Build a Custom Daniel Defense AR 15

February 7, 2024
Posted in: General How-To

Daniel Defense AR 15 SBR Builder: Silencer Shop Exclusive 

Short barreled rifles (SBRs) have become increasingly popular over the last few years thanks to their prominence in popular culture, being featured in video games and movies, and their practicality and efficiency for tactical training.  

 

SBRs allow you to have a compact and lightweight rifle, even when using a silencer. 

 

Now, you can get a factory-custom Daniel Defense AR 15 build without the Form 4 waiting period. We are combining Silencer Shop's legendary eForm submission simplicity with some of the best AR15s in the country, Daniel Defense. 
 

You get all of the quality and reliability of a factory rifle, customized exactly how you want it, and we take care of the eForm process. 

Table of Contents

How Our Custom AR 15 Builder Works 

Getting a custom AR15 SBR is simple with Silencer Shop. 
 
Pick your favorite Daniel Defense upper and lower receivers, add a tax stamp and Single Shot trust (if applicable), and let us take care of the paperwork. 

 
You'll need to complete your Silencer Shop profile if you haven't already. 

 
Our kiosk makes submitting your fingerprints simple, and our smartphone app lets you snap and upload a passport-style photo easily. In less than 5 minutes, you can have your fingerprints, photo, and demographic information ready to go. And your prints are good forever, so when you're shopping for your next SBR or silencer, you can check out right from your couch.  
 

We take care of everything else: 

  • Engraving your lower receiver 
  • Double checking your submission info  
  • Notifying your CLEO 

 
Our Full Auto Pro software even simplifies the certification process. There has never been an easier way to get a custom short barrel rifle. 

Step-by-Step SBR Builder Process 

Customize Your SBR: Choose your preferred Daniel Defense upper and lower receivers to design your custom SBR.  

  

DocuSign Review: Watch for an email from DocuSign to review and verify your Form 1 information, including the details to be engraved on your firearm.  

  

Engraving and Dealer Delivery: Your lower receiver gets engraved with your name (or trust name), city, and state, and then it's sent to a Silencer Shop-affiliated dealer near you.  

  

Dealer Pickup: You can collect the engraved lower receiver from the dealer. At this stage, it's not considered an NFA item.  

  

Notify Silencer Shop: Log in to the Silencer Shop dashboard and select "I Have Received My Lower Receiver" once the lower is in your possession.  

  

eForm 1 Certification: Your eForm 1 will be prepared for certification. You'll receive an email notifying you it's "Ready to Certify," which you can do easily online from any device.  

  

Approval and Upper Receiver Shipment: After your eForm 1 is approved, confirm on the dashboard by selecting "My Form 1 is Approved!" Your lower is officially an SBR, and the upper receiver will be shipped directly to your door.

Daniel Defense Upper Selection 

Daniel Defense is known for making some of the highest quality and most reliable uppers available. They use top-tier parts like cold hammer forged barrels and MPI-tested bolt carrier groups, paired with multiple QC checks during manufacturing to ensure that the rifle you receive is perfect. 

  

The DD AR 15 rifles are so good that they were chosen to serve as US military service rifles. You can choose from three of the best DD complete upper receiver groups, including the legendary MK18, V7s, and 300BLK PDW. 

DDM4 MK18 URG 

The DDM4 MK18 is the most iconic SBR upper ever made. It's been featured in movies, video games, and TV shows for over two decades! 

  

This incredible short barreled rifle features a cold hammer forged 10.3" barrel chambered in 5.56 NATO, making it compact while remaining accurate. The MK18 Uses the RIS II quad rail handguard making mounting attachments easy, and the rail will stay rigid. 

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Compact 10.3” CHF Barrel 
  • Sturdy RIS II Quad Rail 
  • Clone-correct and battle-proven. 

This ubiquitous SBR is ideal for tactical training and running with a suppressor. It is small, light, and accurate.  

 

Shooting a suppressed Daniel Defense MK18Shooting a suppressed Daniel Defense MK18

DDM4 V7s URG 

The V7s is Daniel Defense's 11.5" 5.56/.223 option. 

  

With the V7s you still get a compact package, but you'll have a little more velocity and an MLOK handguard for mounting your favorite accessories, like the included foregrip. This upper makes for an amazing all-around AR15 build that's at home on the range or in the field. 

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Increased velocity for extended range. 
  • MLOK handguard, mod it out. 
  • Runs smooth, low recoiling. 

The V7s makes for a great “do it all” rifle, the 11.5” barrel gives good velocity for a variety of ranges, and the MLOK handguard makes it customizable for any role.  

 

Daniel Defense DDM4 V7s UpperDaniel Defense DDM4 V7s Upper

DDM4 PDW URG  

The DDM4 PDW 300BLK is the way to go if you want ultra-compact and incredibly quiet. This 7" 300BLK is ideal for running suppressed, featuring a pistol-length gas system for excellent reliability regardless of whether you're running subsonic ammo with a silencer or supersonic rounds.   

