Spike’s Tactical SBR 5.56mm
Build your own Short Barrel Rifle— ultimate CQB shorty!
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I know that the words that I’m about to say are “fightin’ words” to some, but they’re for your own good, so here goes. All mil-spec lowers are pretty much the same regardless of their manufacturer. Why am I saying that? Well, I’ll tell you what I tell anyone looking to build their dream AR. If you want resale value, or bragging rights, stick with some of the bigger names out there. Of course, you’ll pay twice the amount for the “Honor;” trust me, been there twice. If you’d rather save money on your lower, so you can order that custom upper (and remain happily married) buy a Spike’s Tactical. Having built with several different brands in the past I was truly impressed with Spike’s lower. The fit and finish is superb and the price ($115 at the time of this writing) just makes it all the sweeter.
The actual assembly of an SBR is pretty much the same as any other AR clone. The only difference, of course, lies in the barrel length. Now I normally start with the lower because it only takes about 30 minutes to build one. I won’t bore you describing the build procedure of the lower, that’s what the video is for. I will say this, pay attention to what you’re doing. There are several ways to lose skin when building a lower so take your time and bring bandaids. There will also be cursing involved in this process so send the kids over to grandma’s for the evening. Remember that the lower assembly is pretty much the actuator and shock absorber of an AR, which means that everything is under spring tension, so remember where those pieces land; you’ll need them.
Before installing any of the lowers parts, you’ll want to decide if you’re intending on sticking with the mil-spec parts that came in your kit or going with plan B. If you’re like most American AR-addicts, good enough is just not good enough. Luckily there are a myriad of products on the market to add functionality and individuality to your AR. Here are some of the few that I chose on this build.
First I replaced the standard A2 mil-spec pistol grip, which is a fine grip but there is always room for improvement, always. Ergo Grip, for example, makes an outstanding pistol grip (4000 series) upgrade that is stiff polymer over-molded with a solvent-resistant, textured rubber for added grip. The ergonomics are truly remarkable and add to your accuracy in notable ways. Also, the grip has a storage compartment with an attached plug, so no more searching if it happens to come loose. The next part to go was the standard triggerguard; it was replaced with a Magpul Enhanced Trigger Guard. It features a shallow “V” shape similar to that of an HK G36K. It’s made of aircraft aluminum, has comfortable rounded edges, and makes shooting with gloves on a lot easier. It also fills the annoying gap at the rear of the standard AR triggerguard, thus eliminating the need for a “gapper,” and yes, it looks very cool.
Next to go was the safety selector for a DPMS ambidextrous selector. It’s double sided and makes life easier on everyone. Since I’m a lefty, I’m big on ambidextrous parts, so for my sling mount I chose to go with a Yankee Hill Machine (YHM) Ambi Sling Loop Adapter installed in place of the mil-spec plate. It allows for multiple sling types and quick transition from lefties to righties. To finish my lower I chose a classic 4-position stock. I prefer it because it’s small and doesn’t snag when you need to bug out of your car quickly. Another part to consider is a rubber stock pad from Pro Mag. It helps your stock grip tightly to your shoulder even over the top of your shield. Yes, I know that your shield goes on the left side of your chest, and that about 80% of those reading this article are right-handed. However, someday you may find yourself having to transition to your opposite shoulder so as to clear a left-handed corner. Think about it.
Upper Details
Next comes the upper assembly build. like the lower it, too, has similar amounts of cursing involved, but is a bit more technical in that not all parts are of the drop-in, or screw-in kind as is the case with a lower. The barrel requires several specialty tools and has to be torqued just so. Also, the gas tube must pass through the barrel lug sprockets cleanly or the bolt won’t cycle properly. Then there are the custom free-floating handguards, which can be a pain to install because the front sight tower has to come off, and mil-spec parts have to be swapped out for custom pieces. I admittedly had never built an AR with a 7.3-inch barrel, so I asked Shawn Temple of Tennessee Police Supply to build my upper for me. Recognizing knowledge greater than your own and accepting it is wisdom indeed.
Shawn built my upper by starting with a high quality, Del-Ton M4 A3 upper with integrated feed ramps. The feed ramps are a big plus when things start getting hot and dirty. The barrel is a 7.3-inch CMMG chrome-lined 5.56mm, with 1-in-7-inch twist. Remember folks, barrels are everything, so spend money on a good one.
