Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

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supersport939
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Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by supersport939 »

Hello All - brand new on here. Did some reading through posts that gave me some info but wanted to put my ideas into a new post.

Looking to build / buy a 14.5" SBR and can't find squat for parts out there. Who's got the secret handshake to find parts?
Nothing too crazy - just want as short a carbine to be non-NFA as I can. Went to the LGS and they had a 14.5" Daniel that felt like a dream in 5.56. It was also $2,700. Looking to see what I can put together for under $1k, possibly a little more after the cherries on top.
Where can I find anything in stock?
Any brands / types that are clearly better than others where there is availability? There's so little out there that comparison is not even possible.
Help!
BJK
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 351
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:30 am

Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by BJK »

Welcome to the forum!

I built a 10" arm braced handgun during the height of the pandemic and later riots. Parts were tight but I wanted to go with high end parts and while I'm not going to say parts were easy to come by I found what I wanted and had some manufacturers willing to take orders and build what I wanted for parts with just a short wait. If you want low end parts you're competing with millions of other folks. Good luck with that, get in line. Yeah, you'll need a secret membership card, know the secret handshake, AND have the decoder ring to move to the head of the line without any other "in".

But some things are starting to come back into stock. I found kegs of powder today without searching and I ordered parts just the other day that were shipped immediately. So things are looking up until after Nov 4th when things might sell out again. I would do 'net searches every day until I found what I wanted as things come back into stock. It will take time and perseverance.

Carbine... that word means a certain thing and it doesn't mean handgun to me, but rifle. When dealing in these issues words mean a great deal. A 14" carbine would be a SBR to me and maybe ATF also unless you know something I don't. But build a handgun and arm brace it and you're good until ATF reclassifies arm braces, and they're working on that. If you want as short an arm braced handgun as possible you can go much shorter that 14". But the same goes for a carbine (SBR) also. Frankly, if you want short I would go shorter than 14" in a 300BLK. If the arm brace is reclassified it won't cost you any more to SBR it, or disassemble it, or just remove the arm brace and rethink the firearm.

So I ask, do you want to build an arm braced handgun or a carbine SBR? I suspect the former and not the latter.

Others might be able to help further since I wasn't of much help. Good luck with your build. Let us know how you make out.
supersport939
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Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by supersport939 »

Thanks for the reply -
As far as the 14" goes - that jut seems like the "goldilocks" zone for me. Not too short, not too long. My other AR is a 18" with a 6-18x40 Vortex on it, and I like it for longer range / more precision shooting. The 14 is for a more tactical CQB rig, with a foregrip and red dot / prism, - for home defense scenario.

High end vs Low end - I'm just trying to find any end! But, to that question - how much does "low end" cost? Is it unrealistic to find quality parts at:
$300-400 for a full lower (no butt stock)
$600-750 for a full upper, with handguard?
... add $150-250 for a good CH & BCG?
$250 for Magpul (or similar) furniture?
BJK
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 351
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:30 am

Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by BJK »

I can't answer your question on what a low end parts gun would cost, if you can find the parts at all. And high end parts, if I added it up, well I don't really want to know what I spent. I think I have over $1k in the upper w/o the can.

I do know that I researched parts for a long time spread over weeks to find what I wanted. It was NOT a simple search and done. Some parts are available and sold out rapidly and one needs to be there.

I wish you well.
BJK
Silent But Deadly
Posts: 351
Joined: Thu Jun 18, 2020 8:30 am

Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by BJK »

Got this in an email today. I know nothing about their parts so it's not an endorsement.

https://www.eabco.net/Receivers_c_3824. ... 64N3VQB29O

And this:
https://nui.soundestlink.com/view/5f973 ... 9a706b4c52
MeGrunt
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Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:11 pm

Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by MeGrunt »

To be non-NFA it has to have a 16" barrel.

Or you can build a pistol with a shorter barrel, but be careful of putting a vertical fore grip on it, that could well turn it into a AOW.


My advice? Build a pistol with a 12" barrel and a 2" muzzle device. Just forget about the VFG.
955miro
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Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2021 2:33 pm

Re: Guidance for a 14.5" non-NFA SBR - slim pickings....?

Post by 955miro »

I've been looking to do that same thing. Seems that 14.5" barrels are hard to find to start with, and the few companies that do sell them are all sold out right now.

A 14.5" barrel can be non-NFA only if a muzzle device is permanently attached that bring the length over 16". This is easy to do with either a pin & weld, or 1100 degree silver solder.

I built a 12.5" AR-pistol years ago, and now with all the brace BS going on, I wish I had just got the 14.5" to start with.
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