Bill Alexander
Unregistered
Well we are here now so I can say something.
We have been clawing our way through a complete overhaul of the Grendel barrels. With SAAMI on the cartridge, the chamber and ammunition not being my liability and the happy release of the trademark, the time is right to re-examine our Grendel offerings.
So with the patient assistance of all the staff who put up with my ramblings, sketches and changes of direction, we have finished a whole new look. The gun design rests on the barrels so we decided to lose the truck axles as well as the odd ball set ups.
Basically the barrels are now just two base designs a "lite" build around a 0.750" gas block journal and a heavy (our advantage series)on the traditional 0.905" for the shop and 0.875" for barrel sales. Lites run 16", 18" 20" and 24" advantage is 20" and 24". everything except the 24 lite can be fluted (too skinny). Equally the barrels can be button or cut rifled as requested.
Moving to the uppers/rifles the barrels can be built as either DI or piston. For DI we use our G10 handguard with options on the Mk10, rails or a full monolythic. Pistons continue with the monolithic but we will now have the option for a Samson EX handguard which helps make these units more competitively priced.
2012 will also bring a few other new products. Our 17 HMR gets a slick side reciever as the forward assist is not functional. We will have dropped the plain vented handguard and now all the MK10 units will have the thread inserts. Lengths now include a carbine so the range is now carbine, mid, rilfe and extra long. The tactical trigger now boasts an ionbond finish over thin dense chrome and we will be offering a traditional finger bow to compliment the blade bow we made for inclement conditions. There are a few more surprises as well but these are not for general release yet.
Bill: Thanks for the heads-up and as always thank you for always trying to stay ahead of the game and for your innovation.
Wishing you, your family and everyone at AA all the best in the New Year.
Lee
Bill, I am more than willing to test all your new products. Definitely have the time now that I am retired. I can even drop by on my way back to Michigan from the Sugar Bowl and pick up some test rifles, lol.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Thanks Bill, will 2012 bring a faster production so we can get them? I only ask because of the 2+mo backorder currently. I found a second had AA setup, but want to build my next one.
Thanks for the great products!
When will your website be updated? I am ready to order what is the best way just call?
That's fantastic news! Will there be an option for a nitride (or similar) finish on the barrels?
Deezil: I know a 2 month wait in todays " I want it now" world seems like a long time but if you would have placed that same order 1 1/2- 2 years ago the wait time would have been a year or longer. And that was for the whole industry not just AA.
How soon we forget how the firearms industry was slammed then and they are just now catching up finally.
Also, you may not like to hear it, but everyone needs to remember that AA is basically still a small company that is not a Midway USA type company.
While trying to keep up with demand for their products, they also constantly try to be on the cutting edge in developement and to maintain a great level of quality control.
In a world where even the largest firearms manufacturers were and to some degree still are backed-up, they do their best to get out as much product as they can.
They don't make any money if they don't sell a product!
As with most companies, they are also very dependent on other companies for some of their products.
If they want to sell a rifle but the gas block supplier is slow in getting them their gas blocks, AA's production is slowed down through no fault of there own.
They just get to tell their rifle customer that their rifle is going to take longer than they thought.
Multiply that by the number of different parts in an AR-15 rifle.
If you have ever owned and run a company, especially a small start-up company, you would realize why most small start-up companies fail trying to make things work for their customers.
For you, you did the right thing if time frame is the determining factor for you, by looking elsewhere when their time frame didn't match yours.
However, for me personally, I never jeopardize quality because it doesn't fit a time frame. Just my personal way of doing business because I always have come to regret it if I settle for less quality to make a certain time frame that I have set for myself.
Okay, I've gotten off my soap box now. It's just that I've read so many posts in the last few years complaining about AA's time frame when it was the whole industry that was swamped( did I just get back up on that box again? sorry.).
I'm glad you were able to get the upper you're happy with and hopefully it shoots great for you for many years to come.
Lee
Thanks Lee, but I do own one business, and am working at another to take over. Anyway, I know you do not want to be caught up, but wait times push people away, Ive read of a bunch of others that went elsewhere. It was just a tip, I know I would have ordered given a quicker delivery time. So I found a LNIB one from a private party.
its all good
Posts: 252
Threads: 28
Joined: Nov 2011
Just a side note to go along with what Lee and Deezil are saying...I was in a Tactical store 4 days ago and I heard the owner tell a customer that RRA & DPMS are 5-6 months out on rifle orders. There is definitely an open market for private party sales if time is a concern.
Bill,
Sir, that is outstanding news on the barrel product lineup. One that I think most as well as your staff will find appeasing when being asked questions.
On the other products that you offer, I do have a question that really I don't want to call and bug you or your staff over the phone (trying to round up the funds) the BCG that is side charging will that be offered as a option by itself or will that be married to the upper as a complete unit. I know that time is a premium for you and your staff do not wish to bug you or them unnecessarily when I will have to work out the funding issues on my end which is why I am asking via this venue.
