When consumers wanted DoubleStar to come out with a carbine as “mil-spec” as possible, it listened. And now the Mil-Spec Dragon has been unleashed. In the upcoming July 2014 issue of GUNS & WEAPONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, author D.K. Pridgen puts it through its paces.

Pridgen writes, “I am quite familiar with the DoubleStar lineup, and the company offers a number of well-thought-out models. The fact that folks still wanted a truly mil-spec M4-type carbine despite all the enhancements and options DoubleStar had to offer is not surprising. Many consider ‘mil-spec’ the gold standard. The mil-spec M4-type carbine, if executed and maintained correctly, is basic, robust and proven durable by uncounted military personnel—personnel who share at least one trait with LEOs: If it can be broken, they will break it!

“DoubleStar’s Mil-Spec Dragon has all of the traits of a true-blue M4, without the full-auto internals and 14.5-inch barrel. DoubleStar describes the rifle as being ‘as close to a military M4 as legally possible.’ The carbine starts with mil-spec upper and lower receivers forged from 7075-T6 aluminum, with a Picatinny rail atop the A3 upper. Examples of other mil-spec features include the carbine’s 5.56mm NATO chamber and the 16-inch, M4-profile, 1-in- 7-inch-twist barrel, which is made with 11595E steel.

“The barrel is high-pressure (firing a proof round that is 20 percent hotter than a normal round) and magnetic-particle inspected—again just as required by military specifications—and sports a chrome-lined bore and chamber with M4 feed ramps. Standard M4 handguards cover the barrel. The Mil-Spec Dragon also comes with the M203 mounting groove in front of the forged, F-marked front sight base, which has an elevation-adjustable sight post. The barrel is finished with a step down and an A2-style birdcage flash suppressor.”

To learn more, check out the July 2014 issue of GUNS & WEAPONS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, available on newsstands and digitally April 8, 2014. To subscribe, go to /guns-weapons-for-law-enforcement