Best 22in or 24in barrel on a budget

[LRRPF52]

@Klem,
Yeah decided to give up on the Grendel for anything past 500. Been running some numbers and it even looks like 556 is better at 600 than the Grendel using Hornady 75 ELD-M.
To go to 1K, going to end up with a bolt in 6 something creedmoor.

A lot of this depends on the conditions you're shooting in, including elevation above sea level. The 75gr ELD-M will be flatter, but will not enjoy any advantages in wind drift or impact on-target. In mild wind conditions, you can hear the .224" TGT bullets hit the steel at different ranges, but once you start getting up over 7mph, I can no longer register solid impacts on the steel targets, even with good glass.

Everything is a trade-off. For the elevations I shoot in, even shorter barrel Grendels have no problem consistently hitting silhouettes at 1000yds, however that reach would pull-in the closer I get to sea level. What doesn't change is that I don't have a lot of recoil, so the sight picture is easier to manage than larger 6.5mm cartridges.

This is why a lot of people like the 6mm cartridges based on .308 or BR case head sizes, since they bring propellant volume but have minimal recoil. The downside to them is barrel life. With the larger case diameter, powder volume, higher pressure, and smaller neck/throat, you will see more throat erosion very early.

With Grendel and its low working pressure and lack of overbore, the accurate and consistent muzzle velocity barrel life seems to never end.

So depending on where you live, I wouldn't immediately rule out the Grendel for 1000yd shooting.