r/canadaguns • u/rastamasta45 • May 19 '26
Buy recommendations Need help! Which do I choose?
The Makasi is 100$ cheaper and metal, iwi Carmel is polymer and from a reputable manufacturer? Decisions decisions š¤
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u/Benefit_Waste May 19 '26
Wait what, is the carmel legal in Canada?
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May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
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u/Benefit_Waste May 19 '26
since when? I've been living under a rock for a fat minute.
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
Handguard on the Carmel is aluminum. Receiver and everything else is polymer though. One advantage the Carmel has is the barrel being cold hammer forged and chrome lined. That would add to barrel longevity quite a bit. Makasi has the advantage of using a standard AR15 bolt, which is also nice for longevity reasons. Makasi also has the advantage of being able to install different pic rail stocks. IWI is a very reputable manufacturer, and the Carmel was built to compete for military contracts, so it should be a reliable rifle with good warranty support.
Itās a tough choice tbh. I think a lot of people wonāt be able to get over how ugly the Carmel is, but the makasi isnāt much better imo. I wish the handguard was a bit longer, even if it did add a little weight. Gas setting can be changed easier on the Carmel. The Makasi requires removing the handguard. Not much of a difference up here though since we canāt get suppressors anyway.
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u/Embarrassed-Gur1769 May 19 '26
Carmel looks like its fully ambi while makasi isnt(missing bolt release)?
Also looks like makasi cant take grips with beaver tail?
Is the Carmel more accurate?
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
I would bet on the Makasi being more accurate because the barrel is nitrided. Chrome lining will add longevity and corrosion protection, but typically reduces accuracy a bit. The one exception being criterion barrels with thier proprietary chrome lining process which is their claim to fame. The Makasi can use any standard AR15 trigger which is nice so lots of options there, while the Carmel does not. The Carmel does come with a two stage trigger that is apparently pretty decent though. Really does seem like a toss up between these two rifles, they both have their pros and cons. Iām leaning towards the Carmel personally just because itās coming from IWI and not a smaller manufacturer. Iām wondering if the Carmelās are going to be coming straight from Israel, or if theyāre coming from IWIās American factory.
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u/Embarrassed-Gur1769 May 19 '26
Im also leaning towards the Carmel. Only point of concern for me is the stock. If the cheek rest is able to slide back and forth, then im all good. But i dont like it when the cheek rest is only at the front (like ACR or XCR stocks)
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u/Puzzleheaded-Tie35 May 19 '26
Odds are it's coming from the American factory, as the civilian version was made with the American market in mind specifically.
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u/Agile-Delay-8770 May 19 '26
Do you know if the Carmel can accept aftermarket barrels like the Makasi would?
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
Not unless dlask or IWI decides to make some. Doesnāt use an AR15 style barrel and barrel nut. The barrels are clamped into place. Could probably use any ar15 barrel in the makasi as long as its same profile and/or gas system (carbine) and you can drill the top of the barrel for the gas block roll pin. Might need a gunsmith for that, but I bet an inverted gas block pinning jig would work.
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26
Dlask is done. They closed their doors. The old man wanted to retire, and that is it.
Leigh may pick up the torch, but I have no idea.
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u/Agile-Delay-8770 May 19 '26
Yeah I think thatās a big big pro for the Makasi. The more research I do about IWI the more I see the lack of support for their firearms that are on their way out of the market and the Carmel might be in that same predicament.
I called Makasi to ask and they said any AR barrel can be swapped as long as it takes care of that gas block/roll pin and carbine length. I believe the thickness at the gas block is 0.75ā so you could a socom I believe.
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
0.75 journal is pretty standard, would make it easy to swap barrels it sounds like. Agree thatās a pretty big plus.
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u/Whispersfine May 19 '26
Reviews says it shoots like a Bren2.
Looks bulky for sure but itās designed with mil specs so longevity wise I would say it is definitely the better of the two.
