Want to work up to 1000yd...need build advice on the reasonable for the rifle

[LRRPF52]

I have come to the conclusion that a 16" Grendel, @ 1000yds @ 1600-1650ASL is just not really feasable (should have listened to the horde a bit earlier, but sometimes you have to learn even though people are already telling you what you are going to learn, but it will get me onto the road of a light recoil, decent distance shooting 16" rifle. After I get things ironed out, and learn what a lot of you already know, I will probably do a 6.5Creedmoor later for cross-pollination - same bullets (to a point), same primers, etc.

Question for optic - MRAD or MOA? What says the hoard? Should I stay around a $500 optic for this Grendel to get me into the 500-700 (optically)? Then do I offset better glass vs power? I could search all night, but what are you guys running in the optics department for those that are running a a 16" Grendel (more I have read, seems this is a bit of a strange setup just 16" for a 500-700yd Grendel, but the ballistic calculators show the numbers do work out. Can I ask anybody that is in the ~1600-1700ASL running a 16" running for optics?

Appreciate everything you guys have offered me in advice, hope to repay sooner rather than later.

Are the Faxon, BA & Green Mountain Barrels ~1MOA out to say 500-700yds? Or are the saying (BA) they are sub MOA just for the first 100yds? And then then things spread out?

I am kind of thinking I should get into reloading before spending $1500+ on an optic - not sure what is more important - have 5+ calibers, so plenty of calibers to keep the overall cost down and a decent amount of cross-pollinization, so even more savings. What says the horde?

Plan on building the Grendel upper / lower via a 80% lower + white upper, then have a friend anodize them for me (Aerospace Machine shop + 07/03FFL), so all is legal unless something got changes and I have to have anodizer send it to a local FFL?

Does my thought process sound like a good plan, considering I am wanting to stay @ 16" for the 6.5Grendel and am willing to deal with what that brings with it? Personally don't want a 24" barreled rifle, at least not unless I went bolt action and even then, probably stay 22" Max (weird quirk I guess I have), even when I move to the 6.5Creedmoor, plan on 22" Max, but a few nights plugging numbers into a ballistics calculator before that is figured out.

Thanks in advance for your assistance and need to get some sleep....
Bob

Have you tried any of the higher BC bullets, like 130gr ELD-M, or 130gr Berger?

Using G7 drag profile, at 2350fps, I'm seeing supersonic reach to 1075yds in your conditions. Wind drift is 2.7 mils at 1000yds in 10mph full value. It's like a 175gr SMK from a 24" barrel .308 Winchester, which has pretty low hit probability at 1000yds in those conditions.