Going Under The Gun on 3 Rifle Builds With Leapers UTG!

The AR-15 is America’s rifle, which is why pretty much every company tries its hand at producing them. Being a fan of the platform myself, it is hard for a company to truly impress me with an AR. Let’s face it, they are really all the same for the most part. Sure, some companies are making fancy uppers and lowers while other companies focus on tight tolerances and quality with a bit less flair. One thing that a good majority of AR manufacturers have in common is the need to collaborate with other companies within the firearms industry to outsource various parts. My guess is if you own a few ARs, they came with another company’s stock, magazines, accessories and controls. Then, whether you run flip-up sights or an optic, you must outsource your own sights most of the time from a different manufacturer as well.

Under the Gun With Leapers UTG

Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because companies specialize in different things, and when you put all those specialties together you get some badass rifles. However, what if a company could do it all? If one company could make nearly every part of the rifle themselves without cutting any corners in the process? This is where I introduce you to Leapers UTG—the company that proved that it could do it all and has been doing it well for nearly 30 years.

Humble Beginnings

Personally, I knew about Leapers but embarrassingly had never really paid much attention to their stuff. I had no idea the company was located just outside of Detroit—pretty much in my backyard. The company originally started in a small garage in Detroit in 1992 after CEO David Ding moved to the U.S. from Taiwan to take a job with the Ford Motor Company. David came from a law enforcement background in Taiwan and always had a dream of producing a better optic for his fellow LEOs in Taiwan, which is why his first product was the 4×28. He was able to sell 1,000 units in just a month out of his garage all by himself and then decided to go full-time into optics.

The company originally took the name PRO Tree, but quickly became Leapers. The Leapers’ name comes from the work ethic of David and the fact that, as a company, they were always leaping forward in the industry. Kind of like a deer, which was adapted as their logo as well. The UTG and UTG PRO brands came later, created for all the other product lines they were rapidly producing. The company seemed to always be Under the Gun or UTG as they worked with tight deadlines to produce various parts.

Three tactical AR-15 rifle builds using parts from Leapers UTG.

Present Day

Fast forward to today, the company has evolved a lot and has become Leapers UTG. Its import brand and UTG PRO are 100% American-made products designed and manufactured right in their state-of-the-art, aerospace-certified factory in Livonia, Michigan. The company strives to continuously be the solution provider for the industry by making parts under their own brand names, as well as parts for many other manufacturers.

I got the opportunity to visit their massive 160,000-square-foot Michigan facility and I was absolutely blown away by the massive compound housing more than 42 CNC machines, five plastic injection-molding machines, a variety of machines I can’t comprehend still, a testing facility with a state-of-the-art gun range and a warehouse that pumps out more than 100 massive orders a day.

Secrets Revealed

During the tour, I couldn’t believe the technology that was housed inside those walls. A top-secret project in progress sat on a table in the factory. An upper and lower set machined out of a single block of 7075 billet aluminum. This was no ordinary upper and lower though. I immediately noticed the extremely tight tolerances thanks to the aerospace CNC machines and the fact they can cut an entire part with one single setup on their machines. Most companies must transfer the part to multiple machines.

Into the Weeds

The uppers and lowers both incorporate features that I have never seen before, really showing that Leapers UTG and the UTG PRO brands are not only manufacturing but always innovating as well. The upper features a forward assist pushed a few inches forward and closer to the ejection port, allowing much more natural and intuitive operation for the shooter. You also will find a small brass deflector on the outside of the ejection port, which not only looks good and unique when compared to other uppers but deflects brass off to the side and down more instead of back. This is especially helpful for those southpaw shooters whom I would think get tired of eating brass while shooting.

The three Leapers builds showcase the wide array of parts from Leapers UTG.

Moving to the lower, the first thing I noticed was the ambidextrous controls incorporated into the extremely attractive lower. This is one of the sexiest receiver sets I have ever laid my eyes on. The cuts and angles on the lower are not just for looks though. Leapers UTG actually designed nearly every cut for function and performance. The lower features indexing points and finger grooves all over to accommodate any style of shooting and hand size. You also get a built-in flared mag well and oversize triggerguard that will accommodate gloved fingers with ease.

