Good buy on a 10.5" SBR upper?

General Firearms NFA
1

I was in my favorite gun shop a few days ago and I was discussing the possible purchase of an SBR. I have about $1,400 put aside as of now. I’ve been thinking about a 10.5" LWRC M6A3 in 6.8SPC, but $2,200-2,500 is a big nut to swallow with 2 very young kids at home…

So my buddy shows me 10.5" 5.56 upper receiver they just got in from an LEO from another agency. It was a Rainier Arms (Adams Arms?) forged upper receiver with a 10.5" Noveske CQB barrel with gas tube and a black oxide Battle Comp 1.0. It also looked like it had the 9" Troy TRX Extreme Battle Rail along with a Magpul AFG2 (in FDE) and both Magpul MBUS front and rear sights (in FDE). (I wish I had been smart enough to take a picture of it) He tells me that he’ll give to me for $700 out the door…

So, my first question - is this a good deal or will I get hosed in buying it? I know Noveske, Troy, and Battle Comp make great products. This store, and this guy in general, have been very good to me in the past. I’m a police sergeant in the same city this gun shop is located, a pretty regular customer who has steered business their way, stopping by to bullshit both on and off duty, and they’ve cut me some sweet deals in the past on guns, accessories, and bulk ammo, and have on occasion given me boxes of Surefire 123 batteries, small gear (slings, small accessories, etc), and even ammo boxes for free.

Secondly, he also told me that I could walk out the door with it that very day! Is that possible? I thought I’d have to get a NFA tax stamp before I could possess it? He said that I’d only need the stamp if and when the upper was mated to a lower. Is that true?

And lastly, is it worth it to get a 10.5" 5.56 upper? I believe that ballistics for the 6.8 with this size barrel are probably better. I know it’s cheaper to shoot 5.56 than 6.8, and I already own two (2) 5.56 AR’s with 16 and 20 inch barrels, but I also want to eventually suppress my SBR (this will be my first). So should I hold off for a 6.8 SBR upper or the LWRC in particular?

Please give me some guidance?!?

2

I would hold off on the LWRC. I believe that the general consensus is against gas-piston systems as a necessary amendment to the AR platform.

I would go with a 10.5 Noveske any day (I have one). However, you could also purchase a complete Noveske 10.5 upper for around $700.

If his offer for the upper included a quality BCG & CH then thats a great deal and you should jump on it ASAP.

Since you already have a few AR/5.56 rifles, is adding another caliber to your arsenal really necessary? 6.8 is indeed more expensive.

However, if you were looking to add an additional caliber AND use this new SBR upper for something as HD/SD only, then that’s a different story. And IF you are looking to use this upper for these purposes, I would take a look at the Noveske 300BLK SBR uppers.

And to answer your NFA question: Yes you can purchase the SBR upper as long as you do not have the “intent” to make an illegal SBR. So basically, you can purchase/possess any SBR upper as long as you don’t have the means (non-SBR lower not mated to an upper) to make it an ‘NFA-violating’ firearm.

Hope that helped…

3

LWRCi treated me well, so it pains me to say this a little…

Fuck 'em. They won’t be around in 10 years.

Later on you’ll actually be able to get parts for it.

Forget pistons too, they’re all proprietary, there’s no standard, they’re heavy, less accurate, less balanced, and they cost more.

IMHO, stick with 5.56, and suppress it. Works well, IMHO.

The deal you’re looking at is good. It seems. Who makes the BCG?

4

See me responses below.

5

First, let me clarify that this $700 price did NOT include a BCG or Charging Handle. Does that still make this a good deal?

Admittedly, I don’t know much about the 300BLK. I know that I could mate a 6.8 SPC upper with a 5.56 lower, obviously with the correct BCG and mags. I know I could also use a 6.8 suppressor on one of my 5.56 uppers as well, so that would save on buying a suppressor for each caliber. I’ve thought I’ve read that 6.8 had better range, accuracy, and terminal ballistics out of SBR barrels than 5.56, so that was my thought process in considering 6.8 over 5.56.

I have been considering an AR platform in another larger caliber for a while, basically for HD, local action shooting competitions, and for shits & giggles. In CT, the competitions rarely see more than 200 yards max. In my agency, we’re issued duty patrol carbines and not allowed to use our own rifles as of now, ao this won’t be used for work, but we’re trying to change that.

Can a 300BLK upper be mated to a 5.56 lower or do I need a matching lower in 300BLK? Is 300BLK ammo cheaper than 6.8SPC?

As for the NFA aspect…I don’t currently have any spare lowers and would either have to buy a new one and get it engraved/SBR’d or send one of my current lowers out to do so. I’m likely going to get a new lower for the SBR.

Thanks for all the info so far, keep it coming!

6

I’d buy something like this and pretty much be done with it. That or get this

Edit: Both are new complete rifles that should give you trouble free operation. Past that add whatever grip, optic, sling, etc you want. Nice thing is the lmt comes with a sopmod.

7

Check out Bravo Company. You could almost build a new upper with that rail for that price. If it included the BCG and charging handle and you had someone competent inspect the barrel then I would say yes. I think you should get a BCM 11.5" CHF upper, add a rail (if that is what you want) or simply put an MOE handguard on it. Add a BCG and charging handle and you will be right around 720.00.

Grant may have a better deal going. In any case it’s not nuch of a bargain.

8

BCM 11.5 or LMT 10.5 upper…

I’m not a piston fan, and either of the above will be a lot cheaper than what you’ve mentioned.

9

I recently picked up a Noveske MK18 upper from DSG Arms for 929 shipped with a common discount code. I have yet to assemble and fire (still waiting on my lower), but the build quality is excellent. It included the BCG and the now standard Gunfighter charging handle.

10

I’m a piston fan and own 3 LWRC uppers (10.5" M6A1, 12.7" M6A3 and an 8.5" M6A2 PSD) as well as a 16" M6SL rifle. I personally prefer piston guns because I am too lazy to clean any of my guns (which is why I only carry Glocks or revolvers). In fact, the first one I owned (the 10.5" M6A1) I went 4,199-rounds without cleaning it and it has more than 14k rounds through it.

Unless you are hung up on the 6.8 SPC cartridge (in which case I recommend the M6A2 PSD in this caliber) I don’t see the real purpose of owning one other than hunting (some jurisdiction does not allow the use of the .223/5.56 round for deer hunting. Also, if you do not have a need for a piston gun, I highly recommend eitehr the 11.5" BCM upper or the 10.5" LMT (Mk18). I have both and have had no issues with eitehr although I have found the 11.5" BCM to be a bit more accurate with a wider range of cartridges.

Good luck!!