The barrel is shrouded in a YHM carbine length quad rail, with free-floating handguard. The quad rail completely covers the full barrel length and a low profile CMMG gas block. All that protrudes from the end of the handguard is a very intimidating YHM 5C2 Flash Suppressor. The suppressor is bladed for a multitude of viable reasons, so use your imagination. Two (non-lawsuit causing, thug upsetting) uses that I have found are as a glass punch and bolt cutter. Some people call the 5C2 a barbed wire cutter; please, that’s what your multi-tool is for. No, this bad boy is meant for bigger and tougher problems. For example, our troops are currently using it to cut locks in half in one quick shot-and-entry motion. The same idea works here in the states. If Mr. Bad Guy hears you rattling away at his security gate with a conventional bolt cutter, it gives him time to get ready. The 5C2 gives you the option of jamming the suppressor against the slide lock or padlock, automatically centering it with the muzzle end, then blasting it clean in half. And, lest I forget, it actually does its intended job (flash suppressing). It effectively erases muzzle signature at night and makes NVG (night vision goggles) use a more pleasant experience. It’s beauty and the beast all in one.
Being a dedicated CQB gun, my SBR needed a tactical light. I didn’t want a huge spot light that costs more than the gun (okay, I actually did but that costs money), yet it still needed to have some chutzpah. I chose a budget-friendly medium, the Streamlight TLR-1. It delivers 80 lumens of white LED light for 2.5 hours and is waterproof. I then finished off the upper with a L-3 EOTech 552. Its design is unique in that it generates a hologram of a 65-MOA CQB ring with a center 1-MOA dot for long shots. It’s also waterproof to 33 feet. It’s so reliable that once it’s installed you could call your SBR a done deal, which is exactly what I did.
These optics work every time even after the HUD display has been damaged. I decided to run some scenarios with the 552 in the off position just to see how accurately I could engage my targets. No, that’s not a typo, I did say off. Since CQB is mostly point-and-shoot anyway it was second nature to “visualize” the large 65-MOA ring that would normally be floating within the reticle. Accuracy proved to be dead-on, even in high speed shooting at 7 yards. Here I thought this was an original idea of mine only to discover that our troops are already doing the same thing. Basically they breach a dark room, center the subject and…Pop-Pop…Pop! Try it, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to do.
Shooting Impressions
Shooting this SBR for the first time was truly an eye opener. I will admit I was apprehensive about shooting something with such a short barrel. However, it fired smoothly and didn’t “whip up” as an SBR supposedly does. As for the actual accuracy stats, I could sit here and tell you about shot groupings at 25 yards and triple taps at 7 yards…yawn! Or, I could just say, let’s go shoot some stuff!
Seeing as how this is a dedicated CQB gun I didn’t bother doing the usual chronograph, muzzle velocity bit. The fact is that this thing is a “Room-Broom.” It’s meant for down and dirty, room-to-room fighting. With the exception of sighting it in at 25 yards (force of habit) I kept all my rapid-fire scenarios inside of 15 feet. For testing purposes and also to shut up the naysayers, I decided to do some penetration tests with the SBR. I shot up some steel targets, cut a couple of locking bolts and generally had very loud and expensive fun. While setting up my targets one of my friends said to me (with a straight face, mind you), “I’ve heard that those short barrels are only good from here to there.” We were standing 8 feet apart. Alrighty then, start running!
I had also been told by a couple of well-meaning friends that my little SBR was worthless against body armor past 25 yards. It easily defeated a Level-III body armor clad watermelon. Remember folks, bad guys wear body armor too. Using some Hornady TAP hollow point I easily melted high-speed holes through the trauma and chest plates. The damage on the watermelon was…well, gross.
The SBR proved to be very accurate at roughly 21 feet with the L-3 EOTech turned off. It worked well with the TAP and M855, but it did not like the frangible ammo at all. It had extraction issues with it because of its low pressure and bullet weight. Unfortunately, that’s par for the course when dealing with such a short barrel. Along with the SBR’s accuracy came another interesting surprise, a massive pressure wave that pounded my body during firing. I also tried some headshots at distance and was pleased at how easily the SBR could hit at relatively long distances. The 552’s 1-MOA central dot really helped with this and made it feel effortless.
Now I would be remiss if I did not mention this weapon’s one real drawback. It gets dirty in a big way. Because its barrel is so short the SBR doesn’t have enough time to build up proper pressure and heat so as to burn off all the powder in the casing. What you end up with is a thick copper-colored, baked-on mess that sticks to your bolt and carrier. It takes some elbow grease and creativity to get it thoroughly clean. The good news is that even with all that fouling going into your weapon you really have to do a lot of shooting for this weapon to fail.
