Shooters these days are blessed with a good
selection of AR-15 rifles from which to choose. There are many
makers of such rifles, some better than others. One of the most
unique in the field of AR-15 rifles is Stag Arms of New
Britain, Connecticut. Stag has been in the AR rifle business
since 2003, and have been supplying forged receivers and other
parts to the industry for about thirty years. They machine their
own receivers in house, and do not merely assemble parts to make
a complete rifle. Manufacturing their own receivers allows Stag
to hold very close tolerances, and their rifles are fitted very
well, with no discernable play between the upper and lower
halves. The fit and finish are very good, and they look as good
on the inside as they do on the outside. One thing that makes
Stag stand out from the crowd is that they produce a truly
left-handed AR-15. It is particularly interesting to me, as I
shoot left-handed. While I have become accustomed to using
right-handed rifles, it is comforting to know that there is
someone who is covering the needs of left-handed shooters in the
AR market.
I recently received a right-handed rifle from
Stag, as they make those as well, serving all AR-shooters
equally. The one reviewed here is their newest carbine that
features integral Picatinny compatible accessory rails on the
forward handguard and atop the receiver of the weapon, allowing
for the easy mounting of accessories that have become so popular
with AR shooters. Stag calls this the Model 2T, and its
left-handed counterpart the Model 2TL. The handguard is made by Samson,
and has reference numbers on all sides. The barrel is of M-4
style, has a one-in-nine inch twist, is fully chrome lined, and
wears a closed-bottom flash suppressor at the end of its sixteen
inch length, having a total barrel/suppressor length of about
seventeen and one-quarter inches.
The compact Stag-15 carbine has a six-position
telescoping buttstock and a standard pistol grip. The buttstock
has a sling attachment loop at the bottom, and a sling
attachment slot designed into the rear portion of the buttstock.
There are two sling loops at the gas block, just in front of the
handguard; one on the bottom, and another on the left side,
which is reversible if one so desires. The carbine is equipped
with a standard A-2 style protected front post sight, and a
bayonet lug. The rear sight is a fold-down A.R.M.S.
unit, has two apertures for both close and long range
engagement, and is a high quality unit.
The four accessory rails run the full length of
the handguard, and come with protective covers that can be
easily cut to fit whatever potion that the shooter likes, to
protect the shooter’s hand from abrasion and the Picatinny
slots from damage. There is a total of thirty two inches of rail
for mounting optics and accessories on the Stag 2T.
I like the flattop configuration on an AR, as I
need a good platform to mount an optical sight much more than I
need a carry handle. However, for shooters who want a carry
handle, Stag sells those also that attach directly to the top of
the 2T receiver. The Picatinny rail integral with the Stag-15
upper receiver makes for easy mounting of a good combat scope
like the Trijicon ACOG,
which I used for general shooting with the weapon, or in
mounting a good target scope like the Leupold 6.5 to 20
power that I used for target work. I also mounted a Crimson
Trace Lasergrip on the bottom handguard rail, and it
proved to be very effective for low-light and night shooting.
The CT unit is totally self-contained, and feels just like the
grip on the Beretta 9mm service pistol. An activation
switch is located on either side of the grip, making it truly
ambidextrous in use. Also for use in low light, I mounted a Streamlight
M3X flashlight on the right side of the handguard.
The M3X has three positions; OFF, ON, and MOMENTARY (MOM). In
the MOM position, it is activated by a touch pad which attaches
by Velcro to somewhere on the handguard to be pressed on when
needed. It is a very bright unit, and I have one like it on my Alexander
Arms .50 Beowulf AR-15 carbine.
The railed handguard is free-floating, so that
adding things such as a bipod or monopod will not affect the
point of impact.
The little Stag-15 feels just right for a
carbine. Many on the market are just too heavy, but the Stag
weighed in at only six pounds, eleven ounces without scope
attached.
Shooting the Stag-15 proved to be a pleasure,
and the rifle functioned reliably throughout the testing with
all ammunition tried. The trigger pull measured five and
three-quarter pounds, released cleanly, and is better than on
most ARs that I have tried. There were no failures to feed,
fire, or eject any cartridge. I used the Stag with both new and
old twenty and thirty round magazines. Reliability was one
hundred percent.
Accuracy proved to be very good. Firing at 100
yards, the Stag carbine was capable of grouping into one and
one-half inch clusters reliably, as is shown in the six-shot
picture. The picture shown is of six shots grouping into one and
five-sixteenths inches, fired with no cooling between shots,
which the test carbine could perform repeatedly. Of course,
fewer shots produced smaller clusters., with three most always
going under one inch, but groups opening up a bit as the barrel
heated. This little carbine is accurate enough to serve
for both social encounters and as a varmint hunting rifle. I
used no special target grade ammo in the carbine, but used
standard 62 grain mil-spec ammo, and some Black Hills
varmint loads loaded with the Hornady V-Max bullet.
Accuracy wise, the carbine shot as well with one as it did with
the other.
Being of M-4 style, the Stag-15 has a forward
assist and brass deflector, and a contoured barrel. It is an
excellent platform onto which a shooter can add sights and
accessories to make the carbine ideal for his needs. It is
great as is for social work and close range predator control.
Adding a good optical sight allows the user to take full
advantage of the Stag’s accuracy potential for use at longer
range for hunting turkey and whitetail deer, where legal to do
so, and for long range predator and varmint work. Before the
emails start rolling in stating that a hunter needs at least a
new Superdooper Ultrasonic Short Magnum to kill a deer, there
are several bullets available in .223 caliber that do fine work
on whitetail deer, particularly the Barnes 53 grain
Triple Shock. While I do not recommend the .223 as the
best deer cartridge ever invented, it does work quite well when
the hunter does his part. While on the subject, there are
those who disdain the 5.56mm cartridge for use as an
anti-personnel weapon. It does quite well in our current battles
worldwide in the hands of soldiers and Marines who know how to
use it. I get reports directly from 101st Airborne Rangers
and 5th SFG soldiers who are friends of mine. Contrary to what
the national news media would like you to believe, our soldiers
are doing a splendid job of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and their M-4 carbines are getting the job done.
I believe that most buyers of this style of an
AR-15 purchase it as a defensive carbine for social work, or Homeland
Security Rifle, as I like to call it, keeping the dregs
of society at bay. Avoiding trouble is the best route
through this life, but sometimes trouble finds you, and when it
does, a good carbine is a much better choice than any handgun in
just about every circumstance. A good fighting pistol is also
good to have, to fight your way to your rifle. A light, short,
handy carbine capable of sustained rapid fire, such as this Stag
2T, is an excellent choice. The adjustable length of pull of the
telescoping buttstock makes this type of weapon particularly
adaptable for use by people of a wide range of body types and
sizes. It is a very user-friendly firearm, and
exceptionally easy to learn to shoot, and to shoot well.
The Stag Arms rifles come with a good hard case,
owner’s manual, one magazine (thirty round capacity where
legal), bumper sticker, and a Stag Arms T-shirt.
You can have your dealer order a Stag Arms rifle
direct from Stag. For a look at the extensive line of Stag Arms
rifles, parts, and accessories, go to: www.stagarms.com.
To look at the line of excellent ACOG scopes, go
to: www.trijicon.com.
For a detailed look at the extensive line of
quality Leupold optics, go to: www.leupold.com.
To order a Crimson Trace Lasergrip or a
Streamlight M3X go to: www.crimsontrace.com
or www.streamlight.com.
Jeff Quinn
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