I am in the market for a new 16" mid-length upper and am looking at Knight’s SR-15 and the Noveske N4 Light Low Profile uppers. I own and like Noveske, but I have no first-hand experience with KAC. I would appreciate comments based on experience. Weight is not an issue for me. I would like to know if the E3 multi-lug bolt design is proprietary to KAC barrels or if it is compatible with any other AR barrel extension. I can’t find a lot of information on that.
Any input appreciated.
KAC bolt is proprietary, requires special barrel extension, and is not compatible with “standard” ARs.
As far as your main question is concerned, there is really no answer to it. Both are excellent, both offer lightweight barrels etc. Usually discussions of this topic revolve around proprietary bolt and a cost of its replacement vs. expected bolt life, but it can be spun either way. KAC proponents claim 80,000 rounds life (or 50K, I don’t remember) and make a point of cost-effectiveness with such life expectancy. They also make a point about increased confidence that bolt won’t fail in critical times. The opponents usually bring out issues of interchangeability with other ARs, and some feel they would want a spare bolt (KACs costs $375) regardless of what KAC claims. Make your pick of a position, and you’ll find people on both sides of it.
I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but if proprietary parts are an issue then the KAC E3 is out since it is not interchangable with mil-spec barrel extensions.
FWIW I have the SR15 IWS and love it, only @ 2k rounds thru it but no issues yet.
Excellent information. Thanks very much.
I would go with the Noveske just for the fact that it,s parts are compatible with other ARs
I own both, and I think KAC is the better gun and the better value.
Yes the bolt is special to the KAC gun…however KAC will replace it if it breaks under 20k rounds as long as you can document your round count. I think thats a pretty fair, and safe “warranty”.
I think the URX rail is superior to what Noveske uses, and the integrated front BUIS is friggin cool.
KAC comes with a 2 stage trigger which is very nice, and the Noveske is an upgrade to get the 2 stage which costs more $$$.
KAC uses a slightly longer gas system, and the recoil is very tame. I have a Triple Tap on mine, and its just about like shooting a light 22LR.
I also like the KAC rear BUIS more than the Troy unit Noveske includes. The troy is very wide at the rear which for me interfers a bit with getting a good grasp on the CH.
Barrel on the KAC is accurate, and the slimmer profile makes for a great balance of weight as well as pointability.
KAC lower is ambidextrous so you have a mag release on the L side, and a bolt release on the R side.
Overall they are both good, and Noveske makes a great barrel. Other than the barrel being about equal in terms of quality I think everything else on the KAC is better as outlined above. Not greatly so but theres a lot of nice features the Noveske does not have, and would in fact be the more expensive gun.
IMHO among these two complete uppers it really comes down to your personal preferance and your pocketbook. I wouldn’t necessarily say one is better than the other, but that one is different from the other.
I disagree with that statement.
URX is a better rail system.
Barrel profile on the KAC is better for engaging targets quickly. For having a 10 3/4" rail, and a 16" barrel its a very light weapon.
KAC gas system is easier to shoot with, and reduces parts wear just as going from carbine to midlength does.
Bolt design leads to a longer life, and Noveske doesn’t use the best BCG’s anyways. They use a blue insert, and are not HPT tested.
A little bit of shopping around can find them about the same price so I need to think about it some more. Thanks all for the input.
What’s the difference between KAC and Noveske bbl profiles, as in actual measured difference? My MSTN upper has SS Noveskle bbl that I think 0.625 dia, it swings like a broomstick.
OP mentioned he is considering midlength Noveske. KAC midlength is less than inch longer; how much difference in recoil impulse does this account for? Could it be that your KAC shoots “easier” than your Noveske because you have TT (with $435 price tag) on it?
IMHO I believe the Noveske’s N4 double thick chrome lined barrel will outlast the KAC barrel and the “slightly” heavier profile will also be a “little” bit more accurate than the KAC barrel.
I’ve not seen head-to-head comparison, but reports that I’ve seen match these two pretty evenly in accuracy department.
