Advice on what to do with a 14.5" upper

[houndog]

So, recently bought a 14.5" Sig 516 upper. (At $600 it was hard to resist), Since it's under 16" I currently have been using it with a lower I previously did an SBR on, but have been thinking about a couple of other options and looking for advice/suggestions. Currently considering the following alternatives:

1. Just leave it as is. Only takes a few seconds to pop off my other 5.56 upper and attach the Sig. The advantage of this is it doesn't cost me anything.

2. I have an extra stripped receiver sitting around, together with a lower parts kit. Going to eventually put this together anyway, so why not use it for the Sig 516?However, I can go a number of different directions:

a. Put together with a brace and avoid the whole SBR thing. Advantages, save $200, wait times and some paperwork. Disadvantage - I'd prefer to have a collapsible stock. Somewhat concerned about what ATF might do with braces under a Biden presidency.

b. Buy a good muzzle brake (probably a Precision Armament M4-72) and have someone pin and weld it to upper. Advantages, again avoid the whole SBR thing since with attached brake barrel will be over 16". Also, a decent muzzle brake will help with recoil and hopefully enable me to stay on target a little better with rapid fire. (Currently trying to improve in this area and considering doing some three gun starting next spring). Disadvantages - the cost of purchasing a muzzle brake and then getting it permanently attached probably about the same as a tax stamp.

c. Buy a Tranquilo muzzle brake from LaRue and have it pinned and welded. Advantages, I have a Tranquilo suppressor on order (probably about a year out from actually getting it) and Tranquilo muzzle brakes on two other rifles. Advantages, another rifle I can attach my Tranquilo suppressor to. Disadvantages - Tranquilo muzzle brake not on the same level as Precision Armament brakes. Will be a year wait until I get suppressor.

d. Just do the whole SBR thing with the receiver I currently have. Advantages, no matter what ATF does in the future I should be covered. Don't have to buy a muzzle brake and send upper out to a gunsmith. Disadvantages - for $200 all I'm really getting is a tax stamp. Not getting a decent muzzle brake that helps with recoil, not going to be able to use my suppressor when it comes unless I get a LaRue muzzle brake put on the upper.

Right now I'm kind of leaning towards getting a LaRue muzzle brake permanently attached to the upper, since I think a suppressor will have a most of the advantages of muzzle brake, plus reduced flash, noise, etc. A little concerned how the LaRue will match up with a Sig 516, but the Sig has an adjustable gas block, so I should be able to match it to the suppressor.

Curious what others would do - particularly since I currently don't have any experience with a can, so right now its benefits are basically theoretical for me.

 

[Asiparks]

I'm a cheap ass and unconcerned,( for now at least), about changes in the legality of braces- so I'd go 2a with and SBA3 or Tailhook 2. Real world, shouldered ( gasp) shooting, I can't tell any real difference on a "pistol" between a stock and a decent brace.

Too many braces already out there, both on home builds and as OEM from a ton of manufacturers- click bait youtube fear monger opinionators aside, ton of chatter, little sense of real action. Even on the Honey Badger, they basically backed down when confronted.

Then stick on whatever muzzle device blows your skirt up.

 

[Marbles]

I would permanently affix a muzzle device as I don't see 14.5 inchs as being short enough to be worth the hassle of an SBR.

My inclination would be to get the break that works with the suppressor as personally I would want that option. I have no experience with breaks and suppressors though, so that inclination is worth about what you payed for it.

 

[Choid]

You don't need a good muzzle brake on an AR. Use one that fits your suppressor.

 

[LuvDog]

I'd go with C. Get the brake that you have on other rifles that is ready for a can.

14.5" is longer that I would bother with for SBR. At that point, it make sense to just pin/weld a brake to get out of that territory.

