Some people have the mindset that all AR-15 rifles are created equal. They might think that aside from aesthetics, one is as good as any other. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Nonetheless, the firearms market is flooded with ARs, so a company has to start thinking outside the box to stand out. That is what Head Down Firearms has done. If you follow me on social media and listen to my podcast, you will have noticed that I have specific criteria for the experienced and novice shooter alike when it comes to setting up a rifle.
Rifles used for home defense, duty, or the ominous SHTF gun should have an optic, weapon mounted light, sling, back up iron sights, and be reliable as well as accurate. Enter Head Down Firearms based in Dallas, Georgia. I had the pleasure of meeting these guys at the Nation Rifle Association Annual Meeting in 2019, and they were kind enough to grant me an interview and tell me about their products. The OTG patrol rifle comes with all the accessories mentioned above. That’s right; an AR-15 with everything needed to make it a complete package, ready to go right off the shelf and into the patrol car or your home.
What’s more, this company is pricing these complete rifles at a point where some companies put their base rifles at without even including iron sights. Here is a link so you can check it out for yourself: https://hdfirearms.com/hd15-otg-tactical-patrol-package-14-5-non-nfa/
Head Down provided me with one of their OTG Patrol Rifles to spend some quality time with and take to the range. I recently put 1,000 rounds through the rifle in about 2 hours. The gun ran like a sewing machine and was both reliable and accurate. Not a single failure in those thousand rounds. As a testament to the accuracy, Head Down provides a shot card with a 1-inch target they use to prove their sub-moa accuracy. I saw similar results during my testing. As you can see from the pictures, the shot card is attached to a quality control sheet where a single technician goes over every square inch of the rifle before it leaves the factory. You’re unlikely to see such care and attention to most homebrew DIY builds.
Suffice it to say that I endorse entirely Head Down Firearms. I have family who is in law enforcement, and I personally recommend AR-15 rifles for home defense. I would be happy to use their firearms myself, would recommend them to others, and would be confident knowing my family had a quality piece of kit on which to rely and bring the home at the end of their shift. I personally enjoy working with smaller companies in the gun industry. What makes this part of the job more enjoyable is when one of these smaller companies gets it right and is putting out a quality product that people deserve.
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