AR-15 Takedown Methods: Folding Entrance-Finish Firepower

Many worship on the altar of Stoner, exalting the AR-15 platform’s ergonomics, versatility, and modularity. However with a receiver extension and buttstock that may’t be folded, for the reason that bolt provider group reciprocates into it, compactness for transport wasn’t Stoner’s first precedence. The aftermarket has provide you with options for this — however what when you’re searching for a fair smaller footprint than a folding inventory will present? That is the place the AR-15 Takedown is available in.

In case you don’t thoughts disassembling your weapon, Stoner’s authentic design will get you midway there, as you’ll be able to simply detach the higher and decrease into two items. Nevertheless, it’s fiddly and never the quickest to deploy, and also you’re nonetheless constrained by the size of your complete higher meeting, primarily the barrel plus the higher receiver — which itself accounts for about 8 inches of size.

For the reason that barrel is usually the longest element on an AR, a number of corporations have provide you with take-down programs to shortly detach and reattach the barrel and handguard meeting from the higher receiver. Mix this with a folding or PDW-style inventory or brace, and also you’ll have the shortest total footprint in need of sawing your barrel in half (we don’t advocate this until you’re a hapless virtue-
signaling congressional candidate). One thing to bear in mind is that programs like this will have some zero shift, although none examined have been terribly noteworthy because of the short-range necessities typical of a hideaway rifle.

On this article, we have a look at take-down choices from Cry Havoc Tactical, FoldAR, LEO TakeDown, and Pantheon Arms.

Cry Havoc Tactical

In case you’re in search of a take-down system that’s presently fielded by the U.S. army, look no additional than Cry Havoc Tactical’s providing. Their QRB system is used within the U.S. Air Power’s GAU-5A Aircrew Self Protection Weapon, customized constructed by the Air Power Gunsmith Store to equip aircrews with a 5.56mm carbine that may be damaged down and stowed within the tight confines of an ACES II ejection seat. Packaged with 4 30-round magazines, the reconstituted rifle gives a downed pilot with way more firepower than the 9mm M-9 pistol that it changed.

Cry Havoc’s system makes use of two tensioning levers that safe the barrel meeting to the higher receiver. The receiver plate attaches to the higher with a star nut, retained by a set screw that sits in one of many nut’s grooves to forestall it from rotating. The barrel plate retains the barrel firmly captured with three set screws and has commonplace threading on the muzzle aspect to connect the barrel nut in your handguard of selection. A intelligent two-piece fuel tube association solves the issue of the otherwise-vulnerable commonplace AR fuel tube, with a shortened fuel tube connected to the fuel block slotting into an extension within the QRB’s receiver plate that feeds fuel again to the bolt provider group.

Slide the barrel extension into its residence on the higher receiver and hooks on the levers on the barrel plate seize on to slots within the receiver plate, snapping right down to lock into place. Two stout locator pins make sure you line all the things up correctly and in addition additional defend the fuel tube. To tear down your gun, lock again the bolt, flip open the levers, push them backward when you need assistance unseating the barrel from the higher, make certain the hooks are free, and yank out the barrel/handguard meeting.

You need to use all kinds of handguards; they simply have to be slim sufficient to go away room behind the locking levers to get sufficient buy to open them. There are recesses on the barrel plate to just accept small anti-rotation tabs. Notice that because of the beefy barrel plate, you’ll want to make use of a handguard that’s 1.5 inches shorter than you’ll in any other case. If you’d like a whole higher with the Cry Havoc system, their sister firm, Weaponstech Engineering, affords quite a lot of configurations, together with one-stamp suppressed uppers.

For our construct proven right here, we needed to create our personal, even smaller model of the GAU-5A — and in .300BLK as befits such a small gun. To match the GAU-5A, we used a Midwest Industries 4.5-inch M-LOK Fight Rail (successfully turning into a 6-inch rail with the QRB barrel plate) together with one in every of their higher receivers. The most recent MI handguards have giant anti-rotation tabs, not like these utilized by the Air Power, so we lower them down to suit with an finish mill and information, then hit it with Alumablack.

