When someone asks about piston-driven ARs, it's hard not to immediately think of LWRC Inc., the Cambridge, Maryland-based manufacturer of high-end modern rifles, SBRs and innovative personal defense carbines.

While LWRC is a died in the wool piston gun maker, it's also one of the few companies in the market that's gone full bore into the 6.8 SPC cartridge. There's a lot of back and forth on the utility of the 6.8 SPC — a round intended to deliver ballistic effects similar to the 7.62x51 with a short-barreled AR — and while the special operations community shelved the idea, some in the government agency side of things and foreign personal protection details have adopted it.

The 6.8 does have a small hunting following as well, though 300 Blackout (and 6.5 Grendel) is starting to make inroads. But that hasn't stopped LWRC from specializing in what it's good at, and the new Six8 A5 is the companies first rifle-length 6.8 with some pretty awesome features the company's become known for.

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