AfterSHOT: It’s CLASSIFIED – Agency Arms new rifle

Photography by Taylor Lange and Muneki Samejims.

In a joint collaboration between Agency Arms, PWS, Dead Air and Bootleg Inc. we had a unique opportunity to fondle the Classified Rifle. Before you dismiss it as another “Flavor of the Month AR”, take a few seconds to look over the components and see the thought process that went into this one.

Agency is best known for their radically re-designed Glocks, so we were very curious when we heard there was a press event to debut an AR-pattern rifle from them.

They did not disappoint.

The upper and lower receivers look billeted, but in fact they are forged, they just did a hell of a job with the forgings, but we expected no less from the Agents.

All controls are fully ambidextrous: Bolt catch, magazine release and of course the safety.

When it comes to a rail they offer a unique hybrid of Picatinny and Keymod. The Picatinny is intended for more of the hard accessories like optics and lights without needing an adapter. It may seem outdated to some, but we are thankful for it in some cases as we get tired of needing adapters to move accessories to the “latest and greatest” rail systems every few months.

They made use of a ratcheting castle nut and a PWS enhanced buffer tube with Magpul stock and pistol grip as well as MBUIS.

Turning away from the exterior, we popped our heads under the hood for a closer look at what makes this one tick.

We were treated to a suppressor-ready bolt carrier built by Bootleg. This one adjusts via flathead screws and has two settings for suppressor and non-suppressor use. If you have ever mounted a silencer on your AR without a gas-busting charging handle or gasket sealer on top of your charging handle, you will get the importance of this feature.

The trigger is a by ALG defense. They were not specific as to the model but we suspect it is the Advanced Combat Trigger (ACT). If so, this is a good choice and is very similar to the Milspec, being set at around 5lbs with no slop or grittiness.

Moving back to the business end of the rifle there is a brake by Dead Air known as the Pyro (which also debuted last week at SHOT). This is an enhanced muzzle device which uses Dead Air’s Sandman series QD attachment system and finished in Cerakote. The Pyro redirects muzzle flash and blast away from the shooter in low light and CQB situations.

Beneath the Pyro is a slightly altered three prong flash suppressor that has been engineered to eliminate the distinctive “ping” generated by such muzzle devices.

The rifle balanced nicely and was much lighter than we anticipated. Our good friend Aaron Cowan of Sage Dynamics told us they'd fired several thousand rounds at the company’s shoot the night previous and the hand guards did not overheat. In fact, he said, the rifle could be shot without gloves the whole time.

The Classified is not listed on the website as of this writing, but give the Agents a few days and they'll have it loaded up for you.

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  What is the NSSF SHOT Show?

The NSSF SHOT Show (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show) and Conference is an annual event held by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Typically attended by thousands of people from all 50 states and over a hundred countries, it is (quite rightfully) described as the “…world's premier exposition of combined firearms, ammunition, law enforcement, cutlery, outdoor apparel, optics, and related products and services.
Imagine the Worlds' Fair, but packed with everything from mini-guns and every breed of body armor, bows and boots; from eye pro and ear pro to optics and ordnance, socks to swords…you get the idea. If you'd like to see a sampling of the companies who will be showing at this year's SHOT, there's a live map right here, though it doesn't reflect the organizations set up elsewhere, in hotel suites, etc.
View imagery from our coverage of last year's SHOT Show right here.
2016 SHOT Show
January 18 — Media on the Range (numerous shooting facilities in and around Las Vegas)
January 19–22, 2016
Sands Expo and Convention Center
Las Vegas, Nevada
Hours:
Tuesday, January 19 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 20 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 21 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Friday, January 22 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.