American Defense Manufacturing Blends Guns, Mounts & Training

Based in New Berlin, Wisconsin, American Defense Manufacturing (ADM)has quietly been building exceptional rifles and developing a dedicated following. The company makes a variety of AR components, along with well-made AR rifles. It is the AR side of the house that recently caught my eye. In a released notice, the company stated it had established a partnership with 88 Tactical Training Organization of Omaha, Nebraska.

American Defender: American Defense Manufacturing

American Defense has partnered with 88 Tactical to be the exclusive firearm and mounting solution for its Mobile Training Team (MTT). The MTT offers a cost-saving solution for many organizations seeking to stretch their training budgets. Law enforcement and government clients can tailor the training to meet their specific requirements, working with environment or budgetary restrictions. 88 Tactical provides training at its state-of-the-art facility, as well as numerous events across the country. 88 Tactical’s MTT has traveled across the country teaching its widely renowned curriculum to many groups, departments and agencies including the New York Police Department, U.S. Marshal Service, DEA, ATF, U.S. Special Forces Groups, Homeland Security and ICE. The partnership is a great opportunity for both companies.

American Defense Manufacturing facility. — (Photo by Richard King)

Testing ADM’s UIC

I contacted ADM to inquire about test driving its “88 Tactical cooperative rifle,” and the company quickly got one out to me. The model provided comprised a customized version of the company’s UIC (Universal Improved Carbine) MOD 1 rifle. The customization made to fit 88 Tactical was the inclusion of B5 furniture. AMD shared that the AMD UIC MOD 1 LE is the law-enforcement carbine of the UIC line.

This rifle is built on a billet aluminum, fully ambidextrous upper and lower receiver set featuring a right-side bolt catch and release lever and left-side magazine release. According to ADM’s press manager, “Our patented bolt catch/release is unique from others and allows the shooter to maintain their shooting grip while manipulating the ambi catch/release making mag changes, failure to feeds and jams much faster to deal with.” The upper and lower exhibited exceptional fit, free of play. An integral upper/lower tension screw aided the tight fit.

Feature-Laden Platform

The gun is feature rich and includes a Radian Weapons Talon ambidextrous safety selector as well as a 20-degree competition style mag well. The triggerguard is enlarged to support shooting with gloves. Housed inside the guard is an ALG Defense QMS Trigger. The pull of the QMS is very similar to a standard mil-spec trigger, however the majority of the associated grittiness of the stock trigger pull has been removed, while the well-known reliability of a stock trigger remains. I found it to be a good choice for this gun. The buffer tube is a 10-position AMD design and houses an HD buffer.

ADM’s UIC Mod 1 rifle is a top-notch performer that proved very accurate in the author’s range test.

The upper receiver is built out equally well starting with a 14.5-inch pinned and welded 4150 CMV Rosco Bloodline Manufacturing barrel. It has a 1:7 twist and is chambered in 5.56mm. It has a Milspec mid-length gas system, which is housed within the 13.5-inch MLOK handguard. The barrel is topped off with a Battlecomp 1.0⁄1.5 muzzle device, which I have been a fan of for years. The gun comes with the popular Raptor LT charging handle and has an ADM Milspec Enhanced BCG with a Nitride QPQ finish.

Downrange

The gun I received was brand new and, in standard ADM fashion, spotless. A Trijicon MRO topped the gun for my range tests. With the gun set, it was time to put some holes in paper. For the sake of accuracy, the gun was fired from a bench position with both a front and rear bag for stability. I decided to try a variety of rounds for the test to see what the UIS MOD1 preferred. I raided my ammo locker for three different rounds. The menu today consisted of Black Hills 68-grain Match HP, Hornady TAP 60-grain and Federal 55-grain XM193. The combination of great glass and beautiful weather made zeroing the rifle a short affair.

Within minutes I was printing groups. Focused, precise shots produced groups that were very impressive. With me behind the wheel, this MOD 1 preferred the Black Hills 68-grain load and punched a solid 0.51-inch group. The alignment of stars that allows this begins in the tolerances the rifle is built to, as well as the very nice trigger. I cleaned the barrel at each ammunition switch and let the gun cool. In the following two tests, the MOD 1 once again proved to be very accurate. The Hornady 60-grain TAP shot under 1 inch, as did the off-the-shelf Federal 55-grain XM193.

Shooting & Handling

Beyond accuracy, I found the gun to be very easy shooting. The Battlecomp muzzle brake and good balance made the gun easy to keep on target for follow-up shots. The folks at ADM, however, did not design this as a bench gun. It is designed to be run, and run it I did. First was a series of drills incorporating reloads and movement to different targets. This is where the ambidextrous functions began to shine. I was able to maintain my standard shooting grip and still run all the functions of the gun. It honestly took some time to adjust to the control positions, but it soon became second nature.

Reloads were faster and they allowed me to get back on target much quicker. Even operations such as locking the bolt back were made easier. The importance of these aspects cannot be overstated. For the average recreational shooter, the ability to shave time off a reload may not seem crucial. To those who are competition shooters or who might be defending their lives, this is a crucial element. The gun is fast and easy to keep in the fight. Overall, the gun was a pleasure to shoot.

In a time where everyone and their uncles are making AR rifles, it can be tough to be innovative and stand above the crowd. Yet that is exactly what ADM has done. 88 Tactical has made a wise choice by working with American Defense Manufacturing, and I am certain students in the classes will take notice of the guns the instructors are running. This is not your Grandfather’s AR. This is a serious push forward in what ARs can really be. For more information, visit admmfy.com and 88tactical.com.