ArmaLite builds a dizzying selection of AR parts, assemblies, and complete rifles. This particular upper receiver assembly starts with an A4 flattop receiver and is kitted out with a chrome-lined, double-lapped full-profile 16″ barrel, an A2 front sight, a mid-length gas system and handguards, and an A2 flash hider.

The result is a compact but slightly heavy 16″ carbine upper which provides exceptional accuracy and heat stability in a package the same size (and price) as a generic M4 clone.

Mounting the Upper:

My entry-level lower receiver assembly has given me some grief in the past, and by ‘grief’ I’m talking about a defective chain-firing trigger and a recoil buffer that jumped its retaining pin and went walkies. After I installed an ArmaLite 2-stage trigger and re-fitted the buffer tube, these problems seem to be a thing of the past. Even so, I was delighted (and not a little bit relieved) that the ArmaLite upper attached to it quickly and positively.

The takedown pins lined up instantly and clicked firmly into place, and just as importantly they stay in place until it’s time to push them out. There’s only the tiniest bit of play between the upper and lower halves. Judging from how it shot at the range, I don’t think the play has much of an effect on accuracy.

I noticed that the outside thickness of the ‘mil-spec’ ArmaLite upper was about 1/32″ larger than the also supposedly ‘mil-spec’ lower receiver. This led me to wonder whether my dirt-cheap lower is actually ‘mil-spec’ in all its dimensions, or whether Xtreme Machining (who made the lower) might have cheated a little bit and cast it to a slightly smaller external dimension. Not being a machinist I’ll never know for sure, but I’d bet money that ArmaLite got it right.

Fit and Finish:

With a single exception, this ArmaLite upper displays superb fit and finish. All metal finishes are deep and even, and there are no visible tool marks to be found anywhere, inside or out. The charging handle was slightly stiff out of the box, but it lapped itself smooth after I fired a few magazines through the gun.

The only issue I discovered was a minor but irritating one: the fore-end halves aren’t held very firmly by the delta ring. While they’re in no danger of falling off, they rotate slightly  and rattle a bit. I added a Magpul MOE vertical foregrip, and it only made this more noticeable and irritating.

I’ve contacted ArmaLite for a fix or replacement, and I’ll keep you posted. Again, the “issue” doesn’t seem to negatively effect the rifle’s accuracy.

Sights And Scope Options:

This particular ArmaLite upper (catalog number U15A4CBA2) comes with a low-rise flattop receiver and an A2 front sight. Most shooters would probably choose to save $15.00 by swapping the A2 front sight for a low rail gas block. Flip-up front sights are cheap and widely available.

The receiver itself features six inches of indexed low-rise 1913 rail. It’s ready-made for a detachable carry handle or BUIS, and it’s also G2G for an Eotech or Aimpoint. They’ll co-witness with the A2 front sight, but a lower-1/3 co-witness (my preference) requires a riser mount.

I mounted a Leupold 1.25-4x, but my medium-height Warne 30mm rings left the scope mostly obstructed by the front sight. A low UTG riser was the cheapest solution, but I’m not thrilled that I had to bolt an extra quarter-pound of metal to the receiver.

Reliability:

Not much to report here. The ArmaLite upper fed, fired and ejected everything we could stuff into my Magpul magazines, from premium Hornady defensive and varmint ammo to Remington Green Box and even steel-cased Tula hollowpoints. I’ve never used the forward assist on any AR-15, and this upper receiver continued that exemplary tradition of positive chambering.

Ejection was also positive and enthusiastic. It turned out to be a little too enthusiastic for Joe Grine, who was shooting one lane to my right and got showered with hot brass (and steel) until we put a shell deflector partition between us.

Accuracy:

Extensive testing earlier this year proved that ArmaLite’s 1:9″ twist barrels perform best with 55-grain bullets. Luckily for everyone, these are the cheapest and most commonly available 5.56mm rounds available. When I tested a complete Armalite M-15 carbine, I averaged 1.5 MOA with cheap 55-grain commercial reloads, but I thought the gun could do better:

If I could test several brands of match-grade 55-grain ammunition, I would probably find one that prints 1.2 MOA with this rifle.

