Looking for my first build

Your title and post are conflicting. Do you want to buy one or build one?

its my first AR build, but I want a complete upper

So you are buying the upper and building the lower sounds like.  Anywho, you can't go wrong with Alexander Arms.  They are the creators of the Grendel after all.

Precision Firearms hands down.

Far more models available, multiple options per model, than any manufacturer I'm aware of.

Odin Works makes good uppers.

JP if you have the budget for it and don't want to build.

Alexander Arms
Odin Works
Hardened Arms
Grendel Hunter

That would be the four I would pick between.

What price range will dictate which one to use.   Most of the ones listed here get good reviews but the cost difference can be significant.  What are you willing to spend on the upper?

On the cheaper end of 6.5 Grendel uppers, Wolf Performance Arms 16", Bear Creek Armory, Grendel Hunter, Radical Fierarms and Olympic Arms.  There were several Olympic Arms on GB a couple months ago.  Other vendors selling 6.5 Grendel, J&T Distributing, Hardened Arms, and Core.

Just got an e-mail from Bear Creek, looks like they are stocking quite the variety.

Won't be a super match, but then again I've heard their set ups are pretty decent. Not sure if these are compound throat or not

Prices are good. Wondering what type of velocity advantages there would be with one of their 24" offerings?

Bear Creek Grendel uppers

I talked to Bear Creek Arsenal and they are manufacturing the barrels in house using SAAMI reamer compound throat which are chambered using .136 bolts.  BCA had not yet started producing .136 bolts the last time I spoke to them.  BCA advised they plan on adding .136 bolts to their product line but did have a release date.

Since talking to BCA a couple months ago it appears they have either started manufacturing .136 bolts or are outsourcing bolts as their complete uppers include a Bear Creek BCG.   I guess their web designer still doesn't understand about Type II which refers to a .136 bolt and not type II caliber.   For their prices maybe they're saving money in the web design department.

Any idea what pitch the barrels are threaded in?

Their web specs say 1/2 - 36, but I think they are really 5/8 - 24.

I read through the reviews on their barrels and didn't see any bitching
like everyone seems to do about the 9/16-24 on AA Barrels

Hard to beat that price, I ordered the 16" SS upper,  ill prob chop it to 12.5" after I see how it shoots.

DSA just added 6.5 Grendel uppers and rifles to their site.

DSA 6.5 Grendel Complete Uppers

Yeah, but .......  'Why isn't 6.5 Grendel popular?'  


Yeah man! If I wasn't dumping a tonne of money into my GoldWing right now, I'd have already ordered one or two

Bumping for range report from @LS1POWERED

And definitive info on the actual thread pitch on BCA 6.5 barrels

@Et2ss

It is threaded in 5/8x24, threaded my Silencerco Omega mount on perfectly.

I did get out and shoot some groups, usually I will rent a rest for an accuracy test but the range was out, so my pack was used.

BCA 16" SS upper
1-6 Vortex Strike eagle
PSA lower w/ 2stage trigger.
Silencerco Omega

Hornady 123 AMAX (6 shot group because I wanted to know if the flyer was me or the gun)
Attached File


American Eagle 120g shot about a 2.5" group
The steel case wolf was shooting fairly well, 3-4" groups, didn't bother with the pics.  

Overall I ran about 150 rounds through it without issue.  Seems to be reasonably accurate especially at the price point.  

I had to order 6.5 cleaning gear.  Ill do another test with a rest after a thoural cleaning.  Want to test some more loads as well, couldn't find anything other than the above locally.

100 yds? So it looks like the A-max factory did about 2.5" ?

Just mounted an upper from GrendelHunter.com because I wanted to try Grendel as cheaply as I could and I'm pleased with the appearance and assembly of it.  Haven't shot it yet but from what others have posted if I don't get MOA or better accuracy Grendel Hunter has been working with buyers to get them a rifle that does.  I intended it for hunting deer and hogs and I don't have any reason to think that it won't work out just fine.  Put a Primary Arms 1-6x scope on it with an ACSS reticle and I'm anxious to try that out too.

The best quality off all parts combined with a good price is Grendel Hunter.

Satern Barrels
Maxim Bolts (best available)
Strike Industries parts
Midwest Industries Handguards

All for a very reasonable price

I got the 12" keymod handguard on my Grendel Hunter and it's definitely not a Midwest hg, but it's not bad.  It looks and feels a lot like my CMMG super slim keymod on my 5.56 upper, just not quite as high quality (the CMMG is excellent).  Still, it's completely rigid and no doubt will serve me well for a long time and I've had zero thoughts about replacing it sometime in the future.  I found what appears to be the same hg on Ebay in the $25-45 range depending on length and that's opened up a lower cost option for me.  The only negative I've found is that the top of the pic rail is about .005" lower than the top of my receiver but I don't mount anything that bridges across the two so that should never be an issue for me.

The crown on my Satern barrel looked a little rough to me under a magnifier but a few seconds with a conical stone in my drill cleaned it up nicely and gave me a fine, uniform chamfer at the bore's end.  The chamber leaves a small scratch at the shoulder of brass rounds manually cycled through it but brass and steel cycle manually with no problems and the burr that's causing the scratch may go away when I fire some rounds through it.

Won't get to shoot it until tomorrow but so far I'm pleased with my Grendel Hunter upper.

just got this email..these shoot nice!
https://www.dsarms.com/p-16679-dsa-ar15-match-series-65-grendel-upper-receiver-assembly-with-16-ultra-lite-ss-barrel.aspx

What makes you say Maxim firearms bolts are the best? I got one along with my 12" Lilja barrel for an SBR build. Haven't put serious rounds through it yet at this point, though.

Lilja uses Maxim they just don't break and measure the same from bolt to bolt.

Bear Creek had their uppers back in stock. For $350 I went ahead and took a shot on a 24"
that I will put onto one of their side chargers I picked up for sale at $139.

Just got back from shooting and sighting in my Grendel Hunter.  Using Hornady SST I was getting some 1" groups @100yds with no sandbags so I know it can do better.  Wolf steel case was a little wider but still not bad.  The range I was at only called a CF every hour so I didn't hang around to collect my paper, but I'm happy with the accuracy because it's better than my 5.56.  Kicks harder but it's still in the mild range.