By Tom Murphy –
The Galil family of small arms was designed by Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior in the late 1960s and produced by Israel Weapon Industries Ltd. (formerly Israel Military Industries Ltd.; now IMI Systems Ltd.) located in Ramat HaSharon, part of the Tel Aviv District. The Galil is basically a clone of the Finnish RK-62, a copy in itself of the ubiquitous AK-47. The weapons system is chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO round or the 5.56x45mm NATO.
There are four variations of the Galil: Standard rifle with a 21.1-inch barrel, the SAR, a 13-inch barrel carbine, ARM light machine gun and the MAR, or compact carbine, also known as the Micro Galil. The MAR is a reduced- size version of the SAR. It is equipped with a folding tubular aluminum stock and can be easily fitted with a suppressor and still keep its overall length below that of the SAR. It was popular with the Israeli Police and Special Forces.
JAXX Industries, located in Henderson, NV, builds their own version of the MAR—the Micro Galil .300 AAC Blackout as a Short Barreled Rifle, or pistol. Basically, it’s the IMI Micro Galil with updates and is chambered for the .300 AAC cartridge. It’s built on a milled, not stamped, receiver and has a suppressor-ready 9.5-inch barrel. A very rare left-hand charging handle kit completes the picture.
The barrel is made from 41v50 steel which is 4145 steel with vanadium added to increase toughness (and that makes it harder to machine).
The JAXX Micro Galil is primarily intended to use a suppressor and may not cycle completely with subsonic ammunition if one is not fitted. It’s shipped with a 13×1 RH to 5/8-24 thread adaptor which will allow many different 30-caliber suppressors to be fitted. What would really set this SBR off visually would be a Russian PBS-1 suppressor screwed onto the end of the barrel. Dead Air Armament (deadairsilencers.com) manufactures the Wolverine PBS-1, a vastly improved copy of the Russian version.
JAXX builds all their Micro Galil SBRs using parts kits off of used weapons. The one tested here had very little evidence of prior use. Mostly what could be seen was some cosmetic wear. However, bear in mind, this rifle is JAXX’s test gun. I have no idea as to how many rounds have been down the barrel. IMI is known for building weapons slightly more reliable than anvils, so there’s no concern about operation, or longevity. This Micro Galil was finished in what JAXX calls Midnight Bronze which gave it the look of a battlefield implement—I found it pleasing.
JAXX offers an almost unlimited number of finishes, engravings and coatings on their products. Call them to discuss your wants and needs (jaxxindustries.com / 702-485-4722).
The Micro Galil comes with three different magazines: TAPCO, IMI and ProMag. Only the TAPCO and IMI magazines were used. Both functioned as expected. Personal opinion—the SBR looked better with the original 35-round IMI magazine.
The left-side cocking handle reciprocates when operated, and a spring-loaded dust cover keeps the larger bits and crud out. The right side of the receiver has the typical Kalashnikov-design safety that when in the “fire” position, leaves an opening about 3 inches long and 3/8 inch wide where the hammer and the back of the bolt are clearly visible. This doesn’t seem to be much of a problem with dirt accumulation in any of the multi-millions of AK-types floating around the world, so it’s good to go here.
Disassembly is similar to an AK platform. Remove the top cover by depressing the lever marked “B” on the rear of the operating spring carrier. Push the spring rod forward and lift out the spring and rod. Then the bolt can be withdrawn to the rear. Assembly is the reverse.
This prototype came with no selector markings. JAXX can replicate the Israeli selector markings on top of the button safety on the left side of the receiver to go along with the military style of the Micro Galil.
Anyone who has field stripped a Kalashnikov design rifle or pistol will have no trouble disassembling this Micro Galil. Pop off the receiver cover, remove the return spring and strip the bolt out of the milled receiver. This is as deep as you need to go for field cleaning. Assembly is the reverse.
This is an interesting rifle. With the stock folded, it and three magazines easily fit into a small backpack. Totally invisible. I’d probably get a backpack with some small rabbits on it, but I have a strange sense of humor.
As with all SBR weapons, all NFA laws must be followed. The lawful transfer of an NFA firearm generally requires the filing of an appropriate transfer form with ATF, payment of any transfer tax imposed, approval of the form by ATF and registration of the transferee. Approval must be obtained before a transfer may be made.
.300 Blackout Ammunition
The .300 AAC (Advanced Armament Corporation), also known as the 7.62x35mm, is a cartridge developed for use in the M4 carbine. The idea behind its inception was to develop a cartridge with ballistics similar to the Soviet 7.62x39mm in an AR platform and use the standard AR magazine at its normal capacity. It’s based on the .300 Whisper developed in the early ‘90s by J.D. Jones of SSK Industries. It was envisioned as a multi-purpose cartridge using both light bullets at supersonic velocities and heavier bullets over 200 grains at subsonic velocities.
AAC began development of the .300 Blackout in 2009 but completed most of the work in 2010. It was designed with a specific shorter range focus to equal or surpass the 7.62x39mm Soviet, while working through a suppressor. A standard AR-platform bolt will work; the only change needed is the barrel.
| This article first appeared in Small Arms Review V23N1 (January 2019) |
