01-11-2018, 04:41 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2018, 04:59 PM by Keef.)
Hello,
I currently have a 16" AR Grendel complete 3-18x scope, a 12.5" x39 pistol(I cut and crowned a 16” with red dot and a 18" 6.5g barrel. The 16 incher shoots great and took a nice bear and two does for me this year(kinda off year, but bear made up for it). The 12.5 incher with a red dot is much easier to carry around and shoots pretty dang good. Goes 10 for 10 easy on clays randomly spaced 10-100yrds. I haven't built or shot the 18incher yet.
I'm thinking about selling the 18incher and replacing it with a 24” tube and cutting the 16” down to 12”.
The main reason for cutting the 16” barrel down is for light weight. All factory short barrels I've seen are HBAR style. Will probably do the SBR paper work on it at some point.
The x39 will go in safe with the pile of ammo waiting for the next $care...
What do y'all think?
Anyone want to trade a 24” tube for a 18?
A pic of my x39 on coffee break.
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Pic of 6.5G waiting in stand.
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Not quite following. . . . If your 16" shoots great, why mess with it? Particularly if you already have a 12.5"? Yes, replace your 18" with a 24", if that's what you want, since you haven't invested much time in it.
:: 6.5 GRENDEL Deer and Targets :: 6mmARC Targets and Varmints and Deer :: 22 ARC Varmints and Targets
01-11-2018, 06:16 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2018, 06:19 PM by VASCAR2.)
If I read correctly his 12.5” is 7.62X39 and he has a lot of 7.62X39 ammo. I wouldn’t cut my 16” 6.5 Grendel especially if it shot good.
A good Friend of mine has a 24” and 18” 6.5 Grendel. He only uses the 24” for target shooting now since the 24” 6.5 Grendel is a pain to maneuver. My Friend has taken numerous antelope out in Wyoming, the furthest a little over 500 yards using his 24” 6.5 Grendel. My Friend used his 18” 6.5 Grendel last season to harvest his antelope.
In my experience 6.5 Grendel AR-15’s multiply, I have two 16”, a new 18” Faxon GB and a 20”. I have been able to engage every target my Friend has using his 24” with my 20” 6.5 Grendel. One of the reasons I’m drawn to the 6.5 Grendel AR-15 is it’s versatility. In my opion the 24” AR-15 6.5 Grendel is the least versatile and the 18” hits the sweet spot for a do everything AR-15 6.5 Grendel. My Son in Law has a 22” AR-15 with a Lothar Walther 6.5 CSS which also shoots 6.5 Grendel ammunition.
After shooting all thse different AR-15’s my recommendation is to buy the 12”-12.5” 6.5 Grendel. Sell the 18” 6.5 Grendel to get a short 6.5 Grendel if you must. With the cheap prices currently for 6.5 Grendel barrels I see no reason to pay to have a barrel chopped.
BluntForceTrauma Wrote:Not quite following. . . . If your 16" shoots great, why mess with it? Particularly if you already have a 12.5"? Yes, replace your 18" with a 24", if that's what you want, since you haven't invested much time in it.
I am terrible at internet posting. I'll try to clarify.
My current 12incher is a 7.62x39, but the barrel I chopped was heavy. I'll weigh em soon, but I'm pretty sure my 12" HBAR 7.62x39 barrel weighs more than my 16" Grendel contour barrel. The 4inches I'll be cutting off is one of the fatter parts of the barrel...I can't find a contour 12inch barrel.
01-11-2018, 06:50 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2018, 06:52 PM by Keef.)
chowser51 Wrote:Or buy a 24” now and build a new upper. Save the 18” for after your Form 1 is approved then cut it to 12”.
Might as well buy a suppressor when you do your form 1 so you can wait for both at the same time.
You know you want to
This is all true. I don't want to cut the 18" grendel because it is a fluted HBAR. Even with flutes that sucker is heavy. Kinda sucks you have to buy the suppressor then wait, wish it was the other way. Hate having money out with nothing in return.
VASCAR2 Wrote:If I read correctly his 12.5 is 7.62X39 and he has a lot of 7.62X39 ammo. Correct! I wouldnt cut my 16 6.5 Grendel especially if it shot good. This makes sense, but is an inexpensive BCA...
A good Friend of mine has a 24 and 18 6.5 Grendel. He only uses the 24 for target shooting now since the 24 6.5 Grendel is a pain to maneuver. My Friend has taken numerous antelope out in Wyoming, the furthest a little over 500 yards using his 24 6.5 Grendel. My Friend used his 18 6.5 Grendel last season to harvest his antelope. Good to know!
