Make no mistake: I don’t think that type of “cloverleaf” accuracy is typical for the ASR

Over the next five months, I took it to the range on five occasions

A “typical” 50-yard group is shown above. Like many 9mm carbines, the TNW ASR does have its preferences. Not surprisingly, it preferred more expensive ammo with higher velocities. In fact, my best 3-shot, 50-yard group came courtesy of Cor-Bon 115 Grain +P:

You do need to get the trigger upgrade to get close to this level of performance. Nonetheless, with the trigger upgrade and some careful ammo selection, you can get 1 MOA performance at 50 yards.

Testing the return-to-zero capability of the rifle I was pleasantly surprised with the results. POI shift was about a half-inch or so at 50 yards after a barrel change. As you might expect, changes in ammunition had a much greater effect on accuracy, and in many cases, the rifle’s zero needed to be adjusted.

In addition to the guns I tested during our factory tour, I tested two samples. The green T&E sample shown in the photos started out a bit rough. My buddy (and former TTAG writer) Chris Dumm is a big fan of all things cheap, so he shoots lots of cheap-ass Russian steel case stuff such as Tula. So Chris fired 200+ rounds of Tula through the ASR and experienced frequent jams. Having a low tolerance for malfunctions, he soured on it pretty quickly.

I tend to take a longer view. On my first two outings, I was mainly just plinking at rocks, in a “get to know you” fashion, as opposed to serious accuracy work. I mainly wanted to see if the barrel nut would stay tight, the gun functioned reliably, and maintained zero. I was also hopeful that the trigger might

smooth out a bit with time.

I shot roughly 500 rounds, mostly a mix of factory brass ammo and gun-show reloads. I experienced an occasional jam during this phase of my testing. However, to my delight, the jams decreased as the gun broke in.

On my fifth and last range trip, I loaded up eight 32-round GLOCK mags with UMC 115-grain Ball and proceeded to empty them in over a period of about 10 minutes in fairly rapid fashion. I experienced no hiccups. Since then, I’ve fired another 2,000 rounds through this carbine with only one jam. I even ran 150 rounds of steel-case Winchester through it senior dating app with good results. I’ve heard other guys tell me that their ASRs worked perfectly right out of the box. So my takeaway is that you may get one that needs a 500-round break-in period. And while in an ideal world it would right out of the box every time, but I’m gonna break in any gun before I rely on it for a hunt or a “save my life” situation anyway. I do know that TNW test fires each sample before it leaves the factory.

TNW ASR Pack

If you’re going to get a TNW Aero Survival Rifle, it makes sense to get the kit that includes the matching backpack. This pack is intended to be used both as a survival pack and the transport bag for the ASR. The bag is designed with separate compartments to hold three 16-inch ASR barrels as well as separate bolt heads for the various calibers supported by your system. The bag retails for $99, and I think it’s a well worth the extra Benjamin.

In the photo below, you can see how the disassembled rifle is stored in the backpack, along with room for three extra barrels: