TTAG gave away an IWI Galil ACE in 7.62×39 at this year’s Texas Gun Fest to one very lucky winner. It’s a truly great firearm, in essence a modernized AK-47 (read our review here). But for those who don’t feel like 7.62×39 has enough oomph, well, IWI US just announced that they’ve begun shipping the ACE chambered in 7.62×51/.308 Winchester. Their press release follows…
Harrisburg, Pa. (October 2016) – IWI US, Inc., a subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd., is pleased to announce that the new Galil ACE® Rifle in 7.62 NATO (7.62x51mm/.308 Win) is now shipping to distributors everywhere.
“The 7.62 NATO (7.62x51mm/.308 Win) is an extremely accurate cartridge with a lot of knock-down power and penetration. It’s a fantastic round for everything from big game hunting to long-distance shooting. It’s a cartridge that is worthy of the Galil ACE and we know gun enthusiasts everywhere are going to be excited to get their hands on this just in time for hunting season,” said Michael Kassnar, vice president of sales and marketing for IWI US.
Many improvements have been made since the original Galil was first developed. Weight has been reduced due to the use of high-impact polymers. Reliability has been improved by sealing the internal mechanism with a reciprocating charging handle cover, adding additional protection from sand and dirt. A full-length 2-piece Picatinny top rail has been added and a tri-rail has found its way under the plastic foregrip. Plus, slide on/slide off rail covers with pressure switch access have been incorporated. The Galil now has a folding adjustable stock with a 2-position removable cheek comb. The charging handle was moved to the left side of the receiver and the magazine release was made ambidextrous so that a shooter could change magazines without having to take the gun off target. The Galil ACE geometry was modified so that it could accept standard SR25 style PMAG®s. It features a trigger borrowed from the Galil sniper rifle and an improved gas tube that decreases barrel vibration and increases accuracy. The barrel is chrome lined and cold hammer forged.
Galil ACE Rifle in .308 Specifications:
Caliber: 7.62 NATO (7.62x51mm/.308 Win) Operating System: Closed rotating bolt, long stroke gas piston Magazine Type: MAGPUL LR/SR25 GEN M3 PMAG® Magazine Capacity: 20 rounds Barrel Material: Cold hammer forged, CrMoV, chrome lined Barrel Length: 16″ Overall Length: 36″ (Buttstock Unfolded and Collapsed) Weight: 8.7 lbs. w/o magazine Rifling: Right Hand, 1:12 inch twist Sights: Adjustable with Tritium front post and 2-dot Tritium rear aperture. MSRP: $2,099.00 Restricted States: Sales of this rifle may be restricted in certain states and the District of Columbia. Please check with your local authorities regarding your local firearms laws.
About IWI US, Inc.IWI US, Inc. is the USA based subsidiary of Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) Ltd. of Ramat Hasharon, Israel and a member of the SK Group, a leading defense and security group of companies that operate in the global Defense and Law Enforcement markets. The IWI US line of products includes several configurations of the TAVOR® X95™, TAVOR® SAR, Jericho® 941™ pistol, UZI® PRO pistol and Galil ACE® rifles and pistols.
For more information, visit IWI US Inc. at our website – www.iwi.us , on Facebook www.facebook.com/IWIUS – or contact us via email at: [email protected].
16 inch barrel length? Seriously? When are gun manufacturers going to realize that most people buying semi auto 308s are looking for a longer range gun and not just a bigger AK or AR?
The whole longer barrel equating to more accuracy is either a myth or makes a negligible difference and not worth mentioning. A longer barrel will give you that extra 400-600FPS and a flatter bullet but for battle rifle use, 16″ is an excellent length.
In hind sight, I would have got short versions of other rifles too.
My MBR is a 16″ .308 because the caliber is surplus, versatile, and 16″ is very maneuverable while bringing good range to the table. If I want to beat up paper passed 500 meters, I’ll get a cannon.
Add 5 or 6 ” to the barrel and not only is it a battle riffle, but can act as a sniper riffle in a dual role. Just my 2 cents worth. 🙂
Entirely different jobs – different tools required.
