Midwest Industries Combat HD Rifle Reviewed

Midwest Industries was founded in 2003 and has been manufacturing high-quality, American-made products ever since. The initial focus was on the AR-15 platform and has since grown to manufacturing parts for AKs, shotguns, and even lever-action rifles. Midwest Industries also makes and sells complete rifles, short-barreled rifles, and AR pistols. The latest rifle from them, released in late summer, is the Combat HD Rifle. This rifle is equipped with all the bells and whistles, and even features an all-new handguard design, which Midwest Industries also released around the same time.

Not only did I get to review this rifle, but it was also one of the guns submitted to this year’s Ballistic’s Best AR-15 competition. Without spoiling too much about this year’s competition, this rifle landed in my top three favorites out of the eight that were sent in. Midwest Industries spared no expense when building the Combat HD Rifle. They made the rifle almost fully ambidextrous, used high-quality parts and components, and built the gun around the RIFLESPEED gas control system. With years of experience owning, building, and shooting dozens of AR-15s, this is one of the very few that I’ve felt is worth the price tag. I’ll share why the functionality and components are so valuable, how accurate the rifle is, and the accessories I mounted to the gun.

Combat HD Rifle’s Handguard

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The new rifle features the Combat Rail HD Handguard, which also launched this summer and is available in three different lengths: 9.25 inches, 10.5 inches, and 13.5 inches. This handguard was intentionally designed for extreme use, even when using night vision aiming devices. The barrel nut is longer than previous versions, providing even more stability to the free-float handguard design. This helps decrease the amount of point of impact shift that occurs with attached NV devices.

​One of the first things I personally noticed about the handguard is its rugged appearance, without being “rough,” which generally means hard, sharp edges. Midwest Industries fully dehorned and deburred the Combat Rail HD Handguard to make it as smooth and anti-snag as possible. There are two steel anti-rotation QD sockets located towards the rear of the handguard that are placed to minimize gun roll. Because the rifle is outfitted with the Magpul DT Carbine Stock and a Heavy-Duty Quick-Detach End Plate, there are five total QD mounting locations. 

If you’re looking for a quality sling, I highly recommend the Magpul MS1 QDM sling. It is already set up with two QDM quick-disconnect swivels. The slider stays in place until you physically pull to slide it to lengthen or shorten the sling. Finally, the Combat Rail HD Handguard features a full Picatinny rail for mounting a pressure switch for a light, for example, or other accessories.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

RIFLESPEED Gas Control System

In general, an adjustable gas block is one of the best upgrades you can make to a directimpingement gas system rifle. Most AR-15s come with a fixed gas block and are over-gassed from the factory to ensure they run no matter what ammunition someone plans to use. It is rare for a rifle manufacturer to include an adjustable gas system, so when they do, it’s a big win for the end consumer. It can save the average gun owner from attempting to change the gas tube and block themselves, or save them a trip to their armorer. This is why the RIFLESPEED gas control system, which comes pre-installed on the Combat HD Rifle, is a significant value add to the gun.

​The RIFLESPEED system features a super-easy-to-use Control Knob that can be hand-turned to the left or right to adjust the amount of gas you want. The numbers 1-12 are clearly visible, so you know exactly what setting you’re on. What I love most about the RIFLESPEEDblock is the tactical “click” when you adjust a setting, like how windage or elevation turrets work. This allows you to make adjustments in conditions where visibility might be a challenge.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

​The primary benefit of the RIFLESPEED gas control system is its compatibility with suppressors. You can tune the RIFLESPEED to the perfect setting to make the rifle as soft shooting as possible. Ammunition selection is also essential when it comes to making a gun shoot flatter or with less felt recoil. The perfect ammunition, in combination with a suppressor and the RIFLESPEED gas system, can result in one of the most pleasant rifles to shoot. If you were to buy the RIFLESPEED gas control and gas tube separately, the total cost would be approximately $250. Then comes the installation part. For me, the part being installed and being part of the build is what I appreciate most.

Ambidextrous Controls

My number one frustration with most any carbine is the lack of ambidextrous controls. At a minimum, I expect AR-15s to come with an ambi safety selector and charging handle. I also prefer a 45-degree safety selector because a 90-degree selector usually digs into and cuts my trigger finger. I understand most manufacturers ship their rifles with the safety selector installed in a 90-degree position for safety reasons. As long as the safety can be reversed and installed in the 45-degree position, I’m happy. Usually, I need to purchase an aftermarket safety selector to make this change. Midwest Industries includes the Radian Weapons Raptor Ambi Charging Handle and Talon Ambi Safety installed to 45 degrees, so no modifications or additional purchase are needed.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

​As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the Combat HD Rifle is nearly fully ambidextrous. This rifle features a standard magazine release button on the right side of the gun, as well as a magazine release button on the left side. The only thing missing is a right-side bolt release button or lever. This is by no means a deal breaker, as the standard left-side bolt release is second nature to use for anyone who has owned an AR-15.