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Ready for subs and supers. 
  • Compact, lightweight, quiet. 
  • Suppressor ready, right out of the box. 

If you want the smallest possible package, grab a PDW. This 300BLK sounds amazing with a 308 silencer and is small enough to be stowed in a bag. 

 

Daniel Defense 300BLK PDW RifleDaniel Defense 300BLK PDW Rifle

Daniel Defense Lower Selection 

These lowers come complete with crisp triggers, ambi safeties, and your choice of buttstock.  

  

The DD lowers are built to an incredible tolerance for solid lock up and fitment with any of the Daniel Defense uppers. Grab your favorite between the DDM4, MK18, and PDW-style lower receivers. 

DDM4 LRG  

The DDM4 lower is everything you want in an SBR lower receiver. It comes with a great trigger, with no slop and a clean break, and ambi safeties, which are great for any shooter. 

  

The DDM4 also features the fan-favorite Daniel Defense Buttstock, which provides an awesome cheek weld for excellent accuracy and consistency. It comes with an H buffer, so any upper will run reliably. 

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Awesome furniture, pre-installed.  
  • Buffer system is ready for any upper.  
  • Lefty-friendly ambidextrous safety selector. 

This lower does it all; it uses comfortable furniture with a fantastic fit and finish and will work with your favorite upper without tuning. The DD buttstock is one of the best around; it's easily adjustable and feels great while shooting. 

 

DDM4 MK18 LRG

The MK18 lower gives you a ton of versatility and reliability. The MK18 lower features an excellent trigger, ambidextrous safety selector, and will mate up tightly with your favorite upper receiver. 

  

The DDM4 also features the high-quality Daniel Defense Buttstock, which provides a great connection between you and your rifle. The control from this stock will halp keep you on target. The MK18 lower also comes with an H buffer, so any upper will run reliably. 

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Awesome furniture, range ready
  • H Buffer is ready to run your favorite upper. 
  • Solid buttstock, quickly adjustable and supremely comfortable 

This lower is a great balance; it uses high quality furniture with amazing fit and finish. Run this awesome SBR lower with any upper receiver group of your choosing; it won't let you down! 

 

DDM4 PDW LRG 

The DDM4 PDW is sleek, compact, and cool. 

  

This lower keeps the same amazing pistol grip and ambi safeties as the standard DDM4, but it uses the Maxim collapsible PDW stock and buffer system to make this lower as small as possible. The proprietary buffer system reduces felt recoil and keeps your rifle running smoothly and dependably. 

PROS 

USE CASE 

  • Compact, lightweight, stowable.  
  • Optimized buffer runs smoothly, for subs and supers.  
  • It looks amazing; there is nothing cooler than a PDW stock. 

The PDW is the ultimate low-profile, collapsible lower receiver. The Maxim stock makes this lower tiny but maintains low recoil and operates consistently. Grab this for a  bag gun or whenever size is a concern. 

Conclusion 

There has never been a better time to build your own AR15.  

  

Now, you can get all the quality and reliability of a factory gun with the customization and reduced ATF processing times of a homebuilt SBR. 

  

It is the best of both worlds and headache-free thanks to the Silencer Shop SBR Builder program. Pick your perfect pairing of DD uppers and lowers, let Silencer Shop handle the ATF paperwork, and enjoy your custom SBR on the range in no time. 

Further Customize Your AR15 

While these SBRs include complete uppers and lowers and are range-ready once your eForm 1 is approved, a few customizations will make your new AR15 SBR even better.  

  

The AR15 platform's customization will allow you to build a perfect rifle for your unique use case. Take your SBR and shooting experience to the next level by incorporating these great accessories: 

Suppressor  

  • Shooting suppressed will protect your ears, reduce recoil, and make your new SBR even more accurate. A silencer is the best upgrade for a firearm, period.   

Muzzle Device  

  • Installing a muzzle brake or  hider to use with your favorite quick detach (QD) silencer is an easy upgrade to enhance the shootability of your rifle.  

Flashlight  

  • It is the dark half of the time, so light up the night with a SureFire flashlight, ideal for lowlight training, nighttime hunting, and other nighttime shooting activities.  

Sling  

  • Don't drop your new rifle. A sling helps you carry and retain your weapon and is a must-have for serious training.  

Optic  

  • You can't make hits if you can't aim. The Daniel Defense uppers come with a Picatinny rail, ready to accept your preferred red dot, scope, or iron sights.   

Adjustable Gas Block  

  • If you want to optimize your SBR for suppression further, a tunable gas block is an easy way to limit the gas coming back into the action. A quick tune will have your rifle shooting even smoother and flatter!   

Radian Charging Handle  

JP Silent Capture Spring  

  • Tuning your buffer system with your silencer will reduce gas, recoil, and port noise. The JP SCS also eliminates spring noise while shooting with a silencer. 
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