Since I asked about the allure of SBR’s in another thread and received outstanding information from many of the members, I thought there’s got to some downside.
Or, perhaps there’s no downside?
What say you?
Thanks!
The size of your blip on big brother’s radar!
Federal registration, possibly local registration, paperwork involved in legally moving them across state borders, $200, 3-6 month wait, you can’t loan it out to anyone nor leave it with anyone unless you are present or you used a trust and that person is on it, reduced muzzle velocity if you care about 200m+ shooting, and you can’t even own them in some states.
I’ve heard (not sure) they’re also louder than say a 16" or longer barrel AR.
Do they get dirtier and harder to clean or does only apply with a suppressor?
My 10.5" is louder than a 16" or 20", I don’t think it gets any dirtier than any other AR. The short barrels can shorten the life of a suppressor, as they tend to erode the blast baffle much quicker.
This about sums it up. I would add that they are louder, but with a flash hider it isn’t significant.
Federal registration. NFA paperwork, paying for a tax stamp, wait times, having to wait longer for a slight deviation in paperwork that might not be your fault. Not being able to travel to other states with it (The biggest reason I do not own one) the laws changing while you are waiting for your stamp, like people in WA got to deal with.
There’s always a downside to owning firearms and the more highly regulated a given firearm is the bigger the downside. Yeah, the $200 and paperwork hassle is a PITA. Wait time is irritating but no big deal since it’s not the only rifle I own. I have always just taken rifles I already had and applied for stamps for them so that I could put ultimately put an SBR upper on them if I felt like it.
No other issues in this state. I don’t ever have the need to take an SBR out of state, so that’s not an issue for me even if I thought a 5320.20 was a big deal. It’s louder, but I wear hearing protection and advise others shooting with me to do the same. -200 FPS is no big deal for me. I can’t ever envision loaning a firearm to anybody and if I did, certainly no reason it would have to be an SBR.
For my needs, the advantages (swing weight and improved handling) vastly outweigh the disadvantages.
Most significant Deeside: 16+" guns completely lose their appeal unless shooting past 250 meters.
The rest have already been noted.
From Tapatalk:
Jack Leuba
Knight’s Armament Company: Military/Govt Product Liaison
F2S Consulting: Director of Shooting Stuff
Thanks all.
I try to find out all I can before I go into something like acquiring an SBR.
From what I’ve read here, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
They do. If the NFA didn’t exist, 10.3"/11.5" AR15s would probably be the most common variant owned.
Agree with this^^^^
And I’d add one word in front of it…
“…Suppressed 10.3”/11.5" AR15s would probably be the most common variant owned."
Take Care,
Buzz
The shorter the sbr the more you need to be aware of dwell time. May cause the sbr to be more finicky with certain types of ammo and buffer and spring combos.
Pretty much this. I only use my 16" SR15s now for 150+.
Shorties are accurate for farther out than most that have no time with one would expect. 200yds. with my 6933’s isn’t a problem unless conditions are rough. Make that 200 using a T-2.
Registration which means all the paperwork and wait.
The regulations associated with owning them.
Those are the only downsides I’ve discovered. So far my 10.5" LMT has been reliable, accurate and just plain fun. I’ve been told it’s noisier but it doesn’t both me or seem any louder to me. So, not my problem.
I have found that 12.5" is perfect for me. Great accuracy. Plenty of rail still in place. Not AS loud… (still louder though) And the gas system is a little more on track.
I like the 12.5"
They make you buy suppressors, not necessarily a bad thing though.
I’ve said it several times, if I could only have 1 AR it would be my 11.5 with suppressor hands down. 16" rifle for me are great to be able to take to a carbine class out of state without filing a form 5, it’s the only use I have for them.
So far, the main downside for me - is the paperwork. I really like my s.b.r…
The Form 20 is not a huge hassle but it still causes more work - than say going out of state with a 16" bbl.