With Regards Sir
Mike
Bill,
In addition to sgt_murf question, can AA offered the chromed bolt options in barrel & bolt combo or in the complete upper?
thanks
65man Wrote:Bill,
In addition to sgt_murf question, can AA offered the chromed bolt options in barrel & bolt combo or in the complete upper?
thanks
+1
Also, when will these be available?
I jokingly say "Curse you, Bill Alexander", as I was perfectly happy with my 18 and 19.5 inch Grendels that have heavy barrels. Now that you will be making a lightweight fluted 20 inch barrel, I may have to get another upper receiver with one of the new barrels. I think the 20 inch fluted lightweight barrel would be the perfect setup for practical rifle shooting, and even in the precision practical rifle (AKA civilian sniper) matches. Now to find the funds.....
In all seriousness, I really like the new offerings, thanks for the innovation.
Pancho Villa
Unregistered
Hi Bill,
New to the Grendel craze. When are your lower-priced options for a barrel/bolt combo coming back? Was seriously considering purchasing in the next 2-3 weeks. If I have to wait I understand - this rig will be for hunting later this year anyway and I really only am eager due to wolf. You can chalk me up as a customer thanks to wolf.
Pancho Villa Wrote:Hi Bill,
New to the Grendel craze. When are your lower-priced options for a barrel/bolt combo coming back? Was seriously considering purchasing in the next 2-3 weeks. If I have to wait I understand - this rig will be for hunting later this year anyway and I really only am eager due to wolf. You can chalk me up as a customer thanks to wolf.
I'm with you, Pancho. My growing interest in the Grendel was just academic until I decided to start wolf hunting. It occurred to me that a Grendel AR might be the absolute perfect anti-wolf rifle.
Bill, the only reason I didn't buy your 18" fluted barrel was because the muzzle threading won't work with Surefire flash-hiders. I've got a custom barrel on order from Lothar-Walther but I did buy a high-use bolt and a gas tube from you, though.
Funny thing is that Surefire used to offer a set of 9/16x24 thread muzzle devices for their cans, until a major proponent of another caliber joined the SF team, and killed the Grendel competition quickly.
YHM has an awesome Titanium can that threads on their flash suppressor with a ratchet attach. It is very lightweight too. I held it at SHOT, and was thoroughly impressed. They have it for 5.56 and 7.62.
ThunderBeast Arms also makes some of the best Titanium cans on the market right now, so there are plenty of other sources for cans than Surefire.
Until people start making cans for 6.5 I have to bank on using one in 6.8. While I've heard that 7.62 cans work OK, I tend to think that closer is better. I haven't bought one yet (probably a year out financially) so I'm open to advice.
Posts: 2,412
Threads: 31
Joined: Mar 2011
Schwag173 Wrote:While I've heard that 7.62 cans work OK, I tend to think that closer is better. Actually it makes a good deal less difference than you'd think soundwise... Example: http://www.silencerforum.com/forum/showt...(16-quot-)
Mainly if you use a larger caliber can (which is generaly larger overall as well) you trade size for less back pressure.
As a loose generalization (which I'm sure someone will argue with) the tighter aperture will only net you about 1-2 decibels at the expense of increased back pressure and action filth.
Bill Alexander Wrote:Well we are here now so I can say something.
We have been clawing our way through a complete overhaul of the Grendel barrels. With SAAMI on the cartridge, the chamber and ammunition not being my liability and the happy release of the trademark, the time is right to re-examine our Grendel offerings.
So with the patient assistance of all the staff who put up with my ramblings, sketches and changes of direction, we have finished a whole new look. The gun design rests on the barrels so we decided to lose the truck axles as well as the odd ball set ups.
Basically the barrels are now just two base designs a "lite" build around a 0.750" gas block journal and a heavy (our advantage series)on the traditional 0.905" for the shop and 0.875" for barrel sales. Lites run 16", 18" 20" and 24" advantage is 20" and 24". everything except the 24 lite can be fluted (too skinny). Equally the barrels can be button or cut rifled as requested.
Moving to the uppers/rifles the barrels can be built as either DI or piston. For DI we use our G10 handguard with options on the Mk10, rails or a full monolythic. Pistons continue with the monolithic but we will now have the option for a Samson EX handguard which helps make these units more competitively priced.
2012 will also bring a few other new products. Our 17 HMR gets a slick side reciever as the forward assist is not functional. We will have dropped the plain vented handguard and now all the MK10 units will have the thread inserts. Lengths now include a carbine so the range is now carbine, mid, rilfe and extra long. The tactical trigger now boasts an ionbond finish over thin dense chrome and we will be offering a traditional finger bow to compliment the blade bow we made for inclement conditions. There are a few more surprises as well but these are not for general release yet.
is there any news for new barrel?
hobbesgunner
Unregistered
Anyone order from AA recently....their site is just some scattered info...can't see description or order anything .....shopping for new barrel and would like to include AA in my choices
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