I posted this in the AR tech section, but it's relevant here too:
Specs:Noveske Gen 1 SBR Lower
Stag/CMT/Noveske LPK with JP Yellow Springs, Ambi selector (LMT?)
Vltor receiver extension
H buffer/Carbine spring
Damage Industries M4 stock with integral QD
A1 grip
Bravo Company upper
11.5" BCM ELW Fluted barrel
10" KMR handguard
KAC BUIS
Aimpoint Micro on Larue mount
ALG Defense Single port brake
Streamlight TLR-1HL
SHTF Wrap
Purpose:
The purpose of this rifle is to use in local 2 Gun matches. An SBR is often an advantage because some of the stages will involve tight position shooting from inside vehicles or crawling around. I wanted something short, slim, light, and fairly flat shooting for fast follow up shots (often have to double or triple tap the A zone at varying distances). The farthest targets are steel plates at 100 or so yards, and the closest can be 7 yards.
I picked the 11.5" because, well, BCM doesn't offer a 10.5". I wanted to get in on their "free" BCG offer. The ELW barrels are tapered from the breech end for supposed increased stiffness, which may translate to better accuracy. Since my intent was to have a light upper, I opted for the fluted version since it wasn't much more money. The KMR is very light, with a slender outside diameter, which my child-like hands are grateful for.
I chose the ALG brake because it was very short compared to most other brakes available, and also cost 40% of a Surefire MB556. I have a decent amount of experience behind the Surefire MB556, and a few other dedicated brakes and wanted to compare. The ALG brake has two large side ports, and a slender top port. It installed with a peel washer, which is a pain in the ass, but admittedly the best washer to use for a square install.
Performance:
The upper fed 20 rounds of Tula, 60 rounds of Fed XM193, and 60 rounds of PMC Bronze with no trouble. This isn't a lot of rounds, but sometimes a rifle will have a few malfs before the parts mate up. Not with this upper.
First I zeroed the sights at 25 yards, and then the Micro. With the open sights I was seeing 3 shot groups under and inch, and with the Micro, all 3 shots were touching. Excellent accuracy, even at this short range. Of course, this can't be extrapolated to any kind of indication of "what MOA" capabilities the barrel has, but that is not really why I wanted this upper! I wanted a flat shooting, light, slim, short rifle.
The ALG brake was extremely effective, and swinging from one target to another was easy with this rifle. The ALG brake was so damn loud after 4 magazines of shooting under a metal roof, I was getting a headache. But all brakes do that, and the ALG performed very well, regardless of size. Muzzle rise felt comparable to Surefire MB556, but I did not fire them side by side.
From a standing offhand position, I was able to hit the 200 yard steel plates 9/20 times with Tula. I wanted to see if the upper would function okay with the weakest ammo I know of, which it did. I had forgotten to switch the KAC rear from "Z" to 200, so that was part of my problem. I compensated for that and made more consistent hits. I'm not great at offhand, so I was satisfied with the hits. The barrel and rail are so light, it was no trouble to hold the rifle up at the ready for a fairly extended period of time. The KMR is very small in diameter and without the SHTF wrap, it heated up pretty quickly. The SHTF wrap did a great job of protecting my hand from the heat though.
Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this configuration, but I still need to get a keymod QD mounting point for sling use. Any suggestions?