SABRE DEFENSE

Mas Ayoob is well-known as a writer, but there was a time when he could shoot with the best of them in IPSC and bowling pins.

The Sabre Defense “Gill” brake is effective, but anyone standing next to you won’t like it.

When Sabre Defense says “Signature Model,” they mean signature. As in Mas Ayoob’s.

Sabre Defense got their start some years ago making barrels – .50 M2HB barrels, to be precise. From there, it was simply a matter of expanding onto the related areas of defense manufacturing. They now make a full line of AR rifles, of which one concerns us here: the Ayoob Signature Model.

Mas Ayoob, for those of you who have either been hiding under a rock, or are new to defensive shooting, is the Dean of tactical shooting expertise. Not that he’s a shooter the equal of a Delta Force operator (some of whom are quite bad, by the way) but he was successful in the old days at competition shooting. No, he knows the law, and tactics, and gear as well. And has written volumes on firearms. No, really. If you collected all his writings you could probably fill a couple of volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, if they still print it.

The Ayoob signature model is an AR built to serve any need you might have, from competition to defense. As such it is a basic M4 with some extras, and while I can see that the extras were well thought-out, I have to disagree with Mas on a few points. Don’t worry, we’ve known each other for a couple of decades now, and he’s used to my second-guessing him. He isn’t worried, isn’t annoyed. The rifle is a flat-top with a carry handle BUIS and regular handguards. The telestock is a standard M4, and the sights are the regular post and aperture. The rifle comes embarrassingly equipped: it comes in a discreet case, with the Signature Model signature on it, stuffed full of magazines (I lost count at half a dozen, there probably were more stuffed in compartments I never got to) and a sling, cleaning kit, instructions, etc. The internal pouches are removable, so you can use them to transport your rifle and handgun mags in an emergency. The literature says there should be two 20-round and two 30-round magazines, but I found more. I don’t know if the specs changed, or they stuffed it full of gun writer “goodies.”

The internals are a two-stage match trigger, which is great for a match. Not my first choice for defense, though.

The rear sight is a removable carry handle. It works, but I’d have preferred a folding BUIS so there would be room for an optic.

The book specs say the Signature model has a 1:9 twist. But the one shipped to me is clearly marked as one turn in seven and a half inches. A head-scratcher, but a superbly accurate barrel regardless of the markings.

The castle nut is staked, always a good sign of attention to detail in assembly.

The barrel is a 1:9 twist made of mil-spec alloy and the end of it is one place I disagree with Mas. A defensive rifle should not have a compensator on it. Indoors, or in a group/team environment, a compensator is misery for everyone, including the shooter.

The lower does not have an ambi safety, another item I think should be on a defensive rifle, and the inside of the lower contains a two-stage match trigger. On a competition piece, a match trigger is good. On a defensive piece, I don’t like it. First, a match trigger is too light. Second, I have heard reports from law enforcement agencies using two-stage triggers that they have encountered broken ones. That is, the hammer breaks after a few hundred rounds. Now, the company that made the rifles was really good about replacing it, but who wants a hammer to break in a shootout? Not I. The last bit of complaining I’ll do concerns the rear sight, and then I’ll stop. There was a time when the removable carry handle as a rear sight was very trick. But today, the trick method (rapidly approaching the standard method) is to install a folding BUIS, so you can put an optic up there. Sabre offers that on other models, so it isn’t like you’re faced with a “take it or leave it” scenario on the Signature Model.

My test-fire crew had a fun time depleting my ammo supply. The best part was plinking at 200 yards with iron sights – and hitting regularly.

OK, enough carping. What did I like about the Signature Model? Well, the details of assembly were encouraging. The castle nut on the telestock was staked, as they are supposed to be. Some might think I’m making something big out of a little detail, but it matters. I’ve seen castle nuts come loose. I’ve seen rifles put together with Loctite hosed in that caused problems later. The upper and lower fit well; the safety clicked firmly but didn’t take two thumbs to move. The handguards were tight, not rattling. The front sight is a tritium night sight, very useful in low-light shooting situations. All these things show attention to detail in building. When I opened the upper and found the carrier key securely staked to the carrier, I wasn’t surprised.

Sabre Defense builds these right.

How did it work? Yawn. As in, yawn, this thing hasn’t malfunctioned yet. It never failed to work, not for me, not for my testers, not in a match, not in class drills. It delivered the obligatory perfect score on the NEMRT qual course and the National Guard 300-meter popups course. I used all kinds of ammo including Wolf steel case, and the rifle just perked along. The test-fire crew were impressed by the effectiveness of the comp, so if you want a competition gun, then be sure and get the comp on yours. They were also impressed with the accuracy, competing to see who could shove berm debris around on the backstop at 200 yards. Yes, plinking with a 5.56 rifle and iron sights at 200 yards.

Sabre Defense has more than just the one Signature Model. And they have standard models, too. You can buy a regular model, you can mix and match, you can build your own. Heck, if you’re like most of the other AR owners out there you’re going to change things on it anyway. You just can’t help yourselves. I know; I’m one of you.

The discreet carry case comes with more goodies than you can find in five minutes: a bunch of mags, detachable mag pouches, even the moronically-required gun lock.

The supplied sling is a very useful tactical sling that gets the rifle out of the way when you aren’t shooting it.

In the fullness of time, I shipped the Signature Model back. I’ve got a lot of ARs, and as tempting as this one is, I would take a lot of ribbing for shooting a rifle with Mas’s signature on the side. He and I shot against each other a lot in the old days, and anyone from back then who saw the rifle would ask me where my rifle was, the one with my signature on it. Hmm, now there’s something to consider. Oh, and the magazine count? I finally came up with seven of them in the case, all of which were packed back in the case and returned. I have a lot of rifles. I have a boatload of magazines. I don’t need to be light-fingered on Sabre Defense magazines to keep myself shooting.

We used to shop for ARs looking for the lowest cost on a plain-Jane model. Now, the attractiveness of a fully-tricked and kitted-out AR with all the goodies, at a reasonable price, is starting to catch shooters’ eyes. The Mas Ayoob Signature Model is one heck of a deal. Well done, Mas, and well done, Sabre Defense.