[Guest]

I just sent in my paperwork for a stamp to build an SBR, but I'm wondering which caliber I should build it in. I was originally thinking of a pistol caliber because the ballistics would fit perfectly with a short (11.5") barrel, but I'm wondering if something else might be better.

There are a ton of good cartridges out there besides the obvious pistol calibers... .458 SOCOM, .450 Bushmaster, 7.62x39 and a few others come to mind.

What would you build and why? Thoughts?

 

[Guest]

What caliber did you put on the form? I'm building mine in .223 Rem. I thought about 9mm but I have an XD w/Arredondo baseplates that holds 22 rounds, so I really didn't see a need to go through all that for something that is heavier and holds 10 more rounds.

I also went super-short, against the popular opinion. I figure if I'm paying $200 and waiting 6 months (I started this project in July), I might as well go all the way. If I don't like it, I'll switch to a 10.5" barrel.

If you want a 7.62, might as well build a Krink in my opinion, though a 5.45 would be the traditional caliber for a shorty AK.

 

[Guest]

I have pretty much decided to do mine in .223 with a 10.3/10.5 inch barrel. I might actually be able to use it for work as a patrol carbine now that the SWAT team is switching over from HK G36s to Colt shorties. I really want a super shorty and might splurge on the upper later down the line.

 

[Guest]

What caliber did you put on the form? I'm building mine in .223 Rem. I thought about 9mm but I have an XD w/Arredondo baseplates that holds 22 rounds, so I really didn't see a need to go through all that for something that is heavier and holds 10 more rounds.

I also went super-short, against the popular opinion. I figure if I'm paying $200 and waiting 6 months (I started this project in July), I might as well go all the way. If I don't like it, I'll switch to a 10.5" barrel.

If you want a 7.62, might as well build a Krink in my opinion, though a 5.45 would be the traditional caliber for a shorty AK.

I put "multi-caliber" on the form.

Since ARs are so modular, I figured that would cover me whichever way I decided to go. I'll probably do a .223 just for magazine and ammo interchangability, but I can always do another down the road I guess. I just thought it would be cool to change things up a bit and have another caliber that would work well out of a short barrel.

 

[Guest]

I put "multi-caliber" on the form.

Let me know how that works for you. Consensus is that you have to put one caliber and one barrel length on the form. Most of the ATF examiners seemed to have gotten together over the summer and decided to start rejecting forms with multiple calibers or barrel lengths. Who knows though - you might catch one on a good day and get approved.

 

[Guest]

yeah, deffinetly let us know the results. I have heard that listing multiple calibers was the wa to go, but as of recently, I have been warned against it.

 

[Guest]

I would go 9mm just because of cost and in a SBR there is no need to get a rifle cartage because of the distance

 

[Guest]

I believe I would've at least registered a primary caliber and then list some alternates compared to just saying "MULTI". But if the examiner doesn't like it, I'm sure they'll send the forms back to you and delay it a while so you can make up your mind which one(s) you want to list and use. They'll give you 30 days to decide.

My AR SBR is registered in Primary: 5.56x45/.223 Rem.

Alternates are: 7.62x39, and 6.8 SPC.

I would've registered it in 9x19mm also, but I have an MP5-K SBR registered in that caliber, so I wasn't really needing or wanting another in that chambering.

For a fun gun (range) nothing wrong with 9mm at all. Ammo is cheap and that just equals to more trigger time for less money.

Plus if you use an indoor range, they're generally allowed there too whereas many higher power calibers aren't.

The reason a lot of SWAT is moving away from the 9mm is the lack of armor penetration. That isn't a concern of mine, so I don't see anything wrong with the 9mm. For the most part, it is very rare for LEO's to encounter a tango sporting Kevlar anyway. That's why my opinion goes against the norm nowadays.

Is it a bad idea for an LEO round? Or a Military round? Not entirely, but when a team is moving in on a hostile, it's nice to know that you don't have to second guess and hence, why a lot of SRT's are moving away from the 9. Peace of mind is all. Are there better rounds available for certain applications? Of course, but just keep in mind, there is no one perfect round for everything and you can't carry everything at the same time.

My 2 cents.

 

[Guest]

223 out of a 11.5 with a AAC M4 1000 suppresor gives the same balistics and speed as a 16in carbine barrel. Without the AAC can its about like a 22 hornet. With the intended range and use of the SBR I would go 223, and 22lr drop in conversion for fun.

 

[Guest]

I would go 9mm just because of cost and in a SBR there is no need to get a rifle cartage because of the distance

+1

i also agree with the multi-caliber comment. can't go wrong with more than one size

 

[Guest]

Let me know how that works for you. Consensus is that you have to put one caliber and one barrel length on the form. Most of the ATF examiners seemed to have gotten together over the summer and decided to start rejecting forms with multiple calibers or barrel lengths. Who knows though - you might catch one on a good day and get approved.

I've got mine filled out w/ "Various" in that field. I just need to come up w/ the coin for the filing fee. Don't know where your consensus came from, but many many many people have had no problems registering sbr's in such a fashion on the AR platform.

And Hooz, I say 458 Socom, cuz I've never shot one.

 

[Guest]

Don't know where your consensus came from, but many many many people have had no problems registering sbr's in such a fashion on the AR platform.

It seems to be a more recent developement. I have talked to a handful of folks who have had their Form 1s delayed a little until they picked a caliber.

 

[Guest]

Don't know where your consensus came from, but many many many people have had no problems registering sbr's in such a fashion on the AR platform.

I know - some examiners seem to let it pass and others don't. Same with barrel lengths - some will take <16" and other won't. Selected cut 'n pastes from the AR-15 SBR page:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I am working on my very first Form 1 and had some questions so I called the NFA branch. I asked about the 4.c and 4.e (gauge and barrel). I was told that I could only put ONE caliber and ONE length on the form or my form would be kicked back to me. He said if I wanted to change either, the ATF would have to be notified. I specifically asked about listing 9mm and 5.56 as well as "less than 16" and was told those were NOT acceptable.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For those thinking of listing barrel length <16" and a range for overall length, I just received my form back with a note to list the specific length for both and re-submit.

Hopefully the wait the second time around will be a little shorter...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Form 1 for an AR SBR was rejected because: "Form must specify the barrel and overall length, aproximants and estimates are unacceptable."

I had put "<16" for barrel length and "less than 26" for overall length.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Guest]

22LR because it will save you a fortune
9mm is fun
if you are a cop get 10mm/357 sig
458 socom is a nice choice
50 beowulf
556
7.62X39
6.8 spc
6.5 grendel
I would put all of those on the form personally, though before coming on here today had never heard of the 458 socom.

 

[Guest]

I went with 9mm because it's cheap to shoot.

If I need to change it (caliber, barrel length, OAL), then I'll send a letter in writing.

Hardwarz