“When it comes to LE patrol rifles, lighter is always better,” writes gun tester and federal agent Robert Jordan. “For a weapon that may have a few pounds of extra gear attached to it, every ounce can count.”

Using carbon fiber technology, which produces a metal lighter than aluminum, the folks at Windham Weaponry have managed to build a rifle many ounces less heavier than the competition’s. The end product is the Windham Weaponry Carbon Fiber SRC (Sight Ready Carbine), an AR-15-style, direct gas impingement semi-auto chambered in 5.56mm and weighing just 5.85 pounds empty. Writes Jordan, “The same rifle with an aluminum receiver lists at 6.3 pounds. The company has shaved off nearly a half-pound … If that doesn’t sound like a lot, try holding your rifle up to cover in a hallway for a half-hour while your team clears the rest of a house.”

Of course, as Jordan notes, “What really matters is how it functions.” To find out how the SRC holds up, Jordan “grabbed my chronograph, a box full of ammo, slapped on a 3.5-10×50 scope and headed down to the American Shooting Center.” Multiple five-shot groups to targets 100 yards away followed. Jordan also had the chance to give the SRC a spin at a 3-Gun event being sponsored by the Texas Narcotics Officers Association. “It was tougher than I expected,” Jordan admits. But how’d Windham’s ultra-lightweight rifle do? To find out, pick up the January 2014 issue of Guns & Weapons for Law Enforcement, available on newsstands and digitally October 8, 2013. To subscribe, go to /guns-weapons-for-law-enforcement/.