Folding stock alternative to the AR

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Balrog

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One downside to the AR in my opinion is that the stock can be collapsible but does not fold completely out of the way. This can make storage in tight quarters more difficult.

So are there any AR alternatives that are as good as an AR, as customizable as an AR, and that have a similar manual of arms, but have a completely folding stock?

I am not talking about an AK here!
 
I believe that the sig mcx does and maybe a few of the other Piston driven ar conversions but I think you are going to be hard pressed to find anything that is truly as customizable as the ar without a little bit more work. The sig in a standalone upper I think needs a converter to play nice with a milspec lower.
 
I believe that the sig mcx does and maybe a few of the other Piston driven ar conversions but I think you are going to be hard pressed to find anything that is truly as customizable as the ar without a little bit more work. The sig in a standalone upper I think needs a converter to play nice with a milspec lower.


I just bought a Sig MCX. It has a picatinny rail and key mod forend. The stock folds and the butt has an adjustment ability not unlike the standard AR version, though it is Sig proprietary. Much of the internals are Sig proprietary as well. Mine is .300AAC Blackout, so regular 5.56mm. AR mags work.
The stock is folded by pulling up on it, there's a "lip" that holds it and you're working against a rather strong spring. It's held against the receiver when folded to the left, also by that same spring, so it doesn't flop around. When deployed, it seems sturdy enough.
it has QD points on it. In addition the rear of the receiver has QD points on the rear, two opposite each other. The forend on my rifle will need to have adapters with QD points. I have a MCX Rattler pistol which has two QD points on the rear of the forend.
The pistol grip I think can be switched with any AR/M4 grip, although the one on my Sig is very nice and I'm keeping it as is.

The bolt looks very AR-like but the bolt carrier is very different ....almost like the front half of an AR carrier, and it's attached to an overhead mechanism with dual recoil springs, so of course it's hardly compatable with the AR-15 on the inside.
It looks like a very well made rifle, and it's in the $1500.00 range, so it should be. But if you need AR compatability consider the differences I've noted.
 
Daewoo K2. The Koreans took the best features of the AR, the AK, and the FAL. Piston driven, folding stock, forged receiver, and uses STANAG magazines. Good luck finding one for less than $2,000 though. Back in the 80's, these were imported by 2-3 outfits but were looked down upon. Then further imports were prohibited.
 
The main downside I see to folding stocks is it doubles the width of the gun.

The folding stock attachment is also expensive (not that it matters a lot when playing with our AR legos). I keep kicking around building a AR pistol but then I lose the power of the longer barrel.
 
Not really useful since I rarely go in armored vehicles or parachute out of things, but I do love the folders. Have FAL, Galil and SIG 551. All lovely to carry even to the range and there's a special delight when pulling the stock open to start firing :)
 
One of the reasons I liked the AR-180 over the AR 15 was the folding stock and the only reason I did not buy the AR-180b with its AR trigger group and mag release and mags was the LACK of the folding stock.

-kBob
 
Yeah it is not as heavily built as the Korean gun. Mine has only lasted 42 years so far....
I've had my two (AR-180's) for 49 and 43 years, respectively. They've lasted this long because of very careful treatment (like in hardly ever being fired). My gun guru told me back then that they were known to fall apart in military trials, and I find that entirely plausible.

One of my perpetual fruitless searches is to find factory magazines for these things. I have the four 20-rounders they originally came with, plus a couple of 40-round Sterlings. I'll probably never be able to find any more at a reasonable price.
 
A known drawback of the Korean Daewoo K2 is the 180 degree factory safety. There's a 90 degree aftermarket safety, and that's a must-have improvement.
 
F111,

and I got all excited by the announcement of that upper and thought of the AR15 folder accessory immediately....then got to looking at the prices of both and decided a semi collectable semi safe queen and a plain jane not quite an M177 16 inch mid length AR15 were just fine.

-kBob
 
AlexanderA,

Thanks for the good info on the Korean gun. I have little experience with them and it was when they first came in the country. A gun club buddy bought one and I have to say I was impressed though teaching at the time I did not have the money for one.

My Sterling AR-180 came with only one magazine and it had a block in it that stayed maybe ten minutes after I got home to become a 20 rounder again. Initially I bought a couple of 30 round after market mags that were available at the time and then (shudder) a couple of the RamLine 3n1 mags that (for a while) Worked in AR15 systems, AR-180, and Ruger Mini-14 (and Ranch). I have to say I still do not understand why no one ever made that thing in aluminum or steel. Time however has not been kind to those late 70's plastic accessories though.

My solution to the magazine issue was to have a buddy that owns a Cosa Mesa and is a 'chine gun manufacturer cut AR-180 mag slots in some AR15 mags. Biggist issue was and is the hump on the AR15 slot on the far side so magazines did not drop free. I found a bit of hardwood that barely fit the magazine body and applied a 20 ounce ball peen hammer flat side to the offending hump. those mags now drop free and still work in AR15s.

My biggest issue with the early Sterling was the Hammer and trigger pins walking out. Later production feature longer pins secured with C clips, but those we not around at the time so I went with peening the pins themselves so each pin has a little dimple in the exposed bit and they have not been out since those dimples went in. Pipe cleaners are my friend.....

-kBob
 
Thanks for the good info on the Korean gun. I have little experience with them and it was when they first came in the country. A gun club buddy bought one and I have to say I was impressed though teaching at the time I did not have the money for one.
They were fairly inexpensive when they were first imported, in the early 80's. Ironically, the low price might have caused them to be overlooked and scoffed at. Now, you would be lucky to find one (the original folding-stock model) for less than $2,000.
My Sterling AR-180 came with only one magazine and it had a block in it that stayed maybe ten minutes after I got home to become a 20 rounder again.
My Colt SP1's came with those blocks (limiting the capacity to 5 rounds). It was to make them legal for hunting. I still have the blocks around here somewhere.

I have Costa Mesa and Howa AR-180's. When the Sterling came out, I decided not to get one because the quality was noticeably worse than the previous ones. (Not that the previous ones were all that great anyway.)
My solution to the magazine issue was to have a buddy that owns a Cosa Mesa and is a 'chine gun manufacturer cut AR-180 mag slots in some AR15 mags. Biggist issue was and is the hump on the AR15 slot on the far side so magazines did not drop free. I found a bit of hardwood that barely fit the magazine body and applied a 20 ounce ball peen hammer flat side to the offending hump. those mags now drop free and still work in AR15s.
The follower also needs to be modified so that the bolt catch will work properly.
 
"They were fairly inexpensive when they were first imported, in the early 80's."

And a beginning school teacher in rural Florida in those days aspired to make as much as a Field Hand one day....

-kBob
 
It's not a serious go-to-war type carbine, but what about the KelTec folding carbine.

It wouldn't be my first choice for kicking down doors, but it'd serve well as a "on the ATV/boat/tractor" yote gun.
 
One downside to the AR in my opinion is that the stock can be collapsible but does not fold completely out of the way. This can make storage in tight quarters more difficult.

So are there any AR alternatives that are as good as an AR, as customizable as an AR, and that have a similar manual of arms, but have a completely folding stock?

I am not talking about an AK here!
How about a SCAR-16? Nothing is as customizable as an AR but there are options.
 
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