Noveske Switchblock/LaRue PST/ WAR upper...actual merit?

AR/M4 AR Technical Discussion
1

I have a SB on my 14.5" Noveske, and love the weapon suppressed/unsuppressed, it just feels better, but what are the REAL advantages aside from “on paper” and “cool feature”?

The reason I ask, is that someone wants to trade me a 10.5" without SB for my 12.5" upper WITH SB.

I like the 10.5" WITHOUT SB because the rail on it is about 2.5" longer, which is some nice real estate!

However…what will I give up, honestly? I know Noveske knows how to make a gun run, but I question…is the SB necessary, or is it just a “cool story, neat!” type thing, as relates to function, etc?

Will the bolt snap in half sooner, will it be less reliable, will I have to run through hoops trying to find a spring/buffer combo that runs well suppressed/unsuppressed (Noveske ships those with H2 and Mil-spec spring, IIRC…)

Anyway, thoughts?

2

Suppressors increase gas pressure. That increases recoil. That means either an increased recoil management strategy or slower follow-up shots (assuming one maintains the same accuracy level when suppressed and unsuppressed).

I’ve been running a WAR upper receiver on my suppressed SBR and it definitely makes a difference. Video here:
http://kitup.military.com/2012/12/beer-expedient-review-innovative.html