Just about all of us have seen the Discovery Channel’s hit TV show, Future Weapons. Its very likely that just about as many people that have seen the show, want one of the weapons featured on the show. Well now thanks to Bushmaster Firearms International and Magpul Industries Corp., you can! Bushmaster will be teaming up with Magpul, a Colorado based company, to produce law enforcement and civilian versions of the Masada.
In a January ’08 press release Bushmaster announced that its new ACR (adaptive combat rifle) will be available for sale to law enforcement and civilians in the second quarter of 2008. Military versions of the ACR will be released in the 3rd quarter of 2008.
The Bushmaster ACR will keep the same basic design of the Magpul Masada with only a few advances such as a true ambidextrous charging handle and firing pin block for safety. Having a gas piston operating system, the ACR will be more reliable than the M16 series of rifles’ gas tube operating system. The ACR will also have a quick change barrel that requires no tools, as opposed to the M16’s need for a barrel wrench and vise. With a number of M16 parts that are compatible with this rifle and the controls’ similarities, the ACR will be easy to transition over to from the M16 series with little retraining required.
The Bushmaster ACR will be sold in three versions initially. The SPR ( Special Purpose Rifle) with precision rifle stock, the Standard Carbine with fixed stock, and the Entry Carbine with folding stock . All models will be supplied in the popular 5.56 NATO round.
Being the tactical fan that I am, I must thank Magpul for developing this magnificent firearm and Bushmaster for producing it. With two great companies such as Magpul and Bushmaster, teaming up could only lead to greater things. I look forward to the release and will be first in line at my local gun shop!
For more info and some great products check out Magpul Industries