Write up on Brace Built Rifle, Modern Carbine. MC6

[Strangedays]

I purchased a Brace Built rifle for a lightweight (5.54 lbs) rifle with some nice features and the price.
rifle came with a case and t-shirt along with sticker so right off the bat they have you sold (sarcasm for those who can’t tell)
So to start here are the rifle specs.

Specifications:

• Mag Well: Wire EDM flared magazine well with accents.
• Gas System: Low profile gas block, mid-length melonited gas tube, gas key with rounded leading edges ensuring positive functioning in all makes and grades of uppers and buffer tube combinations.
• Bolt Carrier Group: Azimuth™ Bolt Carrier Group and bolt. Rounded cam pin rides in a fully chamfered cam path. Properly staked and torqued grade 8 hex screws as per the true Mil-Spec. Carrier body OD and ID are hard turned after heat-treat to +/- .0005 inches. Bolt lugs are machined with the proper radius as per true Mil-Spec tolerances. Independent HP white proof testing exceeded over 90,000 PSI without failure. Outer diameter machined to all critical surfaces within +/- .0005 inches. QPQ Melonite Finish.
• Charging Handle: Radian™ Ambidextrous Raptor – LT
• Safety: Ambidextrous safety
• Bolt Catch: Seekins™ Enhanced
• Mag Release: Seekins Billet
• Buffer tube: Mil-Spec Buffer Tube
• Buffer: H2 Buffer
• Stock: MagPul™ MOE® SL-K™Carbine Stock
• Grip: MagPul MOE® Grip
• Receivers: Lightweight, custom-matched billet upper and lower receivers, monolithic top rail
• Caliber: 5.56mm
• Trigger: Timney™ Competition Trigger
• Barrel: 16” 5.56mm barrel (machined from 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel and feature a QPQ Corrosion Resistant Finish and Nickel Boron Coated M4 Feed Ramp Extension.
• Handguard: 13” low profile Modern Carbine™ monolithic free float M-LOK® handguard with proprietary barrel nut
• Muzzle Device: SilencerCo™ ASR flash hider

First thoughts when opening the rifle up,
Lightweight, solid rifle. The paint was perfect which they let you pick from some choices. Tight between the upper and lower.
So I got a red dot sight mounted on the rifle and took it to the range. After only sixty rounds the safety selector came loose and start spinning in circles with every shot. Good thing it was a jp ambidextrous and worked with my index finger.
shot five groups right over 1” at fifty yards. Shot two hundred rounds through it without any farther issues.
two weeks later after adding some loctite to the safety selector took it back out to the range with a scope and bench.
I was able to continually shoot five round 1MOA groups at 100 yards with Hornady 72 grain ELD ammo. Took the scope off and shot another three hundred rounds of various ammo types without a single issue. The gun is light, (5.54 lbs) great features for the price of $1200. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight accurate rifle.
My kids like shooting it. All in all well made and designed AR-15. I do think however not putting loctite on the selector is a big mistake and hopefully one they learn from and change the practice.

 

[Strangedays]

Update, they told me the safety selector issue has been taken care of and there team will be making sure it doesn’t happen again.

 

[Yoda16]

I purchased a Brace Built rifle for a lightweight (5.54 lbs) rifle with some nice features and the price.
rifle came with a case and t-shirt along with sticker so right off the bat they have you sold (sarcasm for those who can’t tell)
So to start here are the rifle specs.

Specifications:

• Mag Well: Wire EDM flared magazine well with accents.
• Gas System: Low profile gas block, mid-length melonited gas tube, gas key with rounded leading edges ensuring positive functioning in all makes and grades of uppers and buffer tube combinations.
• Bolt Carrier Group: Azimuth™ Bolt Carrier Group and bolt. Rounded cam pin rides in a fully chamfered cam path. Properly staked and torqued grade 8 hex screws as per the true Mil-Spec. Carrier body OD and ID are hard turned after heat-treat to +/- .0005 inches. Bolt lugs are machined with the proper radius as per true Mil-Spec tolerances. Independent HP white proof testing exceeded over 90,000 PSI without failure. Outer diameter machined to all critical surfaces within +/- .0005 inches. QPQ Melonite Finish.
• Charging Handle: Radian™ Ambidextrous Raptor – LT
• Safety: Ambidextrous safety
• Bolt Catch: Seekins™ Enhanced
• Mag Release: Seekins Billet
• Buffer tube: Mil-Spec Buffer Tube
• Buffer: H2 Buffer
• Stock: MagPul™ MOE® SL-K™Carbine Stock
• Grip: MagPul MOE® Grip
• Receivers: Lightweight, custom-matched billet upper and lower receivers, monolithic top rail
• Caliber: 5.56mm
• Trigger: Timney™ Competition Trigger
• Barrel: 16” 5.56mm barrel (machined from 4150 Chrome Moly Vanadium Steel and feature a QPQ Corrosion Resistant Finish and Nickel Boron Coated M4 Feed Ramp Extension.
• Handguard: 13” low profile Modern Carbine™ monolithic free float M-LOK® handguard with proprietary barrel nut
• Muzzle Device: SilencerCo™ ASR flash hider