In my experience 6.5 Grendel AR-15s multiply, I have two 16, a new 18 Faxon GB and a 20. I have been able to engage every target my Friend has using his 24 with my 20 6.5 Grendel. One of the reasons Im drawn to the 6.5 Grendel AR-15 is its versatility. In my opion the 24 AR-15 6.5 Grendel is the least versatile and the 18 hits the sweet spot for a do everything AR-15 6.5 Grendel. My Son in Law has a 22 AR-15 with a Lothar Walther 6.5 CSS which also shoots 6.5 Grendel ammunition.
After shooting all thse different AR-15s my recommendation is to buy the 12-12.5 6.5 Grendel. Sell the 18 6.5 Grendel to get a short 6.5 Grendel if you must. With the cheap prices currently for 6.5 Grendel barrels I see no reason to pay to have a barrel chopped.The problem is you're talking to a redneck who used to use SKS's. I have had nice improvements in accuracy cutting and crowning myself.(but the factory crown on them was usually kinda dinged up) If I do it, I'll DIY the cut and crown, then test. If not as accurate as before I'll pay to have the crown redone.
I would use the 12" Grendel for tight woods, walk hunting and varmits/prediters around house and the 24inch for my big fields and when I take a long range shooting course. Earlier I had asked about using the 16" in a 800yrd course and was advised against it. So I figured 24" out to do it. But I also can't stop looking at these in 20" https://www.bsfbarrels.com/product-page/6-5-grendel
Thanks for reading. If if doesn't make sense let me know.
01-11-2018, 09:00 PM (This post was last modified: 01-11-2018, 09:04 PM by VASCAR2.)
Well knowing that you’ve chopped barrels before and your talking about BCA barrel I can see why you would consider this. Makes more sense than sending $100-$150 barrel to Adco then paying to get it shortened.
I’m not allowed to own suppressors where I live which tends to affect my decisions regarding barrel length. Only you know your budget and your desires. I think you’ve got reasonable feed back. You just need to decide which direction to go. I see SBR and 6.5 Grendel pistols as desireable except for where I live. I live on a border and probably restricted to some extent on taking SBR out of state. I’m limited on how I can use a rifle or pistol for hunting. In my situation and for how I shoot I’m satisfied with a 16” 6.5 Grendel.
I noticed PSA have BCA 6.5 Grendel barrels on sale today via email flier. The price for a 24” 6.5 Grendel is not so high that you can’t test the waters to see if a 24” barrel works for you. After shooting 20”,22” and 24” I wouldn’t buy a barrel longer than 22” and I wouldn’t want a FH or comp.
A lot of my decision on 24” AR-15’s is age, I just don’t like lugging heavy rifles around. For how your going to use the 24” barrel I can see why you might opt for a 24” barrel.
I would first look into how a longer barrel like 24" would effect the round. Remember not all rounds do well in a longer barrel too long and you might be hurting yourself. Like wise how well does the round perform in a short barrel. Being its a longer/heavier bullet a 12" might not stabilize it enough to be worth shooting except at 25 yards.
I'd highly suggest you look into the Alexander Arms 11" barrel. No need to mess with a barrel that is a shooter. If you don't want a 16 sell it to fund a longer or shorter barrel.
Boy... some confusion here it looks like. Let me see if I got this...
If I follow, you like your 16" grendel and plan to leave it alone. Agree. Wise.
You also have a 12" in x39 commie which handles a little better. Right? Agree again. 12"-12.5" is my favorite AR barrel length and I have 3: grendel, blackout, and 5.56. Love em.
18" grendel you have is only the barrel. Yet to be built. Right? If you don't plan to build it, sell it off. Agree with you that is not a good candidate to chop.
Regarding a 24" to cut down. Uh, how... won't you lose the gas port completely? Why not simply get a new 16" carbine gas barrel and cut that down? BCA can be had for around $80-100 via Classic Firearms.
That said, I would not be chopping any off the shelf barrel. Why bother?
The best option on the market right now is Ballistic Advantage brand 12.5" grendel barrel in their hanson profile. Not quite a pencil but nice and light. A REALLY nice barrel from a well respected company.
Another option might be to try Deadshot Barrels. They do custom work to any length. My 12" grendel was from them via gunbroker for $199 with NiB bolt. Not bad.
jim_bob Wrote:I'd highly suggest you look into the Alexander Arms 11" barrel. No need to mess with a barrel that is a shooter. If you don't want a 16 sell it to fund a longer or shorter barrel.
I built a rifle around a 11" Lilja and it is my favorite deer rifle by far. SBR Grendels are awesome.
Thanks for that link. I feel really stupid for never even looking at the AA site and I didn't know they were in VA, cool.
This is probably the best way to go.
My thinking is a 11or12" grendel can handle the majority of the hunting/shooting that my 16" does. Then I would build a 24" for max velocity when target shooting or when I feel like hunting the big field.
If I have 12" for hunting and fun and a 24" for long range, then there is no point to having a 16" and 18" middle ground guns.
