So I am looking at adding a Noveske AR to my inventory for high volume close range shooting (in addition to a new lightweight for woman/kid use). I was thinking of the10.5 inch Noveske shown in the first pic below. It has the Pig flash hider which brings the barrel to 13.75". At that length, registration under the National Firearms Act is necessary which requires a $200 tax, is prohibited in some communist states, and tends to make some cops paranoid. Plus the 13.75" is just 2.25" short of non-NFA unregulated legal length which is 16". I wonder if 2.25" is worth the hassle.
To get around the NFA problem, I was thinking of chopping a non-NFA Noveske back so that with the Pig flash hider permanently attached, it reaches the magical 16" legal length. I could start with a 14.5 inch carbine gas system Noveske or a 16 inch mid length gas system Noveske, chop the barrel to 13" and permanently affix the 3.25 inch Pig to it, for a clearly non-NFA 16.25" legal build. No NFA registration, no $200 tax, and no fretting cops. With this setup I would be 2.5 inches longer than the stock Noveske 10.5 inch NFA version shown above.
What do you think? Are any of these options worth pursuing?
I think it’s a waste of money. A 16" with the same OAL would give you another 50+ yards of effective fragmentation range, and with all the fiddlefucking around you’d have to do to cut a barrel and weld a KX3 on you’d be throwing money away for no reason. Plus it would be muzzle-heavy compared to a 16" barrel.
If you want to spend the extra money then go the SBR route. If you don’t want to or can’t because of location then stick with the standard 16". I don’t see any advantage to cutting down a perfectly good Noveske barrel and then making it front heavy with a Pig.
If you do decide to do it, you better like it cause I don’t think you’d find anyone interested in that configuration.
Eh, I don’t consider an AR “pistol” a substitute for an SBR, nor do I find those pistols anything near being practical.
If you want an SBR, just bite the bullet and pay for one. If you don’t want to, I think you’re just kind of wasting your time and money with these other routes. A 16-inch AR is more than serviceable if that’s all you have to work with.
What do you hope to gain if the OAL is going to be about the same anyway?
I wonder if Noveske would accomodate a special order for one of those with a chrome lined barrel and A-frame pinned front sight. That would be pretty close to what I was thinking. But I really want the CL barrel for longer life.
If you get a 14.5", carbine length gas, pinned vortex FH, Noveske Basic without the rail (handguards and Delta Ring instead) the thing is so light it would be perfect for kids/wife without even messing with any type of SBR scenario. Too, as other posters have already mentioned, the Pig is damn heavy and almost certainly NOT what you would want on a rifle for kids or wife. If you want to add a VFG you can put a piece of rail on handguard for that or attach a light to the FSA. If you really want a lightweight build, get a BCM or Daniel Defense upper with the pencil barrel.
Another thing to consider is that if your kids and wife are shy around guns at all, an SBR may be more intimidating to them because of its louder blast, etc.
I’d go with a 14.5" and pin a good flash hider to bring the barrel length over 16".
One thought to consider when thinking about an 5.56 AR for the wife and kids…95 lb Vietnamese women and 120 lb Vietnamese men had no problem with 7.62x39 recoil.
Haveing someone cut your barrel + the cost of the pig will be more than the $200 tax for an SBR. Unless your in a no SBR state, I don’t see why you would do that.
I think I will go with a 16" barrel. The NFA stuff still scares me for some reason. It’s not the 200 bucks but the potential for hassles that has me tucking my tail on that one.
The Noveske will be primarily for me to shoot, so I think this is probably what the doctor ordered:
Thats a joke right? Come on man… If I had the ability based on location a Noveske SBR would be the first thing I would get, second would be a Can for said SBR…
I own the 10.5" Noveske pictured and can assure you there is no hassle other than waiting for your tax stamp approval. If you do not want to go the SBR route I wouldn’t suggest attaching a KX3 due to weight issues on a longer barrel. I’m considering dropping the KX3 and getting a suppressor but am still in the process of debating whether it’s worth it or not. I may just go with a Blackout or the KAC Triple Tap looks pretty slick too, less weight and less length on the end of the barrel.
A 14.7" Lightweight, or a 14.5 with SDI A2X is going to be FAAAR more practical - my wife’s 14.7" was so good, I’m getting myself a 14.5"/A2X.
My personal recommendation would be this:
Lightweight 14.5" Barrel from DD, BCM, Centurion, or Noveske
TROY/VTAC Extreme or DD Lite Handguard
SDI A2X or SEI Vortex Flash Hider
Light, handy, accurate. Add a Micro Aimpoint or Compact ACOG and you have an extremely flexible rifle.
Take the ARF.com talk with a grain of salt. There are lot of mall ninja’s there that think they know it all because they read it on the error’net somewhere.
As an NFA owner, I really have found very little real world difference with my NFA versus my non-NFA items. When I shoot on my rural farm, the game ranger/sherrif/etc. still comes out because the weekend “farmers” call in saying I’m poaching out of season or some similar nonsense. It doesn’t matter if I’m shooting clays with a pump shotgun, paper with a Glock, or anything else … it’s all the same.
Filling out a form to travel out of state is easy and in state is almost a don’t care except for a few public ranges that specifically exclude NFA firearms.
