r/canadaguns • u/rastamasta45 • May 19 '26

Buy recommendations Need help! Which do I choose?

Gallery image

Gallery image

The Makasi is 100$ cheaper and metal, iwi Carmel is polymer and from a reputable manufacturer? Decisions decisions 🤔

195 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

136 comments sorted by

View all comments

48

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.

It’s a tough choice tbh. I think a lot of people won’t be able to get over how ugly the Carmel is, but the makasi isn’t 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 can’t get suppressors anyway.

8

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?

9

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. I’m leaning towards the Carmel personally just because it’s coming from IWI and not a smaller manufacturer. I’m wondering if the Carmel’s are going to be coming straight from Israel, or if they’re coming from IWI’s American factory.

4

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.