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u/zaphodbssecondhead May 21 '26
Having personally shot a Carmel, Iām going to call it a miss.Ā
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 21 '26
What didnāt you like about it other than it being uglier than sin and unnecessarily chonky?
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u/KalashnikovParty May 19 '26
The Carmel is NR?
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u/LumberjackCDN Gold'n Loan Outfitters & Pawn May 19 '26
Yup looks like ill have a busy day tomorrow lol
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u/Murray3-Dvideos May 19 '26
One is plastic and looks like a fish, the other is the club you'd use to beat the fish.
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u/BrickLegal May 19 '26
Both. If one, its iwi all the way. Politics aside those fucke*s can build guns.
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u/rastamasta45 May 19 '26
God I wish, but I only have the budget for one š
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u/BrickLegal May 19 '26
Aren't you getting the same 0.99% RBC credit card offers in your feed as I am?! š .. ya live once, send it.
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26
The cheapest, due to a ready lack of AR Lego blocks would be the Carmel. Just top it off with a Mepro M22 for fun. Done.
No new barrels, hand guards, stocks, etc.
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u/lunchbawkz Pineapple is the best pizza topping fight me May 19 '26
I'm sucking it up an getting both. Already paid for the Makasi, just put the down for the Carmel.
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u/Ok_Competition6823 May 19 '26
Is this a new gun? Because the makasi has been around for 3 years and have lots of reviews on it. I also like the full metal better.
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u/escv_69420 May 19 '26
Carmel:
Very Modern
Made by an extremely credible company.
Lightweight but chunky
Will probably be easy to get parts for into the distant future.
Definitely works
Makasi:
Super cool, kind of retro.
FNC we have at home
All metal
Uses a fair bit of AR parts.
Reviews seem good, but long term unknown.
Not from Israel.
There are plenty of pluses for both. It's a hard choice, but I think I'm going Makasi. I've got a machine shop at home so I'm less concerned about availability of random small parts in the future. I like it because it's got some resto-mod cold war vibes. It's less of an AR180 too so that's fun and maybe a tiny bit more ban proof (not that it would matter)
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u/Vsatbtw May 19 '26
Iād rather have American made personally. And MK-15 has been available in America for a little while now. Seems pretty reliable
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May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
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u/Vsatbtw May 19 '26
No itās an Israeli gun and I believe itās manufactured in Israel
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May 19 '26
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u/Vsatbtw May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
I see nice to know information. Still. MK-15 American design. I also like the mk-15 has some ar style controls and function. However. Iām just so happy that weāre even getting some options like this tbh haha. I hope we see even more
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u/DougMacRay617 May 19 '26
Mk15 all day, the hebrew hammer looks like it belongs on cursed gun images.
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u/Remarkable_Vanilla34 May 19 '26
I mean to be fair their both fugly
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u/DougMacRay617 May 19 '26
Nah the iwi looks like the fish gun from beretta (arx 160) and the mk15 is literally an amalgamation of a FAL and an AR both very pleasing on the eyes. While I'll admit its not the most appealing, its still miles ahead of the small hat fish gun.
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u/NewWatchTime May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Theyāre both ugly dawg. Mk15 would look decent with a replaced stock, grip and handguard. The iwi is ugly as hell but if I tell myself itās a scar at home I can get over it.
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
Yeah I was disappointed to find out the MK15 canāt use regular AR-15 handguards. I would have swapped it out immediately if that was possible. Iām leaning towards the Carmel because itās coming from IWI which has an excellent track record, and it has a CHF chrome lined barrel.
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u/NewWatchTime May 19 '26
Itās ugly but IWI makes great products. Iām not buying either until the political climate cools down a bit.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 19 '26
So your never buying anything then? Haha snooze you lose
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u/NewWatchTime May 20 '26
So by your logic someone buys a gun to use for a short period of time, it gets banned and sits next to their other banned guns they spent thousands of dollars on, and somehow thatās a win? Make sense.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 20 '26
By your logic given the state of the government and their attitude toward us, we shouldnt buy anymore guns and should just willingly bend over. Because its quite clear now more then ever that they will not stop until firearm ownership is prohibited entirely. My logic is real simple. Buy it while you can.
