Rifles & Carbines | S.W.A.T. Magazine

NEW PISTOL-CALIBER CARBINE: Lone Wolf Distributors Alphawolf .45 PCC

Pistol-caliber carbines are not a new invention. Cowboys, lawmen, outlaws, and citizens had them with their revolvers and rifles chambered in .44-40, .38-40, or .32-20. In the early 2000s, we saw the development of the first true pistol-caliber carbine, at least by American standards. Marlin developed the Camp Carbine that fed off of 1911 magazines…

IDF COMBAT RIFLE WITH A TWIST: IWI Tavor X95 Bullpup .300 BLK

One must ask why Israel decided to invest the time and effort to develop the Tavor X95, especially considering they were being handed M16s as if from a Pez dispenser via generous U.S. aid packages. I will address why I believe the reason is because the X95 is a viable alternative to the typical AR…

USSOCOM UPPER RECEIVER: Geissele URGI

For the last two decades, I have looked at the 5.56mm carbine through the optic of a patrol rifle. It started in 1995 during my first police carbine school, then continued during a remote class Clint Smith taught at my home range shortly afterward. The North Hollywood bank robbery solidified that optic in 1997, when…

RIFLE SET-UP: Mission vs. Situation

When conducting direct-action missions to take down buildings or compounds, the norm is to expect a close-quarters combat (CQB) fight. This makes the typical choice a shorty carbine with some sort of red dot optic. The reasoning is a short weapon length is best for use in confined spaces and a red dot or holographic…

BIG-BORE BLASTER: Ruger AR-556 MPR in .450 Bushmaster

Last year Ruger added a model to their AR-556® MPR line chambered for the .450 Bushmaster cartridge. The company’s Ruger American Ranch chambered for that cartridge has been one of Ruger’s best-selling rifles, so it only made sense to bring one out in the popular AR platform. In fact, this is the platform the cartridge…

WORTH THE WAIT: FN SCAR 20S Rifle

Rumors have swirled at every SHOT Show for years that the Designated Marksman Rifle version of the SCAR MK 17 was in the works. Now, after all the years of anticipation, the FN SCAR 20S is here for the commercial market. A Limited Edition SCAR 20S package will be offered featuring a hard case full…

WHEN SIZE MATTERS: SIG Sauer MCX Rattler SBR

Photos Courtesy SIG Sauer The SIG Sauer MCX Rattler is one of the coolest new kids on the block. Billed as the “world’s smallest rifle,” it was designed from the ground up to be as discrete as possible while retaining all the capabilities of the company’s MCX platform. SIG MCX RATTLER The MCX Rattler has…

SHORT BARREL, BIG PERFORMANCE: POF-USA P415 Edge Pistol

Photos by Josh Locatis The wait is finally over. Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF-USA) has entered the AR pistol market, and in a big way. The company is now offering all its models in compact pistol variants. As a result, the company’s Renegade, Renegade+, P415, P308, and award-winning Revolution can now be had in short-barreled configurations…

SAINT OR SINNER? Springfield Armory SAINT Pistol in .300 BLK

I was scratching my hairless head trying to figure out how another AR platform could be so successful in a field inundated with numerous variations on Eugene Stoner’s military rifle. The Springfield Armory (SA) SAINT™ AR-15 rifle is a rookie in a population of very mature antecedents, but it has rapidly captured a much respected…

RETRO RIFLE: Brownells BRN-10

In modern parlance, when someone says “AR-10,” they are likely talking about a larger receiver than the smaller, more commonly encountered AR-15. Younger shooters may not even know much about the original AR-10. A BIT OF HISTORY The AR-10 was created by Eugene Stoner in the late 1950s at the firm of ArmaLite—then a division…