Over this past year I had the good fortune to be involved with creating, working, and shooting the Team’s SureFire LE /MIL Multigun Championship, held at Best of the West Shooting Sports on September 14, 2013. This was a unique match that brought a large number of Police and Military Personnel out for a day of training and competitive shooting. In addition, the match received a tremendous amount of support from the firearms industry.

When the dust settled and the final match results were in, I had placed 9th overall and was ready to walk the prize table. My friends laugh when I talk about “needing” something for shooting due to the amount of gear I already have and run for 3 gun, however, I was hoping to score a good 1-6 optic for my competition rifle or possibly even another gun. Thanks to the overwhelming support the match received, even with a 9th place finish there were still guns and optics on the table when I began to walk the prizes. I was thinking about grabbing a Bushnell 1-6.5 SMRS for my 3 gun rifle when I saw a certificate from Tac Pro Shooting Center for a brand new CQB – Patrolman’s Carbine – MOE Package. Earlier that day Tom from Tac Pro had given me some details about the rifle being offered in the certificate. In addition to great parts, Tom said the APDMT logo would be engraved on the rifle’s magwell. Naturally when I saw this certificate still on the table, I had to pick it up.

When the rifle was ready, it was securely packaged and shipped to my FFL. It arrived in a quality lockable case, the interior lined with closed cell foam pre-cut for the rifle, six mags, and a scope. The first thing I noticed when I opened the case, and arguably one of the coolest things about my new rifle, is the APDMT logo on the magwell. Obviously not a standard feature, this really neat gesture by Tac Pro made me swell with pride.

The rifle came equipped with Magpul MOE series buttstock and grip and Gen2 PMAG. It has two MOE rail sections, MBUS pre-installed, plus the front sight adjustment tool. The rifle specs are very impressive as well. The rifle came with a 16” SS 1-8 5.56/.223 wylde barrel with M4 feed ramps, midlength gas and a flash hider with breaching tip. The bolt carrier group is marked by Barnes Precision Machine and is Nickel Boron coated.

The handguard is flat out awesome and the design is very clever and interesting. The rifle came with a 12” Ultralite Extreme Rail in FDE to match the grip, stock and logo The handguard comes with 4 QD sling points and a full-length top rail, yet is still very light and slim. It’s attached with a proprietary barrel nut and is completely free-floated. The sides and bottom of the handguard are square and flat which is great for bracing on barricades or shooting through ports. The handguard was designed with the intent of using Mapgul rails and accessories, so the two rail sections that came in the case mount perfectly anywhere the user wants. I run my sling from the stock to the barrel nut, so in less than a minute, I pulled the three sling attachments near the muzzle.

I also threw on a 5-slot rail for mounting a light later. While the handguard is very light weight, it is extremely stout and I do not feel any flex when manipulating the rifle. I also like that the handguard fits over the front of the upper receiver. This not only gives the upper a smooth appearance, it lines the top rail of the handguard up perfectly with the upper receiver’s top rail. No gap, no offset, just continuous rail. I also like that everything on this handguard can be swapped or pulled with allen wrenches and no special tools. Even the bolts for the barrel nut are compatible with a standard allen wrench. Anyone who has worked on their rifle will appreciate this.

The upper and lower receivers are 7075 forged and hard anodized to Mil-Spec Type III specifications. The lower receiver has an adjustable tension screw and detent retention set screw for rear takedown pin detent. The fire control group is Mil-Spec, but it is probably one of the best I have tried. There is almost no take up in the trigger and the break is clean. Obviously, being a modeled as a “Patrolman’s Carbine,” the trigger is not a sub-2lb race trigger; however, this trigger is good for accurate and clean shooting. I have not tested the rifle yet, but I do not foresee having any accuracy issues due to the type of trigger group. The safety is crisp and firm with no overtravel, and the fit between the upper and lower receivers is tight.

While I have not had a chance to get behind the rifle to put together a range report yet, I have made a few minor changes to suit me. First I swapped the mag release button with a Seekins billet one that I had in my parts bin. I also swapped the flash hider for a SureFire muzzle brake so I can use my suppressor on this rifle. I have not yet decided on an optic, and am currently weighing my options between a dot, fixed power, or variable model. I do not plan on using this rifle for work due to its sentimental value and the break should make it a pretty flat shooting ranch/general purpose rifle. That being said, this rifle is also available in black and would be an excellent choice for the patrolman, straight out of the case, ready to go.

Be on the lookout for my upcoming range report on this rifle, and in the meantime be sure to stop by Tac Pro’s Facebook page and thank them for supporting law enforcement, military, and the shooting sports. They are a great group of folks, a Texas company, and a real asset to the community.