Honey Badger Clone in the Making, under $1k! **Completed**

Jerzsubbie

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I've loved the Honey Badger since it's introduction but didn't really see the point in 300blk until recently. With a 30cal can in NFA jail and the crazy deals out there right now, I've been very tempted to attempt this build.

@JRHorne is partially to blame for posting some smoking deals on Aero FDE parts HERE.

The inspiration
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Build list:
Aero FDE M4E1 Gen2 Enhanced upper w/ 9" MLOK rail $195
Ballistic Advantage 8" 1:7 .300blk barrel $110
Aero FDE lower $70 (incl $15 shipping)
Aero gas block $20
Spike's pistol gas tube, black $15
AIM NiB BCG $99
MOE K grip $19
PSA LPK $40
BCM Mod4 CH $45
Griffin Paladin taper mount brake free after Trump bucks rebate
Griffin Flash can $90 (allow shooting unsuppressed)
Subtotal $703
The big question is the stock...
SB Tac PDW pistol brace $240 (closest non NFA to a HB, 6.75" collapsed)
LWRCi UCIW $88 (not PDW style, NFA +$250, cheap, definitely compact 6" collapsed)
BAD Vert PDW stock $350 (seems damn near perfect, a little pricey, NFA +$250, 4.75" collapsed)

Honey badger is 24" collapsed, the above with SBPDW and Griffin Alpha/Paladin suppressor would be 29.6". 2" of that is due to the 8" vs 6" barrel and 2" could be shaved off by going with the BAD Vert. Even at 29" it's still pretty darn compact considering my CZ Scorpion Evo3 SBR is 24" w/o suppressor.

What do you guys think? Anything I'm overlooking? I will reload btw and have a 9mm can (subs only) & SBR lower I can use until my other item(s) get approved.

I'm kind of leaning towards the SBPDW brace because of the simplicity of not SBR'ing another lower.
 
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mine is close to what you're thinking, but I went with a sig brace and a locking collar and save a bunch of money. can it collapse? no but its a fixed "stock" which works great.
 
mine is close to what you're thinking, but I went with a sig brace and a locking collar and save a bunch of money. can it collapse? no but its a fixed "stock" which works great.
Have a pic to share? And how do you like it?
 
ill take one when I get home. I really like my 300blk pistol. The "brace" is really secure and balances out the rifle. as far as the 300blk caliber I like the versatility of the round from shooting everything from 110gn to 208gn
 
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So I found a great deal on a SBPDW brace and figure I can simply sell it for next to zero loss when/if I decide to SBR.
I also read that Q is going to be releasing a stand alone honey badger stock that will presumably work with standard uppers. We'll see but I'm excited that this thing is coming together for easily under $1k!
 
Upper, handguard, and barrel are in. Most of the other parts will be in tomorrow. I mocked it up with my Octane9 and have a 5/8x24 fixed mount inbound so I can shoot subs while my 30cal is in jail.
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I love these M4E Aero uppers.
I put one similar upper together recently. They are a step up for sure! Super rigid and nice.
 
Depends what cartridge/bullet you use I think.
 
I'm not much of a hunter, upland bird mainly, but want to get into hogs. From my limited knowledge, .223 isn't a great hunting round unless you're going after small to mid-sized game and even then it's all about bullet selection and shot placement. I saw you stated you're looking at 10.5", you'll lose a ton of velocity vs anything published about bullet performance too.

This would be one hell of a cool looking hunting rifle though! Reminds me of quail hunting w my 3gun shotgun, 9+1 limited to 2rds.
 
A bunch of parts were delivered today :) Only missing the brace and ammo, meaning no shooting it tomorrow :/
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Quick comparison shot: 14.5" pinned, HB Clone, CZ Scorpion SBR.
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Only a few inches shorter than the 14.5" but this is suppressor vs none.
OAL w/o suppressor the HB clone is 3/4" shorter than the Scorpion. I have an MI linear comp that fits flush with the handguard if shooting unsuppressed until I get the flash can.
 
