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Posted: 5/21/2017 12:28:12 PM EDT
[#1]
I bought a Lilja 12.8" a couple months ago and I've been thrilled with it. They have Grendel barrels in stock and ready to go.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 12:29:40 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I bought a Lilja 12.8" a couple months ago and I've been thrilled with it. They have Grendel barrels in stock and ready to go. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 12:34:57 PM EDT
[#3]
Check out Classic Firearms, Bear Creek Arsenal right now for Nitride Melonite barrels in lower price range. You might try to get on a Faxon group buy or wait till they release their production barrels.
Odin Works barrels and Alexander Arms 16"&18" Stainless Steel fluted barrel for $195 get good reviews. Harden Arms and X Caliber are selling 6.5 Grendel barrels but I have no experience with them. Do the research because there are various chambers (6.5 Grendel SAAMI, 264 LBC, 6.5 Sporter, Grendel II, Grendel 1 & 6.5 CSS) on the market which shoot 6.5 Grendel Ammunition. There are barrels which have been chambered to use 7.62 X 39 bolts with .125 bolt face depth (Type I) and 6.5 Grendel bolts with .136 bolt face depth (Type II). Make sure you use the proper bolt that is headspaced correctly with the barrel. A little rsearch first can alleviate headaches later. Other Vendors selling 6.5 Grendel products Alexander Arms Precision Firearms J&T Distributing/Double Star JP Enterprises Core Lilja Odin Works Shilen, I got mine from Midway Satern cut rifled/Liberty buttoned rifled Grendel II (several vendors are selling buttoned rifled Satern barrels, Maxim, Sheepdog, Midway A R Stoner, Brownell's, Grendel Hunter and others) JSE Surplus (but have sold barrels for both .136 and .125 bolts which is confusing) Sabre Defense but out of Production but still available from Numerich Arms Bear Creek Arsenal Classic Firearms Hardened Arms Wolf Performance (WPA upper 6.5 Grendel) Christensen Arms Carbon Fiber barrels X Caliber (will chamber 6.5 Grendel with .136 or .125 bolt also offers 264 LBC either bolt) Variants Les Baer 264 LBC AR Black Hole Weaponry/Columbia River Arms 264 LBC Radical Firearms (unsure if 264 LBC or 6.5 G chamber) Model 1 Sales (6.5 Sporter) Lothar Walther (6.5 CSS) Anderson Manufacturing (Grendel 1) Spinta (264 LBC .125 bolt, Grendel .125 bolt, sell both) Rainier (Shilen barrel match chamber) There are more but that is a few, some listed are vendors and only sell products manufactured by someone else. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 1:50:37 PM EDT
[#4]
I'll probably wait on faxon. So many variations and misleading information
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Posted: 5/21/2017 3:15:23 PM EDT
[#5]
BA is about to drop them.
Hanson profile Grendel goodness |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 4:01:26 PM EDT
[#6]
Brownells barrel are good and you can't go wrong but when Satern sells barrels to Brownells the default bolt in Lehigh Defense not a bad bolt but not the best option. If you get your barrel through www.maximfirearms.com which is also a Satern Liberty barrel they come with a Maxim bolt which is one of the best in the Grendel and will last the life of the rifle. The plus is that you can also buy one of the breaks which are awesome and they will time the break for you so it does not need a crush washer. The community reloading spreadsheet is full of results from these barrels. You can also get a Nib bolt if you ask for it. Frank Sabatano (9284862296) started to make a name for himself on here back in the scare when folks were selling bolts and carriers at 3X to 5X the value and Frank refused selling to the public at normal prices. After that some guys convinced him to start making Grendel bolts and since has earned a rep for making the best bolts in the industry. They are used at Lilja and Precision and Satern (on request) to go with there barrels. Frank puts striations on the bolt so you know its his.
Link to Community results spreadsheet 
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Posted: 5/21/2017 4:06:58 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Variant (264 LBC) Les Baer Black Hole Weaponry/Columbia River Arms Radical Firearms (unsure if 264 LBC or 6.5 G chamber) Model 1 Sales (6.5 Sporter) Lothar Walther (6.5 CSS) Anderson Manufacturing (Grendel 1) There are more but that is a few |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 4:19:51 PM EDT
[#8]
An example of a Lilja barrel and a Maxim Firearms bolt.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 4:30:32 PM EDT
[#9]
I vote Alexander arms.
