​LWRCi Rifles- Quality, Innovation and Value

Leitner-Wise Rifle Co (LWRC) was founded in October 1999. In October 2006, Paul Leitner-Wise left LWRC, and in 2008 the company was acquired and renamed LWRC International LLC and Paul departed. It can be said Paul was the main brain behind the LWRCi piston rifle and since the departure lawsuits and claims against LWRCi and Sig Sauer of patent infringement and nonpayment of royalties have been made. We are not going to focus on the legal arguments. As far as I know these troubles are now in the past.

We will focus on what LWRCi is today and the fact the piston system and manufacturing process is world class, even twenty years later LWRCi manufacture AR style rifles that are reliable and of the highest quality. We would put them into the top 5 AR manufacturers of all time. They are used by many military forces globally and are in use today in many US LE and Federal agencies.

LWRCi are priced right up with Knights Armament, Noveske, LMT, Radian and the premium brands. As a company they have never waffled on their pricing like other manufacturers when sales went south, while this may sound smug and greedy it’s a good thing for the consumer. When the price stays stable year after year and you decide you want to sell it, you will get the most out of it. It’s not a commodity rifle. Look at it like a Porsche, Lamborghini or a Ferrari, while expensive they maintain their value in the marketplace. While there is no guarantee of selling it for more than you paid, we have sold several older used models at Oakland Tactical that went for more than the original MSRP.

The advantages to a piston rifle system are numerous. The main one is that the action stays cleaner which in turn makes it more reliable in hostile environments than a Mil-Spec DI rifle. We see the military using FN SCARs, and now the Sig Spear and both sport a piston system. Major battle rifles such as the L1A1, M1A, M1 Garand, Styer AUG and IWI Tavor all have a piston system. It’s an important feature. I love the ergonomics of the AR-15 and the piston system modernizes it.

The fit and finish of LWRCi rifles are exceptional. They are very well built with great tolerances that allow them to be used in the harshest of environments, yet when you pick one up it is solid and tight, and the action is smooth. Again, relating to a high-end car you have that emotional and real feeling of picking up a rifle of the highest quality. From the grip to the handguard, it feels special. Not something a Colt or FN can replicate.

Features are also exceptional. The unique adjustable (specific models) piston operating system keeps carbon out of the action and nickel boron bolt carrier group shakes off any carbon that back washes down the barrel from shooting with a silencer. Some models like the SPR have a piston system that is not adjustable and it’s not necessary unless you need to mitigate gas.

LWRC is one of the few rifle companies that purpose-built a rifle with AMBI controls that really work and are intuitive. Several other companies do it but none like the LWRCi rifles. Left and right-side barricade transition drills are a snap with these controls, which include the charging handle. The usefulness of the ambidextrous controls can be understood when a right-handed shooter has a barricade on their right and needs to control the rifle and safety with their left hand. It is very easy to transition.

The coined uppers allow the barrel to nest inside the upper and remain fully supported instead of hanging off the upper receiver. This is an advantage under heavy fire and helps stabilize the free float connection to the handguard without stressing the barrel interface. These rifles are generally very accurate and create stable groups. 1.5 MOA and less depending on the ammo. I have yet to have someone complain about groups opening or strange fliers with the LWRCi Rifles.

Speaking of the barrel, it is a proper military twist rate of 1 in 7 to stabilize 77 grain bullets that are extremely popular and effective. The LWRCi barrels are also deep spiral fluted hammer forged barrels made of 41V45 steel alloy and have a NiCorr™ surface conversion which means the barrel is hardened into the steel making it harder and more long-lasting than chrome lining. Many people think spiral fluting is purely cosmetic but anything that has more surface area will cool faster. These rifle barrels are the same as used on their full auto rifles.

Then there is the LWRCi Rapid Engagement Precision Rifle or REPR. a large framed 308 based rifle with an awesome side charging handle. This rifle has many other features such as the 5.56 and 6.8 SPC rifles, only bigger, and much more power. My first experience seeing a REPR was years ago at a PRS match. Lots of custom rifles there and the REPR and my bolt gun were the only two out of all the competitors to hit the pop can sized cold bore shot at 440 yards. I have been impressed since. Generally, they are about 1 MOA accuracy which will do real work in the real world.

The LWRCi REPR was kind of advertised as a multi-use rifle but the option was to buy a long barrel model and then add a shorter upper to create a kit. The cost of a REPR upper is currently $2900-$3400. This does not make it cost effective. The LMT MWS or MARS rifle is a better choice if you want to have a long and short configuration. The LMT barrels are between $500 and $700.00. Don’t let me dissuade you, if you have the juice, you won’t be disappointed with a REPR.

LWRCi has also been a major player in the 6.8 SPC cartridge. The above rifle is a Razorback in 6.8 SPC. This is a great intermediate rifle round, but many manufacturers were trying to just stuff it into a regular AR-15. LWRCi innovated and started with a completely new magazine to enable the round to feed correctly, then they designed an AR receiver that was designed for that magazine. The result was a major contract with Saudi Arabia to equipe their army with this rifle and supply the ammo. If a rifle can run in the sand, it can run in about any condition you throw at it.

For a LWRCi on a budget you can go with the DI line of rifles.(see rifle above) These rifles are nearly Identical but do not have the piston system. They are normal direct impingement rifles. They use the same Ambi lower, barrel, coined upper, nickel BCG and the build quality is exceptional, just like the piston guns. These are some of the best rifles at any price, period. The Gray rifle above is a Lipseys Exlusive and LWRCi has several exlusive packages. We can get any one of these at Oakland Tactical.

If you’re looking for a top-quality rifle that surpasses military grade and want something special to look at the LWRCi rifle line. You won’t see an LWRCi rifle at the range every day either. They have five Cerakote colors, flat dark earth, olive drab green, patriot brown and tungsten gray. You get everything in the box on their piston line including awesome back up iron sights (BUIS). The pricing is higher, but they are better than almost all manufacturers and only equal to a select few.

Check out our line of LWRCi rifles at Oakland Tactical If you have questions about any features or models, please call us at 810-991-1436 and we can help!