As I was scrubbing this weapon after some trigger time I felt compelled to add some information regarding SBRs. Terminal ballistics is a big point of contention when you’re talking about energy on target in regards to 5.56mm versus 6.8mm. While it’s true that 6.8mm has greater stopping power than a 5.56mm, it’s worth noting that the 5.56mm round in the heavier loads is currently yielding very effective wound cavities as reported by our spec-ops teams. It is equally important to note that when you are fighting to get ARs into the hands of cops, you take the 5.56mm and thank your lucky stars that your chief had the guts to push for it against city council. But, more importantly, you don’t pull a boneheaded move and say something like, “But mayor, we really feel that the 6.8mm would be better!” Can you say, “delayed due to another research committee?” The fact is that you take the 5.56mm platform and learn to work with it and find ways to maximize its potentials and downplay its weaknesses and, yes, there are several with this weapon.
The greatest weakness is the bullet itself. What’s the solution? Go heavier. This is generally a good choice with any AR but it’s essential to an SBR. You should try and stick with bullet weights that are in excess of 62 grains. Rounds that are in the 75-grain range would be better. The reason for this is that the heavier the load, the more time the round has to cook off, subsequently that translates into more gas and, yes, “having gas” is good in this case. Also the heavier loads will tend to be more effective against the ultimate predator that would be “Mr. Meth-Head” on a rampage. The idea here is to create a combination of bullet and barrel where the round has enough stability to travel to the target accurately, but also one that is unstable enough to yaw and spall on contact with the bad guy. These SBRs are tricky little creations but they are useful.
Final Notes
All said and done, I am truly pleased with this SBR’s performance. Many thanks go to Tennessee Police Supply for providing me with quality parts to build and for the outstanding assembly job on the upper. Thanks also to Spike’s Tactical for their quality lower; they deserve an objective look when you’re considering your patrol carbine or home defense gun. Keep in mind that when you choose your carbine, eventually you should consider a sound suppressor. It saves your hearing and that of the public who is so fond of lawsuits. However, if you begin with a 16-inch barrel and add a 6-inch suppressor, you’re really going to be swinging around a lot of weight. With an SBR you’ll still be well under 16 inches and have manageable lateral sway.
Building your own AR is truly a great hobby. It also saves you money and gives you peace of mind knowing that it’s been done right. By building you can turn those savings into upgrades on your gun.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 10:31 pm
Yeah this SBR looks cool. I want one but those commies at the BATFE consider this an evil weapon that needs to be registered and have a tax paid on it because oh no it has a short barrel. Just like the author stated, it will never have the accuracy of a 20″ barrel which is more deadly. Think about it. More accuaracy and muzzle velocity than a 7.3″ barrel. If someone is out to do some wrong a law isn’t going to stop them. The Beltway Snipers weren’t using an SBR were they? No, they used a so called legal barrel length rifle made by Bushmaster I believe. Their victims never saw who or what hit them. Robbery is illegal but does that mean that it doesn’t happen. NO, bad guys will do bad things regardless of laws. The people with a slave mindset will argue that SBR’s are easy to conceal but if you were out to bad things wouldn’t a pistol be even easier to conceal. Duh! The BATFE sucks ass. Such stupid laws regarding SBR’s and AOW’s which totally stomp your 2nd Amendment right. Buying an SBR should be like buying any other rifle. Time to wake up America! Get your rights back before those criminals in D.C. take them from you for good. If you think that the so called BATFE laws are sensible then you live in denial and you aren’t a citizen you’re a subject. Citizens are free, subjects are slaves. The End.
January 11th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Another quality manufacturer near me is a company called gunsmoke enterprises. They make high quality ar’s. When compared to spike’s tactical, in quality and in price, I’m sure many of you would find them to be an excellent choice. If anyone is interested they have a website. They are very helpful and definately know how to make a quality rifle for cheap.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
My words exactly! I’m a serious Spike’s junkie. I have two of his rifles with more on the way. I like the fact that when you call them with a question they get you an answer right away instead of giving you the transfer tree.
November 7th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I’ve been working with Spike’s Tactical for a number of months. Mainly Test and Evaluation of their AR-15 to 22 conversions and dedicated 22 upper. I’ve used their AR-15 products for a number of years and have always been impressed with their quality and great customer care. I’ve had a number of their rifle and pistol lowers among many other parts. Always pleased. They are definitely worth a look….
Spike’s Rocks IMO
January 20th, 2009 at 11:19 am
Jeremy, you certainly can’t go wrong with Spike’s stuff. I really like his gear and his raging humor shows in his products line. He has a great smile and loves to laugh and engage you in conversation. I had a chance to hang out for a bit with him and some of his crew at SHOT and got to see some very cool things that are about to come out. Jeremy, yes, buy some more of his lowers because when you see what’s coming down the line from Spike you’ll want to finish those guns off with the new stuff. As for pistons, yes I’ve worked with Bushmaster’s system but I must admit that I really like the Adams Arms stuff a bit better. Check them out on the web you’ll be impressed. They have some new SBR stuff coming out in the PDW kit that will surprise you. As for Obama, all we can do is pray for our leaders my friend. Have a good one.