Saami chamber Spaced for .135 bolt $195 Great barrels and the company that invented the caliber. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 5:59:43 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I vote Alexander arms. Saami chamber Spaced for .135 bolt $195 Great barrels and the company that invented the caliber. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 6:23:10 PM EDT
[#11]
Quoted:
Thinking about pulling the 556 barrel from my aero precision M4E1 and replacing it with a 6.5 grendel but I am having trouble finding the right barrel without spending a fortune. Id like to reuse my 0.750 gas block and mid-length gas tube and the bolt carrier its self. What brands should I be looking at? The Satern barrels from brownells look like they would fit my bill, come with a bolt would just need a muzzle device though I would prefer a melonite barrel. Where else should I look? Alexander Arms was using ER Shaw barrel blanks. They are not match grade, though some of them shoot very well. You want a 1/8 twist barrel. They are inexpensive. Buying a barrel you pretty much get what you pay for. You are more likely to get a really good barrel from a boutique source than one of the rack grade examples that will "save" you money. In the end you have to decide what your goal is. If you want a lights out 6.5 Grendel be ready to pay for it. If you want to save money and hope everything turns in your favor, good luck. Buy the Saturn or Lilja barrel is my advice. The extra $150 or $200 you spend now will give you pride in ownership and performance on target later. To me this is the only advantage of building a rifle at home. I'm not stuck with the cheapest barrel a company could contract on a generic upper assembly. The time I spend putting it together saves me virtually nothing when the costs of tools are factored in. So the real advantage is being able to use the very best components to build a great rifle. Unless you have 10,000+ rounds through your M4E1 barrel you should just shoot it. Buy some match grade bullets instead of 5.56mm ball ammo just to see what potential it still has. I would build the 6.5 Grendel on a new upper. Most rack grade 5.56mm barrels are very accurate when shooting 52/53 grain match ammo regardless of twist rate. Everyone needs a blaster rifle, you won't want to abuse the Grendel. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 6:41:04 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Alexander Arms was using ER Shaw barrel blanks. They are not match grade, though some of them shoot very well. You want a 1/8 twist barrel. They are inexpensive. Buying a barrel you pretty much get what you pay for. You are more likely to get a really good barrel from a boutique source than one of the rack grade examples that will "save" you money. In the end you have to decide what your goal is. If you want a lights out 6.5 Grendel be ready to pay for it. If you want to save money and hope everything turns in your favor, good luck. Buy the Saturn or Lilja barrel is my advice. The extra $150 or $200 you spend now will give you pride in ownership and performance on target later. To me this is the only advantage of building a rifle at home. I'm not stuck with the cheapest barrel a company could contract on a generic upper assembly. The time I spend putting it together saves me virtually nothing when the costs of tools are factored in. So the real advantage is being able to use the very best components to build a great rifle. Unless you have 10,000+ rounds through your M4E1 barrel you should just shoot it. Buy some match grade bullets instead of 5.56mm ball ammo just to see what potential it still has. I would build the 6.5 Grendel on a new upper. Most rack grade 5.56mm barrels are very accurate when shooting 52/53 grain match ammo regardless of twist rate. Everyone needs a blaster rifle, you won't want to abuse the Grendel. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 7:05:46 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They've been having lots of reports lately of people getting factory loaded ammo jammed in the chamber so they have to mortar the round out with a cleaning rod. Seems that maybe the recent chambers are to short (seems to be a recurring issue).. If i were to go SAAMI i would go with Precision or Lilja and pass on AA. They do make a good bolt called the hard use bolt that holds up as well as the Maxim but its 25 bucks more. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I vote Alexander arms. Saami chamber Spaced for .135 bolt $195 Great barrels and the company that invented the caliber. Pass up the company that invented the round and set the chamber for SAAMI spec? I've got over 3k rounds through mine - all factory ammo and not a single issue. 2,500 rounds of that is the "crappy wolf" ammo. ETA: Where are all these reports of AA barrels not working with factory ammo? @lrrpf52 |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 7:14:44 PM EDT
[#14]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
They've been having lots of reports lately of people getting factory loaded ammo jammed in the chamber so they have to mortar the round out with a cleaning rod. Seems that maybe the recent chambers are to short (seems to be a recurring issue).. If i were to go SAAMI i would go with Precision or Lilja and pass on AA. They do make a good bolt called the hard use bolt that holds up as well as the Maxim but its 25 bucks more. Got my AA barrel a few months ago and I'm quite pleased, have fired nothing but factory ammo thus far collecting brass to reload. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 7:37:49 PM EDT
[#15]
Not sure i can post links to another forum without getting in trouble over here. The grendel forum has had thread after thread of guys running into problems and sending the barrel back to AA to get a new ream job. Just google "Grendel Compound throat and rounds getting stuck" or something like that.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 7:51:18 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not sure i can post links to another forum without getting in trouble over here. The grendel forum has had thread after thread of guys running into problems and sending the barrel back to AA to get a new ream job. Just google "Grendel Compound throat and rounds getting stuck" or something like that. ETA: so one guy in 2014 that posted on several forums. Got it. 
