IWI US’s Galil ACE GEN II 5.45×39 Pistol: Be Thankful It Made to Market at All!

EDITORS NOTE: According to IWI US, as of March 2024, all Galil ACE Gen II pistols will not ship with a stabilizing brace. They will ship with a flat back plate. IWI made this change after this article was written.

“The Israel Weapon Industries US Galil ACE Pistol with stabilizing brace is now steadily arriving on dealer’s shelves.” This was the line written back in 2015 — Wait…what?

Then, as now, IWI US had to overcome various manufacturing and BATF compliance issues to get this highly anticipated product into the hands of American customers. You’ll notice a theme here of IWI having to adapt to and overcome numerous federal regulations and executive actions as they brought the Galil ACE to market here. Now, in 2024, IWI had to wait out the onerous fiat from BATF about the legality of braced pistols, all the while dealing with the scarcity of 5.45x39mm ammunition after the U.S. government’s August 2021 sanctioning of Russian ammunition imports in response to their invasion of Ukraine.

In November 2023, a federal judge issued a ruling preventing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) from enforcing its 2021R-08F rule regulating pistols equipped with stabilizing devices. BATF had announced this arbitrary rule in the beginning of 2023, throwing the gun industry (and public) into a tizzy. Braced pistols are an extremely popular product with tens of millions already in circulation. This article is NOT about regulation, however, the way the government has handled the entire issue has been a joke and I’m glad to talk about something else. The something else being the Galil ACE GEN II Pistol chambered in 5.45×39 with 13-inch barrel.

REBORN

In 2015, IWI US decided to revive the Galil in the enhanced Galil ACE form for the U.S. civilian market and for certain foreign client contracts. The original Israeli Galil was choked out of the U.S. market in the early 1990s due to changes in federal importation regulations. Notice a recurring theme here? The Galil ACE is not merely a copy of the 1960s design, though. IWI took full advantage of the passage of time to improve and update the original Yisrael Galil and Yaacov Lior 1960s design. The pistol brace version reviewed here was definitely not contemplated by the two original designers.

The Galil was inspired by the Finnish Valmet Rk 62. The Valmet Rk 62 is itself an improved AK derivative. The Rk 62 sought to maintain the AK’s legendary reliability while improving upon its accuracy. This was accomplished with the use of quality barrel, extended iron sight radius, higher quality manufacturing techniques, tweaks to the gas tube, and long stroke gas piston operation. Israel’s Galil followed the Valmet Rk 62’s path after the IDF found the FAL wanting in terms of size, recoil, and, more importantly, reliability. The Galil in 5.56mm was officially adopted by the IDF in 1972.

The Galil ACE line is assembled from a combination of Israeli and U.S. manufactured components at their Harrisburg, PA facility. The IWI US Galil ACE (Gen I) sought improvement over the original Galil in a number of ways. Galil reliability and performance has never been doubted, however its near ten-pound weight drew criticism from troops, especially when compared to the six-pound M4. The Galil ACE makes use of a polymer lower for the magazine well, trigger guard, and pistol grip. The upper receiver (containing the action and hinged folding stock trunnion) is milled from ordnance steel. The railed forend on the Galil ACE Gen I was also derived from high strength polymer. Besides shaving weight, the Galil ACE has its reciprocating charging handle moved to the left side of the steel receiver for easier off hand manipulation. A spring-loaded gate on the left side minimizes the chance of debris entering through the charging handle pathway. The original Galil had a distinctive vertically upturned handle on the right side.

IWI US accentuated previous Galil design by securing the Galil ACE’s railed top cover tightly with an oversized release button at the end of the recoil spring. This ensures sights stays zeroed, especially red-dot or magnified optics. The top cover exhibits no wiggle. In fact, removing and reinstalling takes some effort, but is worth it considering the advantage gained. Following this theme, the Galil’s gas tube is dovetailed into the receiver’s front block. This limits any movement of the gas block that can influence barrel vibration and, thus, degrade accuracy. A recoil buffer is also present at the rear of the recoil spring. This serves multiple roles: it cushions the impact of recoiling parts, eases wear on the rear trunnion, and tames vibrations while increasing accuracy potential. All of these details related to the top cover and the gas tube differ from the original AK.

The Galil ACE was further improved upon with the Galil ACE GEN II in 2021. The GEN II features a full length, two-piece Picatinny top rail, free-float metal alloy M-LOK forend, improved trigger, more ergonomic safety, and a side-folding adjustable stock arrangement that’s M4-tube compatible. GEN II rifles ship with a Magpul CTR stock and riser. Braced pistols ship with SB Tactical’s SBA-3 arm brace. (EDITORS NOTE: According to IWI US, As of March 2024, all Galil ACE Gen II pistols will not ship with a stabilizing brace pictured. They will ship with a flat back plate.) And the GEN II rifles and braced pistols are available in 5.56mm, 7.62x39mm, and 5.45x39mm—the object of our attention here.

The Galil ACE GEN II braced pistol we tested features a 13-inch 1:7.5” RH twist chrome-lined hammer-forged barrel with removal A2 style flash hider. Overall length is 32 inches open and 24 inches with the brace folded. Weight is just under 8 pounds. An 8.3-inch barreled pistol also available, as is a 16-inch rifle version. A Magpul 30-rd AK74 MOE magazine arrives with the pistol. IWI US literature makes mention that a U.S.-made magazine was used for 922R compliance purposes—another onerous government regulation. A centrally located magazine release reinforces ambidextrous functionality. Magazines do not drop free and there is no last round hold-open provision or bolt open device found with the Galil ACE a ’la AK.