Was I right? No. I should have gone for 1.0 MOA instead. This upper consistently shot 1.2 MOA with Remington Green Box 55-grain FMJs, and slightly better with 53-grain Hornady Superformance loads. I usually accuracy-test rifles with a 9x scope, but Joe and I got groups like these with a 1.25-4x Leupold Tactical scope maxed out at 4x.

I’ll post a full review of the Leupold Tactical scope in the next few weeks (hint: OMFG), but here’s a nice picture of it to cut-n-paste into your Christmas List. Your wives can thank me later. And yes, you will be needing that riser mount (so to speak.)

It’s a marvelous piece of glass, but the Leupold’s relatively low magnification put us at a disadvantage when shooting for accuracy at 100 yards. With my mediocre eyesight, lovely cloverleaf groups at 50 yards opened up to 1.2″ groups at 100 yards. C’est la vie.

I also ran a box of the aforementioned 53-grain Superformance loads through it. They impacted slightly higher than the Remington Green Box, but they were only slightly more accurate and cost more than twice as much.

We also fired a handful of Hornady TAP defensive loads, which were (oddly) less accurate than the cheap Remingtons. Joe fired those without having much trigger time on the gun, and he attributed the lackluster results to ‘operator headspace error.’

I ‘m happy to shoot 1.2 MOA with cheap Remington Green Box all day long, exactly as this gun is set up right now. That’s more than satisfactory for a non-custom AR upper with a quick-handling tactical scope. The gun might shoot even better with a bigger scope and fancier ammo, but our next round of testing went in the other direction: the cheapest 5.56 ammo in the whole darned Internet, the dreaded steel-cased Tulammo hollowpoints.

These groups look pretty good, until you notice that they were fired at only 50 yards.

At $210 per 1,000 rounds delivered to your door, Tula ammo lets you stock up cheaply for whichever Maya Doomsday, Zombie Apocalypse or Skynet activation that you’re most afraid of. Tula ammo will let you shoot at T1 cyborgs, cannibalistic scavengers, or the living dead to your heart’s content. But it’s a good thing all these post-apocalypse aggressors are big targets: Tula ammo won’t hit anything smaller than a softball at 100 yards.

Leave it to the Russians to make ammo that turns your tackdriving AR into a bullet-spraying Kalashnikov. You gotta give it up for Tula, though, because this commercial ammo (manufactured for the American civilian market) is only 1/3 more expensive than Soviet-surplus 5.45×39 ammo.

I’m neither surprised nor disappointed by the Tula ammo’s crappy accuracy out of this exceptionally accurate upper receiver. In fact I’m pleased as punch that it functions with 100% reliability, and I can’t wait to blast through the rest of it and order more. (Tip o’ the hat to www.sgammo.com for some insanely low prices and quick, cheap shipping.)

Weight:

The ArmaLite’s heavy barrel and mid-length handguards inflicts a weight penalty of more than a pound over the thin and heat-sensitive barrel of an M4 clone. With a typical collapsible-stock lower receiver, your carbine will tip the scales at about 7.5 pounds empty. Remember that a loaded 30-round magazine weighs another pound, and choose your accessories carefully if you’re going for a lightweight CQB rifle!

With the exceptional accuracy this upper has demonstrated, I’m more inclined to build it out as a handy 16″ version of a Designated Marksman Rifle, and I’m seriously considering ditching my collapsible stock for a fixed A2 unit.

Summary:

A really cheap 5.56mm AR upper, assembled from unidentified parts by an anonymous builder, will run you a hair less than $450 if you’re lucky. You’ll get an unlined barrel thinner than a buggy whip, and if your luck holds it will function properly and shoot less than 3.5 MOA until the barrel heats up. You might even get a warranty, at least until the builder goes out of business.

For fifty bucks more (or $65 more for the A2 front sight) you can get an Armalite upper receiver like this one. You’ll get 1.5 MOA or better accuracy from a double-lapped chrome-lined barrel that won’t overheat, all with 100% reliability and a lifetime warranty from a manufacturer that’s been in the AR business since the very beginning.

Your mileage may vary, but I know how my dollars would vote.

Specifications
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO/.223 Remington
Barrel: Chrome-lined 16” full-contour (.750″ diameter at the gas port), 1:9″ twist
Gas Tube: mid-length, 11”
Feed Ramps: enlarged M4 style
Finish: Hard-anodized alloy receiver, manganese-phosphate barrel and bolt carrier, black stock furniture (O.D. Green available)
Rear Sights: None (flattop upper receiver with no integral riser)
Front Sights: A2 front sight
Price: $515.00 plus shipping ($500 without the A2 front sight)

RATINGS (Out Of Five)

Accuracy ****1/2
What’s wrong with a 16” barrel that puts you in the hunt for 1.0 MOA? Absolutely nothing.