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Posted: 5/21/2017 8:31:57 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Not sure i can post links to another forum without getting in trouble over here. The grendel forum has had thread after thread of guys running into problems and sending the barrel back to AA to get a new ream job. Just google "Grendel Compound throat and rounds getting stuck" or something like that. 
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Posted: 5/21/2017 8:39:29 PM EDT
[#18]
For $200 it's hard to beat the AA barrels. Might have to wait a bit for them, but you know what they say about good, fast, and cheap, right?
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Posted: 5/21/2017 9:01:13 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Go on and link it up. ETA: so one guy in 2014 that posted on several forums. Got it. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 9:50:25 PM EDT
[#20]
There has been five threads on this same problem in 2017. How many guys never posted? Thats seems to indicate bad barrels got past Q&A with short throats but its not a recent thing this goes back a long ways since SAAMI was approved in 2011. Lots of threads on the issue. Usually the problem is with AA with a few other barrel makers sprinkled in here and there. I've looked and never found a 264LBC or Grendel II with this issue. A SAAMI grendel done right seems to do well but there seems to be something i don't know what about that compound throat that is causing issues. If you go SAAMI go high end like JP, Satern Cut rifled or Lilja. Something like that. If you're in the $350 and below you probably want to go with a quality 264 LBC and or Grendel II they seems to be able to get the throat right in a production button barrel. Now i know i'm going to get skewered by the fan boys but it true.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:08:34 PM EDT
[#21]
JP & Lilja is over kill for a wolf blaster.
I'd assume the reamer got worn down for the questionable batches. The BA barrels will be awesome based on their other offerings. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:12:11 PM EDT
[#22]
For a sub 350 barrel thats still good quality look at Spinta Precision 264 LBC, Black hole weapons 264LBC and Satern Grendel II. They are proven.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:13:20 PM EDT
[#23]
beware of the AA fan boy "Grendel Guru's". If you don't worship at the SAAMI alter they will attack you and lie about you and do everything they can to get your threads locked deleted and get you banned. Its like a dysfunctional cult.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:23:56 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
beware of the AA fan boy "Grendel Guru's". Bought the AA mid length and it chugs right along. Like I said. I'm north of 3k rounds in the past several months. @LRRPF52 has a strong working knowledge of the options out there and notably the loads. Literally wrote the book on it. Can I ask what is your experience with the round, qualifications to speak to what's good and what isn't? Not trying to be an ass but you just joined and seem to be countering all real world experience with a vendetta against AA for some reason. Don't really care, not a fanboy as you call it - but just curious as to your working knowledge and pedigree on things 6.5. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:30:26 PM EDT
[#25]
Yeah the guy is a real genius lol.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:36:32 PM EDT
[#26]
I don;t have a vendetta against AA in the community spreadsheet there are lots of good AA loads. If i were to order from them i would call and ask them to verify that a AA factory 120gr TTSX round with chamber and free fall out. If they won;t do that check don't buy it.
Communist Results Spreadsheet |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:36:55 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Yeah the guy is a real genius lol. Thus should be good. What was your previous SN? @norcal |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:37:26 PM EDT
[#28]
I don;t have a vendetta against AA in the community spreadsheet there are lots of good AA loads. If i were to order from them i would call and ask them to verify that a AA factory 120gr TTSX round with chamber and free fall out. If they won;t do that check don't buy it.
