Colt becoming relevant for other than cloners? M5 ambi lower

[BoilerUp]

Doesn't look like you can lock the bolt back from the right side.

LMT MARS-L is where it's at if you want ambi.

[Former11B]

Doesn't look like you can lock the bolt back from the right side.

LMT MARS-L is where it's at if you want ambi.

That’s what the button above the mag release does like on the other ambi lowers I’ve got and used

[Default.mp3]

That’s what the button above the mag release does like on the other ambi lowers I’ve got and used

That button is usually just a bolt release, though, and not a bolt lock (e.g., KAC, San Tan, etc.). The Colt spec sheet for the M5 specifically says that it's the bolt release that is ambi, rather than the bolt catch, so I suspect, like many lowers that claim to be full ambi, this one actually isn't, though it is potentially possible for them to combine that button into a dual function one, like MVB does with theirs, where it locks the bolt if the bolt is forward and drops it if it is locked back.

I'm personally very fond of the A-DAC system that AXTS/Radian pioneered, and use the AX556 on all of my AR-15s (check out the Boonie Packer Redi-Catch if you wanna try that on a USGI lower). I think it's a cleaner system than the LMT MARS, though I'm pretty fond of my MARS-H, too, and would put it heads and shoulders above most any other system. The only other true ambi lower that catches my eye is the MVB. The ADM UIC is cool and all, but I would prefer the AX556 if billet was a choice, and the MARS over the UIC since it's forged; another great option, either way.

I think the M5 upper is very interesting in how the handguard interfaces with the receiver. An SBR URG would be very cool, including up to 14.5"; I think the 16" is a bit weird, given that it's a carbine length system in 2022, though I'll be the first to say that it's still a viable combination.