Reliability ****
100% reliability with good, bad and just plain ugly ammo. When we finish the crate of Tula I’ll add another star.

Fit And Finish ***1/2
Good machine work and deep, even metal coatings. Subtract a star (for now) for the rattly handguards.

Overall ****
100% reliability and bolt-action accuracy from a competitively-priced (but heavy) AR upper.

The AR-50 is a single shot bolt action rifle chambered for the .50 Browning Machine Gun round, also known as 12.7x99mm NATO, which is basically a scaled-up .30-06 Springfield cartridge. While a .30-06 or even a .308 has sufficient ballistic properties to be effective at 1,000 yards, the fact that a .50 BMG projectile is about six times as heavy as either one means that it maintains its velocity better over large distances.

To fire that heavier round, everything about this gun has been super-sized. The rifle (when fully assembled) tips the scales at 33.2 pounds. With a 30″ barrel, the ArmaLite AR50′s almost 60 inches long. In an attempt to make this rifle fit in the trunk of a car, you can partially remove the stock—making the gun only about 50 inches long. Rifle cases? I’ve got a few. But then again, too short to mention. The ArmaLite AR50 made the trip from my apartment to my trunk wrapped in a green wool blanket as I nodded nonchalantly to my neighbors.

The rifle’s massive weight and recoil present a number of problems, such as finding a strong enough bipod to hold the thing up and keeping the rifle on target. ArmaLite included a couple bells and whistles to mitigate these issues: a massively strong bipod (to hold it up), a gigantic muzzle brake (to lessen the recoil), and an adjustable rear monopod (to keep the rifle on target). The muzzle brake is standard equipment, but the front bipod and rear monopod are options ArmaLite offers.

The sighting system can be adjusted to suit the shape of the shooter’s face. ArmaLite placed the scope mount (with built-in 15 MoA tilt for longer distance shooting) in a fixed position on the top of the receiver. They also installed an adjustable cheek piece. Just loosen a couple of bolts and that sucker can accommodate any size face, from Laurel to Hardy. Even the buttplate (complete with an inch or so of recoil absorbing rubber) is adjustable depending on the shooter’s preference.

While it may not be obvious (or very easy to use), there is in fact a safety on this gun. The firing pin extends beyond the end of the bolt. It has a metal flag protruding from it which can be shifted onto a cutout in the bolt that prevents the firing pin from striking the primer of a chambered round, much like the safety on a Mosin Nagant. Also like the the Nagant, the ArmaLite’s safety’s very stiff and somewhat difficult to use. But it’s reassuring to have something mechanical to help prevent a negligent discharge from occurring while sighting in on a target—other than my wonderful trigger discipline.

The bolt, just like everything else on this rifle, is massive. The shiny bolt in the picture is from an aforementioned Mosin Nagant (1928), which until now has been the largest gun in my collection.

The AmraLite AR50′s action is butter smooth. There’s no magazine on the gun and therefore no follower to get in the way. Cycling the bolt is effortless. Even after 60 rounds of dirty machine gun grade ammo the bolt moved back and forth with ease. Closing the bolt is a little stiff, but not much worse than a standard Mosin action.

Ejecting the spent round is easier than putting it in. The extreme taper on the .50 BMG case means that it slides right out of the chamber. The AR-50′s extractor and ejector work together to dump the brass in a nice pile next to the shooter.

When you’re behind this rifle and getting ready to fire, everything just feels right. The massive bipod keeps the rifle rock steady when it’s shouldered, the rear monopod keeps it on target, and the rubber grip feels like it was molded just for me. And then you put your finger on the trigger.

At first, the trigger feels awful. The actual piece of metal you put your finger on is boxy and rough on the sides, nothing like the pleasant rounded and smooth feeling of ArmaLite’s National Match AR-15 A2‘s two-stage trigger. The AR50′s go-switch is also very tough; the company says it’s 5 lbs but it feels a touch heavier.

