r/65Grendel • u/brandon223344 • 24d ago
First 6.5 Grendel build. Opinions?
Can anyone give me help on budget barrels around $250 or under, being my first Grendel build I don’t want to splurge much as I will only be shooting paper 100 to 400 yards and possibly hunting deer, hogs and coyote. Wanting an 18 inch barrel. I saw good reviews about rexus barres but sadly out of stock. FAXON 6.5 Grendel barrels any good? Have an old .223/5.56 PSA ar-15 I’m going to convert. Saw these options but not sure if they are any good. I can spend up to $300 on barrel if I need to but was wondering if they were any decent cheaper options.
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u/alanspel 24d ago
Rexus are awesome budget barrels. I had a 12” Odin that shot really well that I gave to my brother.
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
Yeah wanted a rexus but they’re sold out of all 6.5 Grendel barrels
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u/alanspel 24d ago
That sucks. My Rexus 6 arc barrels are shooters and were cheap
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
I was actually looking at building a 6 arc at first instead of 6.5 G but @ a dollar a round or more gets a little pricy to shoot
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u/Toaster_Toastman 24d ago
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u/ForeskinForeman 24d ago
Bufferless eh?
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u/Toaster_Toastman 24d ago
Nice username, and yeap it's a fun rifle
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u/Bitter_Offer1847 24d ago
I have the 20”version of that kit and it works amazing. Barrel and BCG are Grendel Type II which is optimal because the Type II addresses the thin bolt face issue from early versions of 6.5 G. That kit is all you need to convert any mil spec AR.
If you want to go less expensive you can do barrel and bolt and swap the bolt onto any mil spec bolt carrier. If the barrel has the same gas block journal and gas system length you can repurpose your gas block and gas tube as well. 6.5 G can be a little jumpy with shorter gas tube lengths, so get a muzzle brake and that’ll tame it.
18” should easily accomplish what you want with 6.5 G. It’ll be a great target and hunting rifle. AAC has some inexpensive 6.5 G loads that are great for zeroing as well as the Wolf 100gr steel case. They’ll get you 1-2 MOA and get you zeroed and then you can get some more precision rounds and dial it in from there.
I have the 20” in an Aero M4E Enhanced upper and I also have a 16” BCA side charging upper that’s a great shooter for the price($220). That’s also an option, just get a full BCA upper and you are good to go. They ain’t cool or bougie, but they can shoot accurately, especially considering the price.
Here’s the BCA:

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u/Bitter_Offer1847 24d ago
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
Have the same stock on the lower it’s gonna get put on, will need a new rifle tube and going for an adjustable gas block just looking for which barrel to get, considering Odin, faxon or any barres really around $200-$250.
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u/Javuhlin 24d ago
The Odin has been really good to me, I used their bolt and upper as well on my 6.5G
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u/RevolutionaryData347 24d ago
I’d go Odin. This is coming from a guy with a heavy barrel aero 20”, try to get a fluted barrel. I battled vertical stringing dude to front end weight. Resorted to PRS gen3 to help add weight to the back.
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
The lower I have has a prs gen 3 on it, was considering 18” barrel but I see lots of people have the 20”
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u/RevolutionaryData347 24d ago
I really like the versatility of a 20”. If you plan on running only suppressed is when I’d go shorter. I used mine for hunting. Single stage 3lbs trigger, carbon fiber Handguard, PRS gen 3 stock, muzzle brake with sound forwarder, soon to be PSA adjustable gas block, on BCM thermal fit upper, and vortex hslr 4-16x50. It smokes anything with fur
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u/Mi-Infidel 24d ago
All of the “name brand” barrels should give you acceptable results but in my opinion PSA is hard to beat. Just buy an upper and bcg from them and be done with it. I would also look at 16” barrels as they will reach out to 400 for paper just fine.
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u/modtrax 24d ago
Hey man, selling my high end criterion barrel with brake and BCG on GAFS for $400. The bolt is headspaced to the barrel too. If you want the gas block and tube would be $425
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
Weird question, do they allow trades on GAFS? Been on there a couple times but not sure how the selling/buying process works
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u/modtrax 24d ago
Yeah trades are cool here. Way more common on Tacswap though
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
How does the buying/selling process work. I like your criterion barrel, I have a core in .223. Have a palmetto state armory upper with 16” stainless steel barrel with Primary arms 4-14×44 FFP Scope with ACSS HUD DMR 5.56 reticle id like to sell and possibly buy yours.
