* Click on a question to expose the answer. Q: Why is oil-free operation important? A: AR-15's typically require heavy application of oil and frequent cleaning to operate reliably. Oil attracts sand and dirt and traps burnt powder residue in the action. A traditional AR-15 will degrade in reliability after a hundred rounds or so and fail hard because of this fouling before 1,000 rounds if not cleaned and oiled well instead. NGA's proprietary ceramic coated actions have repeatedly tested beyond 10,000 rounds without failure, with no oil and no maintenance. If environmental conditions are too wet, cold, hot or dirty, then the oiled traditional rifle can fail before the first magazine is fired, while the NGA rifle will be unaffected. Q: Ceramic coating? Isn't that controversial? A: NGA is alone in offering ceramic coated actions and barrels. Many attempts over the years by hobbyists, inventors and established companies using various technologies have produced disappointing results and this has produced a common opinion out there that ceramic coating is either unreliable or impossible. We will admit it wasn't easy to develop the NGA proprietary coating system, but many years of R&D and testing of hundreds of rifles has confirmed our success. Q: Why does NGA not make a piston rifle? A: We found that the ceramic coating approach solved all of the problems that the piston is supposed to address, resulting in a simpler, more familiar system that more closely adheres to mil-spec without creating other problems that are well known to be associated with pistons. Q: How accurate is the MP168? A: 5/8 MOA or better at 100 yards with match grade ammunition. Typical results from expert shooters have been 3/8 MOA so far on every rifle tested. 500-800 yard accuracy using 77 grain match ammo is astonishing to those who haven't seen it before. Q: Will my MP168 shoot 5/8 MOA? A: An expert shooting prone and using match grade ammunition would be able to achieve 5/8 MOA accuracy or better. The question comes down to your own shooting abilities and that's probably where we should leave the question:) Q: Does it get hot like a normal AR-15? A: The NGA proprietary ceramic coatings and the A.R.M.S. military S.I.R. rail system greatly reduce barrel & gas tube temperature. We intend to have numbers for you soon but it's very obvious. Q: Why is cool operation important? A: Aside from the obvious risk of burning the operator, a hot weapon can 'cook off' rounds due to preheating by the hot gases from previous rounds. Heat accelerates wear, thus failure and loss of accuracy. The MP168 rifle is designed to keep heat away from the operator's hands and it runs inherently cooler than any other weapon on the market. Q: Why is the rifle expensive? A: We wish it could be produced for less, but the premium components and workmanship are just plain expensive. NGA begins and ends with the highest quality in the industry. Q: Why is quality important? A: If your life is at stake, you already know the answer. A: Please see the color chart on the main page of the web site. You can have any color you like as long as it's in the chart. A: All NGA rifles are compatible with Gemtec Halo model 2009 and previous suppressors as a standard feature. A: Yes, if you or your agency have the permits, just allow a week or two extra. Q: What is ceramic coated and what is not? A: All metal components are coated, outside and in, except the chamber and the rear A.R.M.S. folding sight. Yes, the inside of the barrel is coated. Also, the metal parts on the butt stock are coated. Q: Why is the chamber not ceramic coated? A: When a cartridge is fired, it is important that the expanded case is held by friction inside the chamber. If the chamber is ceramic coated, the expanded case will slip and slam back into the bolt face with great force, which leads to breakage and cycling problems. Q: You mean even all the screws and fasteners are coated too? How do they stay in place if ceramic reduces friction so much? A: This was one of those details that took some time to figure out. The basic answer is proper installation procedures and torque specs. Q: Why is the A.R.M.S. folding rear sight not ceramic coated? A: We wanted to coat the rear sight but the cost/benefit trade-off doesn't make sense. It is a surprisingly complex and high-precision assembly and already has a military-approved finish. If it's important to you to have this component ceramic coated, and don't mind paying more, just call for a quote. Q: Why the crazy 2-tiered