01-30-2012, 01:18 AM
JAGONH, sounds like I'm in the same game & range envelope that you are. My 16" 5.56 makes a jagged hole at 100 yards with my 77-grain reloads, so I wanted something similar in a Grendel. After research and picking guys' brains on this forum I chose an 18" medium-contour fluted barrel. My 16" is medium without the flutes and is about as heavy as I want to hike around the woods with. Wanting more velocity, I was originally thinking 20" for the Grendel but I opted to split the difference by getting the 18: short and handy yet long enough to take advantage of case-capacity, medium-contour stiffness for accuracy but fluted to trim off some weight. If I was going to remain stationary I might want a longer barrel, but it quickly becomes drudgery to pack them around. OK, that's my thinking and I won't be able to tell you if I was right for another couple of months; everything is on order.