FoldAR Review: Best Concealed Carry Rifle?
A folding rifle?! We take the FoldAR to the range to see if this concealed carry rifle shoots as well as it stows.
Retired LEO. SWAT Commander. POST/NLEFIA/USCCA Instructor. Former FFL. Gun Writer 10+ years
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The phrase “concealed carry rifle” is a pretty obvious oxymoron — they just don’t go together.
With a generally accepted definition of a rifle including terms like “shoulder-fired”, and “16-inch barrel”, applying concealability to the equation might leave one scratching their head.
A few companies have tried to tackle this dilemma and have had varying degrees of success. But pistols still hold the advantage of small size when it comes to tucking them away.
We can agree that a rifle has strong advantages over a pistol, but can it truly be concealable? And even if you can hide such a rifle, is it any good?
The folks at FoldAR sent us one of their MoBetta Concealed Carry Rifles, and we took it to the range to answer these questions. We’ll share our findings with you below, so read on!
Table of Contents
Why You Should Trust Us
Sean Curtis has been shooting since childhood but really began to delve into guns more during his law enforcement career of over two decades. He received continued training for his roles in SWAT and as a POST-certified handgun instructor.
He began writing in 2014 for Police1.com, covering many topics, including firearms reviews. From there, his works spread to Guns.com, American Survival Guide, Gun World Magazine, and the Glock Annual.
Sean wrote freelance reviews for Pew Pew Tactical since 2018, then came on board full-time in 2021 where he soon began focusing on videos.
FoldAR Pros & Cons
Pros
- Foldable
- Concealable
- Very accurate
- Reliable
Cons
- Expensive
The Bottom Line
The FoldAR is a premium AR-15 that folds in half and can be tucked away accordingly. It's extremely accurate and very reliable, but a little on the costly side.
FoldAR Specs & Features
Specs
- Caliber: 223 Wylde
- Action: Semi-auto
- Width folded: 4.25"
- Length folded: 17.63"
- Barrel Length: 16"
- Height: 7.5"
- Weight: 6.8 lbs.
- Capacity: 30+1 (or by magazine)
- Comes with: Small backpack, 20-round magazine
Features
- Locking hinge
- Nickel Match PTFE Trigger
- 4150 Match Button Pulled Barrel
- 5.11 Tactical Rush Moab 10
Background
One of the important aspects of a rifle is barrel length. This quality allows the round to develop more velocity before it leaves the muzzle.
As a general rule, the shorter the barrel, the less velocity you get from the projectile. Less velocity often translates to worse performance of that projectile when it hits something.
Anyone trying to shorten barrels to make rifles more concealable faced this very problem. There have been some inventive solutions, though!
The Armalite AR-7 is a takedown rifle, meaning one you take apart to store and then reassemble to fire. Eugene Stoner originally designed the rifle as a survival tool for downed pilots.
It was an amazing design and pretty functional because it broke down and stored in its own stock. However, it was chambered in .22 caliber and was limited in range and effectiveness.
Stoner’s AR-15 also used a 16” barrel but was chambered in 5.56x45mm, still a .22 caliber round, but travelling a heck of a lot faster. The AR-15 can be broken into two pieces by removing the takedown pins.
However, it still leaves you with a long portion consisting of the muzzle device, hand guard, and upper receiver. This segment is around two feet long, so not exactly concealable.
FoldAR’s approach was to create a hinge at the end of the upper receiver. The whole handguard and barrel neatly fold back alongside the receiver.
When the rifle is closed into the firing position, a hook and lever pull the two halves together tightly. It’s a good thing they do, considering the chamber pressures present during firing.
The longest segment (barrel) is 17.75 inches, and the shorter segment is around 15 inches. The whole thing is pretty compact as a result.
Who Is It For?
The FoldAR has a lot of potential applications. Anyone wanting a quality rifle that can easily be tucked away will want to check this out.
It can be stowed in a vehicle, readily locked in a smaller safe, or toted in a small backpack, which is included with your purchase.
Recently, FoldAR has been explored as an option for law enforcement agencies with officers in schools. Concealed, the rifle isn’t intimidating, but it can be quickly deployed in times of need.
