I am probably going to replace the barrels in my two uppers with drop in Bartlein barrels. I live in South Georgia and looking for the best Gunsmith to chamber and prepare one of the Bartlein blanks.
Reading everything that I can it appears that the Bartlein barrels are the best for accuracy. Discussions on this forum suggest that you want somebody that has a lot of experience with the 6.5 Grendel and cutting the right chamber.
I am probably going to stay with an 18 Barrel. My current barrels are 18 with mid length gas systems. Any other length gas system would have the gas block sticking out past the handguard. The handguard is proprietary and you cannot purchase a longer handguard from the company that would cover either an intermediate or rifle length system.
One of the uppers belongs to my 11 year old as part of his Christmas. We hunt both hogs and coyotes so I am trying to make the rifle more accurate. We only shoot the 123 grain SST and my current barrels do not like that Bullet.
Precision Firearms makes their 18 barrel only with an intermediate length gas system. I am unable to find a lot of information about the intermediate gas system reliability and function in the Grendel. Especially with a full time suppressor.
Faxon and Alexander Arms both run a mid length gas system on their 18 barrels. So I do not know if it is okay to go with the intermediate gas system or look for an 18 Bartlein with the mid gas length system.
The uppers currently have a 10.5 handguard which just does cover the mid length located gas block. The company who made my uppers makes a 13 handguard, but they will not sell it separately from their kit. I begged them for the longer handguard.
If the IM Gas system didn't work on PF's uppers, the guys that have them wouldn't like them. That doesn't seem to be the case.
I don't think you can go wrong having Mark chamber your Bartlein. Seems he's done a few, rather well. Lohttp://www.65grendel.com/forum/forum.phpng waits, but that's par for the course here.
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I'm sure your be fine. On the left is my 18" grendel with midgas and carbine length handguard (it's monolithic). On the right is my 24" Cream S'more with R+2 and a 15" handguard.
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I don't mind the block sticking out a little as long as there's no gap between the back of the block and the front of the rail.
Do you have the barrel or a blank already or would buy it from them...
Re: Precision Firearms, I'm sure they can drill the proper size gas port hole at the proper distance for your mid-length, the tricky part is doing the chamber really well, then comes pinning the extension and drill the gas port. So they're good at that. Threading the end as well, none of the critical tasks differ from doing an intermediate vice a middy. Well, I guess turning the various barrel diameters...
Like Bigs suggested, give them a call and talk, ask if they would do you a Bartlein barrel in midlength gas, after all you're going to drop it into an existing setup if I read you correctly. See what they say.
Doesn't sound like you want the full-on upper assembly from them...
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PF does good work...presumably. I have experience here with one complete upper. I can not in good conscious recommend them unless you are fine with getting your barrels back simply when they show up. Could be a week, month... could be a year and a half.
I'b be looking at Craddock to cut your blanks, or proof Research for a CF barrel instead of Bartlien (my PF upper has a Bartlien, and will be replaced with a PR CF barrel when it's time).