I'll update this thread occasionally as my build goes on.
Long story short is that I'm a young father with kids, a mortgage, and a decent paying job. I have two kids currently and a third on its way. I am a casual shooter in that I'll shoot a local IDPA match once a year and shoot milk jugs at 500 yards once or twice a year with friends. All my other rifle shooting is limited to 100 or 200 yard bench stuff. I've never shot PRS, but I love the idea of it. I've built a few sporterized Mauser actions with my dad years ago so I know the value of what people are paying gunsmiths to do, but that's out of the question due to my family situation. Family comes first, hobbies next. So for me its the AR platform since I can do most of the work myself and parts are easily obtainable over the counter. And since I already have an AR15 set up with a Magpul PRS, Timney 3# trigger and Vortex PST this was where I would start.
The caliber I settled on was the 6.5 Grendel. I kind of feel like I settled with the Grendel. I know a lot can be done with wildcatting the AR15. I've seen things like the .22 Hellcat, the 7mm Valkrye, necked down 6mm Grendels, etc, but my .22-250AI is enough work with fire-forming and annealing brass that I didn't want to add work and time when I don't have any free time to begin with. I also know I could have just as easily built an AR10 in 260 or 6.5 Creed, but it was easier to justify the AR15 since all I would need is a new upper, and since all my shooting is generally 100-300 yard stuff I don't need the added abilities of 260 or 6.5 Creed. Review's for the Grendel make it out to perform well at 600-800 with longer shots possible given good wind conditions, so it'll work fine for what I'm looking to do with it.
I've got a 24" cut rifled HBAR barrel on order from Satern Machining that I'll hopefully see this spring.
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