FERFRANS SOAR-P Gas Piston/Op-Rod Tactical AR-15 Carbines and SBR/Subcarbines for Special Operations

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By David Crane
defrev at gmail dot com

All photographic images contained in this article were taken by
DefenseReview.com, and are the exclusive property of
DefenseReview.com. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these
photos. All photos were shot with an Olympus Stylus 790 SW 7.1-megapixel digital camera, which is advertised as "shock + waterproof"
.

September 14, 2008

DefenseReview recently got the chance to run FERFRANS Specialties' new SOAR-P 5.56x45mm NATO (5.56mm NATO)/.223 Rem. select-fire, gas piston/op-rod tactical AR SBR (Short Barreled Rifle)/subcarbines (10.5"-11.5" barrels) at the range. While the recoil impulse was a bit more "punchy" (less smooth, quicker impulse) than the FERFRANS direct-gas-impingement SOAR SBRs and carbines, it was no more so than anyone else's piston-driven tactical AR we've tried. And, since the SOAR-P piston AR SBRs run significantly slower on full-auto than anyone else's full-auto gas-piston-driven ARs (approx. 625-675 RPM) thanks to the patented FERFRANS Rate Reduction System (RRS), they're significantly more controllable on full-auto than competing piston-driven systems.  More controllable means more hits on target.  The RRS makes full-auto fire a viable CQB/CQC tool.

We ran the FERFRANS SOAR-P tactical piston AR SBRs suppressed and unsuppressed, and the guns ran reliably in both configurations. That said, we didn't have the opportunity to conduct a U.S. military-style high-round-count/adverse-conditions test and abuse the weapons accordingly.

For suppressed fire, we utilized an Ops Inc. (also written "OPS-INC") muzzle can (silencer/sound suppressor), which also worked well.

Sighting on the suppressed weapon pictured was accomplished via an Aimpoint Micro T-1 mini-red dot sight and Aimpoint 3XMag magnifying optic mounted via Larue Tactical QD sight mounts (LaRue Tactical QD LT660 (Tall) for the Micro T-1 and QD Pivot Mount LT649 for the 3XMag) , which Defense Review highly recommends.

We used MagPul PMAG 30-round polymer magazines, including both the standard PMAGs and MagLevel PMAGs, and they ran great, as well.

The telescoping/collapsible/retractable buttstock on the weapons pictured is a Vltor Modstock (Clubfoot model) built from what we believe is the Modstock Basic Carbine Kit.

The FERFRANS SOAR-P piston-driven select-fire tactical AR SBRs are now available to military and law enforcement end-users.

Author's Note: The author is wearing a Tactical Command Industries, Inc. (TCI) Liberator II Tactical Headset System and Oakley tactical eyewear (Oakley Juliet sunglasses) in the photos, and, yes, it's just a coincidence that the lenses color-match the lens on the Aimpoint Micro T-1 combat optic (optical sight).

Company Contact Info:

FERFRANS Specialties:

Ferdie Sy
FERFRANS Specialties
2649 E. Valley Blvd., Suite D
West Covina, CA 91792
626-893-8155 Office
info@ferfrans.net Email
http://www.ferfrans.net Website

Mailing Address:

FERFRANS Specialties
214 Calle Moreno
San Dimas, CA 91773
909-599-8094 Office

O.P. Seberger Jr., Owner
Ops Inc.
P.O. Box 377
Shingletown, CA 96088

For Ordering Inquiries Contact:

Ron Allen
Allen Engineering
Phone: 530-742-3248
Fax: 530-742-8758
E-Mail: mbsman@sbcglobal.net
Website: http://www.opsinc.us

Aimpoint Inc.
14103 Mariah Court
Chantilly, VA 20151-2113
Phone: 703-263-9795
Toll Free: 877- 246-7646 (877-Aimpoint)
Fax: 703-263-9463
E-mail: info@aimpoint.com
Homepage: www.aimpoint.com

Aimpoint AB
Jägershillgatan 15
SE-213 75 Malmö
Sweden
Phone: +46 40 671 50 20
Fax: +46 40 21 92 38
E-mail: info@aimpoint.se
Homepage: www.aimpoint.se

LaRue Tactical
850 County Road 177
Leander, Texas USA 78641
512-259-1585 Office
512-259-1588 Fax
sales@laruetactical.com Email
http://www.laruetactical.com Website

MagPul Industries Corp
400 Young Court – Unit 1
Erie, Colorado 80516-8440
877-4MAGPUL Toll Free
303-828-3460 Office

303-828-3469 Fax
magpul@magpul.com Email

www.magpul.com Website

MagPul Industries Corp.
PO Box 17697
Longmont, Colorado 80308-0697

Military Cage Code: 1LX50
Vltor Weapon Systems
Tucson, AZ
520-408-1944 Office
520-293-8807 Fax
contact@vltor.com
http://www.vltor.com
Oakley Government Sales
800-525-4334 Office

http://www.usstandardissue.com

 

Additional Photos:

Acronyms:

Op-Rod – Operating Rod

SOAR – Special Operations Assault Rifle

AR – AR-15

SBR – Short Barreled Rifle

Related Articles and Links:

FERFRANS Ultra-Concealable Piston-Driven 6-inch AR Subcarbine/SBR (Video!)

FERFRANS Combat Rifles and GRSC Combat Rifle Scope (CRS) at the Range

FERFRANS SOAR-P Gas Piston/Op-Rod Tactical AR-15 Carbines and SBR/Subcarbines for Special Operations by

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.

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