Community Results Spreadsheet |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 10:53:43 PM EDT
[#29]
My only issue with AA is their muzzle thread pitch, not buying a new suppressor to use on an AA barrel, versus buying a barrel with a standard 5/8" muzzle thread
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Posted: 5/21/2017 11:09:17 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don;t have a vendetta against AA in the community spreadsheet there are lots of good AA loads. If i were to order from them i would call and ask them to verify that a AA factory 120gr TTSX round with chamber and free fall out. If they won;t do that check don't buy it. Community Results Spreadsheet |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 11:16:30 PM EDT
[#31]
Your genius tried like hell to get me banned just for sharing this data. He told all kinds of outlandish whoopers to the mods in his attempt. It shows what he has been spreading all over forums for years is complete bunk. All chambers on the market SAAMI, Grendel II, 264 LBC and 6.5 CSS all shoot the whole range of bullets. The data is just from regular shooters with no agenda just working up loads. The SAAMI is just one option with both positives and negatives. Its not magic as claimed by some of the fan boys.
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Posted: 5/21/2017 11:28:41 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don;t have a vendetta against AA in the community spreadsheet there are lots of good AA loads. If i were to order from them i would call and ask them to verify that a AA factory 120gr TTSX round with chamber and free fall out. If they won;t do that check don't buy it. Community Results Spreadsheet Consider this my first, final kind warning. Thanks. |
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Posted: 5/21/2017 11:44:38 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Check out Classic Firearms, Bear Creek Arsenal right now for Nitride Melonite barrels in lower price range. You might try to get on a Faxon group buy or wait till they release their production barrels. Odin Works barrels and Alexander Arms 16"&18" Stainless Steel fluted barrel for $195 get good reviews. Harden Arms and X Caliber are selling 6.5 Grendel barrels but I have no experience with them. Do the research because there are various chambers (6.5 Grendel SAAMI, 264 LBC, 6.5 Sporter, Grendel II, Grendel 1 & 6.5 CSS) on the market which shoot 6.5 Grendel Ammunition. There are barrels which have been chambered to use 7.62 X 39 bolts with .125 bolt face depth (Type I) and 6.5 Grendel bolts with .136 bolt face depth (Type II). Make sure you use the proper bolt that is headspaced correctly with the barrel. A little rsearch first can alleviate headaches later. Other Vendors selling 6.5 Grendel products Alexander Arms Precision Firearms J&T Distributing/Double Star JP Enterprises Core Lilja Odin Works Shilen, I got mine from Midway Satern cut rifled/Liberty buttoned rifled Grendel II (several vendors are selling buttoned rifled Satern barrels, Maxim, Sheepdog, Midway A R Stoner, Brownell's, Grendel Hunter and others) JSE Surplus (but have sold barrels for both .136 and .125 bolts which is confusing) Sabre Defense but out of Production but still available from Numerich Arms Bear Creek Arsenal Classic Firearms Wolf Performance (WPA upper 6.5 Grendel) Variant (264 LBC) Les Baer Black Hole Weaponry/Columbia River Arms Radical Firearms (unsure if 264 LBC or 6.5 G chamber) Model 1 Sales (6.5 Sporter) Lothar Walther (6.5 CSS) Anderson Manufacturing (Grendel 1) There are more but that is a few |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 6:26:02 AM EDT
[#34]
any idea when the BA or faxon barrels will be coming out?
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Posted: 5/22/2017 9:40:54 AM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
any idea when the BA or faxon barrels will be coming out? Quote HistoryQuoted:
any idea when the BA or faxon barrels will be coming out? Quoted:
Grendel barrels are going into full production as I type this. We tested the final design with outstanding results. I can confidently say these will be available for purchase before the end of the month. BCGs will be available as well. If people are going to want a bolt only, please speak up and I can do my best to make bolts available individually. We are still working on the email notification system. If we can not work the bugs out before these barrels are completed, I will post the date and time of release here. -Tony @ BA  Attached File |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 1:10:59 PM EDT
[#36]
Awesome thanks
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Posted: 5/22/2017 3:09:48 PM EDT
[#37]
20" Faxon group buy just went hot on the Grendel forum too. SAAMI, 5R, 416R, QPQ, medium weight, 5/8 muzzle thread...