AR-Building Prowess

Leapers UTG did not cut any corners when it came to these new receiver sets, so I was extremely excited to get my hands on them to build out an AR of my own. I mentioned my plans to Leapers CEO David Ding, who then blew my mind. He started naming off parts that they could provide for the build, and I quickly realized how significant this company was. David decided he wanted his guys to build me a few guns to really show what they are capable of. A few weeks later, I got a phone call to come out and grab the guns and see what the Leapers UTG team came up with. What I was shown next absolutely blew my mind.

The Dream Trio

The team had three ARs ready for me when I arrived at the factory. Each setup is completely different and unique in its own way. They set one up for long-range shooting, one as a tactical/defense gun, and the other one as an all-purpose AR. The one thing all these guns have in common is the fact they are all made using nearly 100% Leapers UTG parts. In fact, the only parts that are not Leapers UTG are the barrels, BCGs trigger groups and charging handle.

The uppers, lowers, handguards, stocks, pistol grips, forward grips, hand stops, magazines, accessories, muzzle devices, controls, sights, bipods, optic mounts and even the optics are all Leapers UTG. I have never seen a company produce this many parts under one roof that all work perfectly on the same platform and allow you to build out a gun exactly as you want. They even make all the plastic parts in their state-of-the-art plastic injection-molding wing of the manufacturing facility.

Build 1

The first gun featured the UTG Mil-spec Stock on the UTG Buffer tube and buffer. This was paired with the new UTG PRO upper and lower with an oversized bolt catch and ambi safety selector and the company’s pistol grip. Mounted on the rail was an incredible mount they call the ACCU-SYNC QR Cantilever. Sitting in the mount was the Accushot 1-8×28 30mm MRC Scope with a Super Slim RDM20 45-Degree Angle Mount in front of it. On that mount was an OP3 Micro red dot, so if your main optic goes down you can turn the gun on a 45 and still use a dot.

The UTG PRO Forerunner 14-inch M-Lok Free Float Handguard matches the build perfectly. On the bottom, they included an Ultra Slim Angled Foregrip and threw a set of low-profile Flip-up Sights, front and back. To top the package off, the Stubby Muzzle Brake looks great and redirects those gases well.

Build 2

The second gun starts with the same upper and lower setup with the same handguard, just 15 inches long instead of the 14-inch model on the first gun. This one, however, has a compact rubberized foregrip under the handguard with the longer muzzle brake threaded onto the barrel. Off the side of the handguard, there is one of the UTG EDC flashlights mounted in an M-Lok flashlight mount.

The optics setup on this rifle is totally different but perfect for a tactical application with a UTG 4.2-inch ITA Red/Green CQB Dot on a QD mount with a riser adaptor backed up by a 3X magnifier with a flip-to-the-side QD mount. This setup gives you the tactical advantage by simply flipping the magnifier off to the side if you don’t need the distance. This rifle has the same hand controls as the first gun as well. However, the stock setup is by far my favorite out of the three guns. The UTG PRO AR-15 Ops Ready S3 Mil-spec Stock is very comfortable to shoulder and, in my opinion, looks fantastic.

Build 3

The third and final rifle Leapers UTG build was what my eight-year-old calls the Sniper. It is more of a long-range setup with the 4-16×44 Mini Swat MOA Accushot scope with the 3-inch removable sunshade. The scope is mounted using the ACCU-SYNC QR High-Profile scope rings with a set of backup flip-up sights mounted on an ACCU-SYNC 45-Degree Angle Low-Profile mount. The stock is also different on this gun. The UTG PRO Ops Ready S5 fixed stock looks good but is not my favorite only because I like having adjustability. On the handguard, they mounted a bunch of low-profile M-Lok rubberized panel covers as well as some Picatinny rail covers, which look awesome on the gun but also add some nice grip areas.

Leapers UTG also included a small, angled index mount to rest my thumb on and an ultra slim hand stop on the bottom of the UTG PRO Arwen 14-inch M-Lok Free Float Handguard. To make long-range shooting easy and stable, they threw a UTG PRO TBNR Bipod on the front. The Bipod is one of the nicest bipods I have ever used. Easily adjustable, lightweight and stable.

Final Rounds

If you are looking to add a new AR-15 to your arsenal and want to build it yourself, I would highly recommend saving yourself the headache of sourcing parts and check out Leapers UTG for everything you need. You can even get a case to carry your new build that is made by the same company all your parts came from. The parts are all very well built, they look amazing, and everything is affordable. Trust me when I say, the factory is second-to-none when it comes to cleanliness, innovation, and technology, and it shows in every single part Leapers UTG produces. With the addition of the new receiver sets, Leapers UTG has leaped well ahead of the competition and proved the under-the-gun work ethic produces the absolute best products around. Check out the entire lineup of Leapers UTG and UTG PRO parts and accessories at leapers.com.