 

[aslrookie]

Do you plan on making any changes to the sig upper? If so, pinning a brake is going to hinder servicing or changing parts. I had a form 1 suppressor pinned to a 10” 300blk barrel to avoid the SBR process. What I didn’t realize until after the pinning was done is I can’t even take the rail off to access the barrel nut to remove the barrel if I needed to. Everything associated with that upper is married to it when you pin it.

I ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and just have SBRs now. Either pay the stamp or just swap it onto your existing SBR lowers.

 

[WillHugh]

I would just sbr another lower. With form ones only taking 20 days there's no reason not to. You'll be somewhat shielded from future legislation, and having another registered lower is something you'll be happy about long after you've forgotten the $200. Pinning doesn't really make sense to me; you pay $60 for the pin job and ruin a $100 + muzzle device (generally speaking). At that point you're close to $200 and you've lost the ability to change muzzle devices, rails, etc.

 

[drewthebrave]

In the meantime, just build a pistol lower with a cheap brace to see how you like the upper as-is. Once you're sure that you like the setup you have, you can decide at that point whether it's worth it to pin & weld, SBR the lower, or just keep running it as a pistol. Honestly, once you get that suppressor, you'll have no reason to change muzzle device anyway, so I wouldn't be too concerned about the permanence of the job since you've locked in your suppressor choice.

I'm in the middle of a 14.7" build myself, and it'll be a Recce inspired build to slot in as a "do all" rifle between my 18" SPR and 11.5" Pistol. I'm planning on slapping it on my pistol lower for some function & accuracy testing to make sure I like how it runs before I pin & weld a muzzle device. If I could own a suppressor, I wouldn't think twice about pinning & welding a muzzle device to the thing - BUT I would still do some function testing to make sure everything is running properly before sending it out for welding.

 

[Neurotic]

VG6 Epsilon SSL

These allow for 0.750" gas blocks to slide over, and should be available on sale in the $55 range.

 

[mewillis]

I just sold an 11.5 monolithic Colt and replaced with a 14.5 for better all around do all SBR. The 11.5 unsupressed is a monster flash and concussion wise, 3" will never mean anything to me except more distance if I want to reach out beyond 300yds. with the 14.5 and it's acceptable shooting without the can.
As for short confined use that will probably never happen in my real world, I have a $275 PSA 8.5 .300 BO upper which is a gem for 50-100, quiet and accurate with subs and an Omega 300 because I will never run anything other than subs. Everyone should have a plan........

 

[houndog]

Thanks for the comments.

I do have a couple of SBR's already, including a 12.5" LaRue and a 300 BO that I think has a 10.5" barrel. I like the 14.5" length in 5.56 and think it's pretty versatile, but agree that it really doesn't make sense to SBR, rather than just adding a 1.5" muzzle brake to get it up to 16".

As I said in original post, I've already swapped this upper onto one of my SBR lowers and really like how it shoots. Not too front heavy and surprisingly accurate out to 200 - which is as far as I've shot it so far. Has been 100% reliable.

Don't anticipate making any changes to the upper, so pinning and welding brake shouldn't be a problem, but it's a good point.

I'm interested in an effective muzzle brake not because recoil of 5.56 is an issue when shooting off a bench or even doing some positional shooting (prone, sitting, etc.). However, recently I've been trying to do some faster shooting with an eye towards maybe doing some three gun competitions (and just getting better at putting multiple rounds on target with some speed). In that context anything that helps control muzzle rise and enables me to keep the gun on target is significant.

So, I'm still leaning towards the LaRue muzzle brake. Sounds like it's at least decent at controlling muzzle rise, and since I've already ordered a suppressor from LaRue the gun will be ready for me to install the can on once it comes. And I can see myself using the can itself, even though it adds weight and length to the front end. Sounds like can will also help control muzzle rise and recoil, avoid some of the blow-back that accompanies most muzzle brakes, eliminates a fireball from coming out the front end, and, of course, helps reduce noise.