And if you add an 8″ long suppressor weighing 2 lbs, you might find that a bit difficult to handle at the end of a 22″ barrel. If I want a sniper rifle, I’ll buy one, but “one size fits all” doesn’t.
16″ is already has suitable power for DM purposes, if I wanted a sniper rifle, I would be looking at a bolt action in an entirely different caliber.
Whatever. Plenty of police snipers running 16″ bbls. I’m buying a .308 bolt gun soon that actually is used by some LEO snipers and it’s a 16″ gun. Made to have a can on the end. Plenty of modern loads designed to get up to speed in that amount of barrel, and many see non-appreciable gains from 18″ or 20″ barrels anyway. I’m willing to hold over slightly higher for the convenience of the smaller, lighter package.
Police “snipers” are more short-range marksmen than the long-range sniper ideal. I believe that their engagement range is around 50 yards on average. The lower velocity and less flat trajectory is completely inconsequential at that kind of range.
Come on, .308 gains on average like 21 fps per inch over 16 inches. Most loads gain 110 to 160 fps going from 16″ to 20″. You think that’s worth the extra barrel length? Heck, throwing a suppressor on that 16″ bbl gains a few of those fps back. At what distance am I supposed to be in need of that 100 fps (less than 4% gain) though? At any rate, let’s not pretend like a 16″ .308 is a 50-yard gun LOL. …or that I’m arcing the bullet in a big fat rainbow at 2600 fps but at 2700 it’s a laser beam…
Do police snipers with no need to shoot beyond 200 yards even qualify for the term ‘sniper’?
Most people getting into serious long range shooting don’t use a semi-auto. They use a multi-thousand dollar bolt gun with multi-thousand dollar optics.
IWI mainly does military weapons and civvie copies. Plus, this thing will have a realistic length of 24′ or more if you slap a can on it and really, why wouldn’t you?
IWI will be bringing in a 18 and 21 inch barrel as well. If you want to see them vote for Trump.
I am with Vhyrus: I want a 20 inch barrel. The entire point of moving up from 7.62 x 39 mm to 7.26 x 51 mm is to get a LOT more velocity at longer ranges, especially between 300 and 600 meters. That requires a LOT more muzzle velocity. And, you get more muzzle velocity with a longer barrel.
An extra 4 inches of barrel will boost muzzle velocity another, what, 350 fps? Otherwise, all you are getting is a heavier bullet (168 grain but the same diameter!) at regular 7.62 x 39 mm muzzle velocity with 125 grain bullets.
Sure, a heavier bullet at the same muzzle velocity is better. And it will retain its velocity a little bit better downrange. Why not add four inches of barrel and get a heavier bullet at a significantly greater muzzle velocity … and MUCH greater velocity downrange?
Note: longer barrels only improve accuracy if you are using iron sights because the longer barrel increases the sight radius.
Come on, .308 gains on average like 21 fps per inch over 16 inches. Most loads gain 110 to 160 fps going from 16″ to 20″. You think that’s worth the extra barrel length? Heck, throwing a suppressor on that 16″ bbl gains a few of those fps back. At what distance am I supposed to be in need of that 100 fps (less than 4% gain) though? , et’s not pretend like a 16″ .308 is a 50-yard gun LOL.
It’s ba-ack.
1- I love my Galil in 7.62×39. Reliable, eats everything, and well-balanced.
2- its about a 2 – 3 MOA gun, for the average person with average ammo (that is, not: $1/round Federal from a bench). By average person with average ammo, I mean me with Wolf FMJ. On a good day I can get 2 MOA from this rifle.
It’s a great gun! But while the accuracy is acceptable for 7.62×39, which drops like a stone after 200 meters, it just isn’t for a 308 IMO. And – 308 is much heavier recoil (which they’ve partly fixed with a muzzle brake on the 308 version) and more expensive to shoot.
In 308, a tack driver, this will not be. Perhaps 2 MOA in 308 will be perfectly acceptable for you. For me, I would not trade my 7.62×39 Galil for any other rifle. But if I wanted a 308, this would not be my first choice. 308 is a longer range flatter shooting cartridge, and I expect the rifle performance to match the capability.