First thoughts when opening the rifle up,
Lightweight, solid rifle. The paint was perfect which they let you pick from some choices. Tight between the upper and lower.
So I got a red dot sight mounted on the rifle and took it to the range. After only sixty rounds the safety selector came loose and start spinning in circles with every shot. Good thing it was a jp ambidextrous and worked with my index finger.
shot five groups right over 1” at fifty yards. Shot two hundred rounds through it without any farther issues.
two weeks later after adding some loctite to the safety selector took it back out to the range with a scope and bench.
I was able to continually shoot five round 1MOA groups at 100 yards with Hornady 72 grain ELD ammo. Took the scope off and shot another three hundred rounds of various ammo types without a single issue. The gun is light, (5.54 lbs) great features for the price of $1200. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight accurate rifle.
My kids like shooting it. All in all well made and designed AR-15. I do think however not putting loctite on the selector is a big mistake and hopefully one they learn from and change the practice.

I’m looking at purchasing their MC7, do you think what you found in your AR-15 would apply to that build?

 

[CrabsandFootball]

A $500 parts gun with $700 in milling and coatings.

I will never understand why people buy these gaudy fly by night, out of business tomorrow, zero provenance guns that look like they fell out of a Affliction add instead of proven performers with long track records of hard use.

Buys a super lightweight rifle, and throws a 12oz optic on there.

 

[scrumpdeleos]

A $500 parts gun with $700 in milling and coatings.

I will never understand why people buy these gaudy fly by night, out of business tomorrow, zero provenance guns that look like they fell out of a Affliction add instead of proven performers with long track records of hard use.

Buys a super lightweight rifle, and throws a 12oz optic on there.

For a company to become proven they have to be given a chance. Also, who cares what he puts on his gun he is giving us a run down/ initial impression. Im glad he did cause im sure people on here are interested in this company. Also i am pretty sure Buck Doyle runs their MC7 and raves about it. I believe he uses it at his courses he runs. Lets see how this company does and if they flop from making bad guns then we know and that is solely on them.

 

[CrabsandFootball]

Its a parts gun. It will never be proven because there is a 90% chance the company will not even exist in 2 years like the hundreds before it.

There is no innovation or unique parts they make in house to make it desirable. They buy shit wholesale, slap it together and stick their name on it.

I don't care what one former operator thinks.

The fact the gun is defective from the factory tells you what you need to know about what you CAN't see or won't see until you run it hard.

What the fuck kind of review is shooting 200 rounds with a broken gun and a singing endorsement?

For the same money you could have a BCM, LMT or Colt gun that will run circles around this.

There you go 0-1 with 200 rounds down the pipe.

 

[scrumpdeleos]

Its a parts gun. It will never be proven because there is a 90% chance the company will not even exist in 2 years like the hundreds before it.

There is no innovation or unique parts they make in house to make it desirable. They buy shit wholesale, slap it together and stick their name on it.

I don't care what one former operator thinks.

The fact the gun is defective from the factory tells you what you need to know about what you CAN't see or won't see until you run it hard.

What the fuck kind of review is shooting 200 rounds with a broken gun and a singing endorsement?

For the same money you could have a BCM, LMT or Colt gun that will run circles around this.

There you go 0-1 with 200 rounds down the pipe.

I mean my LMT MWS is going back to them because the buffer retaining pin was sheered off. Things happen guns/ people fail. I think a company that can recognize a problem and fix it is worth noting. I thank you for expressing your views though and appreciate the input, gave me something to think over.

 

[Strangedays]

Its a parts gun. It will never be proven because there is a 90% chance the company will not even exist in 2 years like the hundreds before it.

There is no innovation or unique parts they make in house to make it desirable. They buy shit wholesale, slap it together and stick their name on it.

I don't care what one former operator thinks.

The fact the gun is defective from the factory tells you what you need to know about what you CAN't see or won't see until you run it hard.

What the fuck kind of review is shooting 200 rounds with a broken gun and a singing endorsement?

For the same money you could have a BCM, LMT or Colt gun that will run circles around this.

There you go 0-1 with 200 rounds down the pipe.