Could you share any info on that holosun?
I have a handful of primary arms micros and really like them when used with ADM mounts. However there were some deals out there on Holosuns and I know Holosun is the OEM for PA plus they get good reviews, so I took a chance on this one for $129 from PA. I like it so far, 50k battery life is also a nice selling point.
 
Ok so I figured it out, with the help of someone on Arfcom... To match the Honey Badger's size it'll take an Omega 9K (4.7") and BAD Vert stock (4.75"), for an OAL of 24.95". Any shorter and you'll have to go with a shorter barrel.
 
By the way, the new Honey Badger is 7" barrel. I wonder if they wanted to get a full twist of rifling in there?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
Interesting. I haven't seen much about the new Q version but it would make sense in that the 5-6" barrels have a 1/5 twist vs the more usual 1/7.
I'll have some ammo and time to test next weekend. I'll surely report back, and maybe grab a video.
 
In my haste, I *may* have copied the wrong link. This is the one compatible with regular AR-15s. https://www.instagram.com/p/BW8VoPzHO7e/


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The one in the top of your first pic appears to be a universal prototype.
I'm holding out to see which looks better, this or the BAD which DSG has on sale for $329 right now making it tempting.
 
Finally got her out to the range today. I had to go buy a box of UMC 220gr since my ammo didn't ship until Friday (a week late), but this thing shoots as well as it looks!

I function tested AIM lightweight bcg, carbine buffer, M16 bcg, Spikes T2 buffer, and all locked back just fine with UMC 220gr unsuppressed.

First group was roughly 1", 3 rds touching. I zeroed at 25yd since it should be roughly 25/100 w/ 220gr subs and 25/150 w/ 110gr supers.

Shooting suppressed with my Octane 9, was better than expected. It was much quieter standing nearby than as the shooter. There was noticeable FRP as well.

Pic of me zeroing it.
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Nice! Glad it is working for you.

The LW BCG and H2 buffer seems an odd combination though?
 
Nice! Glad it is working for you.

The LW BCG and H2 buffer seems an odd combination though?
Agreed, it was just what I had available on my bench so I grabbed a light and heavy buffer along with light and heavy bcg.

Based on what I've read, I was expecting it to be quite finicky, but it ran with all combos. I can't imagine reliability would go down with supers but I'll test a few unsuppressed.

I'm going to run an M16 carrier and carbine buffer with std power chrome silicon spring.
 
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What's the naked weight on that thing?
6lb 14oz with suppressor, suppressor is 11.0oz, but you'll need a flash can type muzzle device to run it unsuppressed. I didn't give weight any consideration during this build aside from when I looked at stocks/braces.

Considering my optic is 4.4oz, that means my clone is 1.5lb heavier than the new Q HB. I can't imagine how but that's what the numbers say. You could shave 5oz on stock, 2oz handguard, 2oz? AFG, 4oz suppressor, that's not even a pound. Who knows??

Typing that out, it sounds a lot heavier than it feels, probably because the SB PDW brace is a little piggish making it balance well. By comparison the BAD VERT is only 14oz w/o buffer/spring.
 
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So I made some changes...

After handling a Q honey badger at Tarheel State I really liked the look and feel of the little 7" handguard and I definitely like slimmer handguards vs larger diameter guards that would allow tucking a suppressor. I ended up selling my 9" Aero Enhanced handguard and enhanced upper in favor of an M4E1 threaded upper and their slim Atlas-S One 7" handguard.

It's a little more compact, the handguard feels nicer, and I can easily shoot it without the suppressor now, if I really want to.
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So I made some changes...

After handling a Q honey badger at Tarheel State I really liked the look and feel of the little 7" handguard and I definitely like slimmer handguards vs larger diameter guards that would allow tucking a suppressor. I ended up selling my 9" Aero Enhanced handguard and enhanced upper in favor of an M4E1 threaded upper and their slim Atlas-S One 7" handguard.

It's a little more compact, the handguard feels nicer, and I can easily shoot it without the suppressor now, if I really want to.
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