Complete Grendel Uppers

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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Ghost on Tue Jan 30, 2018 7:14 am

How’s the Grendel coming along? Shoot it?
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby yukonjasper on Tue Jan 30, 2018 9:30 am

It is together except for the optics. I'm feeling like the glass I have available for it may be a bit much. Been swamped after being down with the flu. Thinking of calling a friend of mine and lining up a range day to dial it in. He is located in new Richmond Wisconsin. I can mount the scope and have a torque wrench to do it correctly, also have a laser bore sight tool. I have 1000rds of Wolf 200 Hornaday Black and 80 Federal Fusion, so I think I have what I need.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Holland&Holland on Tue Jan 30, 2018 10:27 am

yukonjasper wrote:It is together except for the optics. I'm feeling like the glass I have available for it may be a bit much. Been swamped after being down with the flu. Thinking of calling a friend of mine and lining up a range day to dial it in. He is located in new Richmond Wisconsin. I can mount the scope and have a torque wrench to do it correctly, also have a laser bore sight tool. I have 1000rds of Wolf 200 Hornaday Black and 80 Federal Fusion, so I think I have what I need.


What optic do you feel is too much?
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby yukonjasper on Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:27 pm

Nikon Monarch 3 4-12x42. Not sure I have the magnification range correct.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Holland&Holland on Tue Jan 30, 2018 1:32 pm

yukonjasper wrote:Nikon Monarch 3 4-12x42. Not sure I have the magnification range correct.


What are you planning on using it for? That seems about ideal for a Grendal. What is your concern?
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby yukonjasper on Tue Jan 30, 2018 2:04 pm

the idea was to build a predator rifle with Northern MN Whitetail Deer possibilities - though I have a Tikka t3 stainless in 308 for that - still seems like too much power for what amounts to (most of the time) under 100 yard shots. Anyway, I agree that the Nikon should work, I just don't know much about optics and wondered if it might be overpowered for the close in work. not that I'm anxious to spend more money on a different optic. For the whitetail hunting, the scope would be too much - 3-9 has been plenty if not too much sometimes for the real close shots for the area I hunt.

ETA: the "not sure I have the magnification range correct" was more of a comment on not precisely remembering what the specs on the scope are.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Ghost on Thu Mar 08, 2018 8:27 am

We getting closer to a range report?
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby yukonjasper on Thu Mar 08, 2018 9:49 am

With any luck it will be soon. I have been booked pretty solid. I do need to bore sight the scope and given what I'm reading maybe go back and loktite the mount through bolts. I'm reluctant to do that but I think I have to - reluctant because bunged the head up on one of them with the Wheeler torque driver - those Weaver through bolts are aluminum=soft so 65lbs was too much for one of them and the driver head slipped and the slot is now deformed. I get nervous because I am not a delicate flower and I have a tendency to ham hand a lot of the finer work. I could also do the ring screws too, but it sounds like recoil may not be high enough to warrant that.

The good news is I now have the Caldwell Deadshot bags - Tactical - (important that they are Tactical) to aid in the bore sighting and the actual range time. I thought I was set with the LeadSled, but I found out they are not Tactical enough, sigh. :roll:

I really really want to get some time to get all of this taken care of. Time is my nemesis and I have a tendency to overthink everything - its a curse.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby arizona98tj on Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:13 pm

If you decide to use your Grendel for whitetail, you won't regret it, in my opinion. I've used mine the past two seasons and it more than does the job. I too purchased an upper to go with a lower that I had sitting around. I ended up getting an Alexander Arms Overwatch which has a 1 in 9 twist 24" stainless steel barrel. I went with a Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16x42 optic mounted on a Burris P.E.P.R. mount. I've enjoyed Vortex glass on other rifles and couldn't find a reason not to stick with it. The Overwatch is a solid sub-MOA rifle with my hand loads. I've settled on 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for now. The farthest a deer has gone is 40 yds after being hit....the shortest distance was a drop right where it was standing.

