2 New Grendel Builds - 16" Hunting Rig & 10.5" Pistol

[ToedrAg]

Hello Horde! I'm new to the Grendel game, but I recently finished my first two AR builds - both Grendels.





16" DEER/ANTELOPE HUNTING RIG

• Lilja 16" Barrel from recent group-buy (thanks Rebby!)
  
• BCM Blem Upper/Aero Lower
  
• Toolcraft BCG & Maxim bolt
  
• BCM Gas Block
  
• Radian SD Charging Handle
  
• Manticore Arms 15" Handguard
  
• JP Silent Capture Spring
  
• Larue MBT-2S Trigger
  
• Bravo B5 Stock
  
• Leupold VX-5HD 2-10 x 42 CDS Scope
  
• Larue CAN Mount
  
• Thunderbeast CB Flash Hider
  
• DIY Duracoated- Magpul FDE
  
  

10.5" PISTOL - ALL AROUND BLASTER

• 10.5" Lilja Barrel from recent group-buy (thanks Rebby!)
  
• Aero M4E1 Receiver Set (Upper is TR edition without FA)
  
• Radian SD-SL Charging Handle, Talon Selector Switch, & Takedown pins (SD-SL is currently on backorder )
  
• V Seven Gas Block, Castle Nut, & End Plate
  
• Odin Works Mag Release
  
• Larue MBT Straight Bow Trigger
  
• SBA 3 Brace w/Wise Men Company Split Fix
  
• JP Silent Capture Spring
  
• Bootleg Adjustable Bolt Carrier
  
• BAD Bolt Catch - thinking of throwing on a Phase 5 Extended Bolt Release
  
• Magpul MOE K2+ grip & Pro BUIS
  
• Vortex Viper 1-4x24 on a ADM mount (looking at GRSC 1.1x10 (out of stock) or a Nightforce NX8 1-8 as a replacement for the Vortex)
  
• Strike Industries Polymer Dust Cover
  
• KNS Precision Anti rotation trigger pins
  
• Thunderbeast CB .30 Brake
  
• DIY Duracoated - some random gray that was the result of mixing two grays I ordered (Thanks for the inspiration Croak!)
  

I have a Thunderbeast Dominus supressor in jail since October that will be used on both set-ups. Probably won't ever shoot the pistol without it .

Hoping to get out in the next few weeks to shoot both of these for the first time. Winter is starting to set in here in Utah, so it may be a few months before I get any serious amount of time with these. Also, I'm fairly new to shooting/hunting so I'm hoping to get more training in the coming months/years to improve my skills.

It was really a fun experience building these two AR's and I want to thank all the great contributors to this forum that helped answer many questions and got me excited about Grendel's! Special shout out to LRRPF52 for being so generous with his time and knowledge - really appreciate it!

[biodsl]

Very, very nice.

Don't be too quick to ditch that gen 1 PST on your pistol. Light makes right, nice reticle and 4x might be all you need. Shoot it a bit and see what you think.

[ToedrAg]

Testing with larger pics...

[ToedrAg]

[VASCAR2]

Very nice and larger pictures are showing up for me. Be sure to let us know how they shoot!

[LRRPF52]

Those look great!

Did you bed the barrels into the uppers?

That pistol is going to have massive concussion without a can.

[peak98]

Sweet, you done them up right for sure! Keep us updated with how they shoot, I’m curious.
peak98

[ToedrAg]

Those look great!

Did you bed the barrels into the uppers?

That pistol is going to have massive concussion without a can.

I did a thermo-fit into the BCM Upper on the 16". The BCM uppers really are great for that reason and that seemed to work well.

The Aero upper on the 10.5" had a pretty perfect fit with the Lilja barrel extension without shimming (no movement at all), but I kept going back and forth whether to shim/thermo-fit or bed with loctite. In the end, I decided to bed the 10.5" with Loctite 680 after lapping the upper receiver (see pic)



And yes, I know the shorter-barreled Grendel with a brake is going to be crazy loud - my Dominus can't get here soon enough! Let me know if you can hear the shorty from your house LRRPF52!

[HoustonHipster6.5]

Those look great!

Did you bed the barrels into the uppers?

That pistol is going to have massive concussion without a can.

What do you mean “bed the uppers?”

[ToedrAg]

Paperwork for the Thunder Beast Dominus finally came back! I'm bummed that I haven't been able to shoot these AR's yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing the Dominus in action.

[BlogSarge]

What do you mean “bed the uppers?”

It can be done a few ways. Numbers 1 and 2 below are technically thermo-fitting.

1- find a tight upper receiver (like BCM) and you will have to heat the upper receiver barrel extension (to expand it), and freeze the barrel’s barrel extension (to contract it) and then quickly mate the two together.

2- if you have a looser fit, you can use uber-thin shim stock wrapped around the barrel extension to create a tight fit, then do the above.

3- you can use a LocTite compound to ‘weld’ the barrel extension to the upper receiver.


In any event, the purpose is to eliminate any wobble or play between the barrel and upper receiver.

M4Carbine and Snipershide have some detailed threads, discussions, debates on these techniques’ necessity and how to properly do them.

[raamaudio]

Dang fine indeed! Especially the pistol as very close to the level of parts quality I used though the barrel I could get at the time, Faxon 12", sold that and getting the same 10.5 you now have, we even used the same exact trigger

AND, I have a 1.5-4 optic, wish it was 1-4 or 1-6 but love the Leupold so likely keeping it.

[Bucktail99]

Those are a couple of bad ass mofos!!! Nice builds thanks for sharing