Best 22in or 24in barrel on a budget

[Jorge0272]

Got a 16 in AR that I have never used. Thinking about turning it into a long range setup. Thinking of a 22 or 24 inch barrel. Already have an 12 in and an 18 in
What brand should I look at that will give good 1000 yard hits? Nothing in the $500 up range. Thinking about $300?

[A5BLASTER]

Safe for a few months more a go with a barrel in the 500 to 750 dollar range.

Your going to need better then rack grade too consistently hit at 1000 yards.

Get a 24 inch barrel as a min.

[LRRPF52]

For your budget, you'll exceed that with gas, ammo, range fees, and related costs while never realizing your goal most likely.

Better to get the best barrel you can so that you don't have to worry about that as a failure point in achieving the accuracy you will need.

That said, you can come close to your budget with a Criterion from Precision Firearms, and realize your goal. They are $325

[mel]

[video=youtube;33LKATuXx04]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33LKATuXx04[/video]

u could do it with a 20inch im willing to bet a good 18 would even do it

[Rosecrans1]

Agree with others earlier. Squirrel away your income tax return and some extra cash and buy better than economy. Going out 1000 yards in a cheap barrel is an act of certain frustration for reproducible results. You'll hear about great shooting guns built on a dime but those needles in a hay stack are far and few between that are offered in those price ranges. Shooting consistent 600+ yards requires some investment IMO.
My PSA upper is accurate at <300 yds. Beyond that, it really opens up as I saw others within my circle of shooters also do.

[drewsbow]

Midway has 24" ARstoner barrels in ss on sale

[Kswhitetails]

You won't beat the quality and accuracy potential of a Precision Firearms 6.5G barrel from a Bartlein or Lilja blank. He's old school, goes for quality over quantity. Most folks can't deal with that, because it takes a long time to get your stuff, and he's not cheap. But - if you can wait, and don't mind spending for quality - you can't find better Grendel barrels anywhere. Grendel at 1K is doable. But trying to do it on lower budget isn't especially feasible.

Save heartache, frustration, and time. Save up front for the best barrel you can scrape together. It will pay dividends later.

[Jorge0272]

Thanks guys.
Think I will keep my 18in Grendel for 600 and below and build a bolt action in 6mm Creedmoor or similar for the 1000 yards.

[Klem]

Jorge,

This question comes up regularly on the Forum..."How can I do the almost impossible with this calibre, on a budget?"

If you want to enjoy 1,000yd shooting then you will quickly find out how much a slow bullet gets blown about on the way to the target. My advice, get a 6.5 with a larger boiler room and you won't be struggling at the very edge of the Grendel envelope. Then you're going to need a top grade barrel (not a budget barrel), a long range scope and decent trigger. A bolt gun will give you better results than a flimsy AR, unless you are hell bent on finding out an AR's limitations yourself.

Have you considered whether 6 Creedmore is better than 6.5 Creedmore of even 6.5PRC at long range?

[Jorge0272]

@Klem,
Yeah decided to give up on the Grendel for anything past 500. Been running some numbers and it even looks like 556 is better at 600 than the Grendel using Hornady 75 ELD-M.
To go to 1K, going to end up with a bolt in 6 something creedmoor.

[guitarhillbilly]

Thanks guys.
Think I will keep my 18in Grendel for 600 and below and build a bolt action in 6mm Creedmoor or similar for the 1000 yards.

I shoot a Savage Desert Tactical in 6 mm C/M. It is an excellent cartridge and my rifle likes the 103 grain Hornady ELD-X. [1:7.5 TR]

[grayfox]

g-hill,
Now that you're in the right caliber-ranges (6 CM+), keep in mind that the 1000 yd line is all about the rifle system, not just the barrel.
So don't leave the scope, stock, rings or cartridge loads out of the equation.
Just sayin'.

[LRRPF52]

@Klem,
Yeah decided to give up on the Grendel for anything past 500. Been running some numbers and it even looks like 556 is better at 600 than the Grendel using Hornady 75 ELD-M.
To go to 1K, going to end up with a bolt in 6 something creedmoor.

A lot of this depends on the conditions you're shooting in, including elevation above sea level. The 75gr ELD-M will be flatter, but will not enjoy any advantages in wind drift or impact on-target. In mild wind conditions, you can hear the .224" TGT bullets hit the steel at different ranges, but once you start getting up over 7mph, I can no longer register solid impacts on the steel targets, even with good glass.

Everything is a trade-off. For the elevations I shoot in, even shorter barrel Grendels have no problem consistently hitting silhouettes at 1000yds, however that reach would pull-in the closer I get to sea level. What doesn't change is that I don't have a lot of recoil, so the sight picture is easier to manage than larger 6.5mm cartridges.

