While assault weapons bans are in effect in some states, that doesn’t mean that an AR-15 rifle is out of their reach. There are a number of companies that make AWB-compliant rifles for those markets, but the vast majority of those manufacturers take the approach of simply neutering the existing design and selling a substandard product. Ares Defense didn’t think that was good enough, and instead of simply chopping up an AR-15 they completely re-designed the gun. And in the process, they came up with something that is a nifty gun in its own right.

According to the guys at the booth, the idea for the SCR first came around when it was looking like the Federal AWB would be renewed in 2004 and the full featured AR-15 would be a thing of the past — permanently. They saw all of the AWB-compliant parts out there, especially the pinned collapsible stocks, and believed that they could make something better.

And so they did.

The SCR is probably best described as an unholy union between a shotgun and an AR-15. Since there’s no proper buffer tube the gun instead uses an articulated spur on the back-end of the bolt carrier just like that on a shotgun, and recoils downward into the stock that way. The front-end of the bolt carrier is just like that off a standard AR-15, which means you can use any existing upper receiver without any modification.

So far the rifle has been displayed with AAC’s 9″ 300 BLK upper on it, but the guys at Ares Defense actually like the feel of the stock on their long range and hunting configurations as well. And I can’t blame them — it’s downright comfortable to hold. If you like a traditional stock, you’ll like this gun just fine.

We’ve been promised a rifle for a full review shortly, so stay tuned.