FoldAR’s new product reduces rifle OAL to match the barrel length. (Photo: FoldAR)
It’s tough to find a truly new innovation in the AR world. The tried-and-true platform has seen improvements in individual components, but more accurate barrels and crisper triggers are a dime a dozen these days.
FoldAR believes its new Folding Rifle is ready to shake up the market for good. The Texas-based, veteran-owned company makes all their components in the U.S., and their proprietary technology can shrink an AR’s overall length to that of the barrel.
At this point, details are a bit sketchy. We’ve reached out to FoldAR for information on specs and MSRP, and we’ll update this article when we receive word.
For now, their website’s FAQ page is the best place to get info. FoldAR plans to begin shipping in the fall. Their product will include a lifetime warranty, and the company assures its customers that the rifle maintains zero even after repeated deployment and thousands of rounds fired.
The unit adds less than 4 ounces to the overall weight of the rifle and is compatible with most aftermarket AR parts. Exceptions include the “the upper, forearm, barrel extension and gas tube.”
(Photo: FoldAR)
If this idea sounds familiar, that’s because F&D Defense released their XAR Invicta folding rifle in 2017, and they’re currently offering a complete upper for $1199.
Here’s where things get interesting.
FoldAR claims that they are the “original inventors and patent holders” for this folding rifle technology. FoldAR says it designed and manufactured all of F&D’s folding firearm products and maintains exclusive ownership to all manufacturing equipment, processes, and rights to produce the components.
“F&D was provided licensing rights by FoldAR to the product but did not meet its contractual obligations which resulted in a termination of our agreement,” the company claims on its FAQ page. “As a result of this experience, we realized the only company who could bring this product to market correctly would be us which led to the birth of FoldAR.”
F&D Defense, they say, is no longer manufacturing their folding AR and is selling its remaining inventory.
SEE ALSO: Revolutionary Takedown/Barrel Swap AR D Ring Collar – Check This Out! – NRA 2017
We spoke with F&D Defense CEO Brian Shirley, who said that while he does not dispute FoldAR’s claim to the technology’s patent, his company has filed a lawsuit pertaining to the “contractual obligations” FoldAR references.
FoldAR is owned by Corby Hall, who also owns East Texas Machining and Manufacturing, according to public documents. Shirley says that Hall’s company was paid to provide equipment that would allow F&D Defense to manufacture their XAR Invicta, but East Texas Machining and Manufacturing hasn’t followed through.
“At this point in time F&D’s future manufacturing the XAR will be determined by the litigation process,” Shirley told GunsAmerica. “F&D denies any wrongdoing and any default on any agreement between F&D Defense and East Texas Machining.”
Shirley says his company filed a claim in Oklahoma, and Hall has filed counterclaims in Oklahoma and Texas.
We’ll keep you posted as more news develops. In the meantime:
F&D was raided by ATF this week in Seminole, Oklahoma. Cache of illegal machine guns was discovered. Their FFL was revoked and the manager/owner was forced to quit working there if they want to acquire a new FFL. Tip of the iceberg from what i hear. I am wondering if there is a link to cartels or other organized crime.
Looks like Foldar won that one. The folding gun products have been removed from f&ds website.
I m with Blue Dog! I m about to commit a ruthless heartless crime so go out and spend $800 to commit murder and still be cool! LOL. Does this bother anyone? Neet Idea but a little pricey! I might just pull the pins instead.
I’ve this Blue Dog’s posts several times in the last month or so. Seems like a leftist troll to me.
What could go wrong with leaving the chamber completely opened and exposed for debris the fall in there? I am sure the first few shots will clear out all of the debris and not cause any malfunctions, especially during a high stress situation….
Looks like it folds at the barrel so it would be more compact than just removing the upper. Also quicker to deploy I would imagine.
What’s the point? The AR upper and lower can be separated in a few seconds achieving practically the same thing at zero additional cost.
Exactly! I was just thinking the same thing because that’s how I travel with my AR PDF in a case that looks more like a computer bag. Takes me less than 20 seconds to take it out pop on the upper, insert a mag and lock and load.
Exactly. But…you can’t make money off people if they know that.
For those who don’t have a truck, this would be handy to throw in the trunk of your sedan.
Wow, The “SUB-2,000 of AR Rifles.
A folding AR….should make libtard heads explode faster than a folding stock
Who cares…I don’t. Maybe good for globe-trotting mercs. A lot of a gun’s inherent accuracy and reliability depends on precision alignment of the extension to BCG–at first glance my intuition says cool feature but, maybe problematic down the road. I’m certainly not getting in line.
Its typical. A semi automatic rifle is immediately attacked by the snowflake crowd. Its like a dildo sale. The liberals are all over it.
No surprise that people that cannot even decide thier identity are trying to misidentify and wrongfully name another semi automatic rifle
Maybe they should just Change the rifles name to Caitlyn or Michele then everyone would love it. And it would be above questioning.
I’m bothered by your use of biblical units of measure. And also supposed gun owners who use equally leading and ambiguous terms like “assault rifle,” and preach “common sense.” All firearms are dangerous. Please preach somewhere
else.
LOL, like peoples rights should be up for debate if you are “bothered” because it fails your noah measuring stick test!
“Am I the only one bothered by an assault rifle that can be folded up to a package about a cubit long? Does that bump up against anyone else’s common sense?”
__________________
Good point, I agree, a cubit is still too large to really conceal, they need to make them smaller without sacrificing performance.
By the way, who said anything about assault rifles?
Are these select-fire rifles, capable of semi-automatic, 3-shot bursts and full automatic?
If so, I’ll take one anyway, even if they are still too big to easily conceal. Maybe it’s short enough that they could work on a shoulder harness that would conceal the folded rifle under a 3/4 length jacket?
Now we’re cookin’ with gasoline!
Yes, I have absolutely no problem with a rifle ( not “assault” rifle) that will allow me to carry it in a more compact package, if ir is completely reliable.
Am I the only one bothered by an assault rifle that can be folded up to a package about a cubit long? Does that bump up against anyone else’s common sense?
Well then… hopefully you live in a state ( like Commiefornia or New York ) where they won’t let you have one. If not, please move to a state like that, so you can work and live with the rest of your kind… under the watchful eye and ‘protection’ of ‘the state.’ For me…. I’ll take my freedom of choice.
Doesn’t bother me a bit, but I’m not a benighted knee-jerk liberal, so that’s probably why.
Is this a select fire weapon? I missed the part where it qualified as an “assault rifle “.
Only Bloomberg shills call semiautomatic rifles that.
I also missed the part where a firearm part, specifically a barreled upper received assembly, became a rifle. Especially an “assault rifle”.
Well, this isn’t an assault rifle. Perhaps such a device exists, but it would be analyzed on a military site, not a civilian one
Yes. Yes you are.
LOL – You have an overabundance of “bliss”, for sure.
Only if they sell them to Democrat Snowflakes….
I’m bothered by the fact that there are Americans who want their government to consider everyone stupid, incompetent, immoral, immature, irresponsible, and criminally-minded, and then make laws for everyone based upon said beliefs.