6.5 Grendel II ~vs~ regular grendel.....?

[BjornF16]

Bjorn / Guys:
My problem is that new guys to the Grendel are starting to get the idea that anything other than a .300 / compound throat chamber (which apparently defines the Grendel in technical terms) is dangerous. This myth is compounded by who ever thought up the Grendel I and II stuff. We never had problems discerning the difference before this I and II stuff. And before the cartridge got SAAMI certified, we rarely or never argued the merits of each or their safety. This is because we knew that we could not tell the difference between the two unless using the shortest possible bullets or the longest possible bullets. We used the same OAL that Alexander recommended and never had problems with either.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^^ I didn't really care until the brouhaha over GII and the crazy claims about velocity, etc. Once SAAMI was official and AA relinquished control of "Grendel", I believe there was an increase in "issues", some of them safety related; some reliability. (This validates AA's approach of closely controlling the spec and reamers).

Here is a question then.

You can buy one of two barrels. You know that wait times for barrels are measured in years, not months (not unrealistic).

One is a .264 LBC made and guaranteed by Les Bear. The other is a Grendel marketed as a Stoner or Liberty sold from one of the reputable mail order places.

Both are the exact length and taper you want and both are the same price.

Which one would you buy?

Of course I would buy the 264LBC directly from Les Baer. I would not, however, buy it from some low budget operation or a company who has demonstrated QC issues or lack of honesty about their previous product.

(But before I would buy the 264LBC from Les Baer, I would buy a true Grendel from a reputable manufacturer like Precision Firearms).