Rifle Review: Battle Rifle Company's Cutlass AR-15

Battle Rifle Company’s Cutlass AR-15
Battle Rifle Company (BRC) of Houston has produced an outstanding rifle in their Cutlass model, made on the company’s BR-4 platform and chambered in 5.56 NATO.
This carbine has a free-float, 1:7 twist barrel for good accuracy. That does make it front-heavy, which many shooters will find beneficial for stability and better accuracy when shooting from unsupported positions.

Cutlass, and its non-free float peer, the Trident, are made with maritime use in mind. No ferrous metal touches like materials throughout the design, making it corrosion resistant.
It’s remarkably free of felt recoil, owing in part to the lightly padded Hogue buttstock. A single-point sling attachment makes what would be a five-position stock a four-position one, as the shortest configuration is unavailable. For this shooter, that’s a slight disappointment. An Ergo brand grip makes up for that, offering a non-slip, cushioned handle for shooting and just toting around.

BRC’s quad rail design offers more than ample room for mounting multiple accessories. Included on the top rail are flip-up front and rear sights by FAB Defense. Both are adjustable. The quality of the sights is decent; on our test model, the rear sight required substantial movement to center windage. The rear sight has a choice of two aperture sizes. Front and rear sight are plain black; the drawback here is that they get lost on a plain black target, especially in the after- sunset, before-dark hour.
The bolt and bolt carrier group are titanium-plated nickel. The exceptionally smooth, silvery surface really shows where cleaning has, or hasn’t, been done. After about 250 rounds, there’s absolutely no wear showing on any aspect of the action.
Folks really respond favorably to the finish on this AR; it’s a subtle but handsome mix of what Battle Rifle Company says is forest green and other colors, but it’s not green. The gray Magpul P-Mag is the closest match I can describe.
Speaking of mags, a single 30-round Hexmag is included. It’s lighter in weight than a P-Mag, and while I’d be concerned for its durability, it’s been dependable and is slightly lighter in weight. I could do without its bright orange follower.
The trigger is just right in my opinion, with no slack and a short reset. It has a rather loud break and reset, but that doesn’t really matter unless the gun is being used for some application that requires silence, equipped with a suppressor and subsonic ammunition.

Speaking of expanded uses, select fire is an option. Were I to use the gun for tactical purposes, the shiny ring (washer? That sounds so pedestrian on such an upscale carbine) at the bottom of the flash hider would have to be darkened. The spiral design flash hider, a BCR exclusive, is attractive and made with wrench-friendly shaping around the base if a suppressor is desired. Want to see it in action? Check out my review video:

The lack of recoil and made-for-accuracy barrel make this one sweet AR for under $2,000. Battle Rifle Company’s price list doesn’t specifically note this new-for-2016 model. Make sure you like Gun Carrier's Facebook page to stay up to date on all we've got going on. What do you think about this rifle? Let us know in the comments below.