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So After waiting.........and waiting..........and waiting, my tax stamp came back a little over a week ago, and my upper came in this morning.

this is the Faxon Firearms ARAK-21, basically its an improved AK style gas system married into a reciever that can drop onto any mil-spec AR receiver. These uppers also feature a quock change barrel system that can be converted to any other barrel the company makes in about 60 seconds. other features include an adjustable gas system and because the Faxon uppers are self contained and don't require a buffer or spring to operate I have outfitted this rifle with a folding stock adapter featuring a Magpul MOE stock. this is my initial post here, and once i get a chance to go out and test this thing i will post some pics and video. for now you can drool over these:





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hey all,

As promised , i finally got out to the range to sight in and do a full review on the Faxon ARAK-21 SBR with the 12.5" Heavy 5.56 barrel.

First impressions:

Upon building the SBR (after an 8 month wait for ATF to send me my stamp) the first thing that you notice is the quality of the upper, Faxon machines their uppers to a very tight spec and the fit on my lower has zero wobble and no rattling. it is fairly heavy for a firearm of its size, some people would be put off to it, however im 6 foot and 260lb, so for me personally the weight is not an issue, and in my case a good thing (more on that later). Because the Faxon is essentially an AK47 style piston system married to an AR it does not require a buffer tube (or buffer and spring) and can be outfitted with a folding stock system, and fired with the stock folded. charging the rifle (done like an HK, with the nonreciprocating charging handle up front, and yes it is ambidextrous) is buttery smooth, part of this is because the bolt rides on heat treated steel rails inside the upper. So just by holding it in my hands i was able to decipher that this rifle is: Solid, Versatile, and smooth. Then it was off to the range to put it through its paces



How it Shoots:

The first time i was able to shoot this rifle was at twilight the day i married the upper and lower. this was destined to be a very quick shoot since we did not have much light left. Because of this i figured that the rifle was going to produce some very nice fireballs and she did not disappoint. I shot 5 different types of ammo through it and after adjusting the gas system for each one they all ran flawlessly, the biggest fireballs were produced by the federal XM193 and the Wolf was a close second. this is a video of the wolf being shot:


After running a couple magazines the two most notable things about this rifle was: the lack of any significant recoil, and the concussion/sound of the muzzle blast and the rifle cycling. in fact it takes some getting used to shooting this rifle because it feels like your holding a standard AR right up until you pull the trigger, when you find out it does not act like an AR at all. the first thing you notice is the huge fireball/concussion, it is deafening, and my GF was standing 30 feet away from me and could still feel its roar in her stomach. The second thing you notice, after hearing the thunderclap at the end of the barrel is the disproportional lack of recoil, when i shoot something that roars that loud i expect it to kick. NOT THE ARAK!!!!

the system is buttery smooth and the sights stay right where they were before you pulled the trigger, allowing for very quick and deadly accurate follow up shots (should you need them). I attribute this lack of recoil to three factors: the first is that the ARAK is kinda heavy for a gun its size, not outrageously heavy, but noticeable enough. The second is the muzzle brake, the standard Faxon brake, even though it does not look like much, is very good at diverting the gasses up to keep the barrel right where it was. Third (and this is probably the most important factor) the lack of the buffer spring and buffer in the tube, there is far less weight moving around inside this gun compared to a standard AR. One thing that you dont notice until you shoot the Faxon is the amount of noise your buffer spring makes as the rifle is cycling, one more thing that the ARAK adds as a "creature comfort" if you will.

There is so little recoil with this rifle that when we attempted to put the slidefire stock on the lower it would not "bump" due to the lack of recoil, in order to make it work with the slide fire i will have to get a super lightweight trigger, and even then no guarantees it will work.


Accuracy:

At 50 yards i was able to shoot the grouping in the picture below, i will be the first to admit, i jerked number 5 and the placement on the paper was sheer dumb luck, the first 4 shots are in a group about the size of a quarter (just slightly bigger than a quarter). the ammo used in this test was 62 gr reloads that i make at home using pulldown bullets, not bad for pulldowns to be honest.

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Ammo selection:

The rifle chewed up everything i fed it: Wolf, my reloads, Factory brass ammo, ETC. and ran all of it like a champ. Now the rifle does have an adjustable gas system and certain ammo cycles on different settings, my reloads and the brass ammo like the mid setting, whereas the wolf liked the high setting, obviously if you throw a can on it that will change the settings as well. the manufacturer recommends running it at the lowest setting you can cycle it, so as to avoid excessive wear to the system.

Bottom Line:

unfortunately i was unable to cover one of the biggest selling points of this upper and that is the quick change barrel system, im still waiting for them to release the 12.5" .300 blk barrel, and when they do that i will do a report on it as well.

The ARAK-21 is a dream to shoot. It is smooth, has virtually no recoil, and is deadly accurate. this has to be one of the best purchases i have ever made and has become the new favorite in my stable. I highly recommend taking a look at the ARAK-21 before purchasing any other "next gen" rifle like the SCAR or ACR. The price point may seem high at $1200, however it is much better than paying $2000+ and it drops on to your standard AR lower without any modifications in seconds. the Two Barrel Combo (with the .300 barrel, which they currently offer in 16" and 20") is only $1459 which is like getting 2 rifles in one.


For more info visits Faxonfirearms.com

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Since I saw these uppers come out in recoil mag I have been drooling over one.. I better never meet you in person and shoot it.. I wont be able to tell my self no if that happens! That is a beautiful and sexy gun there. Very nice!
 
Since I saw these uppers come out in recoil mag I have been drooling over one.. I better never meet you in person and shoot it.. I wont be able to tell my self no if that happens! That is a beautiful and sexy gun there. Very nice!

There is a shop in Eugene that has 3 of them in stock for sale with 3 more on the way (full disclosure: i work there:) cant say where as that would be against forum rules. but just know that they are available in OR. and yes worth every penny in my opinion and better than most of the next gen rifles on the market currently. here is a video i found showing off the SBR (in HD):

Instructor Stephen Pineau's First Impressions, Faxon ARAK-21 - YouTube
 
I have been eyeing the ARAk for some time now, wish I could do an SBR but I live in Woosington so that is not an option. I think the 16" med will be my next rifle set up after I get done dressing the Tavor I just ordered.

Nice review thanks for taking the time.
 

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