Kit Up! spoke with LWRC's Jeffrey Clemmer on the floor of SHOT Show today and spied an intriguing looking weapon propped up in the corner of its display.
(Please Note: The photo above has been rotated to orient it better for viewing on the blog)
Turns out the weapon was a competitor to the H&K 416C for the British SAS requirement for a 5.56 carbine less than 22 inches in overall length (when the stock is retracted). Dubbed the Ultra-Compact Individual Weapon, the LWRC rifle has some refinements that Clemmer says might just eek out a victory for the Cambridge, MD-based gunmaker.
He said the rifle is intended to be used by British special forces armored vehicle drivers and helicopter pilots as well as for operators requiring a concealable firearm with a carbine punch.
And just an FYI on some of the comments relating to this thread regarding lethality of the rifle cartridge from super short barrels. Clemmer said the M855A1 ball round now standard in the US Army has changed the game when it comes to lethality in short-barreled rifles. So much so that when I asked him about which caliber LWRC plans to offer in an improved carbine for the Army, Clemmer said it would definitely be in 5.56 instead of the 6.8 his company is famous for. It's another case for the Ultra-Compact Individual Weapon instead of the 9mm MP5, he added.