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Posted: 5/22/2017 5:32:40 PM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
20" Faxon group buy just went hot on the Grendel forum too. SAAMI, 5R, 416R, QPQ, medium weight, 5/8 muzzle thread... |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 7:06:35 PM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The problem with these group buys is the lack of information on timing. Add to it Faxon fixing the barrels they messed up on the first 12" group buy (they stated a 5 week turn around) and no telling when the second 12" group buy will be produced. Let alone the 20" barrels. I'm involved in one of the group buys and it is crickets with any information regarding time frame. |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 7:56:59 PM EDT
[#40]
The index pin for the barrel went all the way into the chamber leaving dents on fired casing. You can go to the Faxon industry page to see more about it including pictures.
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Posted: 5/22/2017 9:20:34 PM EDT
[#41]
Choose wisely my friend.
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Posted: 5/22/2017 10:59:21 PM EDT
[#42]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The problem with these group buys is the lack of information on timing. Add to it Faxon fixing the barrels they messed up on the first 12" group buy (they stated a 5 week turn around) and no telling when the second 12" group buy will be produced. Let alone the 20" barrels. I'm involved in one of the group buys and it is crickets with any information regarding time frame. Faxon stands behind their stuff, like mentioned already in this thread they are not the only ones that have had an issue. |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 11:00:51 PM EDT
[#43]
If I were in your shoes I'd buy the Alexander Arms barrel. I have one of the Classic inexpensive barrels and it looks great but I've not had a chance to shoot it yet. Later this week I'll have some rounds into paper.
But as I said.... I think the AA barrels are a safe bet and they are priced right for what you get. |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 11:08:25 PM EDT
[#44]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
While I like 6.5G numbers on paper...this headache is why I've yet to build a rifle in this caliber. |
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Posted: 5/22/2017 11:38:23 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's my problem with all the other variants. Makes it hard to piece together a gun, and ammo shopping gets confusing. If someone wants to innovate, they should make something new, not slightly tweak the Grendel and start selling stuff as "mostly almost identical." Standards exist for a reason. |
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Posted: 5/23/2017 12:20:06 AM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Choose wisely my friend. Dudes on his second SN and been on an Anti SAAMI spec crusade here and on TOS (Grendel one). Best we can figure it's to drive sales of "other" chamberings that are similar but not SAAMI spec (264/grendel II / etc..). |
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Posted: 5/23/2017 6:47:52 AM EDT
[#47]
^^^ +1M
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Posted: 5/23/2017 7:57:20 AM EDT
[#48]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Most Grendel barrels out there require a month or better of lead time. Few good ones seem to be in stock on a shelf. Faxon stands behind their stuff, like mentioned already in this thread they are not the only ones that have had an issue. I believe you posted in the group buy forum asking a ordering question as well. Let's see if it gets answered unlike other posters who asked similar questions throughout other group buy threads. I don't doubt Faxon will fix it but what does it do to the rest of the group buy's time frames? I didn't get in the 20" group buy because of the lack of information on the when part of the group buy. |
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Posted: 5/23/2017 8:11:25 AM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's my problem with all the other variants. Makes it hard to piece together a gun, and ammo shopping gets confusing. If someone wants to innovate, they should make something new, not slightly tweak the Grendel and start selling stuff as "mostly almost identical." Standards exist for a reason. |
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Posted: 5/23/2017 10:23:59 AM EDT
[#50]
I only use barrels that use the "Type II" Grendel bolt just so all my Grendels can use the same bolt and always buy a barrel WITH the matching bolt. Maxim bolts are a very tight spec so they are interchangeable with any of my rifles. Most of my barrels came from a Satern barrel buy on another forum but have also got from Maxim and Midwayusa. I have a lot of Grendels. Both Grendel II and SAAMI. I don;t have any 264LBC but i see good groups from those guys all the time. Nothing wrong with SAAMI or Alexander Arms just make sure that the throat is not short. What i have a problem with is people spreading fear uncertainty and doubt (FUD) to promote AA and scare people from the Grendel II which works great.
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