At the 2018 Industry Day at the Range, innovative premium AR manufacturer Cobalt Kinetics brought out several new rifles which they will be selling for the new year. Chief among these was their new .308 pattern AR, which can be produced in calibers like .308 Winchester and 6.5mm Creedmoor. Called the BAMF-XL, the new weapon is, like its smaller brother, a billet aluminum machined receiver set that uses SR-25 magazines. Like all Cobalt Kinetics weapons, the receivers sports attractive, stylized lines that give the BAMF-XL a unique look while still being identifiably “AR”. In addition to the BAMF-XL, Cobalt Kinetics brought along their new RECON PDW, an ultra-compact AR-15 using an MVB ARC PDW stock, 13.5″ barrel, and a pinned and welded Cobalt Kinetics Pro Muzzle Brake. Thanks to its compact stock and pinned and welded configuration, the RECON PDW is just 29 inches in overall length.

While at the Cobalt Kinetics booth at the Industry Range Day, I shot two weapons using the BAMF-XL receiver set, a carbine in .308 Winchester, and a precision rifle in 6.5mm Creedmoor. The 6.5mm precision rifle sported a proprietary adjustable stock with a rear handle on the buttstock for the non-dominant hand, which I assume will eventually be marketed as a standalone part through the Cobalt Kinetics store, although I did not confirm this. The .308 carbine was quite light, handy, and svelte, although this came with the obvious consequence of increased recoil. After shooting it, I asked the Cobalt Kinetics rep if they planned to make a version of the carbine in 6.5mm Creedmoor as a mountain gun, and they simply smiled and said “we’ll see.”

Cobalt Kinetics representatives told TFB at the show that the company is moving further in the direction of being a custom shop, where customers can build premium AR-15s in any configuration that they want through their website.