Ok so I have pretty much been out of the loop for the Last year or two. I would make an occasional post, but mainly I have been an official lurker and will probably go back to that after this project. Dang work, kids, life ect. Keeps getting in the way.  Any who, I have decided to take some time for myself and get in to SBR game.  I have put together several uppers in the past and I have never had a reliability problem, but as I am in the research phase of my build I keep finding post and concerns about SBR reliability.

As popular as the sbr/pistol uppers have become and availability of parts designed for short barrels, is reliability really an issue?  Are there pitfalls I need to watch out for?

Thanks

Doc

SBR's can be finicky to get running properly.....unless you use 300BLK.

They designed the round for suppressed use with ~9" barrels. They can utilize a pistol tube and still have plenty of gas to run supers or subs. They go together pretty smooth. Only downside is the cost of the ammo.

9 times out of 10 they will run great if you set it up right.  That 10th time will have you spend $400 in heavy buffers, adjustable gas blocks, buffer springs,.... Etc.  only to find that you have a weak ejector spring, 5 dollar fix.  Been there done that.
Also be careful of the blackout cult.  They are like scientologists.  When I joined it was "dude get a 300 sbr to be cool".  So I did.  But to enter the next circle "dude you have got to get a can" so I did.    WhI'll waiting on my stamp I was offered entrance into the holiest of inner circles.  I mean it unlocked new forums and threads I had never been into before.  "Dude if you really want it quiet you have to reload your own".  So I am.
Suffice it to say that this frankenbuilt 300 blackout 8."5 SBR that I was so damn proud to have built, and stamped, for under 600.00, and left over parts from prior upgrades.  400  in the can, then the stamp, and lord knows you just stop counting when it comes to reloading and keep telling your friends your saving money.  Meanwhile all the dies, experimenting with loads, and with various brass cleaners.  Then the fact that your so damn proud of yourself you just can't let it sit in the can so you blow through it as fast as you can make it, and you end up spending 3x what you were spending to begin with, but hey your shooting 5x as often

So go ahead SBR's are fun.

I see your point. I have already been down the 300 blk route once.   After a few years I decided I was not going to go the suppressor route and I wasn't that impressed with the round out of a 16 inch barrel, so I sold it. Less the 6 months later I am waiting on my stamp for both a suppressor and sbr.  I am not too upset about the upper, but I did have all the reloading stuff and several hundred rounds and brass that I got rid of as well.  Now that is going to hurt if I get another 300blk.

So looks like reloading is a lot of up front cost and take a long time to make it back. At least that is what I understand from what you are saying. Now all the tax stamps are just a pain to begin with yet when you get into the reloading that is where the bulk of money goes on equipment and them all the experimenting needed to get exactly what you want. I totally see the cult you are talking about that you get dragged into. Hopefully I can get the money to join that cult sometime in the future. Experimenting is always fun. Just how long does it take to start saving money on reloading from starting from scratch? That is my biggest question.

But, dude...if you want to be really really quiet you're gonna have to use a Silent Spring.