The Stag Model 5 6.8 SPC Carbine, by Zak Smith © 2006 Anticipating the 2004 sunset of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, shooters put off buying AR-15s. This caused a stall in business for one of the largest manufacturers of AR-15 parts, leaving personnel and machines idle. Stag Arms President Mark Malkowski took the opportunity to spin off a subsidiary from the precision manufacturing firm which had been making aerospace and small arms parts for over 30 years. A left-handed shooter himself, he saw an opportunity in the market for a true left-handed AR-15, with left-handed controls and ejection. 

With a forging made and tools set up to build the left-handed parts, Malkowski had a couple prototypes assembled. The employees of Stag Arms “tested the hell out of” the left-handed rifles, and worked all the bugs out using the first two prototypes. A run of a thousand rifles was made, and sales were fantastic. 

After this dramatic entry into the commercial AR-15 market, Stag Arms then turned its attention to more conventional rifle configurations, as well as some new ideas. Based in New Britain, Connecticut, Stag Arms offers a full line of 16 and 20-inch AR-15 rifles in both left-handed and right-handed configurations, along with AR-15 parts. Eighty-percent of the parts in each Stag rifle are manufactured by Stag Arms in New Britain. They primarily serve the commercial market, however, they do have law-enforcement and international customers. 

Stag Arms sent me a right-handed version of their Model 5 carbine. It is built around an A3 flat-top receiver, and has a 16-inch M4-profile chrome-lined barrel, chambered in 6.8 Remington SPC. The rifling twist is one turn in ten inches to stabilize 6.8 SPC’s 90 to 130-grain bullets. The muzzle is covered by an A2 flash hider. Stag Arms uses a one-half inch by 36 thread pattern, which is a standard for 9mm, to prevent 5.56 muzzle devices from being used on the larger caliber. 

The Model 5 has carbine-length M4-style hand-guards with heat shields, and a fixed A2 front sight tower. The rear sight is a detachable carry handle. Stag provided a simple and innovative side-sling swivel inside the front sight tower, for modern sling usage. The lower is a standard AR-15 lower receiver manufactured by Stag Arms, however, it is marked “MODEL STAG-6.8 CAL 6.8 MM”. A six-position telescoping stock finishes out the carbine. One 25-round PRI 6.8 SPC magazine was included. 

The Stag carbine exhibits good fit and finish. There is no play between upper and lower, yet the take-down pins are removable without tools. The black finish is consistent and durable over the entire weapon. The trigger is a standard military single-stage with a clean break, all other controls operate freely. In short, it’s put together exactly right. 

I took a twofold approach to evaluating the carbine. First, I established its reliability and accuracy with various types of ammunition; second, I had several experienced shooters run the carbine through a variety of practical shooting problems. This is no bench or competition rifle, it is set up like a military M4. Accuracy testing was done at 100 meters, shooting from bags on a cement bench, using a 3.5 power Trijicon ACOG. The ACOG was switched out in favor of an EOTech Holosight for the “practical” portion of the testing, a natural match for the lightweight Stag carbine. 

While some contend that an AR-15 should be afforded a “break in” period, I believe an AR-15 should run properly when taken from its box and lubed. Malfunctions in the first 20 rounds may indicate problems that will return in the future, when the weapon is subjected to abnormal operating conditions. This turned out to be moot as the Stag carbine ran like a champ from the start. 

To test the accuracy of the Stag carbine, I shot a series of five to ten, five-shot groups with each of the Hornady 110-grain OTM, Silver State 115-grain SMK, and Silver State 110-grain Pro-Hunter factory ammunition, and my reloads. The Stag carbine had no problem shooting consistent 0.75 to 1.75 minute of angle (MOA) groups at 100 meters. The winds during the accuracy testing were pretty typical for my high-plains locale, variable five to 15 mph. I did notice that as the chrome-lined barrel had more rounds fired, it seemed to settle down and provide better groups on average than when new. Throughout the over 200 rounds fired in the accuracy tests, the reliability of the Stag carbine was consistent. 

Static accuracy and reliability tests serve their purpose, but the M4-style Stag carbine is designed for light weight and maneuverability in practical applications like defense and sport. To get a feeling for how the Stag carbine performs in its natural setting, three other competitive shooters and I shot the Stag carbine side by side with other rifles in a practical shooting course requiring speed, accuracy, and movement. The comparison rifles were: a 20-inch AR-15A2 in .223 set up with iron sights and a JP Enterprises BC muzzle compensator; a 16-inch AK-47 in 7.62×39mm; a 16-inch Barrett M468 in 6.8 SPC; and a 18-inch MSTN in 6.8 SPC with a MSTN QC muzzle compensator. 

The first course of fire comprised four steel silhouette targets arranged at 40 yards, which the shooter engaged once each from three positions: through a low port, touching a barricade, and over a tire. The positions were about five yards apart, so the shooters had to move. The Stag 6.8 SPC carbine was very handy for this course of fire. Its light weight, natural pointing, and short length were advantages which helped the shooters transition to the next target after each shot, and move quickly to the next position. 

