Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1497523
Zion at the range We took the IWI Zion-15 to the sho- oting range to see what makes it different and what it has to offer to the shooter. It turns out that the Zion Z -15 is not quite an "ordinary" AR, altho- ugh, on the other hand, in its upper price range it already has strong competition that offers similar per- formance. First of all, the Zion's thick and he- avy barrel with a mid-length gas system makes the carbine extre- mely stable during shooting, and this is true even despite the use of a simple A2 birdcage. The gn works very smooth, and its impact on the shooter is low. Zion will excel in all kinds of dynamic shooting, as it al- lows the shooter to fire fast and ac- curate double-taps or multi-shots without having to struggle with a "horny" gun. The gun moves so lit- tle during shooting that it practical- ly never leaves the target area (we are talking about short-distance shooting, of course). We also can't help but mention the 1:8 twist, which is much more ver- satile than the rather common 1:7 one and allows you to shoot with lighter ammunition without wor- rying about bullet stabilisation. Of course, if it would be 1:9, it would be even better, but 1:8 with a barrel length of 12.5" is just nice. The standard trigger helps in fast and accurate shooting. Let's call it the "MIL-SPEC on steroids" trig- ger, because it is smoother than the standard military ones and puts much less resistance. The re- set seems to be shorter and smo- other. All this, of course, translates into improved accuracy and rate of fire. It is also invaluable in "ac- curacy and focus" shooting where the smoothness of the trigger has a decisive influence on the results. With this particular Zion we were easily getting under 2 MOA groups with budget 55 gr ammunition with HWS and 3x magnifier. The SOPMOD stock is a big plus. I really dig these widened tank-alike stocks. They are very comfortable to shoot as they provide perfect cheek support, especially in a pro- ne shooting stance. Also, thumbs up for the slim-profile handguard. The military-style trigger guard is something that doesn't bother me personally, but most AR-15 owners are going to replace this compo- nent with a polymer or aluminium one of much better shape. In ad- dition, in the Zion, the connection gap between the trigger guard and the pistol grip is causing discom- fort as it is pinching hands when using a high grip. Speaking of the pistol grip. I have heard a lot of good opinions about it, but.... I do not share them. The angle is OK, very comfortable, but general view decomposed IWI Zion Z-15 FIREARMS