The break, however, is crisp and sharp. It’s a single stage trigger; there’s no creep whatsoever. It only moves after it releases the firing pin. Ignoring the weight and texture of the trigger I’d rank it right up there with the “world’s best” Timney trigger I reviewed last week, if not better.

Click here to view the embedded video.

You’d expect the recoil from this monster to be horrendous. In reality it’s quite pleasant. The kick feels more like a firm shove, heavier than a Mosin but less painful (thanks to the rubber recoil reducing buttplate, as opposed to the steel buttplate on a Mosin). After 60 rounds, my shoulder wasn’t the least bit sore from firing it.

Despite the negligible recoil, my shoulder was in fact killing me by the end of the day. The pain wasn’t caused by the recoil. It came from lugging this massive chunk of metal around all day. The 33-pound ArmaLite AR50 is closer to a deck gun or field artillery than a man portable rifle; it should have wheels and a horse. It’s not so heavy as to be impossible to move, just difficult. Most of that weight is due to an extra thick barrel, specially designed to not deform when firing (much unlike this PSL).

The only other issue I had with the AR50 was the caliber. 50 BMG is a superb long distance round, but choosing to fire something that big has consequences. Quantico is the only range within 100 miles that will let me shoot it, and even there Range 4 is the only range with an SDZ (Surface Danger Zone) large enough to handle it (which is only open a couple days each year to fiddy cal for civvies). That severely limits the number of days I can take this thing to the firing line. The price of ammunition (which starts around $4/round for the cheap stuff) limits my ability to send rounds downrange even further.

The AR-50 was designed to do one thing and do it well: hit targets at extreme ranges. According to their 1999 press release, the rifle is an ” . . . economical, accurate rifle for shooters interested in the challenges of long range shooting.” And that’s all it does. It’s a highly specialized piece of equipment with limited use. But where it’s useful, it’s perfect. It’s precisely the right tool for the job: punching precision holes in far away targets.

ArmaLite AR-50 Rifle

Specifications
Caliber: .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG)
Barrel: 30″ Chrome Moly, 8 grooves, 1:15″ twist
Size: 59.5″ overall length (49.33″ without rear assembly)
Weight: 33.2 lbs.
Operation: Single shot bolt action
Finish: Hard Anodized Aluminum, Manganese Phosphated Steel
Capacity: Single shot (one round)
MSRP: $3,359.00

Ratings (Out of Five Stars)

Accuracy: * * * * *
ArmaLite claims somewhere between .7 and .8 MoA accuracy, and the results back them up. Even using machine gun grade ammunition this thing was putting rounds into a dinner plate sized target at 1,000 yards.

Ergonomics: *
OH DEAR GOD this thing is heavy. Lugging it around a range is a great way to work out. If you’re doing something that requires a hike to get to the firing point, hire a Sherpa.

Ergonomics Firing: * * * * *
Almost everything that the shooter touches can be adjusted to fit their body, and the recoil isn’t nearly as bad as people think.

Reliability: * * * * *
There aren’t many things to go wrong with a single shot bolt action.

Customization: * * * * *
There’s no aftermarket doodads to add on, but the rifle will adjust to fit you no matter what size you are.

Rate of Fire: *
I’m adding this category because I just know that someone is going to mention a how a single shot bolt action is horrible for “tactical sniping” or something like that. All I have to say to you is “one shot, one kill.”

Overall Rating: * * * * *
Without a doubt the most accurate and furthest reaching rifle I have ever fired. Despite only being able to use it a couple times a year, those few rare moments of bliss on the 1,000 yard line make it all worth it.

For more information:

• ArmaLite’s website
• AR-50 User’s Manual
• The 1999 SHOT Show Press Release
• ArmaLite’s Key Characteristics data sheet
• Wikipedia

Pictures by Michael Dobbs and Nick Leghorn for The Truth about Guns.

I’ve been entered in a long range rifle competition this Sunday aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, a competition which STARTS at 800 yards and ends at 1,000. It’ll be the first time I’ve shot a 50 BMG rifle, the first time I’ve shot 1,000 yards, and the first time I’ve had a cheering section. I’ll be bringing Ben Shotzberger with me this weekend to get the feel of a competition (don’t tell him, but he’ll be lugging the rifle and the mini bar around).

Don’t worry, we’ll post plenty of pictures and video of the event. Until then, enjoy some beauty shots of this beast of a rifle. There’s a picture down there with a Mosin bolt for comparison. Epic.

