough at 600 meters to be competitive.

I have yet to know of any competitive shooter who is better than mediocre who also uses chrome lined barrels. They will not give the same consistency. And, unless you are doing IPSC or Three Gun where you are blasting thousands of rounds a month at very high rates of fire and where precision isn't as important as balance and speed, you will not wear out a Grendel chambered barrel any faster with one or the other.

Let me recommend you decide on the primary purpose of the rifle and look at the features needed for that purpose. You may also want to try to define 'precision', 'long range', and 'accuracy', too. It does help in making decisions.

LR1955

If by consistency you mean a chrome bore may be slightly less accurate I agree, but if you mean it's potential mechanical accuracy is inconsistent somehow (i.e. one moa today and two moa tomorrow) then I disagree.

Barrel life: You said-- "you will not wear out a Grendel chambered barrel any faster with one or the other." There I have to completely disagree. A chromed bore will always wear more slowly than a naked one, regardless of your shooting style. Most folks here won't ever shoot their barrels out, I'll agree to that, but there is a definite difference whether they will shoot enough to see it or not.

I have owned plenty of chromed barrels over the years that were easily more accurate than the average shooter. While a competitive target shooter may have enough skill to see the difference, a large number of "normal" folks wont.

A lot of Colt barrels will shoot 1 moa (or significantly better) with the right ammo. If the OP can consistently shoot "sub-moa" then I agree he should seek out the best tube he can if accuracy is to be his game. Otherwise I highly doubt he'd even notice the difference in normal shooting.

No offense Amedeo! I have no idea what your actual shooting skills are, just talking towards the center of the shooter's curve.

ETA: For example--- I'd be willing to bet that if we were to go to any gun show and grab any random twenty guys out of the line outside the door the majority of them couldn't actually shoot well enough to even detect the difference between a chrome bore or a Krieger. It'd be money sorely wasted. On the flip side, I'll also agree that the majority of them will never shoot enough to wear out their barrels either.

OP:
If you want hyper uber accurate and are willing to pay for it, then get a good match barrel upgrade from AA or whoever you order from.

On the flip side, if you aren't going to compete, money is an issue, and/or you plan on plinking a whole lot, then get a chrome bore and you'll likely be quite happy with it.

[LR1955]

If by consistency you mean a chrome bore may be slightly less accurate I agree, but if you mean it's potential mechanical accuracy is inconsistent somehow (i.e. one moa today and two moa tomorrow) then I disagree.

Barrel life: You said-- "you will not wear out a Grendel chambered barrel any faster with one or the other." There I have to completely disagree. A chromed bore will always wear more slowly than a naked one, regardless of your shooting style. Most folks here won't ever shoot their barrels out, I'll agree to that, but there is a definite difference whether they will shoot enough to see it or not.

I have owned plenty of chromed barrels over the years that were easily more accurate than the average shooter. While a competitive target shooter may have enough skill to see the difference, a large number of "normal" folks wont.

A lot of Colt barrels will shoot 1 moa (or significantly better) with the right ammo. If the OP can consistently shoot "sub-moa" then I agree he should seek out the best tube he can if accuracy is to be his game. Otherwise I highly doubt he'd even notice the difference in normal shooting.

No offense Amedeo! I have no idea what your actual shooting skills are, just talking towards the center of the shooter's curve.

ETA: For example--- I'd be willing to bet that if we were to go to any gun show and grab any random twenty guys out of the line outside the door the majority of them couldn't actually shoot well enough to even detect the difference between a chrome bore or a Krieger. It'd be money sorely wasted. On the flip side, I'll also agree that the majority of them will never shoot enough to wear out their barrels either.

OP:
If you want hyper uber accurate and are willing to pay for it, then get a good match barrel upgrade from AA or whoever you order from.

On the flip side, if you aren't going to compete, money is an issue, and/or you plan on plinking a whole lot, then get a chrome bore and you'll likely be quite happy with it.

All:

Someone who wants to have a rifle that is competitive in High Power, F Class, and even those Sniper Competitions, will not get a chrome lined barrel.

Guys who blast thousands of rounds at high rates of fire such as guys who shoot IPSC or Three Gun may get one, but I doubt it.

I can see it for guys who have automatic rifles and who shoot a couple of cases of Grendel ammo a week. I don't think anyone with that much money is on the forum.

He should know the reasons why chrome lining is used -- and it isn't to enhance accuracy.

LR1955

[amedeo1227]

I do plan to compete, i currently don't. I am signing up as soon as i get a break from work. I have a friend at work that is getting me into it. Most guys from what I read use 308's, but I don't want to dump a lot of money into a new rifle, when I love my AR. So for the record, I plan on competing more than hunting with the Grendel. I get to play a little bit with my 5.56 AR, but I want to step up with a Grendel before I compete.

