ATRS Modern Varmint: Non-Restricted FRT Confirmed

Alberta Tactical Rifle Supply's Modern Varmint rifle has received a non-restricted Firearms Reference Table entry and is now available for order. The smaller sequel to the long-awaited Modern Hunter rifle, the Modern Varmint rifle borrows much of the Modern Hunter's design, albeit on a smaller scale: While the Modern Hunter could be had in .308 Winchester-sized offerings, the Modern Varmint comes chambered in the popular .223 Remington cartridge.

For those unfamiliar with the Modern Hunter, and the new Modern Varmint, these rifles utilize a unique system of joining the lower receiver to the upper and in doing so preclude the incorporation of AR-15 receivers. As a result, they earned their place in the FRT as unique firearms, rather than AR-15 variants. However, compatibility with STANAG-format magazines and the myriad of AR-15 and AR-10 furniture sets and accessories was prioritized during development, and the Modern Varmint sports no less than 6 available stock options, 10 different handguard options, and 5 various grips, all of which can be ordered in one of three different colours.

Which brings us to the next keynote point that inevitably comes up during any discussion of the Modern Hunter and now, Modern Varmint rifle: The price. These are not cheap. But these are also not your standard rack-grade M4gery. If your average AR-15 is a Ford F-150; all practical, well made, and certainly capable of working... the Modern Hunter and Varmint rifles are much more akin to the Ferrari F150. Hand-build and assembled in ATRS' machine shop to individual customer specifications (there are literally thousands of combinations of the various options available), and all but guaranteed to deliver substantially better than just "sub-MOA" accuracy, these rifles don't work so much as they perform. Not to mention, the added expense of producing an entirely unique firearm of ATRS' own design, in order to try and earn that coveted non-restricted status. So, don't be surprised at the following: The base model Modern Hunter retails for $3200, and if you opt for the most expensive options, a fully-loaded Modern Varmint tips the scales at an impressive $5,811.

Orders are currently being taken for the first production run, with delivering expected around summer, 2016: here