I am in the market for a new AR. Under serious consideration is the Noveske N4, Defensive Edge Grail and LMT MRP.
The rifle will be used for patrol duty, instruction and personal training. Most of my shooting will be within 100 yards with the bulk of that under 50. Being a single income family with 2 rugrats this will likely be my last AR purchase for quite some time so I am trying hard to make the right decision. (I know, none of those are a bad choice) Reliability is absolutely paramount for me.
The Noveske N4 seems to be a pretty bomb proof setup. I like the added sight radius offered by longer rails with the buis option but I will likely go with the fixed fsb for durability. The rifle will have a Comp ML3 anyway.
I have no experience with the VIS upper that they offer and would like some feedback on it. It looks like a very solid setup and has absolutely no chance of getting knocked out of alignment. How much does it complicate barrel removal? The uppers appear to be sold with their own proprietary wrench. With the extreme quality of the the NOveske barrels I don’t foresee having to swap barrels very often but it is a consideration.
I wonder if I wouldn’t be better served with the low profile rail system they offer or just getting the standard hand guards and mounting a DD Omega. I don’t need a ton of rail space. The rifle will wear a light, the Aimpoint and possibly a 3x magnifier. The rear buis will be a Larue.
I am somewhat hesitant to get back into a fixed flash hider again (it’s what I have on my Bushmaster) but Noveske currently doesn’t offer anything longer than the 14.5" in the N4.
Noveske also offers the option of the Smith Vortex and the Surefire brake. The Vortex needs no further discussion. It is about the best of it’s kind. I’d like to hear about the Surefire though. It is used on the Grail and is said to offer significant muzzle stabilization. Does it offer much in the way of flash suppression? Is the muzzle blast obnoxious? I had a Bushy years ago with their old AK brake. It worked great at keeping the muzzle steady during raid fire strings but man was it LOUD. My partner hated that rifle!
I am fully capable and equipped to build my own but I don’t see the need to reinvent the wheel.
The Noveske barrel will outlast the other barrels, and while its probably a bit more accurate, I don’t see that as much of an issue with the closer in LE work that it sounds like you will be doing.
There are obvious pros and cons with a fixed FSB or the extended rail, but they are largely dependent on your own likes and dislikes. Novekse Rifleworks pins their gas blocks, so there really isn’t a concern on them coming loose under the rail.
As far as the muzzle devices, the AAC unit is supposed to reduce more flash than the Vortex, but either one will work nicely. I’ve got the AAC on mine, but previously did testing on the N4 version with the Vortex.
I would have to vote for the Noveske. I have one that rides around in the trunk of my cruiser and I couldn’t be happier. Mine has the VIS upper on it and it is a very solid rail. I haven’t tried changing barrels, but I think it is fairly straightforward.
If you do buy the Noveske, you will never have to say “if only”.
I’ll tell you what, John has been great about returning all of my (probably too many) emails. I’m going to give him a call tomorrow about what I need to do to go the sbr route. Perhaps I’ll just forego a few extras for now and just register the thing.
$200 in NFA tax really isn’t that much of a barrier for someone who will really use their rifle like you. Sure, the $200 takes away from some accessories upfront but, a year from now how important will that be?
For LEO’s, I did no cost transfers on the stuff they bought when I catered to that market a few years ago. LEO’s and soldiers always got special treatment from myself. Your net cost on the N4 will same except for the NFA tax and transfer fee so, personally I’d just register it as an SBR.
PA allows them and I have a class 3 dealer/manufacturer just a few minutes from the house.
I’m actually getting a bit excited. It’s been a while since I’ve been excited over a rifle.
I don’t think anyone can give you an exact round round, but unless you shoot 10K a year through the weapon, you will most likely die before the barrel wears out.
I have been hearing accuracy reports of 1MOA (with good ammo, trigger, glass, etc).