ArmaLite would like you to know that they’re offering a limited run of AR-10 1913 Carbines. So now you know. The AR-10A4CBNF 1913 features a National Match two-stage trigger, 16″ barrel, 1913 quad rail handguard, Picatinny gas block, Flattop Picatinny upper receiver, forward assist and collapsible stock. “Compact yet rugged, this AR-10 is perfect for both tactical and sporting uses,” ArmaLite proclaims, failing to use TTAG’s preferred euphemism for assault rifles (home defense gun). And just in case you think we’re craven bastards willing to whore ourselves to anyone who’ll loan us a weapon, TTAG’s got an AR-10 review in the works. Our next newest writer, Captain John Raguso, is stoked.

Earlier today, Charles Blackwell at Sharp Shooters Knife & Gun told TTAG that Governor Rick Perry used a less-than-ideal gun for shooting a coyote. Blackwell recommended an AR-15 instead. And then Arthur Steadman at ArmaLite sent us a heads-up on the Illinois’ gunmaker’s limited run AR-10 chambered in .243 Winchester. “High speed and accuracy make this one perfect for game, including deer and coyotes,” Arthur wrote. How about a varmint-killing shoot-out between Ruger’s Coyote Special, an AR-15 of some sort and ArmaLite’s new AR-10? The mnemonically-challenging AR-10A4243BF brings some goodies to the game: ArmaLite’s two-stage tactical trigger, a 20” match grade chrome moly barrel, Picatinny gas block, flattop Picatinny upper receiver and forward assist. You pays your money ($1,557 msrp) and you gets one five-round magazine and one 10-round mag. AR-10 fanatics will remind us that ArmaLite sold one of these (or more) six years ago. Retro in the AR world? Man do I feel old.

Arthur Steadman over at ArmaLite gave us the heads-up on Illinois bill HB5751. State rep Edward “Go F— Yourself” Acevedo is the author of this little-known edict. Once thought dead ‘n buried, the legislation that would ban the sale and possession of semi-automatic handguns and the sale or manufacture of .50-caliber weapons is currently lingering in limbo (Final Action Deadline Extended-9(b) May 28, 2010). We’ll circle back in a week to see what’s what. Meanwhile, click here for smorgasbord of gun control legislation making the rounds in Illinois (so to speak). And here’s the wording on HB5751 . . .

Amends the Criminal Code of 1961. Provides that 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a semi-automatic assault weapon, an assault weapon attachment, any .50 caliber rifle, or .50 caliber cartridge. Provides that beginning 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered, sold, purchased, or possessed a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a person who possessed a prohibited weapon, device, or attachment before the effective date of this amendatory Act if the person has provided proof of ownership to the Department of State Police within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides that on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, such person may transfer such device only to an heir, an individual residing in another state maintaining that device in another state, or a dealer licensed as a federal firearms dealer. Specifies penalties for violations. Provides exemptions. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Back in the day, stoners contemplated life’s mysteries from a tetrahydrocannabinol-enhanced perspective. So enabled, they’d confront cosmic karma with a simple statement: “that’s heavy.” Heavy was deep. Heavy was good. Even when it wasn’t. “Dude, your landlord’s here to throw you out.” “Whoa. That’s heavy.” Heavy was important. And then Japanese products invaded the America. Suddenly, small was beautiful. The Sony Walkman was infinitely better than the ‘rents entertainment center and the Honda Accord could run circles around a Buick. But something important was lost. Stuff became insubstantial. Cheap. Disposable. I first experienced the unbearable lightness of being when the computer guy threw out my Apple II’s motherboard, shoved in another one and called it good. Thank God for the AR 24-15C. In a world of cheap plastic guns (now including revolvers), it’s heavy, man.

An unladen AR 24-15C tips the scales at a Biggest Loser early episode-like 34.9 ounces. That’s 2.18125 pounds or 989.398357 grams. Now I could compare the AR 24′s poundage to another, infinitely more popular full-size 9mm gun, like, say, the Glock 17L. That wouldn’t be fair. Glock’s largest polymer pistol is a bantamweight ballistic bruiser at just 23.6 ounces. But the contrast would highlight the fact that the AR 24 is as much of a concealed carry weapon as a Louisville Slugger, which weighs some 3.9 ounces less than ArmaLite’s imported pistol.