This is why a lot of people like the 6mm cartridges based on .308 or BR case head sizes, since they bring propellant volume but have minimal recoil. The downside to them is barrel life. With the larger case diameter, powder volume, higher pressure, and smaller neck/throat, you will see more throat erosion very early.

With Grendel and its low working pressure and lack of overbore, the accurate and consistent muzzle velocity barrel life seems to never end.

So depending on where you live, I wouldn't immediately rule out the Grendel for 1000yd shooting.

[Jorge0272]

@grayfox,
I know about the rifle system. I have a Rem700 in 308 in a Bravo chassis with an FX1000 6-24X50. Going to really get into My hand loads and perfect them for both calibers. The Grendel and 308. Going to add the 556 also since it looks better at 600 than the Grendel.
Decided to actually just keep my rifles the way they are and build a nice bolt action.

[grayfox]

I'm with you, glad you're aboard here, hope reading all of this helps you out.

[LRRPF52]

It's funny to see you say you'll give up on using Grendel for anything past 500yds, when I don't even feel like I'm having much fun with the Grendel on anything within 600yds unless the targets are really small, and that's with my 12" and especially 18" barrels.

Once you start getting into 700-1100yds where I'm at is where the Grendel really starts to be fun.

If there are other people at a range who are shooting .223 ARs and 6.5 CM bolt guns at the steel, it can be fun to hear the contrast between a .223 and Grendel on steel, then put rounds on target faster than the 6.5 CM bolt guns normally do at the longer distances.

A top-class PRS shooter can run the bolt extremely fast and make hits, but most shooters can't do it. The Grendel feels like the best of both worlds to me, especially with the lack of sight picture disruption.

I think an ideal cartridge is the 6mm AR and variants off of that, which I'm sure I'll get into one day. The AR15 platform is just so much more user-friendly in size and being a self-loader.

I was raised on bolt guns and have shot boat loads of ammo through them, but every time I break a shot on a bolt gun, I feel like I'm stepping back in time and the only ones that really excite me are when I break the shot and it feels like I can't miss no matter what I do, with POI=POA immediately without sight picture disturbance, and the action feeling like someone hocked a goober on glass.

Even then, I still haven't chosen to hold onto one of them.

[mel]

i have to say the same thing anything inside 6/700 yards with a grendel is way to damn easy , and 1000-1200 has been doable for me no problem even in windy conditions , after that i have my creedmoor when i want to push further and have

even with a 90g hunting bullet with horrible bc numbers 700 isnt hard
[video=youtube;nkXR-VWE6Dg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkXR-VWE6Dg[/video]

[mel]

823y in the wind
[video=youtube;wYGJtPX_pxk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYGJtPX_pxk[/video]

[Jorge0272]

I do know that the Grendel will hit harder than the 556, BUT the 556 will have a flatter trajectory than the Grendel at least up to 600 yards. Class I am taking is a max of 600 yards. Running the numbers, it seems my 556 12in SBR is flatter than my 18 in Grendel at 600 yards. I like the Grendel, but it will cost me the same amount for 500 rounds of 556 reloads compared to just 500 cases for the Grendel. Going to be working up loads for both rifles the next 2-3 weeks and see what I can get out the two rifles.

[Klem]

@grayfox,
I know about the rifle system. I have a Rem700 in 308 ...
Decided to actually just keep my rifles the way they are and build a nice bolt action.

Jorge.,

Here's an idea to think about, that will save money. - turn that Rem700 into a switch barrel.

You already have a 308 complete with scope and trigger. You can turn that gun into a switch barrel and change calibres in a couple of minutes with a torque wrench and barrel vise. It's a Short Action so will take 223 and also a longer range 6.5calibre. The Creedmore uses the same bolt as your 308 however the 223 will need a new bolt.

You can screw in any short action calibre of your choice for what you want to do at the time. You can do this at home or the range (I take a couple of timber clamps to hold the vise to the concrete benches at the range, or have a vise on your truck).

I recommend updating that 308 to a 21st Century calibre anyway. I also recommend having a gunsmith blueprint that action and use a thicker recoil lug. With proper bedding you can bring that action up to the precision of the bench resters. The of course a Krieger or Bartlein barrel and you are good-to-go at any altitude. This might mean a new bolt with tighter tolerances and smaller firing pin for accuracy and higher pressures.

I used to shoot 223 out to 1,000 in competition but for that you need hot 80gn loads, a smaller 0.062" firing pin bolt and 30in of barrel. For shorter ranges you can get away with a shorter barrel. Dedicated bolts with smaller pin holes are sold by Pacific Tool & Gauge

By doing this you can use the same scope, rings, action and stock for all your calibres.

Downside is you have to re-zero for each barrel and calibre but that only takes a couple of warming/fouling rounds because they all pretty much shoot the same spot at 100.

Barrels never come loose because the right-hand barrel twist tightens them every shot.

You could have a Grendel barrel in that Remington but I would leave that for an AR because the calibre is optimised for the AR.

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