STAG ARMS MODEL 5 CARBINE in 6.8 SPC

The Stag Model 5 carbine loaded with the Hornady 110-grain OTM make an economical and powerful combination for patrol or home-defense.

Anticipating the 2004 sunset of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, shooters put off buying AR-15s. This caused a stall in business for one of the largest manufacturers of AR-15 parts, leaving personnel and machines idle. Stag Arms President Mark Malkowski took the opportunity to spin off a subsidiary from the precision manufacturing firm which had been making aerospace and small arms parts for over 30 years. A left-handed shooter himself, he saw an opportunity in the market for a true left-handed AR-15, with left-handed controls and ejection.

With a forging made and tools set up to build the left-handed parts, Malkowski had a couple prototypes assembled. The employees of Stag Arms "tested the hell out of" the left-handed rifles, and worked all the bugs out using the first two prototypes. A run of a thousand rifles was made, and sales were fantastic.

The Stag Arms Model 5 6.8 SPC carbine, shown here in factory configuration, provides a compact and lightweight platform for the hard-hitting 6.8 SPC cartridge.

Stag Arms sent me a right-handed version of their Model 5 carbine. It is built around an A3 flat-top receiver, and has a 16-inch M4-profile chrome-lined barrel, chambered in 6.8 Remington SPC. The rifling twist is one turn in ten inches to stabilize 6.8 SPC's 90 to 130-grain bullets. The muzzle is covered by an A2 flash hider. Stag Arms uses a one-half inch by 36 thread pattern, which is a standard for 9mm, to prevent 5.56 muzzle devices from being used on the larger caliber.