As a substitute of a 12.5-inch 5.56mm barrel, we fitted a 7.5-inch Faxon gunner profile barrel in .300BLK together with one in every of their fuel blocks, topped off with a Midwest Industries muzzle gadget. The assembled higher went on one in every of our pistol lowers, geared up with a LAW Tactical folding inventory adapter and the identical FAB Protection folding pistol grip seen on the GAU-5A. The ensuing package deal is insanely compact when damaged down.

We have been very impressed with the Cry Havoc take-down system, particularly the constant locking levers, the two-piece fuel tube and locator pins, the power to make use of quite a lot of handguards, and its total robustness.

• Make: Cry Havoc Tactical
• Mannequin: AR15 QRB Package 2-Pin Navy Mannequin
• MSRP: $425 with pistol, carbine, or mid-length fuel tube; $435 with rifle-length fuel tube
• URL: cryhavoctac.com

FoldAR

Accessible as a whole double-folding rifle or pistol in addition to a proprietary higher receiver unit, the FoldAR is a critically small unit. The Double FoldAR pistol seen right here breaks down right into a tiny package deal of a mere 10.75 by 5.75 inches, excellent to suit right into a lunch box-sized bag — precisely just like the one which comes with it.

The FoldAR is a whole system, not a conversion, because it makes use of a proprietary higher receiver, handguard meeting, and adjustable fuel block. True to its identify, the FoldAR is a hinged system with a lever latching system built-in into the proper aspect of the M-LOK handguard for takedown. Folding the barrel meeting first requires you to lock the bolt to the rear after which pull the SHUT lever outward to unlock the barrel. The barrel now might be folded alongside the hinge, intently hugging the left aspect of the higher receiver. FoldAR features a handy pull tab on the lever for an help, although it may be eliminated if that concept makes you squirrelly. Nevertheless, they added it for a purpose, because it’s not straightforward to open with out it.

To deploy the FoldAR’s barrel, swing the barrel meeting ahead till it clicks in place. Notice that as a result of the barrel swings into place quite than sliding straight into the higher receiver, the customized barrel extension is beveled. Then, pull and launch the SHUT lever to make sure the lock is correctly engaged. At that time, the bolt might be launched, and also you’re able to go. When you lose the flexibleness of arranging the broken-down items nonetheless you’d like, it’s helpful to have a single unit that folds open.

For the folding inventory on the entire double-folding rifles and pistols, FoldAR makes use of a Lifeless Foot Arms MCS adapter, whose standout characteristic is the power to fireplace and cycle the weapon with the inventory/brace folded. If bought outright, this method would require modification of your bolt provider group, however since FoldAR produces full weapons they do the be just right for you. As a substitute of a typical BCG, FoldAR ships with a four-position gas-adjusting provider from Bootleg Inc. All of those customized, proprietary components leads to a hefty price ticket, but it surely avoids the requirement of getting the requisite expertise and instruments of an armorer.

On our instance, we added a SIG Romeo optic, Magpul AFG, folding offset sights, and a muzzle brake/silencer mount made by Elite Iron for his or her Warfare Canine can. When not going suppressed, a sleeve suits over the brake to transform it to a linear compensator.

Rifles, pistols, and higher assemblies from FoldAR can be found in 5.56mm or .300BLK in barrel lengths of 9, 10.5, and 12 inches.

• Make: FoldAR
• Mannequin: Double FoldAR Pistol (full)
• MSRP: $2,399
• Mannequin: FoldAR Higher Meeting (full)
• MSRP: $1,599 to $2,199
• URL: foldar.com

LEO TakeDown

LEO TakeDown doesn’t provide a folding system however as a substitute the power to shortly detach and take away your barrel and handguard meeting from the higher receiver. Accessible as conversion components or in a restricted choice of full uppers, the LEO TakeDown system reminds us of fast join couplers that connect the hose out of your air compressor to a pneumatic software.

To take away the barrel meeting, first retract or lock the bolt to the rear. Then, rotate the round locking nut to the marked “unlock” place and pull it again. The spring-loaded meeting retracts locking bearings, and your complete barrel and handguard might be pulled out from the entrance. There are storage covers for each the barrel meeting and higher receiver to maintain crud out in the event that they’re saved in two items, and importantly they defend the now-exposed, comparatively fragile fuel tube from injury.

