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Why? Because theyre the Swiss Army knife of rifles.By Patrick Sweeney

AlexanderArms is Bill Alexander, designer, engineerand nice guy. Be ore anyone had feldedan AR in the Soviet 5.45 chambering, hehad it. Te biggest step he has accom-plished or the AR is the invention o the6.5 Grendel. While ans o the 6.8 will vainly argue otherwise, the 6.5 Grendelpushes a bullet with a better BC to higher velocities, and in its most e cient loads,the bullet will still be supersonic at 1,200 yards. He also developed the .50 Beowul , which hurls a hal -inch-diameter bullet tobetter than .45-70 velocities. You can haveammo, uppers or complete ri es in the 6.5or the .50. (www.alexanderarms.com)

Te one who started itall, ArmaLite has something new up itssleeve: the SPR Mod 1. A monolithic up-per in 5.56 with a removable lower rail, itexpands the companys already extensiveline o Stoner-system ri es. You canhave your traditional ArmaLite in 5.56,

? qsure to start arguments, perhaps even fstfghts, as justdeciding on what details count as something or oragainst a ri e is a subject that would tax the patience o aBenedictine monk. Best depends on what you wantde ense, competition, hunting, etc. With that in mind,here are a ew o the AR makers whose products Ive

tested, owned or seriously abused in classes and rom which Ive had more than satis actory results.

6.8 SPC or 7.62 Nato in a host o sizes,handguard options and stock designs. I you want something along the lines o theri es our snipers are looking or, the AR-10 SuperSASS might be just the boomer youre a ter. (www.armalite.com)

O ering bothdirect-gas impingement and pistonsystems (in act, two o them: a dedicatedand a conversion system), Bushmaster hasbeen making ri es or more than threedecades. Not only does the company o erri es (and handguns) in 5.56, 6.8 and7.62 NA O, you can have a Bushmasterin 7.62x39 as well. Te big boomer o thecompany lineup is the .450 Bushmaster, which pushes a 250-grain Hornady F X at 2,200 ps. (www.bushmaster.com)

CMMG has come on strongin the last ew years. From parts anduppers in the beginning, the company now o ers complete ri es in all the

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usual calibers, with 5.56 and 6.8 in bothdirect-gas-impingement and piston versions, as well as 9mm carbines andhandguns (as in AR handguns). On thehorizon is a .308. Teres also a .22LR conversion kit thats as tough as ananvil. (www.cmmginc.com)

It is ashionable to dis Coltin some circles or not being innovativeenough or o ering the wide variety o options that other companies muster.But since the companys main customeris our military, Colt sticks primarily with

what the government wants. What Colto ers is the gold standard in uality. Eachand every Colt ri e is made to the samestandard, mil-spec. While the ones we getarent select-fre, they all pass the sametests and inspections that a military M4does. Te gun shop commando who tells you the civvie guns are the QC rejectsand dont get the same uality parts as themilitary ones is talking out o his shorts.(www.colt.com)

Starting withanvil-tough rail systems, Daniel De enseexpanded to uppers, sights and other ac-cessories and fnally into barrels and com-plete ri es. Its barrels are cold hammer-

orged, in lengths rom 10.3 inches (all

many o those that give you72 choices o stocks, hand-guards and sights. I you want what works and arentinterested in multiple bellsand whistles, Doublestar isright up your alley. (www.star15.com)

DPMS o ersperhaps more ri e andcarbine options than any other AR maker extant. I DPMS doesnt make it, it

used to, and i it never has, you can probably convinceit to make an R&D projectout o your hearts desires.

