Ok, made up my mind to just build a grendel upper. I can do the Odin Works 18" barrel, gas tube, block and BCG for $403. I can do the Alexander Arms barrel for $185, BCG for $149 and then tube/block for $50 or so.

Which would you have and why? 16 vs 18" or would the AA be the higher quality barrel?

Can I use any brand 6.5 BCG with the AA barrel or does it really need to be matched?

I just built one a few weeks ago using the 18 inch Odin Works barrel set. Works greats so far, about 200 rounds in. Was able to produce sub-moa groups with it and it seems to be heavy enough to manage the heat of my 20- shot test strings that I do with my hand loads.

You would be good to go with Alexander Arms too. Also something to consider is the threading on the Odin Works is 5/8x24 vs the AA 9/16x24. Minor inconvenience to some but to me that was a deciding factory as well since I already had several 5/8x24 suppressor mounts.


I went with 18 inch over a 16 inch for velocity related reasons and to still keep it a handier length since this is for hog/deer hunting and target shooting.

What is the primary use of this rifle going to be?

Hunting, target, SHTF, varmint. Everything basically.

Do you have any pictures of your Odin setup? Is it heavy?

Sure do. Its actually pretty darn light for what it is(Haven't actually wieghed it though). The ALG defense handguard helps with that, really happy with it.

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I highly recommend the the Elander magazines that AA is selling.


Doesn't make or break the decision to me but a neat little feature is the Odin works gas block and barrel have an index mark machined in for the gas port alignment

That looks excellent, I just wanted to make sure the Odin was not a "bull" barrel, I dont need it to be a pencil barrel but I dont need a full on target barrel either.

The 18" Odin barrel is called a DMR barrel. It is heavier behind the gas block. My build weighs 8 lb. 10 oz, with scope no mag/ammo. Not a featherweight but not a target/varmint rig either.

AA is backorder purgatory if that is an issue  for you.  I dont know what part of my order is bo'd,  they dont answer emails, but i have a bbl,  upper,  bolt,  mags and fh ordered.

I shot about 600 rounds Friday out of my 16" AA.

It's the bee's knees.

Took about 18 days for the order to ship.

Yeah, don't email AA for order updates. Give them a call. I do this regularly for our orders with them. Estimates slip regularly though. Great products but, unfortunately, they come with a bit of a wait.

How long is that handguard bro

Its a 12 inch

My 18" Odin set up.
It's light enough of a build. The MI G3 helps there.

Just picture a SiCo Omega hanging off of it

Holy shit our builds are incredibly similar - mine's a 20'' Odin Works with 15'' EMR V3 though.

Haha. Nice.

You must have good taste.

I went with the 13" emr.

Excellent rail

Will someone just tell me to buy this Odin shit

Feel free

here

if anyone wants to order a special SBR Odin let me know.
I need 4 more for a order.
otherwise I am in a holding pattern for the BA offer

I wish AA would offer their 18" or 20" as a stand alone barrel... it's stupid they don't. I would have bought one by now. They are missing out on sales to people like us.

BA thread

Sounds are these Odin works barrel true 6.5 Grendel chambers or LBC whatever?

Can someone describe the difference?

Neck and throat are slightly different according to this.

Then theres the use of a 7.62x39 bolt instead of a properly engineered bolt,  however i believe Odin uses the proper bolt.

6.5 Grendel has a .300" neck for reliability, and ability to shoot steel case ammo, with a compound throat that allows you to produce ammunition with realistic COLs  for the AR15 magazine, using a wide range of available 6.5mm projectiles.

The .264 LBC-AR chamber uses a .295" neck, with a 1.5 degree target leade.  I would not run steel case through that chamber with the tighter neck.

A lot of the companies out there who think they are getting a .264 LBC-AR chamber don't really know what they are getting, because people play games with reamer names, like ".264 LBC", which may or may not be what Les Baer specified for his rifles.  Some tool makers will tell the rifle shop, "This is the same thing as 6.5 Grendel, only better.  My reamers out-shoot the 6.5 Grendel all day long."

Then the customer gets the barrel, upper, or rifle, and they don't shoot, because the throat is garbage, the datum was never adhered to, as there is too much jump with secant ogive bullets.

Common Problem across Cartridges in the Industry
Is see this all the time with .223 and .308 reamers as well.  A custom rifle shop who specializes in precision pays extra to have a .308 Match reamer sent to them, and they get who knows what .308 reamer, with a Roy Weathery special throat that only produces accuracy single-loaded waaaaay past SAAMI COL and anything that will fit in even an AI or TRG mag.

Another common one I see is guys building SPR clones getting good barrels from reputable shops, but the reamer used is really short for even a .223 Remington, so tangent projos jam into the lands, and you blow primers with factory ammo left and right, chamber pressure reaching into the 70,000+ psi range.

