Q Boombox Rifle

Q's Boombox is a compact AR-10 built around 8.6 Blackout, a cartridge designed to perform well both subsonic and supersonic. Q built it to be impossibly light, brutally reliable and wildly versatile, with AR-15 handling and AR-10 performance.

The operating system is direct impingement on a pistol-length gas system, with an adjustable gas block that lets you tune the rifle for suppressed or unsuppressed shooting and for subsonic or supersonic loads. It uses a two-piece bolt carrier group, a custom charging handle and a two-stage cassette-style AR trigger.

A 7075 aluminum top rail runs the full length of the gun, and the handguard attaches with Q's Q-Sert system. The muzzle wears Q's XL Cherry Bomb device with M18x1.5 threads, ready for a suppressor. It takes SR-25 pattern magazines, which are easy to find. Capacity is 20 rounds.

This is the 16-inch rifle. That barrel length gets good velocity out of supersonic 8.6 Blackout loads, while still working well with heavy subsonic bullets and a suppressor. It wears a B5 Bravo stock, a Magpul K grip and a clear hardcoat anodized finish, measures 32 to 35.25 inches and weighs 6 pounds 7 ounces.

8.6 Blackout is known for pushing heavy bullets at subsonic speeds, which pairs well with a suppressor, and for expanding reliably at supersonic speeds. If you're curious about the cartridge and want a light, compact AR-10 designed around it from the start, the Boombox rifle is the natural place to begin.