January 13th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I just wanted to say how much I appreciated your article. I’ve been considering using a Spike’s Tactical lower for a new AR project for the last couple of weeks - and maybe getting and extra lower or two for future use just in case Obama does manage to ban ARs - but wasn’t sure about the quality and haven’t been able to find anyone that has any experience with them. This article definitely helped in that regard. I especially like their “Infidel” lower - way cool! My dad’s a former Marine; I think I’m going to get him one with the Eagle, Globe, & Anchor logo laser-engraved on it. He should like that a lot. Again, thanks for the article; it was especially well timed for me.
JA
P.S. Do you have any experience with the piston conversion system from Bushmaster?
January 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Sgt Tsang you can reach me through the magazine at tactical-life@harris-pub.com Just let them know that you want to contact me and I’ll do my best to get in contact with you and answer any questions I can. I’ll let the boss know to be looking for your email. Hope to hear from you soon. Abner
December 26th, 2008 at 6:43 am
Definitely a fan of this article. Getting ready to head back to civilian life from the USMC and am very interested in building one myself. Abner, could you shoot me an email at your convenience? I have some questions I would like to ask you. Thanks.
November 15th, 2008 at 12:40 am
Wardog911, see that’s what I’m talking about, somebody who gets it. I always choose an SBR to protect my home because it’s short, maneuverable, and accurate. A shotgun while definitely more suited to stopping people is also really good at missing people when firing buck. By the same token, If you fire slugs and miss you have so much mass and energy behind it that you might kill a loved one on the other side of the wall. So yes 223 is certainly the way to go. If you guys want to have the maneuverability of an SBR and the balanced function of the piston/op rod system. Keep your eyes peeled for some upcoming stuff from Adams Arms. They have an SBR system made for the 7.3 barrels and it works flawlessly. Check them out on the web or just give them a call, they’re great guys. Catch you guys later I have to go back on patrol now…lunch is over.
November 8th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
great artical im a savilian who put my SBR together with a DPMS lower and a 7.3 barrel as well. As mentioned in your artical it is great for what it was built for. I have a pic of a 4 foot flame shooting out the front of the weapon, verry cool. I have since added a HTG suppresor and have been verry pleased with its performance at 25 yards even with the suppresor.
LOKI0629- he never said anything about it being the ultimat SBR. I prefer the rifel over a shotgun due to the lack of a shot gun patern for my familys sake. the last thing i want is a random patern of shot flying through my house. Even with the penitration of the .223 round i can better predict its path and plan my shots better.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Gun Junkie, I like your comment about the rock salt bag, that’s hilarious. My Sergeant and I just had a good laugh about that one. As for your question about the accuracy on this SBR, I wish there were a way to get some pics to you or upload them here. I have some shots of me standing beside a target that I nailed from abut the 20 yd mark or so. Every shot is inside a 5 inch radius. Accuracy only really decays at about the 75, but it only really falls away to the point where you can’t quite consistently hit the 10 ring but you can definitely keep it in the kill zone. Thanks for your positive comments. I really enjoyed building this SBR and had a blast testing it. Keep your eyes peeled brother there is another great weapon from Spike’s Tactical coming to the magazine soon.
October 23rd, 2008 at 7:52 am
I thought that it was a great article. Very interesting subject matter and useful information. Living in the South, I was particularly pleased to find the reference to Tennessee Police Supply. I don’t go to a lot of gun shows anymore and that should prove to be a good reference in the future. Not to mention that I have some work to be done on a couple of weapons and I just have not found a gunsmith locally that I trust in some time.
I really would like to see what the weapon is capable of in groupings at 50, 75, & 100 yards fired from a vice.
Don’t mind the other two responses above. I knew as soon as I started reading that there would be people making comments about their own personal preferences or beliefs over what you have done here.
It’s funny that today the dreaded subject is a raging meth-head. Back in the old days it was the super strength walking dead unstopable PCP addict that was the most dreaded/feared subject that could be imagined. Meth-heads are easy, toss in a well sealed bag of crushed rock salt so that they can’t see who threw it. They think it’s Christmas when they see the bag.(before they have a chance to inspect it) then rush in on them.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
No, this isn’t the ultimate sbr at all. The ultimate sbr is built by Tromix and is based on the saiga ak platform (shotgun and rifle). One of his sbr’s is chambered in .308. Anyone who thinks a .223 is good for house clearing has never tried it for real.
September 29th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
For all of yhe situations and distances you mention for clearing a room or building I would much prefer a short barraled shot gun w/tactical ammo.