I'll reply inline below to try to clear this up.
Timmy2Knives Wrote:Boy... some confusion here it looks like. Let me see if I got this...
If I follow, you like your 16" grendel and plan to leave it alone. Agree. Wise. My 16" shoots good, but it is a BCA barrel so I figure the resale value is very low(not worth the trouble of selling). Every barrel I've chopped and crowned myself has shot as good or better than before the chop.
You also have a 12" in x39 commie which handles a little better. Right? Agree again. 12"-12.5" is my favorite AR barrel length and I have 3: grendel, blackout, and 5.56. Love em. Yes. I have 7.62x39 ar pistol. It shoots good and its crazy how easier it is to carry, but I'm really liking the Grendel round. Also this gun would be used for foxes and opossums trying to get at my chickens. All of the 7.62 ammo I have is not fragging and will go thru a suprising ammount of animal/pine/other trees without stopping. So I would feel "safer" taking them out with a Grendel varmit round.
18" grendel you have is only the barrel. Yet to be built. Right? If you don't plan to build it, sell it off. Agree with you that is not a good candidate to chop. Yes. I have a 18" fluted barrel I got for a great deal on black friday. I am not interested in chopping it because even chopped it probably weights more that a contour 16" barrel. I want my pistol to be as light as possible.
Regarding a 24" to cut down. Uh, how... won't you lose the gas port completely? Why not simply get a new 16" carbine gas barrel and cut that down? BCA can be had for around $80-100 via Classic Firearms No. The 24" would be purchased and used as a long range target/deer/course/ground hog gun.
That said, I would not be chopping any off the shelf barrel. Why bother. I might because said barrel has very little resale and I've had good results cutting em in the past.
The best option on the market right now is Ballistic Advantage brand 12.5" grendel barrel in their hanson profile. Not quite a pencil but nice and light. A REALLY nice barrel from a well respected company. I have been looking at them too.
Another option might be to try Deadshot Barrels. They do custom work to any length. My 12" grendel was from them via gunbroker for $199 with NiB bolt. Not bad . Cool. I haven't looked at them before, thanks!
After all that typing I'll probably end up with a 11 or 12", a 16", a 18" and a 24". Why fight it huh....
Yea, no kidding, I have two 16”, one 18” and one 20” 6.5 Grendel AR-15’s. Been resisting temptation of buying a Howa heavy barrel 20” but I have a 20” AR. Not real crazy about the CZ 24” barrel but then Ruger comes out with the Predator with a 22” barrel that uses the same mags as my AR’s. Resistance is futile, definitely a sickness.
Haha yeah best to just grow a well rounded stable of Grendels!
I ended up building my 12" and HB fluted 18" Grendels at the same time. Might do a light-ish 16" eventually but I really like the 12 a lot. The main reason I would like a 16" is the stupid NFA SBR restrictions.
Thanks for clarifying. Understand 100% now. If you keep that 16 you have as is, or chop it... or buy another cheap 16 and chop it... I am pretty confident it will shoot fine either way. Going from 16 to 12-12.5 is not a drastic reduction.
Man, I did not even know about the Ruger Predator taking AR mags. Oh man. That might lead to my pocket getting lighter. Everytime I consider a 20"+ Grendel AR, I end up thinking about going bolt instead. For the roles that length lends itself to it makes a lot of sense.
I run a 19.5 AA (they call it a 20). The 6.5 can take large game but it is better suited for smaller game. My experience is that smaller game is typically more wary than larger game and getting close can be difficult. That's why I chose the 20" barrel. For large game (up to 1000 lbs) I'm building a .308.
sschefer Wrote:I run a 19.5 AA (they call it a 20). The 6.5 can take large game but it is better suited for smaller game. My experience is that smaller game is typically more wary than larger game and getting close can be difficult. That's why I chose the 20" barrel. For large game (up to 1000 lbs) I'm building a .308.
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17rds of wolf at 100yrds. Standing with a tree for the front rest.
I haven't shot unmagnified in a long time. I pretty much aimed for center of paper, its gets dark in the woods early.
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Four with EDL trying to aim as best as possible(see above..)
At this point I have just cut the barrel and haven't crowned it yet. I know I know. I probably will, but only once I shoot it with a 3-18scope back on it.
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I decided to put the 18incher together. It takes a longer gas tube that I didn't have, so I shot a couple manually charging them(not easy). I really like the brake, but only with plugs and ear muffs. I don't think I would put one on a self defense weapon.
with red dot and a 18" 6.5g barrel. The 16 incher shoots great and took a nice bear and two does for me this year(kinda off year, but bear made up for it). The 12.5 incher with a red dot is much easier to carry around and shoots pretty dang good. Goes 10 for 10 easy on clays randomly spaced 10-100yrds. I haven't built or shot the 18incher yet.
