Let's be honest. Most of us aren't dropping Honey Badger money on a rifle.
So I decided to put together what I'd call a "Honey Badger at Home" build and see how close you can get for a fraction of the price.
This build is mostly Palmetto State Armory parts, including the upper, lower, barrel, and gas system. The rifle itself came in around $650, which is pretty hard to complain about. The suppressor actually costs more than the gun, and the setup is rounded out with a Holosun red dot, Holosun magnifier, SB Tactical brace, hand stop, and a budget weapon light.
Ammo Used
For testing, I ran 220-grain .300 Blackout from Oak Ammo.
I've used their ammo quite a bit and have never had an issue with it. It's some of the most affordable .300 Blackout you'll find, and it has run reliably in this rifle so far.
Range Performance
After a few hundred rounds, this build has been surprisingly solid.
I ran several Bill Drills and consistently landed in the low 1.3-second range. A big reason for that is the Rise Armament Blitz Trigger, which has become one of my favorite AR triggers.
The trigger has a pull weight around 3 to 3.5 pounds, a clean break, and a short reset. Installation is also ridiculously easy thanks to the included anti-walk pins.
For a rifle built around speed and fun rather than precision shooting, the single-stage trigger feels like the right choice.
50-Yard Performance
I also spent some time working a plate rack at 50 yards.
To be fair, I only did a quick sight-in at 25 yards before stretching things out, so some of the misses were definitely on me. Running a 7.5-inch barrel with 220-grain subs means you have to account for some pretty noticeable bullet drop.
Once I got a better feel for the holdover, things started making a lot more sense.
Reliability
The biggest takeaway from this build is that it just runs.
After a few hundred rounds, reliability has been excellent. The only real downside I noticed was that the gun starts getting a little gassy once you push past the 150 to 200-round mark while shooting suppressed.
That's not exactly uncommon for short-barreled suppressed rifles, and it wasn't severe enough to be a deal breaker.
Final Thoughts
For roughly $650, this build punches way above its price point.
No, it's not a real Q Honey Badger. But it also doesn't cost several thousand dollars.
You get:
- Compact .300 Blackout performance
- Reliable suppressed shooting
- Fast trigger
- Affordable upgrade path
- A rifle that is genuinely fun to shoot
If you're looking for a budget-friendly .300 Blackout setup and don't want to spend Honey Badger money, this build is definitely worth considering.
At the end of the day, it does everything I wanted it to do, and that's really all I can ask from a rifle in this price range.