First look: X Products Skeletonized AR drum

Chris Cheng
by Chris Cheng
Product in hand.

TFB has early access to an already awesome product, the X Products X-15, a 50-round .223 drum. Here’s what the standard drum looks like on an AR-15.

The folks at X Products shaved off some weight by skeletonizing it. Here it is:

The standard version weighs 1 lb 15 oz, and the skeletonized version weighs 1 lb 9 oz.

I recently competed in the Crimson Trace Midnight 3-gun Invitational with this new skeletonized drum, and it worked flawlessly. What I really noticed most about the skeletonization is that it gave me a decent feel for my round count where I could quickly glance down and get a decent read.

At $299, it’s $60 higher than the standard version. However, if you’re in competition or other environment where knowing your round count is important, I’m pretty sure that it’ll be sixty well-spent dollars.

The rear view of the product is the same as the non-skeletonized version.
View of the bottom.

www.XProducts.com.

Chris Cheng
Chris Cheng

Chris Cheng is History Channel's Top Shot Season 4 champion and author of "Shoot to Win," a book for beginning shooters. A self-taught amateur turned pro through his Top Shot win, Cheng very much still considers himself an amateur who parachuted into this new career. He is a professional marksman for Bass Pro Shops who shares his thoughts and experiences from the perspective of a newbie to the shooting community. He resides in San Francisco, CA and works in Silicon Valley.www.TopShotChris.com.

More by Chris Cheng

Comments
Join the conversation
3 of 45 comments
  • Cristobal Cristobal on Sep 10, 2013

    Yep, the coolness factor is really about the only thing going for it. Range/competition. Yes. Real world? Probably not. I've got one of the regular 223 versions and have a skeletonized 308 version. An equivalent number of P-mags would be a lot more handy. Now, for use in my observation tower overlooking the approach to my compound. OK, give me a handful for use up there.

  • Brandon Brandon on Sep 10, 2013

    Remove material, add $60 to the price. Alrighty then...

    • HSR47 HSR47 on Sep 10, 2013

      @Brandon The cutouts require more time on the machine. Time = money.

Next