H.C.A.R. Coming To Canada: Non-Restricted, And Not Cheap!

Zac Kurylyk in Guns on March 20, 2023

Another entry in the file of exotic rifles headed to the Canadian market this year: The Ohio Ordinance Works H.C.A.R., chambered in .30-06.

How to describe this rifle? You could call it a modern version of the Browning Automatic Rifle—not the modern version, made for shooting out of a deer blind, but the original World War I version, made for shooting out of a shellhole. It is a magazine-fed gas-operated semi-auto, and unlike the original, it has attachment points for muzzle devices, optics, stock and other accessories.

The rifle feeds from standard BAR mags, but of course they will be pinned to five rounds in Canada. And of course, Canada will only get the 20-inch barrel version (four-groove, 1-10 twist), to keep non-restricted status. This version of the rifle weighs 12.5 lb, and is 42.25 inches long. Although it is a modernized version of the classic military rifle and much, much lighter, it is still a heavy beast.

The Colt Monitor, a BAR built for civilian customers and law enforcement after World War I. The FBI bought a truckload of them (seen here testing the rifle). Ohio Ordinance Works is simply following a long history of repurposing and modernizing practical and reliable rifle designs, and they've probably built more of the H.C.A.R. than Colt did of the Monitor. If you look at the old Monitor, Colt did mostly the same thing that the H.C.A.R. does with its newer redesign, just with tech 100 years older.

The H.C.A.R. fires from a closed bolt and comes with three-position adjustable gas system. Despite the lighter weight, it's supposed to have much less kick than the original BAR; watch Larry Vickers rip some rounds through the rifle here, where he says the muzzle brake and hydraulic buffer reduce the recoil to less than .308 levels.

Some keeners may remember that semi-auto BAR-style rifles from Ohio Ordinance Works have indeed come to Canada before, but with the recent ban-a-thon of Bill C-21, many importers/distributors would have been hesitant to import the rifle, as it was targeted for ban in the Liberal government's last-minute amendments to the bill.

If you are willing to put your money down anyway, IRUNGUNS is now offering these for the Canadian market, as stocked in its US storefront. Asking price for the basic black version: $6,599.99 US (see here). The tan version is $7,499.99 US. That would work out to roughly $9,050 CAD to $10,250 CAD, before tacking on import fees, taxes and other line items.

Not to mention, of course, the cost of blasting away with .30-06, if you can even find it in stock in sufficient quantities. But If you've got the money, well, let us know how it works out for you.