First Rifle: Build Parts

Upper Receiver: UTG PRO Billet, Offset Forward Assist
Lower Receiver: UTG PRO Billet
Handguard: UTG PRO 14-inch Forerunner M-Lok Free Float
Stock: UTG PRO S1 Stock on UTG PRO 6-position Buffer Tube Kit, Mil-Spec
Barrel: Faxon 16-inch SOCOM 5.56 NATO with UTG Micro Steel Gas Block, .750 inches
Charging Handle: Radian Raptor
BCG: Wilson Combat 5.56 NATO Mil-Spec, black phosphate finish
Trigger: Timney Impact
Sights/Optics: UTG OP3 Micro on UTG Super Slim RDM20 45-Degree Angle Mount; UTG 1-8×28 LPVO, BG4 Reticle on UTG ACCU-SYNC QR Cantilever Mount, 30mm High; UTG PRO Flip-up Front and Rear Sight
Accessories: UTG PRO Stubby Muzzle Brake, .223/5.56, UTG PRO M-Lok QD Sling Swivel Adaptor, UTG Ultra Slim M-Lok Angled Foregrip, UTG PRO 30-round mag, .223/5.56, UTG Ultra Slim Pistol Grip, UTG Ambidextrous Magazine Release, UTG Oversized Bolt Catch, UTG Ambidextrous 45/90 Safety Selector, UTG QD Receiver End Plate

Second Rifle: Build Parts

Upper Receiver: UTG PRO Billet, Offset Forward Assist
Lower Receiver: UTG PRO Billet
Handguard: UTG PRO 15-inch Forerunner M-Lok Free Float
Stock: UTG PRO S3 Stock on UTG PRO 6-position Buffer Tube Kit, Mil-Spec
Barrel: Faxon 16-inch SOCOM 5.56 NATO with UTG Micro Steel Gas Block, .750 inches
Charging Handle: Radian Raptor
BCG: Wilson Combat 5.56 NATO Mil-Spec, black phosphate finish
Trigger: Rise Armament Blitz
Sights/Optics: UTG 3840 T-Dot Sight, UTG Flip-To-Side 3x Magnifier, UTG Super Slim Flip-up Rear and Front Sight
Accessories: UTG PRO Muzzle Brake, .223/5.56, UTG Everyday Carry Flashlight, UTG Cantilever Flashlight Ring Mount, M-Lok, UTG PRO M-Lok QD Sling Swivel Adaptor, UTG PRO 30-Round Windowed Polymer Magazine, .223/5.56 , UTG Ultra Slim Pistol Grip, UTG Ambidextrous Magazine Release, UTG Oversized Bolt Catch, UTG Ambidextrous 45/90 Safety Selector, UTG QD Receiver End Plate, UTG Compact M-Lok Foregrip

Third Rifle: Build Parts

Upper Receiver: UTG PRO Billet, Offset Forward Assist
Lower Receiver: UTG PRO Billet
Handguard: UTG PRO 14-inch Arwen M-Lok Free Float
Stock: UTG PRO S5 Fixed Stock with UTG A2 Receiver Extension Tube Kit
Barrel: Faxon 16-inch SOCOM 5.56 NATO with UTG Micro Steel Gas Block, .750 inches
Charging Handle: Radian Raptor
BCG: Wilson Combat 5.56 NATO Mil-Spec, black phosphate finish
Trigger: Timney Impact
Sights/Optics: UTG OP3 4-16X44 Scope, MOA Reticle on UTG ACCU-SYNC QR 30mm High-Profile Rings, UTG ACCU-SYNC 45-Degree Flip-up Front Rear Sight
Accessories: UTG PRO Muzzle Brake, .223/5.56, UTG PRO M-Lok QD Sling Swivel Adaptor, UTG PRO TBNR M-Lok Bipod, UTG Ultra Slim Handstop M-Lok, UTG Angled Index Mount M-Lok, UTG M-Lok Panel Covers, UTG Picatinny Panel Covers, UTG PRO 30-Round Polymer Magazine, .223/5.56, UTG Ultra Slim Pistol Grip, UTG Ambidextrous Magazine Release, UTG Oversized Bolt Catch, UTG Ambidextrous 45/90 Safety Selector