Olympic Arms introduced a new rifle at the 2015 SHOT Show that is bound to catch people’s attention. The new gun combines the modularity (and calibers) of the AR-15 platform with the ability to also shoot .308 Win and other short action cartridges merely by swapping the upper.
The bonus is the rifle is not crazy expensive either. Let’s take a look at the new MPR 308-15 Multi-Purpose Rifle…
[Aaron caught up with Olympic Arms at the 2012 SHOT Show and took a look at their new K16 300 SST chambered for the 300 BLK cartridge.]
By now most readers will realize that there has been an explosion in rifle offerings in .300 Blackout (BLK). The .300 Blackout cartridge came about to fulfill the desires of shooters who wanted to shoot .30 caliber bullets, but didn’t want to lose the capacity and weight advantages of shooting traditional 5.56mm AR-15 rifles.
The .300 BLK is a very unique .30 caliber cartridge. Instead of bulking up the casing and powder weights to accommodate the .30 caliber bullet, the .300 BLK starts with the same 5.56mm casing that is the standard for AR-15 platforms. From there the casing is necked up, or expanded out at the neck, to accept the .30 caliber bullet. The rest of the casing is the same as the 5.56mm casing along with powder weights. The end result is a .30 caliber bullet fired from basically the same casing as the traditional 5.56mm cartridge.
Olympic Arms had their new Gamestalker rifle on display at the 2010 SHOT Show. The Gamestalker is an AR-platform rifle chambered in .243 WSSM, .25 WSSM and the brand new .300 OSSM (scroll down for more information on the cartridge.)
The Gamestalker features a 22″ barrel, free floating aluminum handguard, ACE skeleton stock and an ERGO “Fat Boy” grip. The upper receiver has a flattop for easy installation of your choice in optics. The rifle weighs 7.5 pounds and has a camouflage pattern. It ships with one, seven-round magazine.
The rifle has a retail price of $1359, but expect street price around $1200-1300. Olympic Arms staff state the rifles are in production now, but supplies will be limited initially due to the amount of time needed to properly apply the camouflage pattern.