Impressions
Holy snot. When you heft the rifle for the first time it feels positively weightless. It’s breathtaking to appreciate how little this gun weighs. On a decent sling you really could tote this heater almost without knowing it was there.
On the range the Black Widow runs like a typical top-end AR. Given the unencumbered nature of the free-floated barrel along with the smooth personality of the direct impingement gas system, the Black Widow drops its rounds right where you want them at typical AR ranges.
I had the opportunity to pick up a raw Magna T5 1911 frame at the SHOT show and it literally made me giggle. I’m not convinced this stripped component could serve as a decent paperweight in a proper breeze. Given the robust character of the .45 ACP I was concerned about recoil in such a bantamweight gun. Depending upon the exact model you get, weights hover around the 20-ounce point. A Walther PPKS weighs about 24 ounces for perspective. The Magna T5 we reviewed has a full-sized frame and commander-length slide. This, combined with some beefy and attractive synthetic stocks, make Mr. Browning’s gun comfortable despite its svelte figure.
I toted the Magna T5 for a while at work underneath my scrubs and really came to appreciate the modest weight. Compared to my full-figured steel-framed 1911 pistols, the Magna T5 was absolutely dreamy. Yet, the gun still ran great at reasonable handgun engagement ranges. Let’s say, between 1.5″ and 2″ at my 13-meter test range that day.
The Magna T5 is a compact 1911, and most compact 1911 pistols are a bit finicky at first. The gun ran fine with hardball ammo right out of the gate, but choked on the 1st round in a full 8-round magazine when running hollow points. Downloading the magazine to five or six rounds fixed this, and the problem got better as the day wore on, eventually going away. Even folks who make 1911 pistols will tell you it takes at least 500 rounds to break the gun in. The Black Widow AR ran flawlessly throughout.