Next Generation Arms X7

[rob_s]

I have one of these in-hand and will be getting some range time with it shortly. I see several things here that appear promising or that have potential.

iPhone pictures only for now.

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q111/rob_s/gun%20stuff/photo-19-2.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q111/rob_s/gun%20stuff/photo3-2.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q111/rob_s/gun%20stuff/photo4-1.jpg

From their website (http://www.nextgenerationarms.com/), a description of the gun:

X7 Main Features Summary

Chassis – All 7075 T6 Aluminum. Lower receiver and forend are custom billet designs made in-house at NGA. Upper receiver is a modified Nordic Mil-Spec hammer-forged unit. Buffer tube is Mil-Spec impact extruded from VLTOR.

Lower receiver – Expanded, flared mag well for faster loading and more finger room in clearance drills. All aspects of magazine handling & holding have been improved. The front of the mag well was curved for more comfortable hand holding for those who grip this way. 0.154” fire control pins with 0.0005” tolerance.

Rails – All rails are Mil-Spec 1913. Top rail is continuous and nearly seamless. Side rails are short and set back from the front for ergonomic reasons. The standard configuration is without a bottom rail, but a rail kit is available for mounting vertical foregrips and bipods.

Forend ergonomics - Special emphasis went into the ergonomics of hand-holding for various types of grip. The circumference was reduced to a bare minimum to fit all hand sizes. The small side rails were moved back away from the front in order to allow indexing for the two most common forward grip styles.

Charging handle – BCM Gunfighter 7075 billet Aluminum with medium latch.

Barrels - Barrels are exclusively from Noveske Rifleworks. They are made from extra-hard 416R stainless steel, with NGA stainless steel gas blocks and compensators, ported for mid-length, direct gas impingement operation. Rifling is polygonal 5 lands/grooves, 1:7" twist. Barrels are guaranteed accurate within 1 MOA. Other barrels were tested and we hoped to select some lower cost options, but in the end, only Noveske barrels met all of our expectations. Recommended bullet weight range for 1:7" barrels is 55 - 77g. Hopefully soon, we'll introduce a Noveske varmint barrel suitable for lighter weight bullets.

* 14.5” modified Afghan profile, permanently affixed compensator

* 16" heavy profile, screw-on compensator

Gas block – stainless steel, micro gas block designed and mfg’d by NGA.

Compensator – stainless steel, designed and mfg’d by NGA; each barrel option has a specifically tuned version of the compensator that achieves perfect muzzle neutrality.

Trigger options - Any trigger from the Geissele Automatics catalog can be configured. The 2 most popular options are the SSA and the S3G, which we believe are the best triggers on the market for most purposes. Note that Geissele uses ultra precision EDM to machine these tool steel triggers and they use extra heavy hammer springs for the fastest possible lock time and lowest chance of light primer strikes.

Bolt carrier group - BCM is now the exclusive supplier for the BCG. The bolt is made of Carpenter 158. Each bolt is shot-peened, initially MPI tested, high pressure proof tested and re-MPI'd. NGA re-torques and adds redundant staking to the gas key fasteners. NGA ceramic coating reduces fouling, corrosion and maintenance.

Buffer system – H2 buffer and custom heavy oil-hardened chrome silicon spring designed for millions of cycles.

Furniture - VLTOR IMOD Mil-Spec butt stock and generic Mil-Spec pistol grip.

Sling mounts – 2 stainless steel QD ports are provided at the rear of the forend and 1 is permanently mounted in the rear of the lower receiver.

Finish – Ceramic coated inside and out. Matte gray chassis and black equipment.

Weight: 6.6+ lbs empty, no sights, depending on barrel selected

Price: $2445+

[Quib]

Look forward to reading your review Rob.

[AR-10]

That's a nice looking upper, what's the deal with the mag catch button?

Is it just a longer button with a blind hole on the backside?

ETA: Do these uppers fit on other lowers and if so will they be offering complete uppers?

[rfscheer]

That's a nice looking upper, what's the deal with the mag catch button?

Is it just a longer button with a blind hole on the backside?

ETA: Do these uppers fit on other lowers and if so will they be offering complete uppers?

Hi all. I'm the designer of most of the new features on the X7. I'll keep a low profile in Rob's thread but am happy to answer all of your questions (assuming I know the answer that is).

The new mag catch subassembly is machined from stainless steel, except for the 7075 T6 button. Everything about it has been rethought. The button is smooth because it works better that way. We tried 3 different textures and found that less is more. Conventional knurling actually prevents your finger from sliding across the surface of the button toward the center, where pressing is most efficient. It also abrades your finger especially in the rain. And it looks better. The mag catch bar and the shaft are both heavier duty than the old std and much higher precision. Much smoother as a result and able to hold heavier mags more reliably. The mag ramp on the catch bar is much better so your mag insertion is easier and more positive.

Here's a photo of the new mag catch subassembly with the old std as reference.

http://media.nextgenerationarms.com/images/rifles/X7/mag_catch.jpg

The upper is totally compatible with std lower receivers, but is not sold separately. The whole rifle is considered a system and not intended for mix and match. We can get into that later.

[Stickman]

Nice to see your weapon over here, I think we've spoken before.

I have no doubt Rob will do a good review, it will be nice to read his thoughts. You were correct in that it certainly is different from the normal AR15s that are found on the market. Its got very clean lines.

[rfscheer]

Nice to see your weapon over here, I think we've spoken before.

I have no doubt Rob will do a good review, it will be nice to read his thoughts. You were correct in that it certainly is different from the normal AR15s that are found on the market. Its got very clean lines.

Thanks for the compliment on clean lines. We worked hard to clean up the operating area of the lower receiver and forend without changing the familiar layout too much.

[AR-10]

Never mind, I just saw your response to my 2nd question.

Thanks for the info!

[TehLlama]

Are the QD swivels rotation limited? Not a concern for me personally, but it will likely get asked down the road...

[rfscheer]

Are the QD swivels rotation limited? Not a concern for me personally, but it will likely get asked down the road...

They are not. The one in the rear receiver definitely doesn't benefit from being limited (probably the opposite). The ones in the forend allow 360 degree rotation of the QD pin. I looked carefully at this and it wasn't worth the problems. I'm not saying it's impossible or anything, because it's clearly not, but in our particular mounting situation it is not easy to prevent the QD insert from swiveling without creating problems for the forend clamping system.

[Boss Hogg]

Having shot ARs for over 25 years, I have to say that the X7 is undoubtedly the best one I've shot, and now all of my other 5.56 ARs (those with 14.5-16" barrels, anyway) will gather dust. I got the 14.5" with Noveske stainless barrel and pinned muzzle.

When I say "best", I have yet to find one that combines match-grade accuracy, combat reliability, and thanks to the "unique" muzzle brake, one that allows you to dump rounds on target faster than you previously thought possible.

The thinking that went into their new gas block is groundbreaking.

Overall fit and finish of the gun shows great pride in workmanship.