Best Complete Rifle: BCI Defense & Core 15

[mrab88]

I've been looking around for new 6.5G complete rifles. I'm not sure either of these are "new" but they are a bit more obscure than the usual JP, PF, and AA.

Does anyone have experience with the BCI Defense Professional Series Grendel or the Core 15 Grendel? BCI Defense uses a Faxon barrel so I'm thinking high performing. Core 15 looks real solid and has some good reviews--their billet receivers and handguards are beautiful. But I've seen a few mentions that their barrels aren't SAAMI.

In any event, I just wanted to get a thread started about these rifles or any other complete rifles that you have experienced. What is your favorite complete 6.5G rifle currently on the market?

[Kswhitetails]

LaRue. My favorite. My precioussss.

[VASCAR2]

I had never heard of BCI Defense so I looked at their web site. The Professional series run $1500 range which is a pretty high price. For that kind of money I would buy the LaRue ultimate rifle in 6.5 Grendel. I have nothing against Faxon barrels and I have two Faxon group buy builds in 6.5 Grendel. With the LaRue you get the MBT2S trigger which is a better trigger than the ALG in the BCI.

Core has been selling AR-15’s chambered in 6.5 Grendel for a couple years. Not many reviews on the Core AR-15 but the price of Core AR-15’s were pretty expensive in the 6.5 Grendel AR-15. Core was trying to sell their 6.5 Grendel as a competition ready rifle but the 6.5 Grendel hasn’t proven itself as a viable alternative to the 5.56 AR-15 whether in two gun or three gun matches where time is the critical factor. Unless a competitor is shooting at extended range or gets a bonus for major caliber the 6.5 Grendel doesn’t have an economical advantage over the 5.56.

With the price of Core your not far from the price of JP or LaRue. Daniel Defense and Wilson Combat have recently introduced AR-15’s chambered in 6.5 Grendel. If your interested in buying a complete rifle in 6.5 Grendel you might also consider each manufacturers features and price.

[mrab88]

I've really scoured the web on best complete uppers/rifles. Based on my research so far, general consensus is that best complete Grendel money no object is either JP or PF. JP considered incredibly smooth and nice handling with MOA 5-10 round groups. PF using those Bartlein barrels supposedly can get consistent 5 round groups in the .5 - .7 inch range. You can also get PF using many of the JP parts, although Mark typically does not recommend low mass carrier or adjustable gas .

Depensing on who you ask, LaRue typically seen as the top of the second tier. Definitely for the price LaRue is a bargain. But every once and a while you'll get an adament LaRue hater claiming poor groups, bad craftsmanship, etc.

Interesting that AA, who made the cartridge, has fallen to a second tier manufacturer, especially since their prices are still so high. It's actually quite hard to find people posting groups using any of the AA complete rifles. I think their 18 inch Hunter and 16 inch tactical look like great, low weight rifles.

I've seen the BCI Defense rifle down in the 1200-1300 range. Could be an interesting rifle for that price. It's hard to find manufacturers using 16 inch barrels. 18 inch is really a marginal benefit. Might just have to get one and post reviews.

People also seem to be happy with the Grendel Hunter uppers which use that Satern barrel. I have an older 14.5 inch double fluted Satern barrel and it shoots like a dream.

Lots of options these days with more seeming to pop up all the time. Money no object, if I were looking for an easy to handle target rifle, I'd probably have PF make me an 18-20 inch Bartlein build with their billet receiver and JP SCS. If I were looking for a lightweight Hunter/all purpose, I'd go with an 18 inch JP. Wish JP offered 16 inch or SBR in Grendel.

[mdewitt71]

If I had to do it all over again I would buy the Larue Ultimate Upper kit......

I used great quality parts and bought sale items too but, I still went over $1000 in my 18" Grendel build.

[LRRPF52]

AA also has tiers of complete rifles, with the GSR ($3190) and GDMR ($2890) using cut-rifles barrels at the top, followed by the 18" fluted Grendel Hunter models ($1920 side charge and $1750 standard) with hydro dip camo, followed by the Grendel Tactical Rifle ($1750 with SSA or AA trigger, Cerakote choice, Manticore handguard), and then the Lightweights and Incursions.

Core15 has billet down to forged Grendels ranging from Left Hand billet Hardcore X4 20" with Leupold Mark 6 and ATLAS bipod for $5599, CORE15® HARDCORE X1 6.5 GRENDEL for $2549, and forged for $1489. The Hardcore X4 and X1 rifles come with Boyt hard cases and cleaning kits.

JP has 5 tiers of rifles as well and a rifle-builder program, with the SCR-11 ($2699), PSC-11 ($2599), CTR-02 ($2499), JP-15 Precision ($1999 base price), and JP-15 Duty ($1509-$2059).