In between bone-stock M4 carbines and high-endsuppressed .308 sniper variants, Ive seen stainlesssteel lowers (and even a brassone) and every caliber that will ft or can be wrestledinto an AR plat orm, 5.56or .308 size, and even somethat made me scratch my head and wonder Howd they do that I you want what your shooting buddiesdont have, DPMS is the place to start yoursearch. (www.dpmsinc.com)

ing lowers as well (the ordering list is hardto get on, but worth the wait), it was only a matter o time. Still in the fnal stageso production, the OBR (.308) and OBR

Photo: John Hafner

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November 2010 GUNS & AMMO 53

52 GUNS & AMMO November 2010

mil-spec-style ri les. (www.lewis-machine.net)

LWRCI is all pistons, all thetime. No DI gas or this company. Fromthe relatively plain-Jane M6 to the bigREPR (Rapid Engagement Precisionri e) to the stubby, hard-hitting PSDand M6A2 pistol, LWRCI ri es all work with the companys patented short-strokepiston. LWRCI also o ers mil-spec-gradeanodizing o the aluminum parts in vari-ous camo patterns. Like Marpat Wood-land LWRCI does those and more. And

or those who want one, there are uppersin 5.45x39. Yes, with a piston. No more worries about corrosive commie ammocreating a mess. Shoot dirt-cheap ammoand have an easy-to-clean piston system as well. (www.lwrci.com)

John Noveske startedmaking barrels noted or their precision,accuracy and durability. However, thebest barrel indi erently installed can be-come an average shooter. So he branchedout to uppers, complete, and branchedout again to ull ri es and carbines. I you want a tough, sniper-accurate AR, you really should be looking at Noveske.But be aware that Noveskes is a smallshop, and production runs sell out liketickets to a winning baseball team.

(www.noveskeri eworks.com)

One o the oldestAR makers around, Olympic does whatno other maker can match: Te company makes everything in-house. From ma-chining the orgings to making barrels,bolts, carriers and fring mechanisms tomolding stocks and handguards, it doeseverything. When I began building andupgrading ARs back in the day, Olym-pic was there, and I still have some o the many ri es that passed through my hands. Tey continue to serve as ably asever. (www.olyarms.com)

Te Para actical argetRi e uses the DIGS, not exactly theclassic d irect-gas-impingement systemand not a piston either. Te DIGS usesa shortened bolt carrier that holds alonger-than-usual carrier key. Tat nestlesover a shorter gas tube, and the recoilspring surrounds the whole system. Teend result is a ri e that has no need or abu er tube, spring or weight. Te actical arget Ri e thus can (and does, where al-lowed) have a olding stock that olds intoa compact package, not a goitered messo parts. Te barrel (there is one R, with your choice o orearm design) has a

chrome-lined 16 -inch barrel with a 1:9twist thats wonder ully accurate. (www.paraord.com)

POF makes pistonsystems o a design that comes romthe ertile mind o Frank DeSomma. Te internals and the inside o the up-pers are plated or ease o cleaning andresistance to corrosion. No, theyre notmil-spec; they ar exceed mil-spec. In5.56, 6.8 SPC and .308, they have am-

bidextrous bolt releases, anti-walk pins,ambi selector levers and a gas block thatallows you to select normal or reducedgas ow. POF barrels are mil-spec steel,but treated to be harder (how does 70Rockwell sound ). o reduce rictioneven more, POF ri es have the rectan-gular cam pin replaced with one using aroller on the cam head. Rolling insteado sliding riction reduces wear to anamazing extent. (www.po -usa.com)

When AR shooters

proven Crane L7A2B SOPMOD stockfrom LMT. Created by Dave Armstrong ofNSWC-Crane, this retractable buttstock issought after for its angled cheekweld andtwo storage compartments, sometimesused by troops to keep spare batteries.

Folded and waiting for deployment is apair of Troy Industries backup iron sights.The A4-style rear sight is low profile, andits design eliminates elevation adjustments,which are often superfluous in close combat.The dual peep permits a wide sight pictureand can be adjusted to shift target impact.33 MOA on any M4-style carbine. Troysfolding backup iron sights are simply thebest solution for any rifle in this category.

