Bushmaster quietly adds 1:7 twist rate to ACR
One of the criticisms levied at the Bushmaster ACR by the internet gun community was that it was only available with a 1:9 barrel twist. Bushmaster has quietly updated their website and added a 1:7 twist rate barrel as an option alongside the 1:9.
The 1:7 twist helps stabilize the heavy 75 grain bullets.
Maybe bushmaster can “Quietly” take a grand off the price? I mean, the twist rate was a concern, but not nearly as large as the absurd MSRP.
It is listed as an option, but at what cost over the premium already being charged?
the 1:7 twist may have been an issue with many, but the price was an issue for all. Not very many people care how many new options you add as long as the price is so absurdly high that it is still out of reach for the general public. You can make it crap skittles and sing the star spangled banner and you’ll still lose customers at the price that you’re keeping it at. The military doesn’t care about special coating and crap like that, they’ll go for the cheapest contract every time. Cut the crap and start thinking about the civilian market
I’m with Rex. Maybe this will be the start of some sanity at Shrubmaster. Get the price back down to $1500 where it should be and some people might take another look.
/me is not going to buy this even though I had planned on picking one up this summer. Looks like a stag arms piston driven AR is in the future, not this.
Its a dumb decision. 1:9 can hadel most ammo and can handel light bullets which civilans use more than 62+ gran bullet.
hahha if anything this is a admission of their mistakes.
dream on kids that you think you’re gonna get a next gen rifle for $1500. I quit living that pipe dream and came back down to reality.
I am with Rex. Quiet damage control is no longer ‘quiet’ as everyone is on Bushmaster/Magpul’s case.
Yet the clamor of 1/7 twist is really loud but there is also a small movement for a 1/8 twist. VTAC (new M&P 15) and JP Rifles are big advocate of that twist.
If I were gonna drop 2gs on a rifle, I”d build my own lower and buy an LWRC GPU. Put on some nice accessories (But not too many cause I hate heavy rifles), and drop the rest on mags and ammo. Bam, there’s a rifle just as “reliable” as an ACR is advertised as being and cheaper too. Plus if my Upper craps out, no matter, pick up a DI POS for $300 or get 3 different rifles in one with 3 uppers. Can’t do that with an ACR. Sure you can “change the barrels”, but you know what… I’ll stick with a proven system that I can afford. In fact I may just say f-all the US spec and go with an AK clone.
This is why I spend my money else where. Of course in till the price drops. But by that time I might just purchase a different system then. That price really killed me
The comment from Bushmaster initially on ARFCOM was that the 1:7 barrel “would be made” available in the near future. I’m wondering if these marketing pieces just mean that 1:7 will be available in the near future, but not with Generation 1 (or not on Day 1).
My advice to anyone looking to buy an ACR is never to buy Generation 1 anything — or else you are just paying to be a company’s test market. Even if I hit the lottery tonight, I’ll be waiting for Generation 2 at least. The 1:7 change/addition won’t be the only improvement made soon after the product hits the streets.
Unless I win the lottery (and I don’t play), not gonna happen. Next 5.56x45mm rifle on my list is an $1100 Rock River Arms Coyote rifle w/ 20″ barrel. Sling and a $300 scope and I’m good to go. After sales tax, optics, accessories, etc the Bushmaster is going waaaay north of 3k. I reckon I could get a Coyote rifle and a pre-ban HK91 for that much…
idk why anybody would need the 1:7 twist, unless Bushmaster is looking for a military client (which they most likely are).
“Lanceon 09 Feb 2010 at 6:25 am link comment
Its a dumb decision. 1:9 can hadel most ammo and can handel light bullets which civilans use more than 62+ gran bullet.”
Yes Lance, it is so much more important that a rifle sold as a combat rifle be able to shoot essential, can’t live without, prairedog bullets that weigh 45grs than it should, heaven forbid, stabilize usless anti-personal rounds in the 75gr range.
