I am looking seriously at getting into a SBR. I know nothing about that niche. I can tell you my intent with it though.

1. I plan to primarily run it suppressed. (suggestions in this are are also welcome)

2. Well #1 pretty much sums it up. It needs to be life and death reliable as I am going to try to put together an educational presentation for my chief on suppressors to try to get them approved and the rifle will be used for work (suppressed or not) .

3.  Minimum barrel length is 10" (I know very little in the arena of SBR and suppressor mating)

Any and all help is appreciated

For reliability/size, I'd go with a 11.5" upper and SF can Just my advice, there will be guys along to share their wisdom with you and the ins/outs of the different combos.

BCM 11.5" thread

Of course the 300 BLK is an obvious choice (although it might not be an option for you).

It does very well from short barrels, suppresses better than most (or all) other AR15 rifle chamberings and.has respectable performance in the close(r) applications in which you might use it.

I'm sure many others will be along to say the same.

^ This, along with a Saker 762 for your suppressor...

 

Ken Elmore/Specialized Armament on suppressed AR-15's

Here's the scoop.

I have an 11.5'' and it runs well.  That said, if you are going to run suppressed and want the shortest gun possible you're going to want to go with a 10.5''.

Forget 300 black out unless you are a reloaded or have a lot of resources or if you hunt or just primarily enjoy shooting a very expensive caliber bullet.  Production hasn't picked up to make them anywhere near what 556 is for the money.

I have an AAC can.  It works alright.  I like Surefire products in general and think that they are high if not higher quality than AAC.  You pay more for them though so you're going to have to figure out what you want to pay and if it is 'worth the extra' to you.  

Don't get caught up in DB ratings and how quiet a can is.  You should figure out what factors mean the most to you:  Durability, size, weight, level of sound.  If it is a full size can or medium sized can it's going to be quiet enough for all intensive purposes.  If you want movie quiet then get a 22lr can and host.  

Knowing what I know after shooting an SDN6 and having an M4-2000 on order...

You shoot an SBR because you want something short and light, then you throw a 17 or 20 oz can plus a 3-4oz muzzle device mount on the end of the rifle.  It changes the dynamic of the SBR as a whole.  It more so becomes a heavily pressurized regular sized (16'') rifle that is snappy and gassy with a 5-6'' heat container on the end.  It heats up and stays super hot within 10-15 rounds.  It does quiet the rifle and in most instances would make it more difficult to tell where the point of origin of the shooter is.  It doesn't make the rifle hearing safe.  I'm still wearing ear pro.  It does make it much more pleasant to shoot primarily if you're running a muzzle brake on your SBR.  With a flash hider on the SBR the suppressing only really takes the noise level down since the concussion is heading straight out instead of to the sides of the barrel / rifle.

What would I order now if I could go back in time?

If I'm sticking with 556 (which I am personally)... I'd get one hard use quick detach can that'd probably be a surefire can..it'd be 17-20oz + a mount, decent db reduction, great durability.  I'd get another lightweight titanium thread on can that was 10-13oz.  If I had multiple rifles that were high volume rifles I could use the quick detach can on those and then I'd save the SBR for the lightweight titanium one since I don't shoot at night (Ti cans spark sometimes) and I don't go crazy with full auto or mag dumps.  Basically you'd save your hard use can for high volume shooting, and then you could use your titanium lightweight can for wanting a very light setup for hunting and or precision shooting.  With how hot the cans get under sustained fire or high volume fire, along with the mirage that they will produce that can ruin your sight picture... I don't really see any real advantage to shooting them like this or practicality for it.  If I'm hobby shooting and no one is shooting back at me, I'd rather have no can on it for high volume practice so the only thing heating up that I'm worrying about is the barrel and handguards (which also cool down much quicker than a can).

Mi love mu MK18, it is a 10.3" with a gemtech 556LE on the end of the barrel, great for home defense, SHTF or plinking in the back yard.

Alot of posts about reliability issues with SBRs but i think a lot of that was in the earlier days when manufacturers were working out the kinks, also a lot of people used to just cut down a 16" barrel without actually thinking about resizing the gas port. If you use quality parts and dont cut corners it will function flawlessly. My mk18 has hundred of rounds through it and im still waiting for the first malfunction. Going to put it on a full auto lower soon and will see if that gives it a challenge compared to semi-auto.

If you are building this suppressed SBR to demonstrate a need for your chief, you need to start at the beginning:

1) Are these guns going to be patrol rifles or are they going to a specialized team?

2) What's in your AOR? Urban or rural? Both?

3) What ammo are you going to run? What ammo are you allowed to run?

4) What's the level of training of your guys and are they going to be able to to maintain their guns? If you decide on an adjustable gas block, will your guys remember to check their gas settings before each shift?

5) Why suppressed? (We know why, but your chief may have no clue).

Lots to think about before you even get to barrel length. I'd treat it like you are writing a grant or a research paper. State the problem, suggest a solution and back it up with research. Call around to other agencies and find out what they run and how they justified it.

Don't forget to be clear and upfront with training, ammo and maintenance costs. It's better your chief knows now what he or she needs to build in to the budget going forward.

All that being said, a 10.3/10.5" gun is going to be a great all around gun for most LE rules of engagement.

Good luck.

1) Personally owned patrolman rifles. ERU will eat it up too I'm sure, if it gets approved.

2) Both

3) currently we are only authorized Hornady TAP.

4) This will be individual


We have in vehicle shotgun and rifle. The rifles are old and bare bones. We are just now getting rails and lights, optics are still being debated.

However, we are authorized to use our own privately owned rifles that can have all of that with a few guidelines.  

I think my biggest hurdle will be overcoming the desire for our rifle to not look too tactical.