American Rifleman got .83 MOA out of the Galil ACE using Federal. Just saying… Look up Gil Horman’s review.
I saw this review a while ago. I have been unable to replicate the results. Someone once told me my truck would get 50 mpg too. It’s true, but they forgot to note that its only true if I am in neutral going down a 12% grade.
1 MOA may be possible for this rifle, under exceptionally rare ideal circumstances. Like a unicorn, I have yet to see it.
The good news IMO is that I can get 2.5 MOA with Wolf FMJ, the cheapest ammo around. Even better, I get 2.5 MOA under just about any conditions – hot, cold, dirty, or clean. Or, without even trying very hard. And, zero failures in a case of ammo.
The expectation that every individual example of a mass-produced firearm will group just like every other is misplaced. Accuracy isn’t the #1 manufacturing concern of this firearm anyway, so it’ll probably have more variation than some.
All the more reason not to believe a .83 MOA from a review – manufacturing tolerances.
From what I have seen at the range, on the interwebs in forums, and from my own experience, 2-3 MOA is typical for the Galil.
As I said, this is good for a 7.62×39, but I would expect a lot better from 308.
Not that I have any experience with a Galil (coveteth one in 7.62×39 though I do…), but American Rifleman also wrote a slobberingly glowing review of the Remington R51. Just saying.
I’m guessing that this rifle greatly exceeds that standard, but other than as gun porn in the “thinking room” I take their reviews about as seriously as I take CNN or MSNBC stories on the election.
I really wanted a galil but that level of accuracy does not impress for the price. I ended up getting the mackdaddy mutant instead. It shoots 1 (ish) MOA all day long and has been utterly reliable.
OK but does it have last shot hold open?
No.
Took me a while to get used to this on the 7.62×39. The only real inconvenience is at one of the ranges I visit, they require an empty chamber indicator.
Follow rule #1, muzzle control. Assume the gun is loaded, don’t point it at anything unless you plan to destroy it.
The reality is that in a fight you won’t notice your bolt open. Gun will go “click” – whether the bolt is open or closed the result is the same.
$2099?
Does it have some gold in it somewhere? Like some gold trim or some platinum accents? It better have some precious metals in there somewhere.
Properly utilized it will grant you those things.
Chain snatchin’ is easy when this thing gets pointed out the window of a car. Gold, diamonds, wallets… anything else of value… like if you’re into sneakers, polos or 8 Ball jackets ROFL.
I saw that, too. DPMS GII has about 6-7 different iterations in .308 for that price or less, around 1 MOA, looks a lot better to me.
The last ACE caught heavy flack in my neck of the woods due to a general ignorance about the 7.62×39 and its designed capabilities. People had this goofy idea that surrounding the cartridge with $2,000 worth of gun would magically turn it into a match-grade round, even though the Galil has been a glorified AK since birth. I would love to see how this new ACE compares to a PTR-91, M1A, AR-10, or DSA FAL at the range. All four of those competitors can be had for way under $2,000.
Enjoying my Galil ACE x39 to no end. Might be a glorified AK but it sure as hell does it a lot better.
ouch, way too light for a .308. recoil is going to be unpleasant at best.
There are some M1A variants that weigh 0.9lbs less and don’t get complaints.
My Plain Jane M1A from Springfield weighs about 8.2 pounds according to my bathroom scale (average of the weights 5x with rifle, 5x without) and it’s perfectly fun and easy to shoot.
excited to get their hands on this just in time for hunting season Do the mean on Nov 9?
Zing!
My 16″ is much more capable than I am ( I know but I’m working on it )
Trading the added velocity for a shorter, stiffer barrel seems to be a decent trade off since we’re talking slight differences.
When I qualified in the Army in 1968, we shot at targets as far away as 400 yards. Easy to hit from the foxhole if you did your part. 4 inches of barrel adds lots of ability for no loss. Plus you are not blinded by the flash ball.