Finally picked up the receivers yesterday and they are pretty slick. I pulled them out of the box and my FFL said "those are purty!" I said that's just a side benefit and handed them too him and the guy whose seen pretty much everything come through his shop was pretty amazed by both the weight and quality of machining. The cuts in the pic rails are pretty impressive and the inside of the upper receiver is smoother than a baby's bottom. My postal scale says 12.6 oz for the set and I'll trust 2A's scale is a little more accurate than mine for their 12.3
[ATTACH=CONFIG]9882[/ATTACH]
18.6 oz for the receivers with the bcg and bolt (I weighed a couple of standard BCGs and they all came in around 11.5 oz)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]9883[/ATTACH]
The receivers actually slide together very easily but there is zero play making them worthy for Ti takedown pins
2A stuff is really nice, I used that same set for my light weight 300 blackout build. Have you seen the Brigand Armory handguards? That Proof barrel would look sick under one of these! https://brigandarms.com/product/edge/
Jakerz Wrote:2A stuff is really nice, I used that same set for my light weight 300 blackout build. Have you seen the Brigand Armory handguards? That Proof barrel would look sick under one of these! https://brigandarms.com/product/edge/
Jake
Yeah, took a look at those but based on what Bigs said above about being able to squeeze it (even if you have to squeeze really hard), I really don't think it would support a bipod and allow precision. Probably amazing for an offhand carbine, though.
I think my next step is to order the Smoke Composites stock and hold off on the handguard until I hold the stock in my hands, but I'm being delayed by the fact that the Aero builders kit on my Cream S'more is really holding back the Proof barrel (it's a barrel interface issue - yeah it's shooting 3/4 MOA on average but based on patterning, it should be averaging around 3/8) If that can't be rectified, I'll probably take the plunge on a 2a Xanthos receiver set and Handguard - I'm that impressed by the machining and it's actually a few bucks less then a Mega Maten Kit (and less than 2/3 the weight)
Yeah I saw those. The lithium alloy gives me great pause in my parts given its alleged succeptability to corrosion and the amount of magnesium chloride sprayed around on the roads around here, plus the several bags of salt tha are usually in the back of my 96 Taco.
I also just need enough rail to make it to the gas block. Looks like the v7 lengths were designed to cover blocks. With an RLGS, it seems the 11 would leave a small gap between the front of the rail and the block while 2As 12would cover part of the block. The 2A 12would actually be a tad lighter than the V7 13.5, would assure a perfect match with the upper receiver, and I like their idea of the 45 degree mounting along with the extra metal they put around the mounting holes.
Im leaning away from the Smoke stuff at this point since with some home mockups Ive done, having such a light stock will throw off balance, plus its a lot of money to spend on something that might not be the best option for riding a sandbag and would have limited other uses if it doesnt work out
Before I found the Wilson Combat superstock I was literally about to purchase the Magpul ACS-L. 1" longer, a few oz heavier. My only issue with the ACS-L was the QD mount required an additional piece to be screwed in, which sticks out more than 1/2" on one side or the other. If it had been fully integrated, flush, and usable on both sides I would've gotten it right away. I plan to use a sling, so this was important to me. For sandbag shooting, probably not so much!
I hadn't heard about the corrosion of LiAl! I'm in south Florida, so we don't get salt on the roads, just in the air...
Well StoneHendge has been in need of a target 223 for 77s ever since he determined that his 1:8 BHW barrel is actually 1:9. He's not pissed since it shoots 55 gr NBTVs lights out.
So I ordered an 18" BSF 223 bull barrel on sale from Rainier today for $399 clamaroonies. Lots of sub MOA reports with factory ammo popping up on the worldwide web along with 1/2 MOA with load workup. I buy the claims given my experience with CFs stiffness and vibration dampening. Will be interesting to see how it cools compared to my Proof.
So the Ultimate Lightweight Precision Grendel has now become a Lightweight Precision Race Carbine. It could probably do double duty and have an optic for each on Geissele Super Precision mounts if I wanted to go that route.
Been thinking about doing this for a while. Was between a Lightweight JP 18er and a midweight Proof CF 18er. The $399 did the trick. The Proof would be lighter but is twice as expensive and 1/2 MOA is good enough for this rifle. The JP gets to over $600 with black teflon and the cooling fins. It's the same weight as the BSF (31 oz) but the fins then add 6 oz.
Still trying to figure out the rest of it, but have found myself thinking about rolling the dice with a V Seven Lithium Aluminum handguard. They offer all of their handguards in 13.5". Everyone else does a 12 then a 15. 12" could be a little short for barrier shooting, 15" is unnecessary. 13.5" is a nice compromise. A CF handguard might also get a bit nicked up barrier shooting - I'd be willing to wager that would happen before an Li Al alloy corrodes. Plus the Smoke handguard is wide - might be difficult to left hand stabilize on barriers. I'll have to wait and see if I can get an ALG handguard over a .936 gas block once the barrel arrives.