The 1/7 twist is a must have. Only supporting 1/9 was a dumb idea. The modularity of the barrels from short/medium/long means that they need to be able to accomodate those shooters who will want better accuracy via the heavier bullets. Many of those people will want to be able to use the same ammo regardless of the barrel they change out.
As far as price goes, I think they jacked the MSRP up to meet what the SCAR is currently going for. What they obviously don’t realize is that if they lower the price, they will corner the market away from the SCAR by selling more rifles. More of THEIR rifles being sold will equal greater popularity of the ACR over the SCAR and over time could easily push the SCAR out of the picture. I too will not buy one if the MSRP is >$2k. Especially since they have been announcing that the production engineering has been streamlined, meaning that it should be cheaper to build as a result. I don’t like being taken for a sucker.
Been following this weapon for years. I love the design. But the price. Not in my future, sadly my money will go somewhere else. I agree with MarineSniper SCAR has priced their its self out of the market and now so has the ACR. The difference in preformance to say in contrast to other piston drive weapons, well its not worth the difference in price the value not there. The ACR is a great weapon. Just not a great value.
“You don’t like? You don’t buy…” I believe that this weapon will sell like crazy. I have already seen an advertised sale price of about 2500 bones for the enhanced model on a website. I guess the savings will come into play when upgrades are concerned. Talk about plug-and -play. You don’t even need an armorer to change barrels. I don’t know how different the ACR is to a Robinson XCR, but I like this one better. Maybe it is because I have been anticipating this for two years. My recent set-up in Afghanistan was: Colt M-4; EOTECH 553 Tan (personal purchase); LMT Crane SOPMOD Stock (acquired); GPS Grip-Pod (acquired); and Magpul standard black magazines (personal purchase). Happy shopping!!!
The same thing could be said about the SCAR. The only huge difference is the barrel change aspect not being as easy. Yet the SCAR is going for about $2500 and is NOT selling like crazy because of the price. The two rifles are similar enough in generation and features that one can get a good enough idea of how the ACR would sell. But then you would also have to take into consideration that the SCAR is the only real game in town right now. Whent he ACR goes live, buyers will have two options. So “selling like crazy” doesn’t seem like a realistic statement. When people can get a basic very high quality AR for $1500. Why would they spend another $1000 for a few more features? They need to make price of the rifle more appealing to such a degree that the extra features and next-gen design are worth being able to take the same money that could almost buy them TWO ARs and spend it on a single rifle. Having been working in and around the use and sales industry as long as I have….I don’t see that happening. If I were them, I would price it at $1800 and blow all other piston driven rifles, legacy design and next-gen straight out of the market. Then when they have literally thousands upon thousands of thier rifles out there, the accessory and parts market will take hold…just like the AR market has. And thier rifle will become the new standard. That should be thier goal. As long as they price it out of affordability to the average buyer…the ACR and SCAR will both just be, that “other rifle”.
Yes, I do agree that one can buy a high quality, basic AR for $1,500. Personally, I believe that once the ACR production gets fully ramped up, both the ACR and FN-SCAR price will drop to about 2 G’s. Even IF that doesn’t happen, you must also understand that the ACR competes directly with Bushmaster’s various rifles. There will always be a market for AR platforms (there are many advantages). For MY money though, the ability to change calibers (when available) on my own is worth the price difference. With an AR-type, you must either drop your rifle off at your local gunsmith and wait, or purchase the tools necessary to complete the task. I am not comfortable to do-it-myself. I COULD purchase a second AR for hunting or competition, but why bother? I would just as soon have one rifle for different purposes. Let’s not forget the folding stock. I love that feature, too.
here’s another issue that bushmaster has with this rifle: meeting the timelines they set for themselves. They are too incompetent to even set a date and deliver on it when they say they will. Another of a long list of let-downs once again proving that bushmaster was the worst choice for the Masada project.
The Barrel swap not a big deal to me. I can buy a lower and two nice uppers for less.