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u/NewWatchTime May 20 '26
When did I say donāt buy guns? Iāve bought multiple since the recent bans, just not ones that will be banned.
If you donāt already have banned guns sure buy either of these. If you already do itās absolute waste of money.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 19 '26
Yeah buy it for the chrome lined barrel that we really need here with our 5rn mags lmfao
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u/EnvironmentBright697 May 19 '26
Chrome lining has superior corrosion resistance, itās not just about barrel life. Besides, even if itās largely irrelevant, why wouldnāt I go with the objectively better option?
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u/Agile-Delay-8770 May 20 '26
I mean the Makasi features a normal barrel nut so you can really swap anything you want on there as long as it takes care of that gas block diameter which is 0.75ā. The pro of that is you donāt have to deal with any proprietary barrels like the Carmel. You just have to drill a roll pin hole and thatās pretty much it. A socom profile with 0.75 around a carbine length would work well.
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u/16gaugeguy16 May 20 '26
At least IWI is known to actually torture test their guns and build top quality firearms. Brigade is more of a niche US manufacturer with no history of military contracts. Just my 2 cents
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u/DougMacRay617 May 20 '26
Yeah idk about you but im not going to war with my gun, the mk15 has been tested enough for me, not to mention its light years better then anything made in canada.
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26
I kind of like it. It looks like a updated version of the Italian ARX160.
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u/DougMacRay617 May 24 '26
Yeah thats why i hate it lol, it's the Israelis version of berettas failed fish gun
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u/Maleficent_Ad_2259 May 19 '26
Idk why people find it ugly. I think it look cool. Ive read I few reviews from the south and its not very popular. Front heavy, weight 1-2 pounds more than an ar 15. Some reported feeding issue. Accuracy is also not as good as ar. Reciever and trigger assembly is made of polymer. Expensive.
Its not like we have many options, but im always bum out when I know im paying premium price (compare to the states) for average performing rifle. Still want one.
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u/Churchillcrocodile May 19 '26
Holy shit thatās awesome itās NR! I wanted an IWI so now I guess I know what to get since itās currently one of the only IWI NRās
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u/UnderstandingSoft165 May 19 '26
Someone in Canada will prob make handguards - I couldnāt believe looking around last night when I saw IWI selling replacement ones in US for only $80USD. The tea to someone taking on a 13ā-15ā handguard project for our market, is they can model it to more resemble the OG version like athos arms and therefore fill demand stateside. @Blklbl PLEASE, itād go so well with your integrated bipod. Someone show them this
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u/UnderstandingSoft165 May 19 '26
What season of obtuse Canadian gun culture are we ringing in now? Itās truely remarkable the flavour combos our laws have curated.
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u/Agile-Delay-8770 May 19 '26
Please correct me if Iām wrong, but I believe the Carmel has a fixed barrel and the Makasi has a standard castle nut so you can change barrels to whichever profile youād like.
In my mind this is a huge upgrade above the fixed barrel of the Carmel but again I could be wrong. Someone please let me know.
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26
Yes... However, the Carmel is CHF as standard, while you will pay another $600 +/- for yet another part on the original price tag if you are approaching this without a supply cache of parked guns.
And there is no reason to suspect the Makasi had a premium barrel done in nitride.
So, another $1000+ with a new handguard.
I am leaning towards the MK15 myself, but I really wish ATRS and DLASK were still around to burn one down and see what needs tweaking or replaced for peace of mind.
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u/1800basicreply May 20 '26
The IWI, even if you don't want to support isreal, pretty obvious that the IWI will be better and have a better access to spares, i dislike the communist party of china, but i would buy a qbz 191 variant in a heart beat...
