07-24-2020, 12:15 AM
The lightest commercially available 18" Grendel barrels are:
Faxon Gunner 1.68 lbs
Ballistic Advantage SPR Fluted 1.96 lbs
Alexander Arms Lite (fluted) 2.1 lbs
Criterion Core Hybrid 2.2 lbs
I have an older AA Lite barrel that comes in at about 1.8 lbs that shoots and handles pretty well. Lighter weight rifles tend to recoil more, so the biggest things you can do to help mitigate the recoil will be:
1. Effective muzzle brake - I like the VG6 series and the YHM Phantom for the money.
2. Longer gas system - If you get an 18" barrel with a Rifle or Hybrid gas system (Odin and some other barrel mfgs use hybrid gas systems on 18 inchers), the pressure at gas port will be lower than with a Midlength gas system. There are a lot of variables at play here, but in general a longer gas system can reduce the recoil impulse.
3. Adjustable gas block - Wojtek Weaponry makes an affordable option. By restricting the gas flow, you can slow down your rifle's reciprocating mass a bit. By combining this with a low mass bolt carrier or buffer weight, you can fine-tune the system to an extent. Going too light may lead to malfunctions.
For what it's worth, my 18" Alexander Arms barrel with Midlength gas system and standard weight recoil system components has pretty mild recoil. It weighs about 9 pounds with optic, and a little more with a full mag, so that helps to soak up some of the recoil. The 6.5 Grendel's recoil is pretty mild in an AR, so you might be fine with completely standard components and an A2 flash hider.
Faxon Gunner 1.68 lbs
Ballistic Advantage SPR Fluted 1.96 lbs
Alexander Arms Lite (fluted) 2.1 lbs
Criterion Core Hybrid 2.2 lbs
I have an older AA Lite barrel that comes in at about 1.8 lbs that shoots and handles pretty well. Lighter weight rifles tend to recoil more, so the biggest things you can do to help mitigate the recoil will be:
1. Effective muzzle brake - I like the VG6 series and the YHM Phantom for the money.
2. Longer gas system - If you get an 18" barrel with a Rifle or Hybrid gas system (Odin and some other barrel mfgs use hybrid gas systems on 18 inchers), the pressure at gas port will be lower than with a Midlength gas system. There are a lot of variables at play here, but in general a longer gas system can reduce the recoil impulse.
3. Adjustable gas block - Wojtek Weaponry makes an affordable option. By restricting the gas flow, you can slow down your rifle's reciprocating mass a bit. By combining this with a low mass bolt carrier or buffer weight, you can fine-tune the system to an extent. Going too light may lead to malfunctions.
For what it's worth, my 18" Alexander Arms barrel with Midlength gas system and standard weight recoil system components has pretty mild recoil. It weighs about 9 pounds with optic, and a little more with a full mag, so that helps to soak up some of the recoil. The 6.5 Grendel's recoil is pretty mild in an AR, so you might be fine with completely standard components and an A2 flash hider.