Yeah, I know, it’s hard to get excited about new AR-15s. If you’ve been into guns for any amount of time, you’ve kinda seen it. I get it. The AR-15 platform is pushing sixty years old. Hell, it’s even older than me, and I’ve been slowing down for a while, now. Fortunately, unlike yours truly, the AR-15 has adaptability built into its entire being and that’s really where we are now. Just about anyone, seemingly, can make a decent AR-15, but the special ones nowadays are guns benefiting from some of the best imaginative minds in the biz. In this video, Gun Mag Warehouse’s first-rate firearms aficionados provide us with some glib gossip on the best AR-15s they found at SHOT Show 2020.
Daniel Shaw notes that you have to look to find new stuff with AR-15s, most of it being improved quality or the same quality for a lower price. Sometimes those changes are purely aesthetic. But innovation is there if you nose around some. All four of our eloquent experts chose something with varying degrees of that innovation.
Travis Pike
First up is Travis Pike, who went with a well-known company pushing a brand-new product — for them anyway. Aero Precision is one of the biggest names in the AR-15 industry and with good reason. They make quality stuff that’s affordable and they are the kings of modular builds. But, for whatever reason, Aero Precision has never offered a pistol caliber carbine, making them rather late to the game in that regard.
Late or not, the new Aero Precision PCC has a couple of unique features that push it to the front rank in that category:
- A last-round bolt hold open built into the upper receiver. You can attach the upper to any lower and still have that feature.
- The upper attaches and detaches with a simple hook, making takedown a breeze. Travis says it “works really well.”
- Uses Glock and Glock compatible mags.
- Extended mag release within easy reach of the shooter’s trigger finger. Only the upper and the mag release are proprietary.
- MSRP on the upper is $249. The complete gun is $1000.00.
Daniel points out that it makes sense to use Glock mags, with which the others agreed because of their ubiquity and aftermarket options. Someplace called GunMag Warehouse reportedly sells them cheap.
Paul Carlson
Paul Carlson echoed that AR-15s can be boring at times, so he went looking for something with an obvious new twist. He found it in the Athena from Drake Associates. A famous gun guy once said that “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” Well, that’s the whole point of the Athena and the steps Drake took to make it accurate are interesting indeed.
A new handguard design is the key. Instead of being anchored by the barrel nut, the bottom handguard is integrated into the lower receiver, giving the rifle a truly free-floated barrel. Drake’s testing has shown the setup to reduce the size of shot groups by half. The upper handguard slides easily onto the bottom piece. Daniel opines that it looks like a sci-fi gun and it kinda does.
Paul notes that the Athena is great for someone who needs a really accurate AR-15, but he thinks the concept would absolutely shine paired with an AR-10 system in the designated marksman role. The only proprietary part is the handguard, as part of the lower. It is M-Lok and Picatinny compatible, but no Keymod. Daniel, Travis, and David Reeder discuss the backward orientation of Keymod, while Paul denies its existence altogether. MSRP on the Drake Associates Athena is an obviously symbolic $1776.00 I dig it.
David Reeder
The Keymod discussion prompts a joke at David’s expense, but he bounces back nicely with his choice of the Strike Industries Sentinel line.
David says, like the others, that “I like ARs but it’s hard to get excited about a new one.” He visited Strike Industries because they released something like fifty new products last year and he wanted to see all their stuff. All that stuff makes it easy to trick out the new Sentinel rifle, Sentinel Elite, and Sentinel AR pistol damn near any way you want. You can set it up “nuts to butt” with Strike Industries accessories from basic stuff to all the proverbial bells and whistles.
David says he thinks it’s a good way to build a new rifle aimed at showcasing all the Strike Industries accessories. This is their first rifle, and they appear to have done a good job with the approach. It’s like they have their own Lego gun, on top of the already highly modular AR-15 platform. MSRP depends on the model and how you set it up and ranges from $850.00 to $1500.00.
Daniel Shaw
The final gun of the discussion may be surprising since it comes from Springfield Armory. The particular model Daniel Chose was the Edge Evac, part of Springfield’s Saint line. The Evac is an AR pistol sporting a folding brace Pistol Braces (gunmagwarehouse.com). The interesting part, though, is the takedown feature. The barrel and handguard are easily removed and put back together, and the gun is easily stored in a backpack or small bag. Travis points out that it comes with a soft case that doesn’t look tactical at all. “Almost like a…large lunchbox.”
Daniel says he felt like they did a really good job, the way it locked in. He’s had some takedown guns that he didn’t feel comfortable putting in a bag, with the exposed gas tube and all the issues that could come from that. The Evac has all that stuff enclosed, so there’s no worry about damage or foreign matter getting into the tube. He thinks that the Evac, along with a couple other things he’s seen recently, is evidence that Springfield is upping their game and starting to do some good stuff. “I really dug this gun,” he says.
Springfield partnered with Pantheon, who pioneered the Dolos takedown system, and they worked together to improve and adapt it to Springfield’s needs. Daniel and Travis note that Springfield gives Pantheon full credit and didn’t just steal it the way many companies would do. The new takedown lockup was impressive and there is a definite improvement.
Paul asks what the niche for this gun is and who would use it. Travis says Springfield is marketing the Evac as a bugout gun for preppers and the like. Paul does allow that the gun is “cool as s&%t.” David goes back to the earlier PCC conversation by saying that, when he travels, he often takes a PCC with him, especially if it can take Glock mags, so he can feed his primary and secondary with the same mags. Travis notes that the Evac is a 5.56 pistol, so is subject to concealed carry laws, which vary by state. Check yours to be sure.
The talk winds down after that, but it seems the guys did indeed find some cool AR-15s, despite the market saturation. It is, as David notes, “America’s rifle,” and gunmakers are constantly looking for ways to keep it there.