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u/QuicknSleazy May 20 '26
Says made in PA right in the IWI. But Iām leaning towards the makasi, drip is everything š
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u/Bull-RunTheJewels May 19 '26
Itās ugly but I guess I have to buy it. Not many options in Canada.
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u/CanadianLanBoy May 19 '26
On one hand the Carmel is produced by a known reputable manufacturer, on the other hand it's dogshit ugly.
Makasi if you want to drip or drown, Carmel otherwise
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u/Vahuo89 May 19 '26
One that won't get banned
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26 edited Jun 07 '26
That is everything. The Liberals already targeted mauser and a ruger no1.
Fuck'em and get what you want. They already made you a criminal back in 2020+.
Might as well lean into it, because some cunts would rather have you vilified and steal your property for votes - rather than do the right thing.
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u/Goliad1990 May 19 '26
Yeah, I genuinely hope that everyone who buys one of these things knows that they're going to be in illegal possession by the end of the year if they want to keep it, but there are millions of gun owners and, unfortunately, plenty will buy these not knowing what they're getting into.
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u/Vahuo89 May 19 '26
The endgame is always full stop to any civilian gun ownership. It's only a matter of time š„Ā
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u/RydNightwish May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Some people gotta learn the hard way. I learned it ten times the past few years. Without a serious win in or court or in the house, its gonna be 2500 for a range trip or two then banned. Crypto owners didnt listen when they were told either.
So many other guns and gear to gamble this kind of money on at this point. While poly is an MP and the libs are in power there is no such thing as a safe semi auto.
Fwiw I like the look of both. Fugly is beauty all its own.
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u/Del1c1on May 19 '26
That's why I got a lever. Not a "scary black gun" and used in sport shooting/hunting. Holds more than 5 rounds and plenty of calibres with stopping power. I could be completely wrong but my hope was to get something that won't be near the top of the "to be banned" list.
I already have a semi auto (SKS) and I will Bubba that if I really need to. I'd rather spend money on kit and such. Like you said couple range trips then banned isn't good, you're only as good as how much you get out and shoot. You're not getting many reps in when the rifle is sitting in your safe.
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u/Unknownuser010203 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Won't someone think of the children
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u/No_Win_9797 May 19 '26
Reputable ? Sure, but itās still Israeli made so thatās a no from me
Makasi all the way
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u/Imaginary-Text4690 May 19 '26
I feel you on the Israel I donāt like them at all either but Iād still buy one of there nice guns
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u/IndiscreetTreat May 19 '26
You should probably just give up on any firearm effectively that isnāt from a neutral country or one that hasnāt been to war.
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u/Goliad1990 May 19 '26
isnāt from a neutral country or one that hasnāt been to war
I have to imagine you know that the reason people oppose Israel is not simply because they've been to war.
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u/IndiscreetTreat May 19 '26
Fully aware, but itās not going to stop me from buying any of their firearms. Turkey hates its own citizens owning firearms yet people buy their guns all the time. The virtue signaling is absolutely useless in my mind.
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u/DryConfidence77 May 19 '26
Brother understand something, if someone says they dont smoke cigs because its bad for their health doesnt mean theyre āvirtue signalingā when they drink soda or have a glass of wine from time to timeā¦Its just someone doing their best. Now if they said that they live a perfectly healthy lifestyle then that would be a lie but no one is saying thatā¦ Get off the internet a little
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u/dgod40 May 19 '26
virtue signaling
You guys just go to that word for everything. Some people are taking a stance against a specific thing. Everyone gets to choose what they are "fighting" for and not spending your money is one way.
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u/IndiscreetTreat May 19 '26
āYou guysā. Funny the hypocrisy.
Buy the rifle or not, I truly donāt care at all man.
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u/DryConfidence77 May 19 '26
Why are you being so black and white? Any good action is better than nothingā¦
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u/No_Win_9797 May 19 '26
Nah, I just donāt support Israel in any way shape or form
To each is own thou8
u/Low_Bar_804 May 19 '26
But Uzi and Desert eagle
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u/No_Win_9797 May 19 '26
Dessert eagles are made by Magnum Research (usa) I thought, are they not?