As soon as the LEO TakeDown system is put in on a barrel and higher receiver, it must be thought-about a everlasting set up. The official set up documentation features a appreciable quantity of everlasting pink thread locker in just about each step, and the barrel coupling is stress match. We tried our hand at a barrel swap and shortly bumped into points. On the plus aspect, extra barrel couplings (to vary barrel lengths and/or calibers) are presently obtainable for $59 every.

In case you’re performing a conversion, any caliber and barrel that’ll match into a normal AR-15 higher will work. There’s no complete checklist of handguards which might be suitable with the system, however we’re instructed most compression-type free-float fashions will work. If a handguard has anti-rotation tabs, they’ll have to be modified. Additionally, keep in mind that the handguard itself might be an inch additional alongside the barrel, because the rear of it now begins on the entrance of the takedown system quite than the receiver.

Our suggestion for the LEO TakeDown system can be to go along with a pre-converted higher receiver and barrel from the corporate, as set up is a prolonged course of and considerably totally different than regular AR-15 meeting.

• Make: LEO TakeDown
• Mannequin: LEO TakeDown conversion (user-provided higher, barrel, and handguard)
• MSRP: $299 to $450
• Mannequin: LEO TakeDown higher receiver (no BCG/CH)
• MSRP: $589 to $599
• URL: leotakedown.com

Pantheon Arms DOLOS

Pantheon Arms affords its DOLOS take-down system in a number of flavors — as a whole higher (the Exodus proven right here) or a DIY package with or and not using a handguard. Pantheon’s design includes a lock collar on the barrel aspect that primarily acts as a coarse-threaded barrel nut with a brief arc of rotation to safe the barrel to a tri-lug connected to the higher receiver. A pawl on the underside engages grooved enamel on the lock collar to securely ratchet into place.

The tri-lug meeting is connected to the higher receiver with a fortress nut and set screws. The lock collar slides over the barrel, with a semi-circular slot so it will possibly clear the fuel tube whereas rotating; the handguard is secured to the lock collar. Align the fuel tube and barrel extension, lock collar, and tri-lug and slide it residence into the higher receiver. Then, crank down the lock collar, which pulls the barrel into the tri-lug, whereas the pawl locks the lock collar in place. To take down the DOLOS, lock again the bolt, pull down on the lock launch beneath the tri-lug, twist the lock collar, and pull it out of the higher.

The barrel (and the fuel block and commonplace fuel tube connected to it) rotates and is unfastened inside the lock collar and handguard meeting till it’s cranked into the tri-lug; Pantheon gives a retaining ring for the package that slides over and bites into the barrel to seize it so it doesn’t slide round an excessive amount of. This can be a little bit of an annoyance whereas your gun is torn down, although Pantheon’s molded fuel tube cowl mitigates this whereas additionally defending your fuel tube, which extends out fairly a bit.

For the reason that fuel tube rotates inside the lock collar, the handguard must be circular-ish on prime to clear it. Many slimmer handguards have a sq. channel for the fuel tube that gained’t work. For the DIY package, you’ll be able to select from handguards with and and not using a prime rail from Pantheon or different roomy choices from corporations corresponding to Rock River Arms, YHM, and Distinctive ARs.

The Exodus full higher has some distinctive options in comparison with the package since Pantheon controls the entire construct. The lock collar and barrel are modified to scale back the rotation required and seize the barrel. Additionally, the handguard is slim with an arc on prime to clear the fuel tube. It’s presently provided in a single configuration with a 7.5-inch barrel in .223.

Our take a look at construct has the Exodus higher mounted on a pistol decrease with a Lifeless Foot Arms SCW shortened system and Gear Head Works Tailhook brace, leading to a really cool little blaster. When you get the grasp of utilizing the DOLOS, you’ll be able to muscle it into place. It’s a easy movement, simply insert and twist. Nevertheless, remember to go to the identical spot each time in your zero; we frequently missed it and needed to both sit on the decrease to get sufficient leverage for that final click on or redo it more durable (that’s what she mentioned).

• Make: Pantheon Arms
• Mannequin: Exodus Take-Down Higher
• MSRP: $600
• Mannequin: Dolos Take-Down System
• MSRP: $185
• URL: pantheonarms.com

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Written by Steven Kuo, Dave Merrill, and Mike Searson