Next Generation Arms

Cessation of Business

Next Generation Arms — Wed, 02 May 2012 21:03:53 +0000

Next Generation Arms, LLC is ceasing business operations immediately.

As such, customer service ceases immediately and all obligations entered into by NGA are abandoned.

This decision wasn't made lightly, but NGA has been a money-losing proposition from inception and the investment support has run out.

Some of the ideas that were under development, such as the X8 chassis and derivatives, may still find a home elsewhere, as the intellectual property is wholly owned by the investor and is under active development.

We are sorry to disappoint our many and valued friends and supporters.

Cody Rings in the New Year

Next Generation Arms — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:27:52 +0000

Cody Leeper competed at the MGM-sponsored Man-on-Man 3-Gun Shoot on New Years Day 2012. He won the advanced division (8 shooters). There were also beginner and intermediate divisions, with a match total of 31 shooters.

Here's a discussion thread and thread with results:

Description by Travis Gibson

"Basically, there are two guys (or girls) on the firing line with identical courses of fire in front of them. On the go signal, they both shoot all the plates in front of them as fast as they can. There is a target in the middle with two plates on it. When they are shot down, the plate hit first will end up on he bottom.
Best two out of three advances. Double elimination."

Update from R&D Winterland

Next Generation Arms — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:21:37 +0000

The winter here in Northern Idaho has been quite mild so far, while the NGA team is hard at work in the shop. Sorry it's taking so long. We're learning the meaning of patience and when you see the result, you'll understand why we've gone silent so long. All new controls are working to first order now and we'll have the first rifle for outside testing in a couple of weeks.

Cody Leeper at FNH 3-Gun Nation Championship/Shootoff

Next Generation Arms — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:25:24 +0000

Cody finished the 3-gun season strongly at the FNH 3-Gun Nation Championship event and subsequent Shootoff last weekend. He finished 19th of 174 and Top Junior in the Tactical Scope division of the 2-day Championship event and won the Junior Championship in the 3-Gun Nation Shootoff on Sunday, earning a nice $5,000 check from Cheaper Than Dirt.

He finished the 3-gun season as the top ranked junior shooter in the nation. We at NGA are very proud of Cody and, of course, the performance of his X7 and we are very much looking forward to next year with a new X8.

Here's a link for more on the story.

Cody Leeper saga continues

Next Generation Arms — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 02:55:25 +0000

Over the weekend Cody placed 12th overall out of 73 and 1st junior at the Area 1 Multigun Finals. He was shooting a new X7 with rifle length buffer system.

Updated X8 renders

Next Generation Arms — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 07:46:52 +0000

The grip transition leading up to the lower receiver extension has been improved. Now the grip position can be as high as any shooter will want without crowding the ceiling. Notice that these renders are for a 10.5" barrel with scaled length forend. Forend lengths up to about 13" for 18" barrels will be available.

Cody in O3GC 3

Next Generation Arms — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:03:13 +0000

We've just gotten word that Cody Leeper (mentioned a few posts ago) did well in the Ozark 3 Gun Championships this weekend. In the all-rifle Stage 2, he won the stage handily. Remember, this is a 16 year old kid shooting a 14.5" X7, hitting 20 targets in 40 seconds in front of a field of 250 shooters.

The X8 - Why?

Next Generation Arms — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 05:00:55 +0000

The choice was whether to increase production of the X7, to continue evolving it or perhaps do something else. The X7 has been well regarded and some have said it would be hard to improve. But there’s no fool’n the parents. In the end we decided to go back to school.

The X7 was difficult to machine and assemble. It required precision in many features that were not justified by the benefit gained (such as the barrel nut fit to the bore of the forend). It had some weight in the wrong places, such as the dovetail joint the length of the forend. For an expensive gun, many critics argued that the controls should be more “progressive”.

The barrel mounting procedure was unnecessarily complex and could not be swapped in the field by owners. The forend heats up too fast in active shooting scenarios.

On the bright side, there’s a lot to like about the X7 such as the handling and accuracy, the mag well, the forend shape, the overall balance, the Geissele trigger selections, the Cerakote exterior and interior coatings, Noveske 416R stainless barrels, the heavy action spring and buffer, and we like the results of making as many small parts as possible (because we know them well and can support them).

Overall, we continue to hate the situation in the AR world where numerous makers produce supposedly standard, interchangeable parts that are reverse-engineered and sometimes-improved copies of M4 and M16 components. The specs behind the design, production and testing of these parts are mysterious and unobtainable. Forums and experts argue about quality, materials and their personal interpretation of the tea leaves. In the final analysis, this is a sham, and it is a big factor in the “why” of the X8.

We like monolithic uppers for many reasons but have never attempted to learn the processes to make them. Maybe the lower receiver could be similarly integrated with its extension and this double monolithic chassis combination might be interesting. Note that we’re not saying any of this is revolutionary or the next big thing in the AR world. We’re just interested in trying these things and expect there are enough customers interested as well to make it worth our while to explore this new design direction.

Over the past year, the output of our SolidWorks and MasterCAM design and machine CAD projects has increased tremendously, giving wings to many more ideas in a short span of time. Effectively, we can now design and develop an entire AR package in just a few months or at least that’s what seems to be happening.

We hope to keep some of you interested in what we’re doing and make it an interesting journey.

Evolution of design

Next Generation Arms — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 21:09:04 +0000

The parts are progressing through prototyping. There's no finished version yet. The design has just been through its first major revision. Maybe you'll enjoy seeing where we are at the moment in the design. The 5th render below shows a peek (but intentionally is not very detailed) at the new fcg, the module containing the trigger and safety assembly. The module is the same width as the std receiver and the new receivers have been sized wider to fit it. You simply align the safety cylinder with the left and right levers and drop the module in place. The upper holds it in place. You can quickly dump the module to clear a blown primer or you can swap your S3G trigger after your 3-gun match for an SSA duty trigger for example.

X8 in Development

Next Generation Arms — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:48:51 +0000

It's official, we're in transition from the X7 to the X8. What is it?

Monolithic upper (forend + upper in one machined piece)
Monolithic lower (lower receiver + extension in one machined piece)
Fully symmetric, ambidextrous controls (mag release, bolt catch/release, safety and charge handle)
Lighter but stronger and more rigid.
Reduced and simplified parts.

Why? To push the envelope and try some new things.

Here are some renders but bear in mind that all of this is subject to change as development progresses...