So, I’ve been on a bit of a NFA binge for the past year which has caused me to acquire a few rather unique items. I’d like to take the chance to share my experience with one of my SBR builds that has become one of my favorite weapons. Ladies and gents, please meet the Cross Machine Tool (CMT) UHP15 PDW lower mated with a Bravo Company 9” 300blk upper:
Simple put, this combo is everything that I could ever want in a PDW weapon. First, lets talk about the lower. It represents a collaboration between CMT and BattleArms to build an integral PDW lower system. What is really nice about this stock is that it does not require a proprietary bolt carrier assembly. Thus, I’m running a BCM bolt carrier group and can scavenge any bolt parts from my other standard ARs. Instead, it uses a 3.3 oz buffer with a special spring. When collapsed, this stock shaves about 2” off a mil-spec M4 stock; on a 9” barrel this thing is wicked short.
The lower is based off of the outstanding CMT Gen 2 UHP 15 lower that is made out of 7075 T6 billet, and has full ambi controls once you drop in a quality lower parts kit (with ambi selector lever). The left sided magazine release and right sided bolt release come pre-installed and work with any mil-spec mag catch arm. In other words, if you can build out a standard lower, then you can handle this one.
Now for the upper. This is the new 300blk series of uppers that was released from BCM about 6 months ago. Like most BCM gear, its sold, light, and well thought out. This one has the 8” KeyMod Alpha handguard. While I personally prefer M-LOK, I have plenty of rifles with KeyMod rails and this is an excellent balances of weight and durability. If you are looking for a great value in a 300blk upper, I think that you would be hard pressed to beat this one.
How does it shoot? In the above configuration - painful on the ears. The SilencerCo ASR brake gives this bitch a loud bark and the 9” barrel is like a big hit of Sudafed on the sinuses every time you pull the trigger. So, I added the SilencerCo Omega to tame the girl.
This can is an excellent balance of size, weight, and sound suppression. It is probably ideal for a very short PDW in 300blk given its dimensions. Although I prefer the lock-up on my KAC suppressors, the ASR mounting system is solid, and I have no fear of launching a can. Although I do not have a meter, I suspect that the suppression is right at hearing safe levels when firing supersonic ammo. My ears do ring just a bit after a string of fire. With 220 grain subs it sounds like a heavy booking falling on a hardwood floor.
Accuracy is excellent. I zero’ed off a sandbag at 50 yards using 110 grain Barnes Black Tip (VOR-TX / TAC-TX) which produced a 1” hole with 5 rounds. Adding the suppressor shifted POI 0.5” to the right at 50 yards which was repeatable.
Reliability has also been excellent. I first put the lower on a 11.5” BCM 5.56 upper when it first arrived. It cycled 90 rounds of XM193 through 3 different quality mags including D&H USGI, PMAG, and Lancers. I’ve had zero failures in the first 250 rounds of 300blk (mixture of ammo) with about half of that being suppressed supers and a quarter being subs.
Bottom line, it ain’t cheap but it’s very nice. The integral PDW lower will set you back about $600. The standard UHP15 Gen2 lower runs about $200. Having said that, its a quality, fully ambi, very compact system that does not rely on proprietary parts that are prone to breakage. If you have the need and means, I highly recommend that you pick one up.
Disclaimer: This weapon is a registered SBR that complies with the applicable NFA law.
Reply With Quote