But before I do the right thing and compare the AR 24′s heft to the gun whose design inspired it (the CZ 75) let’s switch to the world of “Health Optimizers.”

Vega is a Complete Wholefood Health Optimizer – an all-in-one, natural plant-based formula that provides 100% RDI of vitamins & minerals per serving . . .

Over the past 50 years, our Western culture has managed to complicate matters concerning diet and its relation to health. Obesity and malnourishment exist simultaneously while the over-consumption of calorie-rich but nutrient-poor foods drain our energy. To make matters worse, we treat obesity with drugs and fad diets and combat fatigue with refined carbohydrates, sugar and caffeine. These are short-term solutions that eventually render us energy depleted, over-stimulated, chronically stressed and vulnerable to illness and premature aging.

A $57.69 bottle of Vega weighs exactly the same as the AR 24-15C: 34.9 ounces. Question: which one of these products is more likely to save your life? Despite its mental association with the worst car ever built this side of the Iron Curtain, I’m thinking Vega. Unless someone other than the fast food industry is trying to kill you. Of course, you could use both. Pop a Vega to combat combat fatigue and shoot a life-or-death attacker with the ArmaLite AR 24-15C. In the reverse order, obviously.

I digress. But only slightly. The point I’m making here: the AR 24 is a gun. Yes, it’s heavy. But it’s a gun. Which is a whole better than a bottle of really expensive vitamins or a baseball bat when you need a gun. If you live in a place where you can open carry a small boat anchor in a hip holster, you’re good to stow. OK, you’d probably want a .45 in that case. And yet . . . 15 rounds of 9mm is pretty damn helpful when push comes to shove.

Bottom line: the AR 24 may be (i.e., is) too heavy for daily carry, but it’s an extremely useful thing to have as a home defense weapon. And it’s feels right at home, home on the range.

Where was I? Right. The handgun manufactured by the artist formerly known as the Czech Republic, the CZ 75, weighs an incredibly hefty 39.52 ounces, beze projektil. That’s 4.62 ounces heavier than the ArmaLite (by name, not by nature). So is it Czech mate for the AR 24? I’m going with yes. The CZ’s some heavy shit. But Mark Westrom’s AR 24 is some seriously heavy shit.

Why wouldn’t it be? ArmaLite’s CEO is OCD, in a good way. The AR 24 traces its roots to Mark Westrom’s visit to gun maker Sarsilmaz Silah Sanayi in Istambul (no you can’t go back to Constantinople). When the American AR-meister had a close encounter of the Turkish Army-spec 9mm kind, and clocked the corporate cleanliness of the company’s factory, Westrom thought “what the hell’s a croissant got to do with the Turks?”

No wait; it was something about “the last one to tool-up gets the best machines.” Bonus! The proto-AR 24 was made from forged steel, baby. Cast aside your preconceptions: forged steel may be old-fashioned, but it’s completely  bad ass. If you want a handgun that takes a lickin’ and keeps on shootin’, I say forge ahead.

Sure, the result is a heavy gun (did I mention that?). But Westrom grooved on the firearm’s silky smooth action and the fact that it’s a perfect pistol for pistol-whipping. I mean, it makes the AR 24 an incredibly stable, reliable weapon. Needless to say, Mark modified the Turkish design. He added a new grip and some obscure bits and pieces and a non-legend was born. For reasons that have nothing to do with quality and everything to do with image.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Not to make light of the Geneseo gunmaker’s marketing mavens, ArmaLite is known for its “modern sporting rifles.” Stretching the brand to include pistols was, well, a stretch. To really light a fire in the market, the light arms maker needed to create a handgun with as much of a kick-ass Unique Selling Point (USP) as their AR 15-based weaponry, whose stap-line is “the style of technology.” In keeping with the motto’s mantra, Westrom told me the AR 24′s USP is “elegant design.” It’s a beaut all right, but I respectfully disagree.

The really cool thing about the AR 24 is . . . its weight. More weight = less recoil = muzzle flip = more accuracy + faster target re-acquisition. In other words, wIth so much gun in your hand, the AR 24′s barrel doesn’t leap about like a freshly landed marlin. Follow-up shots are plenty damn quick. That’s a good thing when you’re trying to hit something/someone more than once (highly recommended), and have so many bullets at your disposal. Accuracy makes each bullet that much more useful.

