CBC Industries 6.5 Grendel Review - Don't buy

Reviews & Opinions
1

I thought I was getting a deal, I wasn’t. I fell for a spectacular review and had already talked myself into getting one.
Broken handguard screws, loose castle nut, badly leaking gas block, 6" MOA…
I can defiantly not recommend this brand.
You can read my review (based mainly on the accuracy) here:

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2

That brand is as cheap as they can be made, cheap barrels and parts probably made in a child mill in pakistan or china. Other brands out there just as bad.

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3

If I had known that in 2017, I’d have a lot of money in the bank. However, I agree with you and found that out along with many others since then.

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4

I have 3 grendels I built using Bear Creek barrels. They all shoot well. They even like the Wolf ammo and their bullets and just a tad bit undersized. Swap in a better barrel and you will be a lot happier.

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5

I have wondered about their barrels but didn’t know anyone that used them. The seem quite inexpensive. What MOA are you getting?

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6

My next option and choice is to swap the barrel. I need to find a 18" that is not stainless / shiny and that is accurate, MOA or better accuracy from the barrel. I know the rest of the weapon and shooter make a difference, however if I eliminate the barrel, I have done a large part, of this project / issue.

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7

My 18" 5r does 1/2 moa w/ hornady black bthp. 3/4 moa w/wolf. The other rifle is 1 Moa or less with about anything but 1/2 moa with federal tnt 90 gr. 12" pistol does 1-1.25 moa with everything i feed it.

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8

Wow sounds to me like you ended up buying an upper and stock and nothing else cause rest of it was very sub par thanks for that review a real eye opener.

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9

Right now all the Bear Creek ones are Stainless steel, I don’t want shiny. Do you or anyone reading this have experience with Faxon barrels? Or another brand? I have built many AR rifles, but have not settled on a brand that I perfer. I have used SOCOM, Spikes Tactical, Generic Sportsman’s Guide, Brownells…

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10

Faxon makes a great barrel. This is where I got my Grendel barrel.

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11

Faxon made my 6 Arc pistol barrel. Good stuff. I know of several builds using their barrels. No unhappy customers.

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12

I spent $400 on a stainless fluted 1/8 18 inch Wilson Combat barrel and was not impressed, it is a beautiful barrel, finish, flutes, everything is high end, but It only shot okay. I never spent a lot of time with it and maybe I will put together a rifle for it and do some more load work with it, also very heavy even being fluted.

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13

22 ARC is out…62 grain at 3300…

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14

I have a 6Arc and a 6.5 Creedmoor I built both w/Wilson Combat barrels. Both shoot extremely well.

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15

Thanks for the info. Weight is an issue for me.

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16

May just need to be ran in for awhile.

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17

I trust @shooterrex’s Bear Creek assessment but I don’t know of any good results other than his. I have always steered clear of them myself.

Not ever had a barrel with a shootgun pattern
Break-in and shoot good, but that’s me.

I can 2nd the Faxon recommendation based on a sample of one. I will buy another one the opportunity presents.

Have a 5.56 14.5 Faxon pencil with intregal brake. It shoots like it was expensive, only about $200 shipped w/ Tax on sale. Only good for one 3 rnd group before it heats up. For what we use it for thats enough. but it has been accurate from the very 1st round.

I haven’t been on the Grendel band wagon for a longtime because of the lower pressure the cartridge required to resolve the bolt breaking issue. That said its generally accepted as an inherently accurate cartridge.

I used to get worked up about the behind the scenes shenanigans that Federal, Hornady, Wilson, Aero, Seekins, etc play to bring new cartridges and rifles to market to ensure a big enough market share to remain profitable. I don’t anymore. I’ve come to discover the truth is nearly always different than the internet rumors. So setting aside all the scuttlebut, in general Wilson’s barrels and customer service seem to be above average as far as I know. So I would be of the mind that Wilson needs to make it good once the barrel is proven to be bad, if it is.

I had an Aero upper that was substandard. At first I thought it was the Aero barrel. I tried two more, one a proven tack driver Aero, and a BA, both with the same results. Before throwing in the towel I trued/squared the reciever and bedded it. Now it’s an MOA or silightly more shooter for 10 rounds. I wonder if that’s that’s the issue here with the BC and the Wilson. It isn’t always the barrel.

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18

I have 3 BCA barrels.

  1. 16" 223 Wylde that will hit an IPSC plate at 650 yards with proper ammo
  2. 16" 450 Bushmaster full upper that I honestly have not shot enough to make a determination about accuracy or reliability due to ammo availability and price.
  3. 20" 17HMR complete upper that will repeatably hit an IPSC plate at 250 yards while standing. I will test this one more in a little over a week in the desert. @shooterrex will get to try it there as well.
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19

Coild it just be it is oversized or the crown is bad ? Maybe have an inch loped off and recrowned .

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20

@ArmedEyeDoc glad to hear good things about Bear Creek from somebody else too. I’ve always steered clear of them because of the negatives. Admitedly it was years ago, maybe I’ve been depriving myself good cheap barrels.

@WV460Hunter not really sure without looking at at. My first instinct isn’t the barrel. Once I’ve checked it over I move to the upper reciever, bolt, seating and timing.

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