The Galil ACE comes equipped with the same trigger type used in the Galil sniper rifle. This is a nice upgrade offering a 5-pound pull that begins with a slight take up. The Galil ACE pistol emerges from the box remediating known AK shortcomings in terms of mounting optics over the receiver. With the IWI Galil ACE you possibly have the finest AK variant currently in production.

I decided to take full advantage of the Galil ACE pistol’s flattop upper by mounting a Meprolight TRU-VISION red dot sight in front of a Meprolight MMX3 slide flip magnifier. Independence from set eye relief requirements is a major advantage of red dot sights. This is born out when working in tight confines or finding oneself in awkward firing positions when maximizing available cover. Keep both eyes open and pull the trigger when you see the red dot on the target. The adjustable intensity of the TRU-VISION red dot sight allows you to tune the 2MOA dot reticle as needed either in low light or bright conditions. A pistol like the Galil ACE that is created from an assault rifle by removing the rear stock is a perfect candidate for the red dot. The ability to boost magnification to 3x with the MMX3 extends the platform’s effective range.

CHAMBERING

5.45x39mm (5.45mm) military surplus 7N6 ammunition was banned in early 2014 by executive fiat. (Notice a recurring theme?) Up to this point, the availability of cheap, plentiful 5.45 surplus ammunition had 5.45 chambered AKs increasing in popularity. While we will avoid arguing over the validity of declaring the 7N6 5.45 surplus “armor piercing”, the ban did take the steam out of sales of 5.45-chambered AKs. However, IWI US decided to make a limited run of 5.45×39 chambered Galil ACE rifles and pistols few years back, anyway. These sold out so quickly that the company decided to continue with the 5.45 chambering when the Galil ACE GEN II models were introduced.

The 52.9-grain 7N6 “poison pill” bullet first gained notoriety in the Soviet Afghan War. The Soviets designed the 7N6 5.45×39 cartridge with an air space inside the jacket at the bullet’s tip. The air space serves to shift the bullet’s center of mass toward the rear. This increases likelihood of yaw (tumbling) when striking soft targets—flesh. In addition, the lead core behind this air space shifts forward upon impact, producing a peculiar curvature of the bullet’s path in the last half of its travel through tissue. One downside typical to most surplus ammunition is that it uses corrosive primers. While “spam” cans of 7N6 5.45 can still be found, don’t expect to find them for just a few cent a round anymore—they are more like .80-90 cents a round these days. This is what happens when government makes rules in the marketplace.

5.45 ammunition is available from both Russian and non-Russian manufactures. I’ll admit to having acquired an adequate supply of 5.45 ammo over the years. Multiple 5.45×39 loads were tested with the Galil ACE 5.45 such as Wolf, Tula, Silver Bear in 60-grain and 70-grain varieties. We also ran some Century International Red Army Standard 5.45×39.

Two other 5.45 loadings of interest were also fired with the Galil ACE 5.45. Hornady’s 60-grain V-Max and Dynamit Nobel 59-grain HP. The Hornady 5.45×39 load is a godsend for 5.45 owners looking for a quality, U.S.-made ammunition choice for their rifles. By good fortune I discovered the German Dynamit Nobel 59-grain 5.45×39 several years ago and picked up a couple of cases. The Hornady V-Max loads delivered accuracy in the 1.25-inch range at 50 yards with the Dynamit Nobel producing 1.5-inch groups at the same sdistance. The other ammunition brands produced 50-yard groups of 2-inches and under. Accuracy testing was done with the Meprolight TRU-VISION red dot and with the 3x MMX3 magnifier in place.

WORTH IT

Several hundred rounds were fired through the Galil ACE GEN II pistol for this article. After initial inspection and light lubrication, no cleaning was performed. No issues were encountered in terms of reliability. I paid special attention to the gun’s ability to hold zero by removing and reinstalling the top cover numerous times between evaluation scenarios. I also had some concern about heat transfer to the railed polymer forend. This proved a non-issue thanks to the effective heat shields and spacing between barrel/gas block and forend. In fact, even after multiple rapid fire magazine dumps, I could grip the forend with a non-gloved hand.

PERFORMANCE

Range tests consisted of moving around barricades and simulated cover while engaging an assortment of paper and steel targets, including automobiles located at Echo Valley Training Center. One thing I liked immediately was the ACE’s ambidextrous safety lever. The right-side safety lever has been reduced in size since it’s no longer required to act as dust cover. The right-side safety lever is accessed with the right index finger or by removing your hand from the pistol grip and using multiple fingers. On the left side, just above the pistol grip, there is another safety lever, meant to be operated by the shooter’s thumb. I favored this method of use in terms of ergonomics.

The fact that the Galil ACE pistol is classified legally as a handgun (again—for now) offers users who have a concealed carry license a certain amount of flexibility compared to a true rifle or NFA classified weapon. If considering the Galil ACE pistol for a serious defense or a tactical role, it would be best to look at it as a personal defense weapon (PDW) instead of a rifle. The Galil ACE pistol is definitely more potent and offers longer effective range than a traditional pistol; especially if the shooter is trained to use it effectively and appreciate its nuances.

Many will argue that there is no defensive or tactical value in such a non-traditional pistol as the braced Galil ACE pistol; just use a full-size rifle or typical handgun, they’ll say. However, some will be lured to the Galil ACE GEN II pistol by its ability to offer handgun status with rifle performance. Compared to a standard pistol, the folding ACE’s ability to be transported more discretely than a full-size rifle gives out-and-about defenders a rifle-caliber tool without the rifle-caliber size, should they need to deal with unexpected threats.

SPECIFICATIONS