After shooting the first drill, we decided to use another test to focus more on the specific handling characteristics of the rifles. Starting with the muzzle touching the barricade, the shooter was to double-tap each steel target once, for a total of 8 shots on the four targets. This drill exposed the recoil characteristics of the different rifles, how much the sight picture was disturbed, and target transition handling. Here, the Stag carbine’s light weight and A2 flash hider worked against it, bouncing us around noticeably more than the other rifles. We had to deliberately slow down and man-handle the gun to stay on target for the second shots, compared to the other rifles which generally stayed on target and didn’t push the shooter around in recoil. 

The Stag carbine provided no surprises for shooters familiar with the AR-15, and that’s exactly what we wanted to see. Build quality is high, and everything is put together right. It runs reliably and makes hits easily. This is no bench-rest gun, it is a light-weight carbine designed to be handy in the field and provide substantially more performance than 5.56. We found the Stag carbine quick to maneuver during the practical exercises. Its reliability was excellent, with no malfunctions shooting the Hornady and Silver State Armory ammunition. It should be noted that the Stag carbine was only lubed at the begining and not cleaned throughout the day. 

If pressed for a complaint, it would be that the muzzle threads are 1/2-36, which prevents the use of some muzzle devices such as the MSTN QC compensator and standard .30 caliber sound suppressors. With the increased recoil of 6.8 SPC, shooters may prefer a brake or compensator instead of a standard A2 style flash hider. Stag Arms reports they are looking into a standard thread pattern to address this issue. While the Stag carbine lagged behind the other rifles in the second course of fire due to recoil handling, it should be noted that the other three rifles all had muzzle compensators instead of flash-hiders and were also more than twice as expensive. The Model 5 6.8 SPC carbine has a MSRP of $1220 with the detachable carry handle. 

Although the Stag Arms brand is relatively new, they are backed by over 30 years of precision manufacturing experience in both aerospace and small arms components, and this attention to detail shows in their rifles. The Stag Model 5 carbine is well-built and reliable, and would make a good choice for home defense, a ranch rifle, hunting, or law-enforcement patrol. 

TABLES 

Stag Model 5 Specifications Weight 7.1 lbs Barrel 16 inches Twist 1/10 inch Caliber 6.8 Remington SPC Upper A3 Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum Buttstock Collapsible 6 position Rear Sight Removable carry handle 

Stag Model 5 Test Results Average Accuracy Best Accuracy Velocity Velocity (MOA) (MOA) Standard Deviation Hornady 110-grain OTM 1.61 1.01 2535 8 SSA 110-grain Pro-Hunter 1.72 1.45 2558 23 SSA 115-grain SMK 1.49 0.74 2523 14 

Course of fire #1 – Movement Fastest … … Slowest Shooter #1 … M468 Stag AK-47 12.25 12.64 16.42 (seconds) Shooter #2 … Stag MSTN AR-15A2 M468 13.38 13.56 14.9 14.96 (seconds) Shooter #3 … M468 Stag AK-47 12.03 12.68 13.85 (seconds) Shooter #4 … AK-47 Stag M468 AR-15A2 11.97 12.49 12.57 12.63 (seconds) 

Times averaged over several runs. 

Course of fire #2 – Acquisition and Transition Fastest … … Slowest Shooter #2 … AR-15A2 M468 Stag 3.26 3.49 4.52 (seconds) Shooter #4 … M468 AR-15A2 MSTN Stag 3.08 3.1 3.37 3.51 (seconds) 

Times averaged over several runs. 

DIGITAL PHOTOS 

The Stag Arms Model 5 6.8 SPC carbine, shown here in factory configuration, provides a compact and lightweight platform for the hard-hitting 6.8 SPC cartridge. 

The Model 5 comes with a removable A2-style detachable carry handle, which is adjustable for windage and elevation. The included PRI magazine has a capacity of 25 rounds. 

Even though the lower is identical to a 5.56 lower receiver, the roll-mark, “MODEL STAG-6.8 CAL 6.8 MM”, is a nice touch. 

The Model 5 is shown with 600 rounds of factory ammunition from Hornady and Silver State Armory. Another 200 rounds of the author’s hand-loads were also used during the practical testing. 

The Model 5’s hand-guards are easy to grasp, and their metal heat-shields are welcome during rapid-fire drills. The carbine proved reliable even when its barrel was too hot to touch. 

The author sprints from the first to second shoot position during the first practical course. The Stag Model 5’s light weight and agile handling were advantages during movement. 

A shooter engages four targets through the low port. To speed target acquisition, the Stag carbine was equipped with an EOTech Holosight on a LaRue Tactical mount. 

An empty case becomes visible just as it is ejected. Here, the author uses the Troy Industries flip-up rear sight, as a shooter would do if the primary optic failed. 

The 6.8 SPC carbine required a firm grip and solid shooting platform to stay on-target during recoil. Shooters reported 6.8’s recoil felt more like 7.62×39mm than 5.56. 

Stag Arms (860) 229-9994 www.stagarms.com