Actually the upper and lower are in house line many of the guns being sold out there. The issue with the rifle wasn’t a serious one and has been fixed. But go ahead and cry about it all you want. Hundreds of rounds later without a single issue but yep you are the king and I will just be quite in your knowledgeable presence, yeah right!

 

[Strangedays]

Its a parts gun. It will never be proven because there is a 90% chance the company will not even exist in 2 years like the hundreds before it.

There is no innovation or unique parts they make in house to make it desirable. They buy shit wholesale, slap it together and stick their name on it.

I don't care what one former operator thinks.

The fact the gun is defective from the factory tells you what you need to know about what you CAN't see or won't see until you run it hard.

What the fuck kind of review is shooting 200 rounds with a broken gun and a singing endorsement?

For the same money you could have a BCM, LMT or Colt gun that will run circles around this.

There you go 0-1 with 200 rounds down the pipe.

For the record my BCM has had issues in the past like a broken forward assist from the factory but again I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a proven rifle like BCM again. Shit happens and no manufacturing company out there is free from it.

 

[Strangedays]

I’m looking at purchasing their MC7, do you think what you found in your AR-15 would apply to that build?

I personally like the rifle. For the money they have some decent add on features. I have done a good number of builds and if your not wanting to go that route I hesitate to by it.

 

[hunter8793]

I bought their receiver set and rail. I got a DD 14.5 CHF barrel, and Geissele trigger to go with it. I’m almost done putting it together. I really like the upper to rail connection.

 

[J-Ham]

@Strangedays

I've never seen anybody run backup sights like that... Not necessarily anything wrong with it, just remember on that rear sight that L is R & R is L, haha!

I think I like the rifle... Glad you're digging it.

 

[hunter8793]

Hey OP, your back up sights are mounted backwards.

 

[BurnOut]

As it happens, Brace Built is located a couple doors down from a company for which I do occasional part time work. I haven't had a chance to meet them, but I am told that they're a good bunch of guys, and have already been in business for a couple years, so any concerns about them being fly-by-night aren't really valid.

Obviously I can't make any sort of guarantee that they'll be around in 10 years to service rifles that are sold today, but as others have mentioned, even Wilson Combat, LaRue, LMT, Noveske, etc... had to start somewhere.

 

[Strangedays]

Hey OP, your back up sights are mounted backwards.

Were mounted backwards. I tried it since I didn’t like the way the magpul BUIS spring up switch on the side and liked the button better. In the end I replaced them. They are ok for the money but there is much better ones out there. I went with Troys.
I was honestly surprised it took this long before someone said something. I figured it would have been right away

 

[Cheyenne Bodie]

Actually the upper and lower are in house line many of the guns being sold out there. The issue with the rifle wasn’t a serious one and has been fixed. But go ahead and cry about it all you want. Hundreds of rounds later without a single issue but yep you are the king and I will just be quite in your knowledgeable presence, yeah right!

I'd bet my morning paper for breakfast they just milled wholesale rec sets from CMT/LMT/LAR, which is almost uniformly the case in the AR industry. It's pretty and all that, but it's not ambi, pin lockup is probably unremarkable, cerakote is actually cheaper than anodizing or DLC and less protective. It's a basic AR15 dressed up well, but it's still just dressed up. Now that said, the AR15 isn't really worth refining beyond its basic function and ergonomics in my opinion. I'll pay for ambi, I'll pay for flared mag wells, I'll pay for quality coatings, I'll pay for tight lock up— but I'll tell 99% of folks to just get a basic BCM because they will get their money back from it if they sell, and dressing up a pig from the 60s won't complete them inside at any price point.

In the end it's still a sweet piece, don't mean to harsh your vibe or anything. Just wiping some of that rose off your glasses for you.

 

[Strangedays]

I'd bet my morning paper for breakfast they just milled wholesale rec sets from CMT/LMT/LAR, which is almost uniformly the case in the AR industry. It's pretty and all that, but it's not ambi, pin lockup is probably unremarkable, cerakote is actually cheaper than anodizing or DLC and less protective. It's a basic AR15 dressed up well, but it's still just dressed up. Now that said, the AR15 isn't really worth refining beyond it's basic function and ergonomics in my opinion. I'll pay for ambi, I'll pay for flared mag wells, I'll pay for quality coatings, I'll pay for tight lock up— but I'll tell 99% of folks to just get a basic BCM because they will get their money back from it if they sell, and dressing up a pig from the 60s won't complete them inside at any price point.

In the end it's still a sweet piece, don't mean to harsh your vibe or anything. Just wiping some of that rose off your glasses for you.

Not my first or last AR. In this market it’s tough to find everything for a build and a new rifle is always nice.
I think my write up was honest and to the point. No rose off the glasses needed but thanks for the concern.