The LaRue Stealth 2.0 is $1999 in FDE with the LaRue in-house CNC-made, nitrided barrel. LaRue also has the Ultimate Upper kit option which includes being able to order a matching billet lower to complete the rifle into a Stealth 2.0 full rifle. The Stealth 2.0 rifle comes with a hard plastic case. An interesting thing about the LaRue Stealth is the $399 add-on TranQuilo suppressor, specifically designed for gas gun use without creating too much back pressure into the system. There is also the LaRue SUURG suppressed upper receiver group with 11.5" barrel, permanent muzzle device that acts as the core for a slip-over and locking TranQulio for it, so you only need one tax stamp for the can.

Precision Firearms has several tiers in the Arion, Aries, and Enterprise series ranging from $1500-$2900 base prices. You get Lilja or Bartlein upgrade options, barrel length, handguard, trigger, furniture, side charger, Cerakote, and muzzle device options.


I personally only have hands-on experience with:

* AA GSR, GDMR, Hunter SC, and Hunter models, as well as some of the Incursions.

* Handled Core 15 at SHOT but have not fired any.

* Many JPs in .224 Wylde, but not Grendel yet. Based on what I know about JP, I have zero reservations about JP products or rifles, and that is from close to 20 years of watching JP carefully, using many of the products he brings to market.

* The LaRue Stealth FDE 2.0 with optics package (Own it).

* Several PF rifles and uppers using Bartlein and Lilja barrels.

There are things I like or would point out unique to each of these manufacturers, but they are all top-end rifles with a lot of features that really do justify the price points for the more discerning customer. The billet/high end barrel/trigger guns are well away from the forged receiver and bare bones barreled options down in the lower price points on the market.

The first thing you will notice about most billet AR15 samples from these manufacturers is how tight and solid they feel in your hands. The next thing is how smooth the actions usually are. All the higher-end rifles come with great triggers, and there are different approaches to attention to detail from each.

All the ones I've sampled or shot have shown extreme precision for an AR15, so that comes as a standard expectation once you get up there in price. For the customers in these price ranges, I would make a list of what's most important to you, and then compare that to these offerings to see what fits you best.

For the working customer who is looking for that next step up from standard forged receivers and roll-the-dice barrels with limited features, many of these upper-tier rifles are now within reach with a little budgeting, with the LaRue Ultimate Upper kit + lower being your lowest price entry point into billet/MBT-2S trigger, smooth action, tight fit, etc. The only limitation currently is the barrel length/profile at 18" medium/heavy contour.

I have really enjoyed what I've experienced with all the offerings I've shot or owned in these samples above, to include shooting them out to at least 700yds. The AA GDMR and GSR rifles on steel swingers at 700yds get boring. The PF rifles shoot bug holes at 100yds, and reach out authoritatively. The AA Hunters are nice and light, smooth action, Kryptek camo pattern.

JPs offer SCS recoil system, adjustable gas, competition brakes, ventilator fin radiators under the handguards, and tuned single-stage triggers.

LaRue has the true free-floating handguard with no contact at all with the barrel nut, extremely solid handguard-to-upper lock-up, MBT-2S trigger, and matching furniture. The RAT stock has these cool little cleaning rod sections that plug into the butt plate to form your cleaning rod and handle. The action is super smooth right out of the gate. I've shot ragged 5rd groups at 100yds, and have taken it out to 1000yds already with only a 6x scope, haven't even put target glass on it yet. I like the TranQuilo brake a lot because it works, but isn't obnoxious like a tank or large gill brake.

All the PF Grendels I've shot or tested were bug-holing at 100yds. The billet receiver set is precision-matched and serial-numbered with each other, very sturdy. The Arion Grendel 18" has Intermediate Length Gas System for better timing of the cyclic rate, much more friendly for suppressed use with a non flow-through can. The barrel-to-upper receiver fit is extremely tight, very solid rifles.

You just have to pick what's important to you, go down the list, and select that set of options. Can't really go wrong with the upper tiers though.

[LRRPF52]

I have never heard of BCI Defense before, but looking over their spec sheet, they don't fall within the category of an upper tier rifle builder since they are using forged receivers and ALG basic trigger.

OP's question pertains to BCI Defense and Core15. I only have limited experience with Core 15 and like what I saw. Their Grendel logo is pretty sick, but as I mentioned, I have unfortunately not fired any of their rifles.

I will say that I have purposely not bought complete AR15 rifles since 1997, and have only built my own since then because of a lack of trust and desire to do things how I wanted. These upper tier rifles offer things that I simply can't duplicate, even using over 30 years of personal continued experience with working on AR15s.

My Stealth 2.0 made me want most of what it has in my Lilja 17.6" build in terms of smoothness, fit, feel, and precision machining. I spent more on parts on my Lilja 318 build than the Stealth 2.0 costs, and I still need to tune my recoil system now because it started cycling faster on me for some reason the last few times I took it out.

[LongPoke]

An interesting thing about the LaRue Stealth is the $399 add-on TranQuilo suppressor, specifically designed for gas gun use without creating too much back pressure into the system.

FYI, purchasing the LaRue UU also qualifies one for the $399 TranQuilo suppressor. I got one. It's a tank but it works.