Like most things, Stoners design hasevolved based on field experience anduser feedback. Bravo Company USAoffers the Gunfighter charging handledeveloped in conjunction with Vltor to ad-dress two significant issues. The tiny rollpin on the original M16 charging handleis considered a weak point, and the bodyis redesigned so that when the TRICONscharging handle is pulled, it movesstraight and to the rear without move-ment to the outboard side. This translatesinto smoother and more reliable opera-

tion while providing more surface area tomanipulate the handle.

Gonzales trains students to put maximumrounds on target in a compressed timeframe, and there are a few features on theTRICON designed to facilitate this. MagpulsMission Adaptable grip allows a choked-uphold so operators can manhandle the riflewhile positioning it into the shoulder. TheMIAD also has interchangeable front andrear straps while possessing storage op-tions in its core.

A stubby TangoDown vertical grip comesfixed to the free-floated quad rail for muzzlecontrol. Whether its a single-round drill ora multiple-magazine exercise, the grip helpsto keep the rifle on target and allows theshooter to suck the rifle into his shoulder.

This is not the average production AR. TheTRICON crest engraved on the right side of themagazine well complements the Latin phrase,which translates, It is worth the effort.

Each rifle is delivered with a certificatethat states that each rifle is part of a limitedrun of 500. Its delivered with a case and slingthat were also inspired by Gonzales shootingphilosophy. MSRP is $3,100. For more infor-mation, visit www.lwrci.com.Eric R. Poole

LWRC M6A2 TRICON

A modern 5.56mmpiston-driven

warfghter.

Using LWRC M6 rifles in our training, wewere achieving high round counts, saysGonzales. After 12,000 rounds withoutcleaning, one of these rifles had a smallspring break. We replaced it and decidedto keep the round count going, again with-out cleaning it. By 19,000 rounds we werevery impressed...at that point we actuallyperformed our first precision shootingevaluations. With the same rifle, we wereshooting sub-MOA groups.

In developing the M6A2 TRICON, thestaff at Trident Concepts wanted to seethe same quality, but also something thatthe end user could just grab and go.

There is such a variety of aftermarketaccessories, many shooters dont under-stand what they need, Gonzales says.With the TRICON, all you have to do ischoose an optic.

Part of the project involved reducingweight. The solution: spiral fluting. Pistonguns are usually weighted toward themuzzle, but spiral fluting negates this.

Glancing at the M6 TRICON, you cantmiss its appearance. The receivers are fin-ished with a protective FDE Cerekote, and therifle is outfitted with FDE-colored furniture.

One of the things I was adamant aboutis that I didnt want a black rifle, saysGonzales. I wanted something that wasa little less obvious in the terrain I wasin and didnt burn my hand. And the Cer-ekote is a tough finish. We beat the crapout of our rifles.

The TRICON utilizes a 14.7-inch cold-hammer-forged barrel with a pinned flash-hider (to meet barrel-length requirements)that visually stands apart with uniquespiral fluting that cuts 20 percent fromthe weight of a standard barrel withoutcompromising rigidity.

Keeping with the Naval Special Warfare(NSW) influence, the Tricon encouragesproper cheekweld utilizing the battle-

LWRCInternatIonal s trICon rifle is the ultimate5.56-chambered combat carbine. Teaming with JeffGonzales, former U.S. Navy SEAL and president ofTrident Concepts (www.tridentconcepts.com), LWRCpresents a piston-driven M6 featuring mission-criti-cal accessories and wearing flat dark earth.

Top-end additions: Bravos Gun ghter charging handle andTroy Industries backup folding rear sight.

The M6A2 T I s distinctive feature: A spriral utedcold-hammer-forged barrel with a pinned ash-hider.

