AR-15 Takedown Systems: Folding Front-End 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 in case you’re in search of a good smaller footprint than a folding inventory will present? That is the place the AR-15 Takedown is available in.

If you happen to don’t thoughts disassembling your weapon, Stoner’s authentic design will get you midway there, as you may 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 the 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 often the longest part on an AR, a number of corporations have provide you with take-down methods to rapidly 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 except you’re a hapless virtue-
signaling congressional candidate). One thing to bear in mind is that methods like this may increasingly have some zero shift, although none examined had been terribly noteworthy because of the short-range necessities typical of a hideaway rifle.

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

Cry Havoc Tactical

If you happen to’re searching for a take-down system that’s at present 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 Pressure’s GAU-5A Aircrew Self Protection Weapon, customized constructed by the Air Pressure 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 supplies 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 normal threading on the muzzle aspect to connect the barrel nut to your handguard of alternative. A intelligent two-piece gasoline tube association solves the issue of the otherwise-vulnerable normal AR gasoline tube, with a shortened gasoline tube connected to the gasoline block slotting into an extension within the QRB’s receiver plate that feeds gasoline again to the bolt provider group.

Slide the barrel extension into its house on the higher receiver and hooks on the levers on the barrel plate seize on to slots within the receiver plate, snapping all the way down to lock into place. Two stout locator pins make sure you line every part up correctly and likewise additional defend the gasoline tube. To tear down your gun, lock again the bolt, flip open the levers, push them backward in case you need assistance unseating the barrel from the higher, be sure that the hooks are free, and yank out the barrel/handguard meeting.

You need to use all kinds of handguards; they only 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. Be aware 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 would like an entire 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 considered one of their higher receivers. The most recent MI handguards have massive anti-rotation tabs, not like these utilized by the Air Pressure, so we minimize them down to suit with an finish mill and information, then hit it with Alumablack.

As an alternative of a 12.5-inch 5.56mm barrel, we fitted a 7.5-inch Faxon gunner profile barrel in .300BLK together with considered one of their gasoline blocks, topped off with a Midwest Industries muzzle gadget. The assembled higher went on considered one 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 had been very impressed with the Cry Havoc take-down system, particularly the constant locking levers, the two-piece gasoline 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 Equipment 2-Pin Army Mannequin
• MSRP: $425 with pistol, carbine, or mid-length gasoline tube; $435 with rifle-length gasoline tube
• URL: cryhavoctac.com

FoldAR

Accessible as an entire 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, good to suit right into a lunch box-sized bag — precisely just like the one which comes with it.

The FoldAR is an entire system, not a conversion, because it makes use of a proprietary higher receiver, handguard meeting, and adjustable gasoline block. True to its title, 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 motive, because it’s not simple to open with out it.

To deploy the FoldAR’s barrel, swing the barrel meeting ahead till it clicks in place. Be aware that as a result of the barrel swings into place reasonably 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 pliability of arranging the broken-down items nonetheless you’d like, it’s useful 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 technique would require modification of your bolt provider group, however since FoldAR produces full weapons they do the give you the results you want. As an alternative 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, nevertheless it 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 Battle Canine can. When not going suppressed, a sleeve matches 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 supply a folding system however as a substitute the power to rapidly 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 device.

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 the 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 gasoline tube from injury.

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

If you happen to’re performing a conversion, any caliber and barrel that’ll match into a regular AR-15 higher will work. There’s no complete record of handguards which can be appropriate 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 can be an inch additional alongside the barrel, because the rear of it now begins on the entrance of the takedown system reasonably than the receiver.

Our suggestion for the LEO TakeDown system could be to go together with a pre-converted higher receiver and barrel from the corporate, as set up is a prolonged course of and considerably completely 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 couple of flavors — as an entire higher (the Exodus proven right here) or a DIY equipment with or with out a handguard. Pantheon’s design encompasses 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 could clear the gasoline tube whereas rotating; the handguard is secured to the lock collar. Align the gasoline tube and barrel extension, lock collar, and tri-lug and slide it house 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 gasoline block and normal gasoline tube connected to it) rotates and is unfastened inside the lock collar and handguard meeting till it’s cranked into the tri-lug; Pantheon supplies a retaining ring for the equipment that slides over and bites into the barrel to seize it so it doesn’t slide round an excessive amount of. It is a little bit of an annoyance whereas your gun is torn down, although Pantheon’s molded gasoline tube cowl mitigates this whereas additionally defending your gasoline tube, which extends out fairly a bit.

For the reason that gasoline 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 gasoline tube that gained’t work. For the DIY equipment, you may select from handguards with and with out a prime rail from Pantheon or different roomy choices from corporations akin to Rock River Arms, YHM, and Distinctive ARs.

The Exodus full higher has some distinctive options in comparison with the equipment 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 gasoline tube. It’s at present supplied 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 hold of utilizing the DOLOS, you may muscle it into place. It’s a easy movement, simply insert and twist. Nevertheless, remember to go to the identical spot each time to your zero; we regularly missed it and needed to both sit on the decrease to get sufficient leverage for that final click on or redo it tougher (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