Fit & Feel
The FoldAR feels like a normal AR-15 in many respects. It is lightweight at 6.8 pounds and feels like a quality build, with no rattling or looseness detected anywhere.
The grip is a Magpul MOE, the stock is a Magpul CTR, and these both serve nicely. The adjustability of the latter is a crucial component of the rifle’s overall concealability.
FoldAR describes the trigger in their rifle as a Nickel Match PTFE. It feels like a single-stage with a bit of creep before breaking, and averaged 4.57 pounds on my Lyman Digital Gauge. Reset was very tactile and audible, happening at the return of the short throw.
I was initially dismayed at the mil-spec charging handle. While I imagined I might replace this, I eventually realized clearance might be an issue when the rifle is folded.
The rail is of a nice, smaller diameter, and covered in MLOK and Picatinny as you would expect. It is exceptionally sturdy and well-mounted to the receiver despite the hinge.
That is the other notable distinction of this rifle. There is a hole in the left side of the rail that mates up with a nipple on the left side of the receiver, which keeps the rifle closed when folded.
A reasonable amount of force is required to pull this apart to resume the firing position. The right side of the rail includes a hook and lever not normally found on AR-15s.
This lever extends to the hook rearward, which connects to a bar just forward of the ejection port. Once connected, the lever is then mashed down flat against the rail.
Additionally, there is a knotted paracord section at the end of the lever that enables you to pull it free for disassembly.
How Does It Shoot?
The FoldAR was solid in all respects but had some surprises in store for me. While I proceeded through the review with an objective mind, I have to admit I was skeptical about repeatable accuracy.
Achieving decent accuracy is not a fluke. It’s a deliberate goal and requires a good deal of engineering and craftsmanship to accomplish.
It’s one of the reasons early gun writer Col. Townsend Whelen said, “Only accurate rifles are interesting.” Introduce some new gadget into a rifle and you very often can ruin your chances at accuracy.
Breaking a rifle in half could easily fall into this category. My expectations were couched in this thinking—boy, was I wrong.
Using a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 4-12, I zeroed and began to shoot groups. Eventually pushing out to 100 yards, I was encouraged with some one-inch groups using 55-grain AAC ammo.
I then broke the gun down and reassembled it, feeling pretty confident the accuracy would change. I focused and fired some more groups, this time averaging around ¾-inch, sub-MOA.
Encouraged, I loaded up some Nosler 77-grain match ammo and shot more groups, breaking down and reassembling the rifle in between. The best of these groups measured .59 inches!
I don’t say this often, but I was duly impressed. All the other measurable aspects of shooting the rifle were sound.
Recoil impulse was fine; I didn’t even adjust the gas system, but had the option. Reliability was perfect. We ran through just over 500 rounds, mostly AAC practice ammo, but a couple of boxes of Nosler Match, too, with zero malfunctions.
The only hang-up was a Gen II PMAG that wouldn’t drop free when I pushed the release. I suspect this was a magazine issue.
FoldAR By the Numbers
Accuracy: 5/5
Extremely accurate and impressive at the range.
Reliability: 5/5
Had a small issue with a Gen II PMAG, but other than that, it did well.
Customization: 4/5
It has a rail and M-LOK, so you can add accessories as you wish.
Ergonomics: 4.5/5
Fairly comfortable to shoot.
Value: 4/5
It's pricey but if you want a quality concealed carry rifle, this is your best option.
Overall: 4.5/5
What Sets it Apart?
The FoldAR is an AR-15 that folds in half and can be quickly assembled to fire. It is also extremely accurate.
FoldAR MoBetta Upgrades & Accessories
Vortex Crossfire Red-Dot Sight
AAC 5.56 NATO 55gr
Vortex Diamondback 4-12x40mm Tactical Scope
Final Verdict
Past experience has taught me that messing around with the vital functions of a rifle can introduce variables that affect accuracy or even reliability. The FoldAR has none of those problems.
In fact, it does everything exceptionally well. It’s lightweight, reliable, very accurate, and can fold up and disappear in a small backpack. I couldn’t carry it appendix, but it’s a great achievement in engineering.
Will you make the FoldAR your next purchase? Let us know in the comments below! For more information on incredible AR-15s, check out 13 Best AR-15s of 2023: Ultimate Hands-On Guide.