I agree they are close in accuracy but with the Noveske having a slight edge IMO. Really, just pick the one you like, the bad guy , target or anyone else won’t know or care which one you are using. They are both more than capable of getting the job done. End of story.
Ive owned, and do own a few midlengths, and the KAC shoots the smoothest. This includes BCM, LaRue, Noveske, and the SR15.
Ive shot my SR15 quite a bit without the TP…
Noveske SS barrels are medium contour. .750 from the gas block shelf forward, and medium contour under the handguards. The “lite” barrels have a proprietary profile like an improved USGI.
The KAC barrel profile is a cross between pencil and .750 past the gas block.
Im just giving my advice based off owning the guns in question, and I do shoot them quite a bit. I have around 4k rounds through my SR in the last 4 months.
Comparing the two going down the list the KAC has better features, and you get more for the money. I did say Noveske makes a good barrel…however the rest of the parts they use are nothing special, and in the case of the BCG is below the standard of say a BCM or Colt BCG. Nothing exactly wrong with a Noveske…I like their products and just bought another Noveske upper earlier this month. I think they are a good deal with the free blem lower, and I built the base gun for around $1600 out the door. I do not think the Noveske as a complete gun is as good of a deal as you are then paying a bit of a premium.
The KAC complete rifles do have more features, but that is only if the person wants or “thinks” he needs the extra bells and whistles. I believe the original poster wanted a comparison of just the complete uppers.
Well, I jumped in with both feet and bought a complete SR-15 rifle today. Excited about it and looking forward to a long affair. Thanks to all for all of the opinions and discussion.
Is this true? It seems somewhat like an empty promise… I mean if they wanted to everyone could just send KAC their bolts with phony round count documentation… not like its hard to fake. The question I have is the cost of the bolt. I’ll be honest, I am among the people who actually fall into the camp that the sr-15 is actually not as expensive as they are made out to be. This is because of the features that the gun offers standard. So while their firearms may be a couple hundred bucks more than the competition, they aren’t that far off. However, there are a few things that they offer that are just silly. first is the triple tap… while its insanely expensive I am going to give it a pass due to its composition of inconel. second, and perhaps most dubiously is the E3 bolt. This is a more or less standard bolt that has been SLIGHTLY tweaked in the form of reshaping and slightly reinforcing the lugs on the bolt… the other small change is the two springs and then a slight reduction in the size of the pin in the bolt… I can’t recall the technical name for this pin, (the cam pin) So, with these small yet important chances, KAC decides to charge like $350… compared to a standard bolt that can be had (chrome hardened even) for well under $100… Now I understand that they have to re-coup R/D investments but still… it almost seems like they thought, what part will pretty much all sr-15 owners need to replace eventually? The bolt… is one of the most oft replaced ar parts and the E3 is obviously not compatible with any other bolt, so they really have us sr-15 owners over a barrel when it comes to buying a bolt… I think I am just going to get the magpul pin/bolt grip insert and then just keeping them in the miad at all times and then never worrying about it. I just realized, KACs firing pin is proprietary too… but ive never seen one for sale… what do they cost? $275? For a pin that is more or less a very slightly reduced standard pin… lol
it should be mentioned that like many parts on the sr-15 the gas system is not a true mid length but an extended mid length that puts it more or less between the mid and rifle length systems. So that is a big reason why the KAC feels more controlable. Another thing to remember is that the KAC buffer is also “supposedly” (i have never weighed them myself) a slight bit lighter than the normal carbine buffer… so again that would contribute to the lower recoil… the SR-15 is a fine fine firearm… if only I was filthy rich enough to buy an sr-25 ECR… actually just the ECR upper and then the (currently vaporware) AX762 lower would be my ideal build… someday my sr-15 will be able to hang with its bigger brother in the safe…
Noveske makes quality stuff but the rely heavily on marketing, their cool factor and a “bad ass” image to justify their high cost while KAC actually produces hardware for the military that sees real combat and doesn’t need to advertise much.
Wow, a 3 year necropost…
At least nobody will be telling you to use the search button!
I’m only going to say this: I have yet to see a KAC bolt returned from breaking due to round count. How much that is worth to you is up to you.
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