There are relatively few otherwise unobtainable things in life that I really wish for. An Aston Martin might make the list, but otherwise I'm a reasonably content kind of guy; that said, there is one thing that has whet my appetite since the first moment that I saw the concept a year or two ago: Magpul's PDR.


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For those who may not be familiar with this little R&D blaster, think FN P90, only in a more battleworthy (5.56mm x 45mm) caliber. While this would seem to be the pinnacle of emerging weapons tech, no production decision was ever announced, and it would appear that the PDR simply disappeared into the back shops at Boulder. Granted, the P90 is a mature design that is already in production, but who wants to be tied to a largely unobtainable and proprietary cartridge?

In any event, as a study in emerging weapons tech and design, perhaps it might be worthwhile to go back and see what we missed with the non-emergence of the PDR. Here are a few resources to get you back up to speed:

PDR Tech Sheet from Magpul.com

PDR-related videos on YouTube

Defense Review PDR Article

Wikipedia Stub Article on the PDR

Ah, what might have been. It's hard to imagine a more perfect SBR. Sure, this thing probably would have kicked like a mule, forced you to re-learn everything that you ever knew about manipulations, and demanded a very careful manual of arms, but ... just consider the possibilities.

Perhaps this concept will enjoy some kind of reemergence in time, but as an example of forward-thinking design and next-generation ergodynamics, I find a lot here to like.

AC