Accuracy & Ammo Testing

Midwest Industries built its rifle around the 16-inch Criterion Core Barrel, a high-quality barrel renowned for its exceptional performance and accuracy. I selected five loads of ammunition known to be accurate and precise to test through the rifle. Caldwell recently sent me the Lead Sled DFT 3 shooting rest, which I’ve been using for long gun accuracy testing. The frame features a sliding design, allowing you to adjust it to accommodate the length of stock you have. Using the knob in the rear, you can raise or lower the stock height until you’re on target. Using the wheel in the front, you can adjust left or right to point the muzzle in the precise location. With the rifle secured in the Lead Sled, I put up an Orange Peel Sight-In Target with five bullseyes to perform my ammunition testing. 

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

I used a cool new cerakoted magazine from Pro2Customs, called “Smokes,” which is a design play on the classic Marlboro Red cigarette box. This design was cerakoted on a standard Magpul MOE PMAG Gen3, resulting in zero feeding issues or malfunctions with the magazine.

Combat HD Rifle On The Range

​It is always fascinating to me to see what loads groups well in a rifle. I hypothesized that all the loads would group under an inch at 100 yards, but one load had too much of a spread. That said, the Hornady Black full metal jacket 62-grain, and the two open-tipped match 77-grain loads from Barnes and SuperVel grouped the best. The velocities between these three loads, however, couldn’t be more different. Looking at the data below, you can see that the SuperVel ammunition moved a lot faster than the Barnes, with not that much difference in accuracy. The Hornady Black ammunition, as expected, moved the fastest, as it features lighter 62-grain bullets. The Federal Gold Medal CenterStrike 77-grain was not far off my expectations. The only ammunition that this rifle didn’t group well was the 75-grain Hornady Match boat-tail hollow point.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The accuracy of a rifle doesn’t just depend on the barrel and the ammunition, but also depends on the scope and mount you select. You should always factor these costs into your rifle build, especially when you already plan to spend a premium on a high-quality rifle. Midwest Industries recently launched an updated generation of MK2 scope mounts. The most valuable aspect ofthese new mounts is the ability to replace the scope ring caps with optic-specific caps designed to mount red dot optics at 90 or 45 degrees. The QD levers are super smooth and are a patented design by Elite Defense. You can adjust the retention on the levers to tighten or loosen. 

Scope & Mount Combo

I used the MK2 QD 34MM Scope Mount in the standard configuration, but it is also available in a high configuration. I mounted the Trijicon Credo 1-8x riflescope and the Holosun 407k red dot optic at a 45-degree angle using the Midwest Industries MK2 RMR 45 offset scope ring cap. There is a purpose to having both a scope and a red dot optic on a rifle. I always zero my primary optic, in this case, a scope, for 100 yards and the offset for 7 yards. This allows me to quickly neutralize close-range targets by aligning the red dot optic with the target and then easily return to the scope to shoot long-range targets. 

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

The Trijicon Credo 1-8x scope has proven to be indestructible so far, and I’ve been using it for almost a decade now in competition. My scope has been beaten up from slinging my rifle to throwing my rifle in dump barrels. It’s never lost zero, and the illumination still works perfectly. The MIL reticle is simple and easy to understand with adjustable turrets for windage and elevation. You screw off the scope caps and reposition to 0 once you have your rifle zeroed.

Final Thoughts

The Combat HD Rifle from Midwest Industries is worth the price tag. The components and RIFLESPEED gas control system are all high-quality, adding to the value of the gun. It is a very accurate rifle as it’s built with one of the best barrels in the industry. If you’re looking for a higher-tier AR-15, this rifle is the total package.

Advertisement — Continue Reading Below

Midwest Industries Combat HD Rifle Specifications 

• Caliber: .223 Wylde
• Action: Semi-Automatic
• Capacity: 30 Rounds (magazine dependent)
• Barrel: 16-inches Criterion Core Barrel
• Twist Rate: 1:8
• Thread Pitch Pattern: 1/2×28
• Muzzle Device: MI A2 Flash Hider
• Gas System: Mid-Length Direct Impingement with RIFLESPEED gas control system
• Weight Empty: 7 pounds
• Sights: N/A
• Trigger: 2 Stage Nickel Boron Match Trigger
• Finish: Custom MAS Grey Cerakote
• Radian Weapons Raptor Ambi Charging Handle
• Radian Weapons Talon Ambi Safety installed to 45 degrees
• Made in the USA
• MSRP: $1,849.95

Performance: