The beauty of a Short Barrel Rifle or SBR is the compact and lightweight nature they offer. When I look at a home defense rifle, it will be an SBR by default. Here are is some strong rationale why they fit that role perfectly.
Compactness
I love running through shoot houses or practicing CQB. Truthfully, it is the battleground my strengths shine. In all the years of being responsible for this mission and then training others for the same mission I’m convinced it is the superior platform. You get the same configuration, only shorter. Meaning, chambered in 5.56mm, 30-round standard magazine, a flat-top and various mounting options for mission critical gear. Running with a short barrel rifle being 4-6 inches shorter really makes a difference. Plus, it allows me to run suppressed; which when indoors is almost necessary. In the tight spaces of an internal structure I have blind spots and danger zones I’m always prosecuting so the shorter overall length gives me a tactical advantage to exploit.
Lightweight
Cutting 4-6 inches off the barrel length not only cuts weight of the barrel, but the fore-end as well. This reduces the overall weight; which is always a good thing. The magic number is 8 pounds or less, but there is a catch. That’s equipped with a suppressor. You see, the real advantage of having the shorter barrel is being able to run with a suppressor and still keep it to about 14.5 inches overall. Running this short barrel rifle configuration indoors is HUGE. All it takes is for you to run through a concrete shoot house with all the sound abatement and you realize the disruptive nature from over-pressurization. Yes, ear safe conditions are nice, but it is the over-pressurization that is the real problem. Every time that rifle goes off, whether your’s or a team member the shockwave is similar to the blast wave propagation from an explosion…albeit a much smaller one. It’s the cumulative effect that produces long term medical issues.
Running Suppressed
From a home defense rifle condition, having a compact and lightweight rifle equipped with a suppressor is the ideal setup. If you are responding to a home invasion, chances you will grab hearing protection are virtually zero. But, grabbing your suppressed SBR and now we have a party. Aside from being ear safe for you, the rest of your family benefits from this condition. The flash reduction will also aide in night time conditions and I’ve found the larger surface area of a suppressor produces an improved response from a weapon strike for those are skilled in that department.
Travel & Discretion
Any short barrel rifle must come with permission from the government. A real pain and hopefully something for repeal consideration. SBR’s are cost prohibitive for many, not to mention the tax stamp for Uncle Sam. Since the purchase of any firearm by a prohibited possessor is well…prohibited it seems an unnecessary infringement. That’s my opinion. I feel there is plenty of room to debate this subject and look forward to making that opportunity. In the meantime, traveling with an SBR comes with additional headache. First, they are not legal in every state. Make sure to do your own research in advance of any travel outside the state the SBR is registered. Second, there is more paperwork necessary to legally travel outside the registered state. Once, you’ve obtained the paperwork then traveling is pretty straightforward. The big advantage is I can shove them into smaller, more discrete bags other than the traditional rifle cases. Moving in an out of hotels or other public spaces is less of an attention getter when there is little to draw someone’s attention. For porting once at my travel destination I use smaller, less obvious bags. I’ve even used a messenger bag where I dissembled the upper from lower receiver.
The Downside
There is no free lunch and in this case, the shorter barrel means we need to ensure we are running at peak reliability. There are three things to consider here. The gas port size, buffer weight and maintenance interval. Running a shorter barrel length will typically mean you need to have a larger or more forgiving gas port. Most rifle manufactures already favor the oversized gas port due to the wide variety of ammunition available. This will allow enough gas to cycle the action when most of the gas is exiting the barrel. Then, because of the shorter overall action the bolt cycling needs to be slowed down a bit with a heavier buffer and buffer spring. The heavier buffer & buffer spring will slow the bolt’s cycling so it doesn’t out run the magazine spring when feeding. If you run it suppressed the amount of carbon built up is a lot more and this can strain the reliability at the higher round counts. I’ve run this setup hard with thousands of rounds suppressed as well as seeing hundreds of students doing the same. But, we pay a heavy price when it comes to cleaning. Keeping the rifle adequately lubricated durning training and after will help eliminate stoppages due to fouling.
Closing
If you are asking me, I believe every American should at the very least know how to safely use a rifle if not own one personally. The more rifles in the hands of competent armed citizens, the safer our country. Plus, owning a rifle is a reminder of our freedoms. Our forefathers fought for our freedoms with rifles. In today’s evolving world, threats to our well being and safety abound. Defending one’s home is complex problem to solve. One of the solutions is a short-barreled rifle. The short barrel rifle gives us a compact, maneuverable shoulder fired firearm. Easy to carry, shoulder and shoot. Due to their smaller size, they are lighter. Being lighter has a direct relationship with being more accurate. The shorter nature of the rifle allows me to run suppressed with a much smaller footprint. Granted, I’m extended the length and weight, but because I’ve cut down the barrel it has a balancing feel. Travel can be a pain, but with planning and preparation it makes for a discrete option while on the road. Reliability is one of the bigger downsides. Some simple steps can greatly increase the reliability and ensure the rifle runs and runs hard. If you are in the market for a new rifle in the New Year, maybe consider adding an SBR to your inventory.
