Built for optimum performance without being overly encumbered by superfluous accessories, the Les Baer Police Special is one lean, mean rifle for a wide variety of shooting needs.
For most firearm aficionados, the name Les Baer is synonymous with 1911s. However, not long ago the company decided to broaden its horizons and enter the AR-15 market. Today there are a dozen different offerings in its AR line. One rifle—the company's Police Special—struck me as quite intriguing, but not because of the accessories or features it contained. On the contrary, it was the opposite. Think of the Police Special as is an exercise in minimalism. Designed for use as a duty carbine, it's a no-nonsense rifle, containing all the most important features any law enforcement official or civilian might want—without the doodads they don't need.
Top: It may appear unassuming on the exterior, but the Police Special contains a Timney match trigger that helps the rifle achieve precision-grade accuracy.
Middle: Although the Police Special is equipped with A2-style sights, its carry handle can be removed to mount optics via an A3 receiver with an integral Picatinny accessory rail.
Bottom: Despite the adequate A2-style front sight post, the author would have preferred a flip-up sight for more versatility when mounting optics.
The word sparse may come to mind when seeing the Police Special at first glance. To some extent that may appear true when compared to the offerings of other manufacturers that feel the need to dilute their products with extra bells and whistles. Regardless, svelte is what I thought the moment I lifted the lid on the rifle case.
Reminiscent of an M4 carbine, the Police Special contains a standard, 5-position collapsible buttstock, as opposed to a skeletonized version providing built-in storage—an en vogue approach that ultimately makes things heavier.
The same can be said for its A2-style pistol grip, a tried-and-true design, virtually unchanged since the M16's debut in 1964. Whether this serves as an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to the Police Special is unclear.
Nonetheless, the stock and pistol grip configuration suggests the Police Special is designed for long-term carry and use—not to serve as a compartment-laden pack mule like so many other ARs on the market.
Another departure from the current norm is the rifle comes with a removable carry handle. Given the presence of sling eyelets, I consider this feature more than just a secondary means of conveyance, but rather a prime example of its versatility. It provides excellent protection for the rifle's A2-style, dual-aperture sight, complete with 1⁄2-MOA windage and elevation adjustments. Once properly zeroed, the shooter is capable of accurately engaging targets out to several hundred yards—as countless military servicemen and women and our veterans can attest.
Unlike a traditional M4, however, the Police Special's carry handle is removable by means of two knurled thumbnuts, concealing an integral Picatinny rail on a flattop, A3 upper receiver. The section of rail provides a shooter with virtually unlimited options for mounting a wide range of optics on the rifle, from low-magnification red-dot sights to variable-power scopes. Transformation from iron sights to a precision-grade optic takes a matter of seconds, assuming you've been issued a tactical scope complete with quick-detach rings.
Versatility is further enhanced by the presence of four sections of Picatinny rail located on the rifle's free-float tube, should the shooter wish to accessorize. I would have preferred to see a traditional M4 handguard used in conjunction with rails at 6- and 12-o'clock, mounted directly to the heat shield to make the rifle even lighter, although 6 pounds, 6 ounces is quite acceptable. Regardless, there's something to be said for a free-floating barrel—specifically a 16-inch, button-rifled barrel with a 1:8-inch rate of twist and an M4 stepped-profile ending in a standard A2-style flash hider. But, perhaps even more impressive is the company's claim that the Police Special is capable of shooting MOA with match ammunition. Upon that discovery, this rifle suddenly became capable of much more, because a duty carbine able to shoot MOA would certainly be a good choice for other needs, such as competitive shooting, self-defense—even varmint hunting.
I pulled the rear take-down pin on this lean fighting machine to see how it differed from a standard M4. Most noticeable was the presence of a drop-in, Timney match trigger group (MOA, indeed). Unable to contain my anticipation any longer, I hastily adjourned to the range to see what this plain-Jane AR could do.
For those who wish to add accessories like lights, lasers or grips, the Police Special's free-float tube is surrounded by four Picatinny rails running along its entire length.
For accuracy testing, I decided to use an optic and selected a Leupold Mark 4, 4.5-14x50 mm LR/T in conjunction with a set of Weaver ultra-high rings. The only other accessory used was a five-shot magazine for ease of shooting from a bench—although the two included 30-round magazines functioned flawlessly in prior shooting.
Given Les Baer's reputation for building firearms with tight tolerances, I anticipated feeding problems might occur during testing. Much to my surprise, I experienced none. I also expected an enjoyable shooting session, and the Police Special did not disappoint, given the soft recoil of its .223 Rem. chambering and the crisp, creep-free Timney trigger. Out of the three loads tested, all performed extremely well with groups from 1 to 3 inches. Heavy bullets traveling at lower velocities ruled the day. The best group came from Black Hills 77-grain ammunition, with one group measuring less than MOA.
With a name as misleading as its appearance, you don't need to be a boy in blue to appreciate the versatility of the Police Special—a vanilla carbine built to deliver legendary Les Baer performance to law enforcement, civilians and competitive shooters alike, without unwanted features or gizmos. Simply put, the Police Special is a great example of how Les is more.
