(Review) LWRCi’s R.E.P.R. rifle

Located in Cambridge, Md. and operating from three facilities encompassing over 250,000 square feet, LWRC International utilizes over fifty state-of-the-art CNC milling centers, laser cutting machines, screw machines, and welding robots, as well as military specification painting to produce their new, proprietary, assault/sniper rifle, the “R.E.P.R.” In addition, LWRC’s senior management team consists of individuals who have more than 100 years of combined experience in managing defense companies and their engineers have been nationally recognized for their development of LWRC’s patented, self-regulating, short-stroke, gas-piston, semi-automatic, rifle action. In fact, LWRC’s stated mission is to provide their customers with the most durable, reliable, and consistently accurate weapons possible through innovative design and meticulous manufacturing techniques using state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing processes to create tools that are built to exceed the expectations of their users.

Thus, the Rapid Engagement Precision Rifle (R.E.P.R.) is designed and manufactured by LWRC International and, while it appears similar to the common AR10 platform, the R.E.P.R. was specifically designed to be a significant improvement over the original Eugene Stoner design. In addition, although the R.E.P.R. maintains the original 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester chambering, unlike the original AR10, the R.E.P.R. has been specifically designed to correct the deficiencies inherent in the original, “direct impingement”, gas operating system by incorporating a short-stroke, semi-automatic, self-regulating, gas-piston system that is cleaner, quieter, and, most importantly, more accurate than the original system. Also, the R.E.P.R. rifle is available in three configurations consisting of the Standard model with a 16.1” barrel and a 1:10 RH twist, the DMR model with a 20” barrel with a 1:11.25 RH twist, and the Sniper model with a 20” barrel with a 1:11.25 RH twist and, both the DMR and Sniper versions feature high quality, Geisselle (pronounced Guys-lee), two-stage, semi-automatic, triggers with varying trigger pulls depending on the model chosen. In addition, the R.E.P.R. features a side-mounted charging handle so that the operator is not required to remove his eyes from the target to recharge the chamber after inserting a new magazine. Plus, the R.E.P. R. rifle also features a B5 Systems SOPMOD pistol grip on the 16” version and a Magpul PRS/Magpul MIAD pistol grip on the 20” version and, both versions include LWRCI, Skirmish BUIS, folding, front and rear sights. Furthermore, the rifle is available in several different color finishes consisting of Black, Flat Dark Earth, Olive Drab Green, Patriot Brown, and LWRCI’s proprietary Cerakote ceramic finish.

Upon handling the new, LWRC International, R.E.P.R. assault/sniper rifle, our first impression was that it is obviously a very well designed and meticulously crafted rifle that could definitely be relied upon when your life is on the line. Our second impression was that the rifle has considerable heft at 9.5 lbs. with the 16” upper/barrel assembly installed and 11.25 lbs. with the 20” upper/barrel assembly installed. However, this weight is by no means excessive for a rifle chambered for the 7.62 NATO/.308 Winchester cartridge which produces 18 lbs. of recoil energy from a 7.5 lb. rifle firing a 165 gr. bullet at 2,700 fps. Also, we especially appreciate the fact that the engineers at LWRC have gone to considerable effort and expense to improve the reliability of this rifle platform by eliminating the antiquated “direct impingement” gas operating system and replacing it with a new, proprietary, short-stroke, gas piston, that serves to unlock the bolt, fully open it while ejecting the spent shell, and then allow the bolt to return to battery while doing so with less noise and yet, improving the accuracy of the rifle at the same time! In addition, by repositioning the recharging handle to the side of the firearm instead of on top, LWRC has eliminated a major problem with the standard AR15/AR10 format because the user is no longer forced to lower the rifle from their shoulder to recharge the chamber after inserting a new magazine. Plus, with the availability of interchangeable upper receiver/barrel assemblies, you can easily configure the rifle for use as a Sniper’s weapon or for use in close quarters battle situations by simply stowing the alternate assembly in your backpack and then changing them at will. Also, carrying an extra assembly requires far less space and imposes far less weight than carrying a separate rifle. Furthermore, we were highly impressed with the LWRCI, Skirmish BUIS, folding, front and rear sights because they appeared to be of extremely high quality and they presented us with a very clear sight picture. In addition, all of the sharp edges on both the front and rear sights have been rounded for a very graceful look and their folded profile is only one half of an inch high. Furthermore, they are constructed from extremely hard 7075 aluminum parts and 4140 steel parts and all of the aluminum parts have been hard anodized while all of the steel parts have been coated with a black, NiCorr, finish to prevent corrosion and, they are mountable on any 1913 Picatinny Rail. However, high quality sights are useless without a high quality trigger and thus, the R.E.P.R. is also fitted with a Geisselle two-stage trigger that is very ergonomic and that breaks with a very clean, crisp, snap that displays no creep or over travel whatsoever; which is of paramount importance to me when using the rifle in the sniper configuration for precision, long range, shots. Last, we noted that the R.E.P.R. rifle included removable ARM-R Picatinny-style rails for mounting optics, lighting devices, lasers, ect. and that each rail is easily removed and (supposedly) automatically returns to 100% zero when reattached to the rifle which is a very useful feature.

So, as you can see, the LWRCI Rapid Engagement Precision Rifle (R.E.P.R.) is a high quality, multi-role, weapon system designed to place devastating fire on target in a variety of battle situations. Furthermore, it is designed to be completely and utterly reliable in the harshest of theaters because in battle, an operator’s life literally depends on the reliability of his weapon.