Preface
I have always been a big rifle shooter, but my practice has changed somewhat over the past few decades. As a much younger man, I was a big fan of guns that made lots of noise, and shot lots of bullets. Accuracy through volume was the the way back then, until I learned what accuracy could actually be. I seem to have completed the circle however, and have once again returned to guns that run ammo like peaches through a Labrador. Today I bring something a little different to you all, a little lead pump based off of the Quattro 15.
Defensive weapons or PDW’s as they are often called, are mostly small carbine or sub-machine-gun styled weapons. SBR’s are common for this purpose, but unfortunately require negotiating your rights with tyrants at the Federal level. In a situation where you need a firearm for defensive purposes, a compact controllable weapon you can shoulder sure beats your daily carry. That is basically what I had in mind with todays project.
The Quattro 15
The Quattro 15 is a purpose built lower receiver for AR 15 style rifles. The receiver is built around the QM53 magazine, which is a quad-stacked fifty-three round magazine. The whole purpose of the Quattro was to create a reliable quad stack magazine that can drop right into standard equipment. The 53-round mags are the same length as 30rnd P-mags, and drop perfectly into double mag pouches.
Having 53 rounds between reloads in a defensive position sure sounds better than 30, especially if the magazine in the gun is all you’ve got. You can also use standard capacity magazines by snapping in an OE adaptor to the magwell.
Other than that, the Quattro 15 is just like every other ambidextrous AR lower receiver. Your favorite safety, trigger, grips and such will all fit. And the ambidextrous mag button and bolt release will make it easier to operate for all.
Upper receiver
After loading my favorite parts into the Quattro receiver, it was time to mate it to an upper. For that I chose the CMMG Dissent MK4 upper, which uses a 6.5 inch 5.56 barrel. The Dissent uses a buffer system contained within the upper receiver, which is ideal for a gun you want to keep small. I chose it because it would allow me to forgo the use of a buffer tube and the related parts. The ultra short barrel would seriously cut short the velocity of the rifle, but there is a give and take with this type of firearm.
The Dissent uses a forward charging handle located at the front of the handguard. This is another operational advantage over other styles of receiver, as your support hand rides with the charging handle nearly captured by your fingers. And since it doesn’t reciprocate, your support hand is always in the right spot to operate the rifle action.
Using the Dissent upper required fitting CMMG’s buffer-tube plug to the Quattro receiver. This also allowed me to put a picatinny rail on the back of the receiver, which would allow me to install a buttstock.
The Zhukov
The Magpul Zhukov stock fit perfectly into my idea for this rifle, but it would require using the Haga Defense 1913 rail adaptor. This little feature would allow us to fold the stock to the side and cut the size of the rifle nearly in half. The Zhukov is adjustable in length with the press of a button.
Matching the Zhukov buttstock, I mounted a MOE vertical grip to the handguard, which made for a very nice and comfortable grip of the rifle.
Sights and Suppressor
All that was left was a good sighting option and a suppressor. For that I chose a Trijicon MRO, with a cantilever mount that made it a perfect match for the stock height. The MRO is easily zeroed and allows full view of the target and surrounding area with no magnification.
For a suppressor I installed the Silencer Central Banish Speed K. The Speed K is a full inconel suppressor built for heavy use. It uses a controlled flow design, with a ventilated fourth baffle. This results in reduce back pressure on semi-automatic rifles, as well as excellent sound suppression for its size. And at only four-inches long, it doesn’t add much to your PDW.
Shooting the Quattro
Shootability
As you might imagine, a PDW type rifle isn’t really meant for shooting beyond ones immediate area. That’s why I didn’t feel bad using such a short barrel. And for shots inside 100 yards or so, there is plenty of velocity to do what I need.
The compact package was incredibly easy to maneuver with its compact size. It is easily stowed in a backpack, especially with the stock folded. One thing I wish was that the Zhukov folded both ways, as I would prefer it on the left side of the rifle. While the rifle can be fired with the stock folded, it’s possible to have an issue after the first shot due to the stock blocking the ejection port. This is with the stock at its shortest configuration, which I preferred.
With an oversized grip on this little rifle I felt it was much easier to manipulate one-handedly. A smaller less-sticky grip might make it a little tougher to wield. The foregrip is comfortably used as a stop for your hand, sort of half on the handguard and half on the down-grip. This positions your support hand perfectly on the charging handle for easy operation of the rifle.
Recoil of course is miniscule, and its easy to keep the rifle on target. And with the impressive capacity you can bury your targets with one shot after another.
Reliability
I’ve yet to have any malfunctions while shooting this little rifle. But I have had issues unloading the magazine, which is curious. Perhaps the jarring activity of the rifle going off keeps everything moving properly when it unloads in the gun.
With such a short barrel, adding a suppressor does create quite a backflow of gas. The Banish Speed K is a “controlled flow” design, which is supposed to help reduce backpressure. And it might, but there is still enough gas to make you cough if you’re not in a ventilated area when sustained shooting.
I’m not sure how to interpret this, it is likely that a PDW will be used indoors. And excessive gas to the face isn’t ideal in any place but worse indoors. But shooting loud in confined spaces isn’t exactly fun either, and suppressed shooting seems like a better proposition when trying to gain a tactical advantage. So maybe the rifle would do better in certain situations without the suppressor.
Accuracy
Accuracy from this little package is not surprising. I mean shooting IPSC targets inside 100 yds was easy, and it got easier the closer they were. While I wouldn’t go as far as to say accuracy isn’t needed at PDW ranges, its certainly not as important as long-range precision rifles.
That said I think the accuracy of this little rifle is more than adequate for the intended purposes. Shooting soda cans off a fence from 100 yards is good enough for me, and allows a level of proficiency needed for most gun owners.
Value
Since I pieced this unit together, its hard to put an exact price on it. But using quality parts was high on my list of priorities. The result has proven to be a very reliable PDW style rifle, and being such I would consider it a valuable rifle. When considering the value of a tool that could mean the difference between life or death, folks tend to spend their money a little more liberally. And considering all this I feel like this little project is well worth the money spent.
Also, as Americans we love tinkering with our firearms, AR’s in particular. The likelihood that this rifle ever be used on a two-way range is slim, especially if I play it safe. In my opinion if a threat is close enough to need this rifle for defense, I’ve failed already. So at a minimum this has been a great exercise in fun.
Final Words
You may or may not see a value in a project like this one, that is entirely up to you. For me it is just a fun project with a purpose, and one I thought some folks might enjoy coming along with me for the ride. Hopefully if you’ve made it this far you have found some inspiration for your own projects. Leave us a comment below if you’ve got any ideas or criticisms that might be helpful.
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