I’ll be honest: I was unimpressed the first time I saw the ACR from Bushmaster. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Meh, whatever.” To be fair, it takes a lot to impress me these days, and so many of the newer firearms today remind me of ray guns from a Buck Rogers comic strip from the 1960s. The older I get, the more I’m into the “Retro” scene.
When my buddy asked me if I wanted to check out his ACR, I didn’t want to be impolite, so I picked it up to give it its due attention. Upon shouldering the rifle, I noted that it felt extremely…right. It just felt good in that it balanced really well and pointed so naturally. It was pretty neat.
The pistol grip was comfortable, as were the forward handguard and the stock. All told, this rifle had extraordinary handling characteristics. Okay, I must admit that someone had done his homework when designing this rifle.
Operation & Features
The ACR is a short-stroke piston-driven system with a rotating bolt similar to the AR-15. When the action is worked, the bolt moves through the receiver with amazing smoothness. In fact, I had to cycle the action several times just to enjoy that smoothness.
From what I can gather, the ACR (Adaptive Combat Rifle) came into existence to nudge the AR-15/M16 out of its role as the US general issue combat rifle. And it does bring some novel approaches to the table. However, does the ACR succeed in making the M16/M4 obsolete? Let’s see.
This rifle weighs a little over 8.5 pounds, so it’s heftier than a standard AR15. This weight, though, does give the rifle a very solid, reassuring feel when the shooter is holding it. It also soaks up recoil.
A useful aspect is that the rifle can be field stripped and the barrel switched out in seconds. If the user desires, he can swap to different barrel lengths or configurations without much frustration. I can’t say the same is true for a standard AR.
The Stock
The stock deserves special mention for its adjustability. It can be adjusted to seven different positions, offering a lot of versatility. It’s far more comfortable than it appears in photos. The comb is also adjustable and can be raised and lowered to accommodate various heights depending on your needs. Finally, the stock can be folded over to the side of the receiver, making this an extremely compact rifle. All in all, it’s one of the best stocks I’ve ever used on a plastic black rifle.
Magazines
Much to my surprise, the Bushmaster ACR utilizes AR-15/M16 magazines, which makes me happy because they are ridiculously abundant and inexpensive. There’s something to be said for being able to stock up on piles of magazines for one’s choice of weaponry. Plus, with the various platforms that take these nearly universal magazines, they can be used for a number of our weapons.
Controls
Most of the controls on the ACR are ambidextrous, including the magazine release, bolt release, and selector switch. However, the charging handle is not ambidextrous and is located above the hand guard on the left side, which resembles the charging handles of the Heckler & Koch MP5 and HK91/93 series of weapons.
The location for the charging handle isn’t bad, and it works well enough. Fortunately, it does not reciprocate when the weapon is firing.
The magazine release and the bolt release both work well and smoothly, so there are no complaints there, and they are easy to reach.
Pistol Grip and Trigger
Some thought went into designing the pistol grip, which was very comfortable and did its job well. It will fit a wide range of hands and fill the hand well.
The trigger on the Bushmaster ACR is crisp. I wouldn’t call it light, but overall, it was very good. It was superior to some of the AR15s that I’ve used and equal to others. This makes sense since some of the components used in the ACR are the same as in the AR15 trigger group.
Range Time
We didn’t have the time or chance to wring out every ounce of accuracy with the ACR on this particular range trip. We did, however, ring some steel, and out to 100 yards, the ACR did just fine.
Given the rifle’s substantial weight, the recoil was rather tame. The action was extremely smooth, and it was pleasant to fire. Reliability was 100%, which we expected.
The rifle we tested had no iron sights; however, a Sig Sauer red dot sight was mounted on top of the Picatinny rail that spanned the receiver and most of the barrel. That is a huge asset for mounting optics and all manner of iron sights.
The RDS allowed us to engage targets at medium range quickly and efficiently. The Sig RDS utilizes a 2-MOA dot, so a certain amount of precision can be achieved. Although such scopes aren’t intended to be very precise, they’re intended to allow fast engagement at CQB distances, and they do it well.
In Summation
Does the ACR render the M16/M4/AR15 obsolete? Despite what many want to believe, I don’t think it does. Yes, it’s a cool rifle with some great features. The stock is outstanding and very adjustable, but the controls, while good, don’t seem to be placed well enough to knock the M16’s controls out of first place as far as ergonomics are concerned. Further, the ACR is a little heavier than the M16/M4, and while that might help to reduce the recoil, it still provides troops with a heavier rifle to tote around, which saps energy.
All in all, this is one very modular rifle. It can mount any optics that you’d care to name, given its expansive Picatinny rail that spans not only the top of the receiver but also most of the barrel. It shoots smoothly and accurately, and rapid hits can be landed on the target.
Am I sold on the Bushmaster ACR? Well, it’s a nice rifle, but I’ll hang onto my AR-15, thank you very much. I guess I’m just an old dinosaur who resists change. On the other hand, the Stoner-designed AR-15 has been getting it done since the 1960s, so there’s nothing wrong with that. That said, the ACR will no doubt appeal to the younger generation.
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