GunCon is my favorite annual industry event. If you haven’t heard of it, you need to look it up. It’s a unique, fun annual experience within the community. Manufacturers, creators, and enthusiasts come together to discuss their passions, meet like-minded folks, and celebrate all that is great about the Second Amendment.
While it’s a great place to connect and hang out with friends old and new, it’s still a work trip for me—albeit only about 90 minutes from my home. Checking out what’s new and interesting in the industry is priority number one. One of the biggest showstoppers was the One Horse Express. The Express kicks things up a notch by offering the first factory-tuned and factory-installed forced reset trigger in a production rifle and man, does it rip.
Specs
Like most gun guys, I like FRT triggers. While not the most practical option for a duty, defensive, or training rifle, they’re a ton of fun and guns are supposed to be fun, right? Plus, FRTs are the best way to stick to the man (as in the ATF). How can you not like that?
The standard specs are as follows:
- Model(s): One Horse Express
- Caliber: 5.56 NATO/223 Remington
- Capacity: 30-round magazines (or more).
- Magazine QTY: 1
- Operation: Direct Impingement (mid-length gas system)
- Sights: N/A
- Barrel Length: 16”, SOCOM Profile
- Barrel Twist Rate: 1:8
- Weight: 6.5 lbs.
- Price: $999.99
More Than a Mil Spec AR
The One Horse Express series is built on a simple idea—deliver a rifle that’s ready to run right out of the box. Each rifle that’s manufactured in Brownstown, Indiana leaves the factory with an Atrius Forced Reset Selector pre-installed, timed, and tested before it reaches the customer. According to One Horse, installing an FRT isn’t always straightforward, and improper setup can lead to reliability issues (ask me how I know. By handling the installation and tuning at the factory, One Horse eliminates the guesswork and ensures shooters spend their time on the range shooting rather than troubleshooting.
The flagship model in the series, the 16-inch 5.56/.223 One Horse Express Rifle with the FRS selector. The rifle features a 16-inch 4150 CrMoV SOCOM-profile barrel with a 1:8 twist rate, a mid-length gas system, 7075-T6 aluminum receivers, and a 15-inch M-LOK Free-Float Rail V3.
Additional upgrades include a Breek Arms WARHAMMER Mod2 ambidextrous charging handle, a THRIL CCS adjustable stock, a THRIL RS pistol grip, an H2 buffer, an M16-profile black nitride bolt carrier group, and a 30-round THRIL magazine. The Atrius FRS offers safe, semi, and super-semi positions, which is really what makes this rifle cool.
I have friends who have tried FRTs and only encountered problems. To me, the best solution is to have a rifle factory-tuned for them, and it’s surprising that no one has done that before now. (My guess has more to do with pending lawsuits involving Rare Breed, but that’s an entirely different story.)
In terms of the rifle, it’s definitely an elevated AR. Aside from the Atrius trigger, One Horse added other touches, like upgraded furniture, proper staking, and all American-made components. In terms of reliability, the Express rifle on hand at GunCon saw thousands of rounds through it and worked flawlessly. The only issue is that with that FRT, you’re constantly loading magazines.
Zooming Out
I admire what One Horse is doing. They’re patriots who want to deliver America’s favorite rifle with enhanced capabilities to the common man. With the rise in popularity of FRTs, it makes a lot of sense for a company to partner with someone like Atrius to offer an in-house, ready-to-go rifle/FRT combo. This is an exciting one to watch.