04-02-2018, 02:14 PM
Spikes makes good stuff in the AR world. The typical "mil-spec" upper should work fine on any spikes lower, as to whether they will "marry up nicely", that's a risk of buying from different companies. From my experience, typically any upper and lower that fit look decent together. Be aware that in all things, no two peoples colors are the same, this also counts for black. A black that is slightly shinier than another in finish becomes rather obvious when placed in concert with another.
Have you decided against building your own? I was like you, and found the prospect of building my own rather daunting since I didn't have the tools, or the expertise to piece an AR together. Then, for some reason I can't remember, I bought an armorers wrench and haven't looked back. If you can rebuild a carburetor, you can build a top notch AR. Heck, if you can change the oil in your truck, you can probably build one. They aren't anywhere near as much of a project as they seem. The benefits you gain from doing so will make your experience much sweeter as well.
Grendel Hunter has a following, and I don't hear many negatives.
I haven't looked in a few weeks, has Youtube begun to pull the "weapons" related videos? That is a place where you can find many many good tutorials for how-to instructions toward building and accurizing your own Grendel. Or any Armalite 15 you might find interest in down the road. It may be a good idea to save your video finds local so that they remain available to you.
All in all, I'd say building one yourself could save you in the area of about 3-400 bucks. That's quite a bit of ammo and accessories toward your end goal. If you don't want to build though, and can swing it, you'll have some kind of customer support behind your parts.
For 300 yards and in, the FAXON group buy 16" barrel would be my suggestion. That and a bolt. I know lots of guys give reasons why a longer barrel is beneficial, and it is - but for the sake of argument - if your maximum anticipated range is 300, you don't lose anything at all going shorter. Except weight and the extra cumbersome length when trapseing around in the woods.
Regarding accuracy, this one's hard to make blanket statements about. Grendel is definitely accurate. Is the shooter? I own a high end Grendel rifle from a reputable maker, and when I'm off, surprisingly so is my rifle. However, good parts from known makers go a long way into creating a weapon that makes your good days shine. GH uppers are pretty middle of the road from what I have seen (which I admit isn't as much as I'd like to make judgements about them) and hold their own on the forums and FB. I doubt you'd be too disappointed in performance given cost.
Note here: remember that the barrel is the absolute heart of your new gun, and the better the barrel you can afford, the better the overall performance down range. If you decide to build your own, start here, and wrap it in as high quality parts as you can. You're looking for SAAMI Grendel, .136 headspacing, and a 910 metal bolt. (This combo, as long as it's real, pays rewards for accuracy and longevity, as well as interchangeability).
One more note: The ballistic performance of the Grendel is such that it can really take advantage of the distance game. On that, Grendel really can take full advantage of good optics. The barrel is the heart, the receiver set the body, and the optics become the brain. The three together of quality, well, you get the gist.
Good luck, and enjoy your new rifle. Welcome to the board, sit down and stay a while!
Have you decided against building your own? I was like you, and found the prospect of building my own rather daunting since I didn't have the tools, or the expertise to piece an AR together. Then, for some reason I can't remember, I bought an armorers wrench and haven't looked back. If you can rebuild a carburetor, you can build a top notch AR. Heck, if you can change the oil in your truck, you can probably build one. They aren't anywhere near as much of a project as they seem. The benefits you gain from doing so will make your experience much sweeter as well.
Grendel Hunter has a following, and I don't hear many negatives.
I haven't looked in a few weeks, has Youtube begun to pull the "weapons" related videos? That is a place where you can find many many good tutorials for how-to instructions toward building and accurizing your own Grendel. Or any Armalite 15 you might find interest in down the road. It may be a good idea to save your video finds local so that they remain available to you.
All in all, I'd say building one yourself could save you in the area of about 3-400 bucks. That's quite a bit of ammo and accessories toward your end goal. If you don't want to build though, and can swing it, you'll have some kind of customer support behind your parts.
For 300 yards and in, the FAXON group buy 16" barrel would be my suggestion. That and a bolt. I know lots of guys give reasons why a longer barrel is beneficial, and it is - but for the sake of argument - if your maximum anticipated range is 300, you don't lose anything at all going shorter. Except weight and the extra cumbersome length when trapseing around in the woods.
Regarding accuracy, this one's hard to make blanket statements about. Grendel is definitely accurate. Is the shooter? I own a high end Grendel rifle from a reputable maker, and when I'm off, surprisingly so is my rifle. However, good parts from known makers go a long way into creating a weapon that makes your good days shine. GH uppers are pretty middle of the road from what I have seen (which I admit isn't as much as I'd like to make judgements about them) and hold their own on the forums and FB. I doubt you'd be too disappointed in performance given cost.
Note here: remember that the barrel is the absolute heart of your new gun, and the better the barrel you can afford, the better the overall performance down range. If you decide to build your own, start here, and wrap it in as high quality parts as you can. You're looking for SAAMI Grendel, .136 headspacing, and a 910 metal bolt. (This combo, as long as it's real, pays rewards for accuracy and longevity, as well as interchangeability).
One more note: The ballistic performance of the Grendel is such that it can really take advantage of the distance game. On that, Grendel really can take full advantage of good optics. The barrel is the heart, the receiver set the body, and the optics become the brain. The three together of quality, well, you get the gist.
Good luck, and enjoy your new rifle. Welcome to the board, sit down and stay a while!
Nothing kills the incentive of men faster than a healthy sense of entitlement. Nothing kills entitlement faster than a healthy sense of achievement.