FEATURES

16+1 9mm, 12+1 .40 S&W Convertable, safety or decocker New Omega trigger system Polymer frame with light rail Two magazines

CZ P-07 DUTY

P R O T E C T H U N T C O M P E T E

P.O. Box 171073 | Kansas City, KS 66117-0073 Toll-free: 1 (800) 955-4486 | Phone: + (913) 321-1811E-mail: info@cz-usa.com | Website: www.cz-usa.com

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became insatiable, Rock River closed upits 1911 custom shop and devoted thebench space and labor to making evenmore frst-class ARs than it had be ore.And then it expanded. Rock River makes5.56, 6.8 SPC and .308 ri es, as well as9mm carbines and handguns. Te newestitem is a piston system. However, unlikeother systems, which simply install apiston over the barrel, Rock River hasmanaged to design one that eliminatesthe bu er tube, spring and weight. Tisallows installation o a olding stock onthe Per ormance Piston system. With itsambidextrous, non-reciprocating charg-ing handles, it promises to rewrite the

idea o just what an AR is.(www.rockriverarms.com)

I you hadsuggested two years ago thatBig Green would be o er-ing an MSR or sale, people would have given you a wideberth. But not only did Rem-ington do so, it invented a new cartridge or deer hunters who wanted a .30 round that didntre uire a honkin-big AR-10-type ri e to put it in. Te .30

Remington AR is a 7.62x39-size round,but without the taper and a lot more ps togo whacking whitetails with.And you can get it already done up in accepted huntingcamo. Show up in huntingcamp with one o these andno one will give you any grie .(www.remington.com)

Yes, Ruger now makes an AR. Te SR556

eatures the companyschrome-lined, hammer-

orged barrels, a our-positiongas regulator and a piston

system that is easy to clean and disas-semble. As i all that werent enough,Ruger decided that a plain AR wasnt orthem, and each ri e comes complete witha Ruger-specifc roy railed handguard,Ruger-marked roy olding iron sights,M4 telescoping stock and threecountem, threeMagpul PMag 30s. Forthose who want something just a bitmore compact, Ruger now o ers a car-bine version with a 16.12-inch barrel a ndintegrally machined ash-hider. (www.ruger.com)

Recently awarded a government contract to

produce M16A3 and A4 ri es, Sabre hasbeen making M2 machine gun receiversand barrels and barrels or other machineguns or the government or many years.Now the company makes M16s as welland ARs or the rest o us. Not just DIgas guns, but a piston system as well, andbarrels, bolts and ri es in 5.56 and 6.5Grendel. I you want a Tree-Gun com-petition gun, de ense carbine or precisionri e, Sabre has the ri e or barrel and boltcombo or you. (www.sabrede ence.com)

I a ew years

ago you had said that S&W would notonly be making a 1911, but an AR ri e as well, you would have been restrained andsedated. Now the company o ers both,and the AR is not just a plain M4gery.

You have options, like gettingan M&P 15PC, a varmintingtackdriver that you can evenhave in hunting camou age,or the M&P 15PS, a piston-driven ri e. Te eye-opener isthe M&P-15R, chambered in5.45x39. Why would you wanta ri e in a corrosive commieround Cost. At hal to a thirdo the cost o new 5.56 ammo,the 5.45 o ers much the sameper ormance. (www.smith-wesson.com)

Viewed by some as the new guy in AR manu acturing, Stag is actually adecades-long producer o AR parts, assem-blies and upgrades. Along with the carbinesand ri es, the piston and DI-gas, and the

5.56 and 6.8 SPC options, Stag also o ersa true le t-handed AR. Not just a regularupper with an ejection port milled out o the side and the bolt reversed, the upper

and internals are mirror images o theright-handed AR. You can get ri es,uppers, barrels, parts, lowers, any-

thing that goes into assembling an AR,all rom Stag. Want to build rom scratchFind an FFL-holder or the lower and getthe rest on your own Stag has it all. (wwwstagarms.com)

And to answer the uestion Whichone is best Tats simple. Any one o the above, which I mysel have adjusted,tested and zeroed. Tats the one. P

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