So you thought you have seen it all in the AR world? Well, then meet the mind-boggling Red Ryd-AR lever-action AR-15 by BrickWurX Manufacturing. When I came across this project, all I could find were the photos from the BrickWurX Mfg. Facebook page that you can see embedded in this article and a YouTube video which you can also watch below. I contacted the company to see if I can find out more about this firearm. Luckily, John Brickey, the owner of the company replied and kindly answered all my questions.

Initially I was planning to write the article based on John’s answers, however, our conversation became more like an interview and I’ll simply quote it below.

TFB: Please tell us a little bit about your company. Where is it located? What is your main focus area in the industry? Do you have a website?

JB: The company is based in Louisville, Kentucky. We do not currently have a website; we’ve only recently set up an Instagram and YouTube account.

Based on my nickname “Bricks”, I started using the name BrickWurX Mfg. and flaming brick logo, as a recognizable company design in the early 2000s. I would consider the company a profitable hobby craft. I have never relied on my freelance artwork as a primary source of income. This allows me the freedom to pick and choose the types of projects I work on without oversight.

Aside from my father and brothers working with me from time to time on bigger projects, the company is about as small as it can get. A lot of my work is in graphics design and commercial art, with other media such as metal fabrication and prototyping mixed in along the way. Everything ranging from firearms to custom motorcycles, I have a habit of modifying and creating new designs from existing works.

TFB: How did you come up with the idea of Red Ryd-AR? Is it purely a project for fun and a technical challenge or do you think it has any advantages over other firearms?

JB: The Red Ryd-AR is the second rifle in a build series using a Palmetto State Armory custom themed lower forging, the first rifle in the series being a brushed aluminum AR-15 (SPACEFORCE-15). These designs originated from a long-running thread at AR15.com. I partnered with Josiah McCallum with PSA to create many of the custom roll-mark designs used for PSA forged lowers. I think we are now at more than thirty new designs, which PSA has machined and released over the past year and a half.

The Red-Ryd-AR was created from the PSA CHRISTMAS-15 lower, and specifically designed to mimic the Daisy brand Red Ryder BB gun used in the Movie “A Christmas Story”. Originally the lever-action design was only incorporated as a type of charging handle. However, the more I developed the concept, the more I realized that the AR platform would also function well as a lever style variant.

Concerning your question about an “advantage” over other firearms, I do not see this as being the case. The AR is an extremely versatile rifle as designed; a lever-action conversion restricts that original concept, so no advantage can be contributed to improved functionality.

Realistically, this design would be more of a useful addition to other firearms, which sounds a bit more practical. Useful in regard to laws such as hunting for example, or maybe the restricted ownership of semi-automatic ARs in prohibitive states.

John used an Elftmann Tactical AR Speed Safety. The fire control group is compatible with standard AR-15 parts.

TFB: Can you explain the mechanism and provide us pictures of the internal parts?

JB: Patents and copyrights are in the works with the U.S. Trademark & Patent office currently. Internal pictures are not something I will be forwarding at this time. But I am happy to explain the function.

The design and all mechanics are completely incorporated into the rear stock assembly. Only a lower front trigger guard “sleeve” is required to modify ANY forged AR-15 lower to convert it to a lever-action rifle. The trigger guard sleeve requires very minimum modification to an existing forged lower, requiring only light Dremel work near the lower mag-well, and the addition of two drilled holes. If and when a kit is offered for sale, a guide jig would be included with the kit.

The conversion stock requires a modified bolt carrier, but the bolt and remainder of any standard AR upper will function with this design. While the hard maple wood used for the theme build is attractive, a polymer stock would be far more practical for AR conversions. I am prototyping these currently.

TFB: Is Red Ryd-AR chambered in 5.56×45/.223 Remington? It looks to have a really short lever throw – can you explain how you achieved that?

JB: The Red Ryd-AR is chambered in 223 Wylde. With the modified bolt carrier functioning like any AR, and the bolt remaining unchanged, this design should work well for any caliber used with the AR platform. I have considered building a 300BLK for testing next. The short throw is important in order to ensure a full-length magazine or a drum could still be used with the conversion. I do not plan to share specific details of the mechanics at this time. 

TFB: The gun is box magazine fed. What is the tube underneath the barrel for?

JB: The lower tube on the Red Ryd-AR is for aesthetics only, just to stay with the Red Ryder BB gun theme. I did design a camming feed system that would eliminate the box magazine, using a spring-actuated feed system that relied on the reciprocation of the BCG. While functional in theory and prototyping, I abandoned that design for a few reasons.

The first being that it would require a highly modified or specialty made lower, which would render the design as a conversion kit impractical for many novice AR builders. Another issue is the standard barrel length of an AR. With a 16” feed tube, only seven rounds of 5.56 would fit after a feed spring and push rod assembly were incorporated. Thirdly, the 5.56 cartridge was never designed to stack end to end, and would never be a safe means of cartridge storage.

The end result, the box magazine was not only more practical using less moving parts, but even the smallest AR magazine yields a higher capacity than the tube.