This is the test carbine I used for an article in the May 2010 issue of S.W.A.T. Magazine, available as a PDF for $4.95 at http://www.swatmag.com/content/issues/view/may_2010
This carbine has not been fired since the testing. Maybe it bears saying, this was bought and paid for as personal property, nothing on this carbine was a “T&E freebie”. It is all Sabre; barrel, upper, bolt and carrier, and the lower, which is marked Sabre Defence, 6.5 Grendel. Fire control is as-received, standard format, but a good example of same; pretty smooth, almost no overtravel, perfect timing between disconnector and sear.
The barrel is a 14.5”, 1 in 8 twist. There is a permanently-attached carbide glass breaker (blind-pinned and welded) that makes it 16” while still allowing the use of different muzzle devices on the 9/16-24 threads. Why is the barrel set up this way? It came from the factory 14.5” with a permattached FH…… I wanted to be able to try different muzzle devices, so I rigged it this way. If the buyer should want to dump the glass breaker and have me re-permattach a muzzle device, we can discuss it. Flash hider is a Talon from Satern barrels (http://saternmachining.com/products ). One of my brakes, tapped 5/8-24 with an adapter to 9/16-24, fitted to clock-up right, may also available for an additional $80 (if I can find it). Between the glass breaker and the Talon flash hider, the front of this carbine is rather “prickly”.
This rig has fired not more than 600 rounds and it is a great grouper. I tested two rifles for the article, and this carbine shot every bit as well as the heavy 18”, SPR- barreled one. With certain ammo types it will reliably shoot sub-MOA, no exaggeration and no BS. Grouping for the article was with a 10X Zeiss.
The fore-end is a LaRue 13.2. There is a low-profile gas block pinned in place by me. A brand-new EoTech and magnifier are optional; REDUCE price by $850 if you don’t want them (they are on it now, unfired and un-zero’d).
LASER ALERT: This LaRue fore end has a very unique, custom laser setup. I did this for a best-selling author but we just never got around to getting it on his rifle, so it wound up on the Grendel. The mini-laser is contained within the LaRue fore end, so it is completely protected by same, while emitting its beam a scant ¾” or so below the bore center. Result: no significant POI/POA dif out to…… however far you can see the laser. If you zero it at 15 yards, POI will never be more than ¾” high to that distance, and at double the distance it will never be more than ¾” low. Most lasers are 2”-3” or more from the bore, making offsets a real stumbling block to effective use except at the one distance at which the laser and bullet path coincide. Plus, so many are off to one side or another, making “hold over” more of a “hold-over and to one side” kind of thing. The coolest thing about this laser installation is that the laser body is its own switch. It rides on a short length of Pica rail I machined on the inside of the LaRue, so to turn it on, you “rack” it back about ½”. It goes back forward under spring tension and is ON. Rack it back again and it is OFF.
Also on the fore end: A few different rail covers. Magpul front and YHM rear BUIS, both mounted in front of the EoTech. Short sight radius but a not-bad-at-all setup. Also on the rail, an Insight WX150. Momentary on, on, and strobe all easily made to happen, bright and white as all get out, very low-pro. It sits in front of the front sight and is all but invisible with iron sights up. More so using EoTech with sights folded but not a problem and if a problem just move the light.
AMMO—765 rounds. 630 rounds Wolf brass-cased, 123 grain soft points. This is 3-4 MOA in this carbine, it goes textbook in ballistic gel, is perfectly reliable and reloadable. 45 rounds Wolf 120-grain “MPT”, which is a boat-tailed hollow point. 2-3 MOA, same brass. 4 rounds or Alexander Arms-loaded Swift Scirocco. 26 rounds of Barnes 120 grain TSX (solid copper) loaded by Carson Specialty Development. 14 rounds of Barnes 110 grain turned-brass solids loaded by CSD. With any kind of decent scope you will keep these under an inch all day. 18 rounds of Sierra 85 grain Game Kings (CSD). 29 rounds of my handloads using Hornady 95-gran VMaxs and 129-grain SST’s. Very good groupers in this setup.
RELOADING: 489 brass, mixed Wolf and “Alex A” headstamps. The AA stuff is made by Lapua, uses small primers, Wolf is made by Privi Partisan (PPU headstamp) and uses large. Some once-fired, some twice-fired, none fired more than twice. All is tumbled, processed, trimmed, tumbled again and ready to load except it would be good to go through it and check for tumbling media chunks in flash holes first. 450-ish Sierra Match Kings, 120-grain. 50-ish Hornady 95 grain V-Max’s, 30-ish Hornady 129 grain SST’s Lee dies and shellholder. Misc. loading data I compiled.
MAGAZINES: (8) 25 rounders and (4) 13 rounders. These are standard size and shape on the outside (same as 30 and 20 rounders in 5.56) but different on the inside; you can’t run this gun without 6.5-specific mags. (5) 25 rounders and (3) 13 rounders are unused. All are made by C-Products…… despite their sometimes spotty rep, I’ve had 100% function with their mags in 6.5, 5.45, and 5.56. Floorplates are a little sharp and coming-loose prone, so the three 25 rounders I used have magPuls on them; the one 13 rounder I used has a wrap of tape at the bottom. Some are Parkerized and some are painted. I think there is one more 25-er around here which, if found, I will send later. New mag availability is no problem. EoTech and magnifier are and option on this-- Optics Plantet has this setup for $935: http://www.opticsplanet.net/eotech-mpo-iii-exps2-2-holosight-with-g23-3x-magnifier-2-1moa-dots-reticle.html . You’ll be over $950 with shipping. For the buyer not wanting the EoTech and magnifier, reduce price by $850. I will not sell the optics separately until such time as the carbine is gone and the optics remain, and it probably won’t be for $850. Both are currently mounted on the carbine but unzeroed. I have gone around the EoTech’s shroud and rounded the edges, those sharp edges are something that always irritated me. So there is bare aluminum around the edges but it’s nicely done. I’ve also added an EoSticker to it (even though it had the factory info on it, the EoSticker still provides more and more readable info) http://www.m-guns.com/tool_new.php?product=ballistickers. MISC: Carbine slider has a CAA saddle on it. Right side storage, three DL123A’s for the Insight light and EoTech; right side, spares: extractor complete, FP, FP ret. pins (2), extractor pin, probably a few other things. A complete Sabre Defence spare 6.5 G bolt is included. Sling is a non-descript, nothing-special sling, plugged into the LaRue with one of the push-button swivels. I will put with the package a copy of the July 2010 issue of SWAT in which it was reviewed. Buyer pays shipping to buyer’s FFL. More pics and detail provided to interested parties, please Email me… ADD EVERYTHING UP… this sounds like a lot of money but when you consider everything that comes with it-- it is a great price. Plus-- the gun has been proven to work and be accurate.
$3200.00