My recommendation
What I strongly recommend to anyone looking to get into 6.5 Grendel is to stick with the SAAMI reamer.  Manson reamers will send you the correct reamer, as they check with optical comparator and verify their reamers are not under SAAMI minimum chamber drawings, and the compound throat is present. In an industry of shifting data, they remain solid.

No matter what projectile I have loaded in SAAMI chambers, whether they be 90gr TNT, 100gr NBT, 107gr SMK, 120gr NBT, 120gr SMK, 123gr SMK, 123gr AMAX, 123gr SST, 129gr SST, or 129gr ABLR, the SAAMI chambers just shoot repeatedly and predictably.  I can put different loads into the same group at 200yds, and have done so, so that several 10rd groups were just barely over 1.5 MOA with two different factory loads with different bullet weights even.

10rd groups of the same load at 100yds cut a ragged hole, and 1000yd groups are sub-MOA rapid-fired, my 6rd groups proving that.

I've taken barrels from the same manufacturer, with different chambers, and had several with a "264 LBC" not even break under 1 MOA, but one of them.  Then switch over to SAAMI chamber and shoot bug holes.  Even lightweight little guns with a .650" profile under the handguard.

There was one Lilja 16" Wasp profile barrel I had with the .264??? chamber that shot consistently into .75 and .8 MOA right out of the gate, but the same barrel profile with SAAMI chamber shoots in the .3's at 100yds with the same factory ammo, even the cheap PPU stuff from Serbia.

I know Les chambers his rifles with maximum attention to detail, and they will shoot bug holes with certain loads, but the SAAMI chamber is the one to beat really after all these years and what I have seen personally.  It is the most versatile chamber I have seen out of all the different cartridge chambers I have loaded for, as most rifles will either love or hate tangent vs. secant bullets.

Normally, your short throats love secant ogives and will shoot them into tiny groups.

Your long throats will shoot tangent ogive projos all day, but there is too much jump with secant bullets, so accuracy suffers with them.

The 6.5 Grendel solves this problem by using the compound throat, where there is an initial half degree leade, then a 1.5 degree leade after that.  It can get away with this because of lower chamber pressure so you don't gas check the throat like a magnum or higher pressure cartridge does.

Short story:  Go SAAMI and don't look back.

just talked to Odin.
SAMMI Spec .300 chamber for Grendel
340 plus shipping. includes gas block, gas tube and BCG
thinking of doing an order for 12.5 or 13 inch
let me know if anyone wants in
Not Chrome, Stainless

This. I just got a response from OW as well. Their chambers are SAAMI spec.

group order?

All of them?
Like the one I bought from PA?

I am asking if anyone wants SBR Odin barrel order

Group Buys have to be handled in the EE as far as I know. Here is a link with more information.

Yes sir! All of theirs are SAAMI spec.

So did they tell you they will make you a 12.5 inch barrel?

I ordered a 20" Grendel upper with shilen barrel on 3/17. Emailed the the next day to get an estimated lead time. Just got a
Response a couple days ago. He said it was a 4-6week lead time. Haven't heard anything since. Hopefully get it soon!

Just talked with Odin, 14.5 inch barrel would be easier to produce, just an fyi

I ordered something very similar in mid-Feb. Talked to them on the phone last week and they were still thinking late April. Keep your fingers crossed! I know that I will.

Love my AA barrel

Surprisingly enough they answered. The barrels are the backordered part, ETA "three weeks".

GREAT looking rifle Finslayer83, that setup can sure  get r done!  

I broke down and ordered one today(even with the retarded thread pitch), so we'll see how long it will be. If BA puts out there barrel before mine ships, I'm going to cancel my AA order and go with them. The AA thread pitch is not what I want at all.  I need to get one sooner than later so I can get to the range and practice for some upcoming events.

There's a good reason to use 9/16x24 on a lightweight profile barrel, namely you actually get a shoulder to work with when installing a muzzle device.

That's why the FAL has 9/16x24 threads, and the M14 has .595" - 32 NS - 3A.

If you use a heavy fore end, then you can do larger and have all the shoulder you want.

bump for some glorious reviews of those 6.5G Odin barrels!

Where did you get your muzzle break? 9/16-24

I have a 9/16x24 to 5/8x24 adapter from here and tossed on a brake I had. It's a nice adapter and acts more like a sleeve.

Shoots well with the LaRue MBT. The addition of the brake and rifle buffer makes it a pussy cat. Feels like a 5.56 mid length.

18" Odin barrel arrived on Friday. Assembled the rifle and took a quick picture.

The Odin barrel is fairly heavy; I'm hoping it will exhibit minimal shift with the suppressor attached.

That looks interesting. Would you feel comfortable using that adapter with a suppressor?

No.

Not due to the quality - as it's nice - but I'd only run a can on a proper mount.



That's badass

You can use adapters like that, I just always suggest using it in conjunction with RockSet.

Still working the barrel in but I got some promising groups today with her. Odin barrel, handguard.

need help, do I get a 16 or 18inch Odin.
They are willing to do a custom for me for the same price.
let me know bros