I hope you have a good time with yours when you get to the range.

A complete write-up of my Grendel can be found on my website.


Here is a photo of my 24" Overwatch.
Image
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Ghost on Fri Mar 16, 2018 8:24 pm

arizona98tj wrote:A complete write-up of my Grendel can be found on my website.


Here is a photo of my 24" Overwatch.
Image

Holy s#!t, you are Stu-off-road!! You’ve been tons of help with my LJ
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Holland&Holland on Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:35 am

arizona98tj wrote:If you decide to use your Grendel for whitetail, you won't regret it, in my opinion. I've used mine the past two seasons and it more than does the job. I too purchased an upper to go with a lower that I had sitting around. I ended up getting an Alexander Arms Overwatch which has a 1 in 9 twist 24" stainless steel barrel. I went with a Vortex Diamondback HP 4-16x42 optic mounted on a Burris P.E.P.R. mount. I've enjoyed Vortex glass on other rifles and couldn't find a reason not to stick with it. The Overwatch is a solid sub-MOA rifle with my hand loads. I've settled on 120gr Nosler Ballistic Tips for now. The farthest a deer has gone is 40 yds after being hit....the shortest distance was a drop right where it was standing.

I hope you have a good time with yours when you get to the range.

A complete write-up of my Grendel can be found on my website.


Here is a photo of my 24" Overwatch.
Image


If you were to do it again, would you still go 24 inch or go shorter?
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby arizona98tj on Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:28 am

Ghost wrote:Holy s#!t, you are Stu-off-road!! You’ve been tons of help with my LJ


Guilty as charged....yep, that's me. :) A couple of years ago, I sold my TJ, retired from my job in Arizona, and moved back to Bemidji. I do have a 4WD tractor if that counts for anything. :D
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby arizona98tj on Sat Mar 17, 2018 10:47 am

Holland&Holland wrote:If you were to do it again, would you still go 24 inch or go shorter?


Given I'm using this as a hunting rifle right now, and my longest hay field is right at 400 yds, I would probably drop it back to 20" or so. It is a little awkward in a ladder stand but still manageable none the less. In a ground blind, I don't notice the 24" barrel.

With:
Factory -- Hornady 123 gr STT === 2599 FPS
Factory -- Wolf 100 gr FMJ steel cased === 2728 FPS

Handloads -- Hornary 95 gr V-max === 2910 FPS
Handloads -- Nosler 120 gr Balistic Tip == 2546 FPS **

** current load for deer hunting
Last edited by arizona98tj on Sat Mar 17, 2018 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby Ghost on Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:09 am

arizona98tj wrote:
Holland&Holland wrote:If you were to do it again, would you still go 24 inch or go shorter?


Given I'm using this as a hunting rifle right now, and my longest hay field is right at 400 yds, I would probably drop it back to 20" or so. It is a little awkward in a ladder stand but still manageable none the less. In a ground blind, I don't notice the 24" barrel.

With:
Factory -- Hornady factory 123 gr STT === 2599 FPS
Factory -- Wolf 100 gr FMJ steel cased === 2728 FPS

Handloads -- Hornary 95 gr V-max === 2910 FPS
Handloads -- Nosler 120 gr Balistic Tip == 2546 FPS **

** current load for deer hunting

Interested in doing a 12 inch barrel grendel build? I’ve got an extra Faxon 12” barrel that I have no use for that I’d give to you If you add your build to your site with a comparison to the 24”. No cost for the barrel since I’ve used your site so much, I’ll cover shipping too.
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Re: Complete Grendel Uppers

Postby arizona98tj on Sat Mar 17, 2018 12:59 pm

Thank you for the generous offer. I appreciate it very much. It really would be neat to know just what kind of a velocity difference it would make.

There is only one problem with my Grendel upper....when Alexander Arms built it, they permanently attached the handguard. One has to destroy the handguard in order to get it off. I'm not sure I really want to go that route at this point in time. I know....who in their right mind would do that? I didn't find that out until I owned it.
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