And, for me, the LaRue suppressor was kind of a no brainer. I already have two LaRue uppers with a Tranquilo brake, I could pick one up for $399 because I'd previously bought a large frame Ulitmate Upper. Plus I shoot lefty, so gas in the face is an issue for me and LaRue's are known to have a design that reduces back pressure.

But I do appreciate the comments.

 

[AKMarty]

Question around the same upper...how legal, reasonable or cost effective would it be to cut down and rethread the muzzle assuming you are going with a pistol build?

 

[houndog]

That's an interesting suggestion. Seems to me it would be perfectly legal to cut the barrel down to 12-12.5" and either SBR it or do a pistol brace. Not really sure if changing the barrel length would have an effect on reliability or result in the gun being over-gassed, but that would be a concern.

Also, as previously mentioned I already have two short barreled rifles, a LaRue with a 12.5" barrel and a 300 BO with a 10.5" barrel, so I don't really need another short barreled rifle. Plus, 14.5" seems like a pretty good length for a versatile, do it all rifle. Throw in the added cost of cutting down and rethreading the barrel and then buying a muzzle brake, not really sure if it's cost effective, particularly since one of the things that led me to buy the upper in the first place was that it was pretty cheap and a good value. And I'd also have to go with a pistol brace to make the whole thing legal, and my preference would be for a decent collapsible stock, which I already have.

So I think I'll probably stick with my original idea - get the LaRue muzzle brake and then have it pinned, which should be cheaper than cutting down and rethreading the barrel and not really impact reliability. Will also be able to avoid doing the SBR thing, have the advantages of a muzzle brake for now, and have a rifle that's ready for the LaRue suppressor I have on order.

 

[clcustom1911]

Choice 3

Stop posting shit on the internet and go shooting.

 

[houndog]

Well, today the high was 14 degrees. Yesterday we got 6" of snow. But I've been doing both.

 

[Slevin182]

With a 14.5" I'd pin and weld it. I was skeptical of braces before, now even more so. And yeah if you have the parts it's always nice to just have a whole rifle ready to go. As you know the tranquilo brake has a bit of length to it, another option is to have the barrel turned down so the barrel/brake combo is right at 16" OAL. You'd probably be taking at least 3/4" of an inch off.

 

[Ricerocket1]

Pin and weld as others have said. You’re going to have the muzzle device for your can anyways so you might as well save yourself $200.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

b. Buy a good muzzle brake (probably a Precision Armament M4-72) and have someone pin and weld it to upper.

Test the M4-72 before you go making it permanent. It's a very effective brake, but also one of the more concussive ones around. And the fireballs. I've seen it singe hair off a buddies hand.
Also, buy a brace anyways, because you can and screw the ATF.

 

[teddyw19]

I would pin a dead air flash hider to that thing and run it on a rifle lower. Or a surefire flash hider. If you dont have a can yet do yourself a favor and pin an attachment for a the can you are going to buy. Because cans are sweet

 

[Holliday]

2. a. clearly shows intent, and could be used against you, should you choose that option......You make it easy for them.

 

[acudaowner]

Id say get the lower and enjoy it while you still can . or save it maybe someone can use it in the future , an upper is pretty easy to hide in a pinch or vacuum seal and save it under water in a "freak" well planned boating accident or even better alien abduction where they took you upper to probe it later promising to return it when the political climate is not pro comunist .

 

[Tonsofguns]

Test the M4-72 before you go making it permanent. It's a very effective brake, but also one of the more concussive ones around. And the fireballs. I've seen it singe hair off a buddies hand.
Also, buy a brace anyways, because you can and screw the ATF.

I love this brake, I’ve shot at least 10k rounds through it, but the first time you shoot it, especially if indoors, you’ll feel a gust of wind. But man it is effective and fun to shoot.

With regards to fireball, it depends on the Ammo. The majority of ammo is fine, but I was shooting some Anerican eagle fmj at the range, and the fireballs were unreal after each shot. It was to the point where I just stopped shooting it, and the person next to me thanked me for stopping.