Currently estimating 5.4 lbs for complete rifle and 6.6 if I put my Vortex HS LR 2.5-10x32 with XLR reticle on it.
Not expecting to finish ordering stuff until Memorial Day sales. I'll probably have to decide by then if I want to just get another SSA-E on sale or a single stage. Maybe a Geissele SSP.
Sorry folks. I don't "need" another 6.5 Grendel - I've got the 18er, 22er and 26 6mm Grrrrrrrr. I do "need" an accurate 1:8 twist 223. I do feel a bit like a schmuck given how many views this thread has had. Well, not really! And if the BSF is as accurate out to 500 with 55gr varmint bullets as my 1:9 BHW, maybe I'll put that barrel away for a rainy day and have BHW make me a 22 LBC.
Bigs28 Wrote:I'm very happy with my brigand arms handguard. And their 12" is actually 12.75"
I'm not very fond of that barrel nut system. Had it on my old factory Anderson 223 upper with 24" bull barrel which shot way better than any $150 barrel should, but when that upper became my 6x45, it wasn't shooting as well as I thought it should. I broke it down a few times to realign everything convinced that vibration was going up the gas tube to the block. I finally gave up and bought an ALG. Went from just under MOA to 1/2 to 5/8 with the same load. Maybe it's just me, but I never felt I had it as aligned as it should have been.
Well, I hope you enjoy your .223 BSF!! My grendel BSF is due to arrive sometime tomorrow. I am quite excited for it considering the mysteriousness and lack of reviews they have. I know from doing my own research the .223 barrels are gaining quite the following
Sticks Wrote:BSF - IIRC swiss cheeses their CF wrap for cooling.
Mmmmm..... Swiss Cheese. Makes me think of a Rueben. Which makes me think of Rubin & Cherise on an absolutely perfect Colorado afternoon. Perfect name for this build. He will be Rubin to start and become Cherise when I swap and put a tactical optic on it. Or should it be Cherise and Ruby Claire? [please let there be one person out there who gets that!]
With all the Faxon Heads in the horde, how come no one ever brought up the Faxon Streamlight Carbon Fiber? Just ordered the 15" from Brownells. 8 oz including barrel nut (upgradable to Ti nut to save 1/2 oz). Slightly lighter than the 13.5" Lithium Aluminum V Seven, big enough to not have to worry about a 0.936 gas block fitting underneath but not overly wide. Flat where the M-lok slots are so no worries about trying to stabilize a round tube on a barrier. Not cheap but not really more than other options out there. And Brownells has $50 off $400 today so I added an LPK and V Seven Charging Handle so done deal. And since its Brownells, if the handguard doesn't work for whatever reason, back she goes.
fixin, I can't see why their Grendel would shoot any different than their 223s. Except for maybe a little less CF dampening due to the bigger bang and slightly lighter contour
But this is a Grendel forum. Back to your regularly scheduled programming. I'll circle back when Rubin's done for closure and a BSF report.
fixin Wrote:Oh no, I wasn't comparing, I was complimenting. I'm glad I'm not the only one taking the plunge on such a relatively out-of-spotlight company.
Your taking a bigger plunge than me! My plunge was when I bought my Proof CF 6.5 CM barrel last year. I took a lot of sitting behind my desk with the curser over "Place Order" before I finally clicked it. But now that I am totally sold on the stiffness and vibration dampening characteristics of CF, it wasn't too hard -especially with the sale price and now that some reviews are out there.
The thing your going to like the most is how well it will likely shoot factory ammo. And how well it will shoot the "off node" charges when you do load development. You may get shotgun groups from those, but it will be like it is through a really tight choke. I don't think OBT is the be all and end all, but it is a factor and CF goes a long way towards significantly mitigating the impact of vibration on accuracy (as well as mitigating barrel whip). I admit that I didn't understand their design when they first came out, but it now it obviously makes sense to me. I'm not expecting it to cool like a Proof, but it won't run into the problems there are with Christenson's CF acting as an insulator and keeping the heat in.
Faxon's doing a CF barrel now? Did not know, but I am not in the market for a barrel. I have three (...five if you count the 5.56s I never shoot) with a lot of life left in the barrels.
i just purchased the 2a upper and lower set. and a titanium muzzle device. wow, they are costly!!! but i want a very lightweight 12" grendel pistol. i will try both a
x-caliber barrel and a mcgowan barrel and choose the one that shoots the best and the lightest. hope they are both the same. lol i also have a sb3a on order.
should be one lightweight shooter.