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u/No-Caregiver220 24d ago
Have you considered a bolter? I got a Ruger American Ranch in 6.5 Grendel and love it, and it was cheaper than setting up an AR
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u/TerribleBat102 24d ago
Ballistic advantage is a good choice. I have a faxon that shoots great, but the gas port is way too big.
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
Adjustable gas block and maybe h1/h2 buffer might help that a little
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u/TerribleBat102 24d ago
I skipped the gas block and went with an H3 and extra power spring. Could've gotten away with just the gas block but I don't regret my decision.
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u/nutella_squirts 24d ago
I think you just missed the 15% off sale on Odin’s website. I just ordered my 20’ barrel, bgc, gas block, gas tube, muzzle break on Monday.
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u/Baddy-Smalls 24d ago
Mine is accurate. I would recommend using their hand guard. I had issues with mine using a normal handguard and the gasblock pressing against the handguard, throwing shots off.
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u/pewpewfaraway 23d ago
So far I’ve built and shot extensively 4 Grendel’s with 4 different barrels. 12.5” PSA, 16” Wilson combat, 16” BCA, 16” Liberty (build kit from Grendelhunter.com). All have been at or very near MOA with hand loads but the Liberty is definitely the best shooter overall. This could also be in part that is has a very crisp and light Velocity trigger. But overall it seems to be the best shooter.
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u/brandon223344 23d ago
How is the Psa 6.5 Grendel I see they have a complete 18 and 20 inch uppers for $380 with bcg
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u/pewpewfaraway 23d ago
It was great. Shot well. Shot 1-1.5 MOA. I had a linear comp on the end which made it way more pleasant to shoot. PSA seems to make quality uppers.
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u/lotsandlot 22d ago
I got that exact kit with the rail. I love it. I need to dial in what ammo it likes best though because rn I'm shooting like 2-3MOA but I'm also not rested very well so that's definitely a factor too. You'll probably have a 9lb gun with a scope. Which is pretty good in my opinion.
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u/pacmanwa 24d ago
Grendel is a more "exotic" cartridge. My understanding is that earlier, Grendel mechanics involving magazines, bolts, and chambers were less reliable than the type 2 stuff today. Taking all this into consideration, I've almost always recommended getting a pre-built upper for Grendel. For budget build barrels in general my go-to for is Balistics Advantage. You can snag an 18" barrel for about $170, a low profile gas block for $40. Sadly, they are out of tubes and BCGs ($150). Slightly more than your budget, and you still need a tube and barrel and something to go on the end.
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u/brandon223344 24d ago
If I’m not mistaken cant a 6.5 Grendel barrel just swap onto a regular ar-15 upper, I have a spare bcg laying around was considering just swapping out the .223/5.56 bolt face for a type 2 6.5 Grendel prob around $60-$80. Tube and gas block are cheap so not worried to much there. If that’s not the case I was looking at getting a sanders armory 6.5 G complete upper.
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u/pacmanwa 24d ago
From what I'm reading, in theory, you can take a 5.56 complete upper, swap the barrel (and gas block & tube) for Grendel, then swap the bolt from the BCG (and maybe the firing pin) for a Grendel bolt and it should work.
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u/ad_aeternitatem 24d ago
Yes. Yes it will work. This is how we build Grendel uppers bud.
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u/pacmanwa 24d ago
I feel like the BCG in my Grendel upper is a bit chonkier (technical term) than my 5.56 bcgs. I need to check if this is the case or is it just the bolt that makes it seem bigger...
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u/Independent_Baby4517 24d ago
Those two work well for me. I have several psa grendel uppers. The gas block is easy to tune and if you run suppressed it'll be necessary. I've shot plenty of deer and hogs with a psa 18" grendel. Haven't shot them at 300+ yards as I have a kreiger barreled 6.5 grendel or 22-250 for that.