TFB Review: Type A CQBR Block II -The Firearm Blog

For the last two years, the gun industry has been a tough place to navigate. Between material shortages and panic buying, certain firearms have been difficult or even impossible to find. Luke C reported earlier this year about the CQBR Block II being released and I have been waiting patiently for about 7 months for this AR pistol. After the weight and price, was it worth it? Let’s take a look at the Type A CQBR Block II.

Type A @ TFB:

Specs

To be fully transparent, I paid full retail for this firearm and waited a little over 7 months. I prefer to do my reviews like this so there’s no bias and I can freely say exactly how I feel about the particular firearm in question. Currently, Type A’s backlog is around 28-32 weeks, so it’s important to take a look at the overall quality as well as the fit and finish for such a long wait. This particular firearm has an 11.5 416R stainless steel barrel with a matte finish and a 30-position adjustable gas block. The big difference between this model and their other firearms is the addition of the 9.875″ proprietary quad rail.

Type A CQBR Block II SPECIFICATIONS:

Lower Receiver

Lower Receiver: TYPE-A A2 Profile Forged Lower w/UID label
Stock: SB Tactical SBA4 Brace
Grip: B5 P-Grip or A2 Mil-Spec Grip
Trigger: TYPE-A PMC 2-Stage Trigger 1 1/2 lbs Rest with 3 1/2-4 lbs pull
Rear Mount: TYPE-A Low Pro S7 Micro End Plate

Upper Receiver

Upper Receiver: TYPE-A Forged Upper Receiver
Barrel: TYPE-A 10.5” 416R SS Light M4 Profile Match Grade with Carbine Gas
Gas Block: 30 Position Fully Adjustable Gas Block
Muzzle Device: TYPE-A ASR Ready Muzzle Brake (Customer’s Choice)
Hand Guard: TYPE-A Mk18-9.875 Quad Rail Hand Guard
Bolt Carrier Group: TYPE-A REM Polished QPQ BCG
Charging Handle: TYPE-A Standard Plus Ambi Charging Handle

Optional Upgrades

One of the big things I find impressive is the fact Type A makes most of their parts in-house. From the factory, the 11.5″ CQBR came with their two-stage flat-faced trigger made in-house. I went for the standard QPQ Type A bolt carrier group with a REM polish but the TIN coated bolt carrier group is also available for the CQBR. Other options on this AR pistol include a Law Tactical folder and an SB Tactical SBA4 brace. As an added extra, I had Type A install an OSS Suppressor flash hider for my Helix 556 suppressor.

This is an option available where they will install most muzzle devices available on the market to match your suppressors. When it comes to color options, Type A will spray any color they have in stock for free on your order and will even mix and match colors if you have a certain look in mind. I decided to keep it simple and went with black but they have a number of color configurations available. With everything installed, my 11.5 CQBR costs $2199.99 before tax.

Other Accessories Installed

Range Time

In all honesty, I initially planned on switching it out for a Geissele SSA trigger for a quick single-stage trigger. I decided to keep it stock for a testing point to see how the AR felt factory stock. The first few rounds made me rethink switching out the trigger. I have their older style trigger in my other AR pistol, but this new redesigned flat-faced trigger is crisper and has a very short but pronounced trigger reset. This isn’t a super high-end trigger like some of the Geissele triggers are, but as a stock factory trigger, it’s very good out of the box.

One of the first things I realized taking my first few shots zeroing the firearm was just how soft this AR shoots. 5.56 Nato isn’t exactly a bruiser of a cartridge, but there was little to no recoil when firing it with the OSS Helix suppressor. This probably has something to do with the heavier barrel and quad rail that helps curb the recoil impulses. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no denying the CQBR is beefy. My CQBR feels like you can really beat it up but the weight isn’t to the point of being cumbersome. Now it may not be the lightest option on the market with the quad rail, but it doesn’t seem front heavy with a number of circular lightening cuts on the handguard.

Accuracy

I started off my testing with a few 50-yard shots for the EXPS3 zero. At 50 yards I was rather surprised I had a really nice three-shot group that basically all one hole. I know 50 yards isn’t a difficult shot but it was fairly effortless to have a very tight group. Once that was done, I reached out to 150 yards to see how tight of a group I could get. I took out a few different ammunition types. Among the list were PMC X-Tac 55gr, IWI M193 55gr, Federal American Eagle 55gr, as well as SIG Sauer 77gr match ammunition. The CQBR came with a 1/7 twist barrel, so I was curious if the shorter barrel stabilized the heavier grain match rounds.

Despite only having an 11.5″ barrel, the CQBR still held groups between 1.15″-1.75″ depending on the ammunition. The best group I had was from the PMC X-Tac 1.15″-1.35″ with the SIG 77gr 1.27″-1.44″ being a very close second. Overall, I was very pleased and a bit surprised by the groups since it is only an 11.5″ barrel but the 416R barrel definitely showed tighter groups than most of my other shorter variant AR pistols in my collection. Between the accuracy testing and just having fun running drills with a few friends, I have roughly 1,350 rounds through this firearm.

Other Observations

One of the most interesting things I saw from my various range days and time behind the gun is the lack of ejection shift as well as point of aim shift from the OSS Helix. OSS is known for making suppressors with little to no back pressure which means less gas in the shooter’s face and a cleaner gun overall. Shooting the accuracy tests with and without the can, I saw little to no impact shift and my ejection remained the same whether the can was on or off. Having an adjustable gas block with the combination of a Law Tactical folder really made the gun feel like it was a gentle soft shooter.

Like I said earlier, 5.56 does not have a tremendous amount of recoil, but shooting this 11.5″ and then shooting my 10.5 Aero Precision AR is a complete night and day difference. Type A has told me in the past they have their recoil springs custom made with certain specs required which may also play a role in how soft this firearm recoils. I’m not exactly sure what’s different on it but through my time with the CQBR I can say there’s a noticeable difference.

Overall Thoughts

So after 7 months and $2,200 of my hard-earned paper money, what do I think? I will start off by saying my real enjoyment when it comes to shooting is different types of modern sporting rifles. We have so many modern variants on the market today, but I love the concept of taking older-style firearms with quad rails and a certain look while upgrading the internals. Having things like an accurate high-quality barrel and an adjustable gas block wasn’t super popular when these models came out 10-15 years ago.

For $2,200, I am absolutely certain there will be certain people who will say they can build a “just as good” AR for the money and I get that argument. But coming from someone who shoots a number of new ARs in the market, this firearm feels truly refined. The subtle recoil that most ARs have is almost totally absent in the CQBR and it just feels a little special in a sea of similar AR types. Most guns I use for testing will be sold later on for other projects. I ended up filing my forms to SBR this firearm into a rifle for my trust. In my eyes, this was worthy of sticking around in my personal collection for the long haul.

Let me know what you guys think about the older-style rifles coming back into popularity as legacy or resto-mod versions of the classic firearms they are based off. Is it stupid or is it something you guys can appreciate? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If you have questions about this firearm or just general firearm questions, feel free to shoot me a message on Instagram @fridgeoerator. Stay safe out there.

TFB Review: Type A CQBR Block II