It’s worth repeating: whether it’s a polymer pistol or a Howitzer, hitting what you’re aiming at is the name of the game. The shooters who sampled the AR 24 at the American Firearms School all managed to achieve nice tight groupings—and they placed the bullets close to each other (ba-doom-BOOM).

About that grip. I love it. It feels as good in my hand as, uh, things that feel good in my hand. The AR 24-15C adds 20 lpi checkering on the forestrap and backstrap. One of the American Firearm dudes was not a fan of the grip or the special effects, but Wayne’s got huge mitts. One of my non-pro cohorts also frowned at the AR 24′s love handle, but Alex has tiny hands. Everyone else struggled to express their pleasure without deploying ye olde glove fit analogy. As I indicated above, I’m not going there. Cough. Condom. Cough.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also on the positive side, you can [barely] carry the AR 24 1911-style: “cocked and locked.” Unlike the 1911, you can retract the slide and extract the bullets with the hammer cocked and the safety engaged. In case you were wondering. Meanwhile, there’s another consideration: trigger reset.

There’s a lot of slack in the AR 24′s go button. And it’s not the world’s smoothest trigger. Westrom made a conscious decision in this regard. He views “instant on” guns like the Glock as inherently dangerous, and offers a YouTube link to an accidental police discharge to prove his point. But the AR 24′s trigger reset adds another mental element to the firing process. Your friendly neighborhood gunsmith awaits.

Suffice it to say, make sure the AR 24′s grip and trigger action feel right to you before plunking down $631. Yes, there is that. The AR 24 may “only” be a hundred bucks or so more than the CZ 75 (which is not nearly as well made), but it’s still a pricey piece in a market with a farrago of more useful (i.e. smaller, lighter, cheaper) 9mm guns. Customizability? Nada. If you did want to throw your hip out by dropping this bad boy into an existing, custom-fit holster, you’re SOL.

ArmaLite reports that the shorter-barreled, slightly lighter versions (the AR 24K-13 and 13C) are outselling the full-size AR 24-15s. The customer is always right. Sacrificing a couple of bullets shouldn’t significantly degrade the gun’s aesthetic appeal, accuracy or feel—even as it vastly increases the weapon’s utility.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that ArmaLite’s having another go. By the end of the year, the Illinois importer will be selling a Westrom-designed .45. After that, expect a scaled-down .40 caliber variant. Both in full-size and short-barreled iterations.

Go short. A compact ArmaLite 40-cal AR somethingorother will provide its owners with a tankelegant design (those .40 bullets can be pretty spicy), hand-happy heft, ballistic stopping power, concealed carry compatibility and a lowish cost of operation. As for the AR 24-15C, it’s a firearm that hearkens back to the days when weight indicated solidity and, equally important, long-term durability. It’s a quality that seems to have been lost in a world birthed by a single word: “plastics.”

I reckon the weight’s been worth the wait. Or vice versa. In any case, the AR 24 is a welcome addition to the ArmaLite canon. So to speak.

Model: AR-24 Full Size Pistol with serrations on front & rear strap, fixed sights
Caliber: 9mm
Barrel: 4.671″ Machined from Alloy Steel Forging
Rifling Twist: 6 Groove, RH 1:16″ Cut Rifling
Rear Sight: Fixed, 3 Dot Luminous
Trigger: 12 lbs Double Action, 5.5 lbs Single Action
Overall Length: 8.27″
Weight: 34.9 oz
Finish: Manganese Phosphate, Heat-Cured Epoxy

RATINGS
(Out of five stars)

Style * * * * *

If you like this sort of thing, you’ll love this design.

Ergonomics (carry)

Only Turkish soldiers need apply.

Ergonomics (firing)  * * * * *

Smooth as a baby’s arm holding an apple. Wait, I mean, a baby’s butt. Extremely easy to achieve accuracy.

Reliability * * * * *

Built like a brick shit house by a company that knows the meaning of the word quality.

Customize This

Nope.

OVERALL RATING * * * *

Not sure what the AR 24′s for, exactly. Your go-to nostalgia piece? A Harley-Davidson-like deal (only it doesn’t break down all the time). But I wouldn’t begrudge anyone who’s carrying one.

[Click here to link to ArmaLite's AR 24-15C page]