To be honest, I'm not sure of what all the competitions are either. I guess a better description would be to say - I want to have a rifle with more "umfff" at longer ranges, I feel like the 5.56 at 600 yards is like throwing pebbles. I feel like I would be more confident to enter these matches with a Grendel, being less effected by wind and straighter trajectory. I dont want to go into the competitions with the wrong rifle, wishing in a couple of months I didnt get chrome lined or with I got a 24" or something like that.

[LR1955]

I do plan to compete, i currently don't. I am signing up as soon as i get a break from work. I have a friend at work that is getting me into it. Most guys from what I read use 308's, but I don't want to dump a lot of money into a new rifle, when I love my AR. So for the record, I plan on competing more than hunting with the Grendel. I get to play a little bit with my 5.56 AR, but I want to step up with a Grendel before I compete.

To be honest, I'm not sure of what all the competitions are either. I guess a better description would be to say - I want to have a rifle with more "umfff" at longer ranges, I feel like the 5.56 at 600 yards is like throwing pebbles. I feel like I would be more confident to enter these matches with a Grendel, being less effected by wind and straighter trajectory. I dont want to go into the competitions with the wrong rifle, wishing in a couple of months I didnt get chrome lined or with I got a 24" or something like that.

Amedo:

The loads guys are using with their 5.56 AR's are equal to or superior to any safe Grendel load. You won't get an advantage from a Grendel over a handloaded 5.56 at 600 yards if your intent is to punch holes through paper. Same goes for wind. And trajectory really doesn't mean anything for Known Distance shooting such as NRA High Power or F-Class. Trajectory does mean something when you get into those Sniper types of competition where you don't know the range and the targets vary in size, and you will win or lose given hits at distances past about 500 yards. And, the mass of the heavier 6.5 bullets compared to 5.56 will mean something if you must knock over steel targets to score.

You need to figure out what competitive venues you want to attend, then read their regulations concerning rifles or carbines, then attend one of the competitions to see first hand how they are run and the equipment guys use. Note similarities between competitors equipment as that is probably how you will have to go if they are governed by a rule or if they are just the best fit for the sport. A 16" carbine with its folding stock won't do for NRA High Power if you intend on being above the lowest five percent at a big cost to you in ammo. However, a 26" barrel probably won't do in Three Gun or IPSC due to its length.

Some guys here shoot High Power. Some guys shoot IPSC or Three Gun. Some shoot Sniper Competitions or F Class. Some are highly skilled in short and long range tactical applications. The rifles and carbines used in these applications will differ based on the application and the differences will be significant.

Identify the sport you want to get into and from that sport or application, requirements will fall out very easily.

LR1955

[parallax]

For right at $900 shipped I am extremely happy wth my SAOD 20" upper. I use it in 200-300 yard steel plate competitions, deer hunting, coyote hunting and it eats everything I've fed it and spits it out accurately.

[A.D.D. AR]

amedeo- don't overlook factory Hornady 123 Amax ammo- it shoots great out to 800 yds for most guys, and is priced right, can be found at local sporting goods places, and save the brass because it works great for reloading!
good luck with your upper... I bought a factory AA 19.5'' upper in 2009, and it still shoots better than I can. And I like it so much , I'm building another upper with a Satern barrel... but with the current back log in the firearms industry,
we all are realizing the meaning of the saying "patience is a virtue"... I've been waiting a long time for my Satern, but it will be worth it!
Again, best of luck to you and your project, welcome to the horde.. the guys on this site really know their sh#%!!! and are willing to lend solid advise, as you have already seen.
-mike

[Variable]

All:

Someone who wants to have a rifle that is competitive in High Power, F Class, and even those Sniper Competitions, will not get a chrome lined barrel.

Guys who blast thousands of rounds at high rates of fire such as guys who shoot IPSC or Three Gun may get one, but I doubt it.

I can see it for guys who have automatic rifles and who shoot a couple of cases of Grendel ammo a week. I don't think anyone with that much money is on the forum.

He should know the reasons why chrome lining is used -- and it isn't to enhance accuracy.

LR1955

Whoops, I couldn't figure out how competition got into this since the OP hadn't specifically mentioned it, and then now I've finally noticed that this thread is in the "Target and Competition Shooting" subforum... Big oops! My apologies. I'll scurry away now.

Also: It doesn't take two cases of ammo every week to shotgun a bore.LOL Two cases of Wolf every single week (you're right, I couldn't afford that much!) would equal 52,000 rounds a year. A chrome bore wouldn't survive that either. Let me win the lotto, and I'll get back to you on that one though.

[Everrest]

JSEsurplus is showing several AA 24" uppers in stock for $900.
Alexander arms 24" 6.5 Grendel upper complete w/fh

JSESurplus Black Friday sale will reduce the price to $750 starting at Noon CST Thursday. Currently showing 15 in stock.