rail system? What's that all about? A: Many people haven't seen this system before and it often gets questions. The short answer is that it greatly outperformed the other choices in our testing and the more we learned, the more we liked it. The foregrip area has great airflow for cooling the barrel and gas tube. The free-floating mount is required for accuracy but the unique attachment to the upper receiver also results in far-superior strength. The front lower rail is designed to carry the common laser designators underneath the field of view of the optic mounted to the receiver rail. These are some of the reasons that the A.R.M.S. SIR rail is recognized as the finest, most advanced rail in the industry. Q: I can't figure out how to collapse the fancy A.R.M.S folding front sight. A: Just push the top of the diagonal brace straight down. Q: What optics do you recommend? A: The MP168 can easily and modularly mount all standard optics, night vision equipment, lights, lasers and so forth. The subject of targeting is a very large topic and we promise to publish quite a bit more on this in the future. Q: What bipod system do you recommend? A: Both the Harris bipod with A.R.M.S. adapter or the BoBro are good. Q: What is the MP168 capable of? A: The MP168 will effortlessly deliver the 5.56 NATO round either rapidly fired in close quarters combat or precisely fired in long range sniping action. It is nearly silent with a suppressor and subsonic rounds. It barely moves when fired and sight recovery is so good that newbie operators often outperform experienced shooters. It is ideal for naval operations, desert deployment, rain forest action, the arctic, guarding oil platforms or shooting in 3-gun competitions. It is rugged enough to survive military-standard rough handling in all of these environments. Q: Why don't you make other models? A: The MP168 meets and generally exceeds the specs of all previous NGA models. We do intend to develop other advanced weapon systems not related to the AR-15 in the near future but you will just have to remain patient. Q: Can I get a longer barrel? A: No, nor do we see a significant reason to want one. The Noveske 14.5 inch barrel produces 3150 fps at the muzzle with military XM193 55 grain ammo, which equals the performance of longer M16 barrels and exceeds the often criticized performance of the traditional M4 14.5' barrel. We have found it to be devastatingly accurate and capable with 77 grain match grade ammo out to 800 yards. With a longer barrel, you lose close quarters maneuverability, destroying it's multi-role intent, without gaining enough long range benefit. Q: How do I purchase a rifle? A: Just go to the online store on our website or go to your nearest dealer. Q: Mil-Spec parts compatibility? A: The MP168 S.P.C. is fully compliant, except for the proprietary ceramic coatings and the improved buffer tube, which is a commercial size for increased strength, length, and after-market stock compatibility. Q: When are you going to make a .308? A: Patience! When it is perfected. Q: Do we offer any other calibers? A: No. The MP168 S.P.C. performs well with 55 grain ball to 77 grain hp match and military 5.56 NATO ammo. The 5.56 NATO and .223 cartridges are available, capable, and affordable to American L.E., Military, and Civilian operators. Please see the accuracy page for examples of the 5.56 NATO and .223 ammo accuracy capacities. Q: What is your lead time? A: Generally off the shelf, but you might have to wait a week or two for a certain color upon occasion. Q: Do you make your own receivers? A: Yes. We mill lower receivers from hammer forged blanks on our own CNC tooling at our factory. Our lower is hand finished and precision lapped to a mil-spec upper for premium fit. Q: What is your guarantee? A: We repair or replace at our cost any rifle that fails to perform for the life of the original owner as long as it is maintained properly and operated with commercial ammunition of known quality. Q: Do we make a left hand rifle? A: Yes, on special request. Extra lead times apply. A: Please call for custom requests and options such as unique serial numbers. Q: Pistol grip and butt stock options? A: The MP168 S.P.C. is offered with standard 6 position butt stock in an effort to keep the rifle affordable and allow for user preference in after market stock configurations. The pistol grip has 3 sizes of pads for fitting to your hand. Q: Do you sell replacement parts? A: Yes Q: Training recommendations? A: Yes. We especially recommend: |