I have a friend/co-worker that wants me to help him build a 6.5 Grendel.
He has been wanting one since I met him 2 years ago but after just going through a divorce at the time he had to wait.
Now he almost has the funds together to do it.
Since I have little experience with what are the best parts for one I need you guys help.

What make barrel do you own and why do you like it.

Not a troll, really need some help to help him.

Edit: If your barrel is not listed please post what it is.

Thank you

I just went all out and bought a Lilja 319 fluted. Still seeking a couple more parts to finish the build though so I can't comment on liking it or not yet.

Poll needs the ability to enter multiple choices. I have...

AA 16" ER Shaw
AA 17.6" Lilja
Satern 18"
Lilja 18"
Lilja 16.5"
Lilja 22"
Brownell's 18"

Top of the line is going to be where a good smith takes a blank and makes sure everything is concentric, barrel extension is square, threads are square, shoulder square, concentric.

Precision Firearms does that.  You'll typically have a sub-1" rifle at 200yds with his uppers.

The higher end AA uppers are very accurate as well.  I've seen them shoot under .25" at 100yds, and easily ring the flagger IPSC at 700yds until it's boring.

JP is another great route for a high end build, that is also lightweight.

For more affordable uppers/barrels, J&T Distributing makes some excellent 6.5 Grendel uppers in 16", 20", and 24".  The AA entry uppers are actually quite affordable, and have been in high demand for years.

Shilen makes a 20" heavy drop-in barrel/bolt combo.

Specialized Dynamics makes great uppers already set-up/configurable.  He caters largely to the predator hunting crowd, and 6.5 Grendel is his most popular caliber.

Budget is going to drive the direction your friend goes with this.  The barrel/bolt combos on the market range from $300 to $690 for a Krieger barrel/bolt combo from Precision Firearms.

I think the Lilja drop-in barrels are one of the best bangs for the upper mid range.  I personally like the 18" length the most for an all-round hunter/target AR15 that is capable of 1000yd shooting, as well as slaying hogs on the run, taking deer, 400yd coyotes, etc..  The best ones for that are the lightweight profile or medium fluted profile barreled uppers from AA, JP, and PF.

Sabre

Great barrel for the money, will need pinned or SBR.

Other option = J&T Distributing for me.

I'm not afraid to pay, I have an ultra match for 300 blk, so if it is not accurate it goes down the road.

I am happy with J&T Distributing.  About the only upgrade I would ever desire would be a higher "test" bolt, but I have no issues with the one I have.

I shoot Black Hole 264 LBC barrels.  Several obvious reasons but performance cannot be denied and the price for a match grade barrel is more than reasonable.  You get what profiles and finish and don't wait a year hoping you get it unlike some builders/suppliers out there.  Total in-house product from undrilled blank until out the door. The good thing is they have a 20% off Black Friday sale until next Monday if you're a member of their Forum.

Greg

I've got a 20" Shilen barrel I bought from Midway and a 16" J&T upper and I'm completely satisfied with both.

Wilson Combat SS 1 -7 Fluted Match, 16 inch

I have 2 Liljas but I will be selling one soon

Thank you for all the responses.

If your barrel is not listed please remember to post which brand it is.

My friend thanks you as well.

Same here, my 264lbc was my first from BHW but they are  definitely going to be my go to. You can choose profile, finish, twist, fluting, threaded or bull etc. And mine came within a week. I was expecting 10weeks...

shilen

Black Hole 22" Match Bull for me.  As a few have mentioned, it is a real barrel boutique, with your choice of Length, Profile, Fluting and Finish. You can order with or without threading and even choose how it's headspaced to afford you the choice of bolt (.124" or .136" bolt face depth).

Both my BHW's arrived within 6 weeks of order being placed. Both are easily sub .5 moa shooters.

Another vote for BHW, I have a 16" 5.56 1/8 and an 18" .264 LBC 1/9 and both are excellent shooters... Right now about .7 to .5  MOA but they need more rounds through them... (and I need to get better!)

ARP barrels are all I currently have left for the 6.5. I own several other barrels from H, they are all on excellence par with each other regardless of the cartridge, not much else else to say about that.

Thank you all

He has decided to go with an ARP barrel for a good mix of cost vs performance.
BWH came in second according to him, with Lilja 3rd

I see you already made your decision. My first ar build was Grendel from AA. Just barrel and bolt (hoplite) 18inch 1/8 T. No complaints what so ever. I just wanted the Grendel barrel coming from the founder. Then I built a Ruger 204 AR platform using lilja barrel. Hands down this m4 17 inch is nice. Now all barrels will be coming from lilja. Lots of A1 barrel makers out there. Buy nice or buy twice. Good luck

I picked up a SAOD barrel. Really like it.

JT Distributing - have a 20" standard weight and a 16" M4 pattern.  The 20" gets 1moa with Wolf Gold (yes, I still have a stash!).  I haven't fired the other one yet.

He wont regret it!

Mine shoots in the teens at 100 yards with Hornady 123 SST's. You have to use a group calculator program because the hole is one hole for 5 shots. You have to expand the picture, and put the circles on the edges of where you can see a bullet cut the edge round. I have sub MOA rifles, but nothing like my ARP .264lbc. I can be lazy on the bench and still shoot MOA like I do it all day long for a living.

J&T 24" stainless heavy barrel. Shoots great, very smooth bore and doesn't foul hardly at all. It cleans up quickly. It's heavy though and the rifle is front heavy. Not a pack around rifle but is a shooter and gets top velocity for 6.5 Grendel loads.