Let’s face it: Keeping abreast of the latest developments in the world of black rifles and carbines—that is, an AR-style weapon or nearly any other weapon stylized after modern military guns—isn’t easy. But that’s why we’re here.
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Truth be told, this list could’ve been a whole lot bigger, but for the sake of brevity—not to mention our sanity—we pared it down to seven models. It’s by no means definitive, just a quick snapshot at what you may have missed recently. Read all about them below, and scroll through the gallery above for photos.
American Tactical Omni Hybrid
One of the more unusual new models is the Omni Hybrid .410-caliber shotgun. This shotgun was displayed in prototype form a few years ago, but it’s being shipped now. The Omni Hybrid .410 takes 2½-inch shells and operates like a standard AR-15, but it has a blowback operating system. It has a free-floating, 18.5-inch, smoothbore barrel with a flash suppressor, a collapsible stock and a KeyMod handguard. The gun uses a lower receiver made of polymer molded over a zinc-aluminum shell. A five-round mag is included while 20-round versions available. (americantactical.us)
Caracal CAR816 A2
Chambered in 5.56mm NATO, the CAR816 A2 runs a short-stroke gas piston with a three-position-adjustable gas valve. Position one is for normal operation. Position two is for operation in adverse conditions, low-impulse ammunition or when the system becomes fouled. Lastly, position three is for normal operation with an affixed sound suppressor and allows for reliable cycling of the action. This particular model has a 16-inch barrel and comes with a proprietary M-LOK handguard. (caracalusa.com)
Daniel Defense DDM4V7S
This carbine is chambered in 5.56mm NATO and built around an 11.5-inch, cold-hammer-forged barrel with a carbine-length gas system. Its new free-floating MFR XS 10.0 handguard features M-LOK attachment slots and offers incredible weight savings as well as superior cooling, ergonomics and modularity. This SBR is finished off with Daniel Defense’s stock and pistol grip and ships with the new DD magazine.
Remington R-15 .450 Bushmaster
Remington has unveiled a new R-15 rifle chambered in .450 Bushmaster that comes with a free-floating, 18-inch, fluted barrel with a recessed hunting crown for improved accuracy, a single-stage hunting trigger and a receiver-length Picatinny rail for mounting a scope. The upper and lower receivers are machined from aluminum forgings to reduce weight. The rifle takes standard AR-15 magazines and comes with a detachable four-round magazine that is legal for hunting in most states. Finally, the rifle has a Mossy Oak New Break-Up camo finish. (remington.com)
Savage MSR 10 Hunter
The Savage MSR 10 Hunter is a compact sporter that still packs the punch of .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor chamberings. The rifle squeezes even more performance from its upgraded Savage barrel with 5R rifling, a nickel-boron-coated BlackHawk trigger and a tough Melonite QPQ finish. Other upgrades include a free-floating forend and BlackHawk furniture.
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TrackingPoint M400
TrackingPoint has added a new 300 Blackout rifle to its “Precision-Guided Firearm” lineup. Utilizing tracking and fire-control capabilities similar to those found in advanced fighter jets, the TrackingPoint system connects the tracking optic with the guided trigger, allowing the shooter to designate an exact target impact point. The M400 has a 400-yard range lock and will track a target traveling up to 10 mph.
War Sport LVOA Series
War Sport has launched two new variations to its flagship LVOA line. The LVOA-HC is available in .308 Winchester as well as 6.5 Creedmoor. The LVOA-9 is chambered in 9mm and comes with either an 8.75-inch barrel in SBR and pistol variants or with a 16-inch barrel. These rifles have all of the features and unique styling shooters have come to expect from War Sport’s LVOA lineup, which improved this year with a new Magpul M-LOK rail design that can accept a suppressor.
This article was originally published in “Black Guns” 2018. To order a copy, visit outdoorgroupstore.com.
