SBI made this already. I personally can’t stand it and see it as an oversight in design and sloppy looking. No offence to them.
I think the ticket is redesign the bolt carrier to reduce its size thus making a smaller upper without sacrificing the ability for QD mounted optics or having a handguard that doesn’t match the rifle.
We, as Canadians have the talent to make some really nice looking black rifles. Look at the Canadian offerings we had before May 2020. Did we all just forget or just give up? A modern AR180 has so much potential, yet not a single Canadian manufacturer has tapped into it yet. I say this owning every one of them except the WK gen 2. So that’s the WK gen 1, the MCR with the spectre lower, both generations of the SBI and the Sterling. The Sterling is the closest, but for a rifle that size and weight and it’s not a 308 saddens me. SBI coming in second, they have saved a lot of weight and length on their lower, it just needs a proper magwell, a revision for beavertail grip, and a mag release fence. As mentioned before, their lower misses the mark imo. I’m hoping their BCG they talk about with require a different (smaller) upper.
I think what is lacking in the 180 market at this moment is the option for barrels. With all the receiver sets out there, it’s a struggle to find 18.6” barrels, especially ones with a lighter profile or fluted.
