Franklin Armory has two new AR-15-based firearms tailor-fit for the California hunting and sport shooting markets, one chambered in .300 AAC Blackout and the other in .350 Legend.
California’s strict gun laws prevent a lot of manufacturers from selling their guns in-state, but Franklin Armory is not the sort of company to stand idly by. These new pistols are classified as repeating bolt-action firearms and don’t need to meet the very strict standards applied to other firearm types.
The two models are the CA11 and CA12. The CA11 is a higher-end firearm and the 300 BLK model, while the CA12 is more of a base model, similar to the original CA7, but in .350 Legend.
Both are compact firearms with pistol buffer assemblies that operate as straight-pull guns. The barrels are not drilled for gas ports and they don’t have gas systems or anything in the place of a gas system.
The CA11 has a free-floating full-length handguard with a quad Picatinny rail section at the front and back of the rail, M-Lok mounting slots in the middle and a full-length rail at 12 o’clock. It has an 11.5-inch medium contour barrel with a Franklin Triumvir compensating flash hider. It has an Ergo pistol grip and comes with a 10-round Magpul magazine.
The CA12 has a slightly longer 12-inch barrel and a simpler free-floating M-Lok handguard. Instead of a flash hider, the firearm has a rectangular 3-port muzzle brake and a standard steel magazine. Also, the CA12 has a Magpul pistol grip and vertical foregrip.
Both have bolts and barrels with a nitride finish and come as “optics-ready” packages without factory sights or optics.
See Also: Franklin Armory’s New Title 1: A Feature-Rich Firearm for Restrictive States
One interesting bit about the CA12 is that it comes with a forward vertical grip. While there have been interesting interpretations of NFA law recently the CA12 is likely in the same boat as Franklin Armory’s XO-26. With its 12-inch barrel, the overall length of the firearm likely excludes pistol status which makes it safe for installing a vertical foregrip.
Of course, if you have any questions or plan on bringing your CA12 to another state, contact Franklin Armory to make sure your guns are good to go. Otherwise, you can also just yank that foregrip off and call it a day.
If you’re outside of California other firearms could be the way to go but if you’re hunting these bolt-action pistols might get you in the field a little early so if that’s the case check them out. Pricing starts at $1,059 which is a little steep but, keep in mind, that these are made for a limited market.