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u/Low_Bar_804 May 19 '26
Iām pretty sure Magnum research came up with the idea but worked Isreali weapon industries to actually make it work. IWI did the heavy lifting in design and manufacturing early on.
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May 19 '26
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May 19 '26
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u/canadaguns-ModTeam May 19 '26
In accordance with the subreddit rules, your post/comment has been removed for the following reason:
[1] Disrespectful/Insulting or Hateful Comments Civility, courtesy, and politeness, is expected within this subreddit. A post or comment may be removed if it's considered in violation of Reddit's RULES, Reddiquette, and User Agreement.
Using negative generalizations on persons based upon their backgrounds, ethnicity, gender, or appearance is subject to comment removal and a possible ban from the subreddit. Keep comments directed at actions, not at individuals.
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u/Important_Onion_4820 May 19 '26
dont support a genocidal state my friend
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u/MasterofLego May 19 '26
We already live in Canada /s
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u/dgod40 May 19 '26
you put /s but the upvotes show that some folks actually believe that and its scary they are on a gun sub
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May 19 '26
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u/I-LOVE-HENRY-RIFLES May 19 '26
Iām conservative and me and my friends donāt support Israel at all. Itās mostly old Gen X and boomers.
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u/kaydenb3 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Iāll pick up a Carmel when it goes on sale for $ 1450, like it does in the States.
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u/strickenchips May 20 '26
Some anti apartheid comments in this thread are absolutely getting botted by unit 8200
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u/AlvinofLys May 23 '26
Next time we need the rail to surpass metal gear AND both the muzzle and stock of the rifle
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u/Smart_Letter366 May 24 '26
To my mind, immediately out of the gate, the Carmel is probably superior - having been worked to win contracts.
That said, IWI parts support has never been incredibly strong while the Makasi can likely source a significant chunk of AR parts at leisure. Making it's lifespan and servicing far easier. Even if it is more expensive down the road.
I would probably purchase these on a couple criteria:
Total price range. Carmel stands to be cheaper, over all without a market parts supply guarantee. Versus intermittent upgrades in whatever quality and price range.
How cool one or the other looks.
How either handles in the shoulder.
And, finally, if you intend to keep the platform in it's original guise - minus optics or the like: IWI can be tinkered with the least, but the Makasi might see a change in: stock/apadpter, grip, barrel and handguard. Just for it to be "right."
If you like to tinker, cash can be spent on a whim, and you want something that can be torn apart? Makasi
"Call of Duty" look, with a preferred optic setup and maybe a cerakote job from Black Box if you are feeling spicy at the fullest extent? IWI.
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u/Armedfist May 25 '26
I like the fal system and more part availability. Not to mention not having to deal with north Sylva
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u/Gonky69 May 19 '26
Iwi is not getting my money lmao.. take a hint why.
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u/strickenchips May 20 '26
The sights don't work when they're not pointed at an unarmed civilian or even an escaped Israeli hostage?
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u/Next-Swimming-4270 May 19 '26
Carmels prohibted btw
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u/Loud_Cap_4250 May 19 '26
Not true
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u/Next-Swimming-4270 May 19 '26
Fr? Change my view
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u/Flat-Dark-Earth Big Bore Specialist May 19 '26
New NR frt just dropped. North sylva are bringing them in.
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u/MasterScore8739 May 19 '26
Turns out North Sylva just announced it on IG a couple hours ago.
I was expecting it to be Prohib too, but nope. Itās NR, and āonlyā costs 2500 loonies.
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u/UnderstandingSoft165 May 19 '26
That price was considered a steal on x95s btw and thatās not considering the inflation. Kinda crazy considering the market monopoly. Wish the pre orders didnāt include a price can still change clause but weāll be optimistic for now
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u/[deleted] May 19 '26
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