TNW Aero Survival Rifle 10mm Auto

Defined as a “lightweight, short-barreled variation of an existing rifle model,” the carbine was first employed by cavalry. Fighting in a very confined area, they needed something much shorter than an infantry rifle. Shorter barrels affect muzzle velocity negatively, as did the recoil on the shoulders with a standard cartridge in a trimmed down rifle — sometimes to the point where different ammo had to be loaded for the carbines. Still, the newer versions were shorter, lighter, easier to manipulate and carry on horseback.

Now we’re seeing a completely different class of carbines in which barrels are lengthened, thus making them more powerful, easier to control, and shoot accurately. This new class is starting with pistols instead of battle rifles, adding a shoulder stock, plenty of real estate for a fore end and a light, if desired, as well as providing for the easy mounting of an optic. Stretching the barrels from 4 or 5 inches out to 16 (or just a hair more) often yields a higher muzzle velocity and greatly approved energy delivered from what is still a very compact firearm. We think most will agree that a good Marlin Model 94 in 357 Magnum or 44 Magnum constitutes a serious defensive firearm.

We wanted to know if the same thing would happen with lighter, pistol-caliber carbines. We’ve recorded some longer-barreled 9mms that demonstrated very little velocity increase. Recoil was almost nonexistent, and they were easier to shoot accurately at distance, but we weren’t impressed enough with the hitting power to carry those out into the woods. Could a pistol cartridge that packed a bit more powder and worked at a higher pressure be a solution? We wanted to find out and grabbed a selection of 10mm carbines for you, including Ruger’s new rifle chambered in 10mm Auto, the LC10 carbine with a 16.25-inch barrel. It ships complete with a side-charging handle, lots of real estate for mounting optics, and is compatible with extended Glock-type magazines with a street price around $800 (No. 19307). It’s sad, but that sounds reasonably inexpensive these days — until you compare it to the Hi-Point 1095. Also with a Picatinny rail, iron sight, and adjustable buttstock, the street price on this semi-auto 10mm is around $350. The next selection in this test group is the Aero Survival Rifle from TNW Firearms. Much more reminiscent of an AR-15 — and some of the parts in the buffer system are compatible — the ASR is actually a blowback-operated take-down rifle originally designed as a survival tool for bush pilots. Street prices run as low as $575. Last we tested the latest model from Just Right Carbines. Sporting a 16.25-inch barrel, as do the other rifles in our test, the Just Right Carbine offers some additional versatility that can make this rifle very easy to operate for left-handers. It is also in the sub-$700 range.

Bearing in mind the anticipated use of these carbines, we mounted one of the Holosun AEMS enclosed red-dot sights (Brownells.com, $400). We shot multiple weights of ammunition to look for energy improvements versus a pistol. That selection included Hornady 155-grain XTPs, Federal 180-grain VHPs (Versatile Hollow Point designed to “Train & Protect”), along with the Doubletap 200-grain Controlled Expansion JHPs. We used a SIG P320 XTen for the pistol baseline velocities, all of which were measured by a new Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph (MidwayUSA.com, $600).

Part of our stated goal was to find out if the longer barrels on these carbines developed more velocity and, therefore, more energy, than the same rounds launched from a 5-inch pistol barrel. The increases, as hoped, were substantial. The average for the Hornady 155-grain loads generated 1380 fps from the SIG Sauer X10 pistol and averaged 1669 fps from the carbines. That’s a 21% increase in velocity and an almost 35% increase in muzzle energy. The Federal 180-grain loads showed an 18% velocity increase and 39% energy increase, while the Doubletap 200-grainers yielded 11% and 23%. Some of these loads were pushing 1000 foot pounds of energy — not too shabby from a pistol cartridge. Here’s what we thought of the rifles individually.

TNW Aero Survival Rifle 10mm Auto

$575

Gun Tests grade: B

Extremely light and portable, this ASR rifle may not have been the most accurate of the group, but we love the way it could be easily stashed in a bush plane, behind a pickup seat, or in a backpack.

TNW Firearms hails from the forests of northwest Oregon, where they might have had to learn a thing or two about thriving in the backcountry. The Aero Survival Rifle (ASR) was designed to help pilots survive if they have to set their planes down in less-than-optimal conditions. TNW’s goal was to create a small, lightweight carbine with a reasonable amount of energy. We liked the finished product.

In concept, survival gear tends to be that which you always have with you, pray that you will never use, and which must work first time, every time when needed. Size and weight are components essential to this equation. With a collapsed length shorter than 30 inches and a net weight slightly more than 5.5 pounds, the ASR makes it easy to keep as a constant companion. By the way, the ASR is a takedown model that can be broken into two pieces, the longest of which is shorter than 18 inches. Both pieces and extra magazines can easily be stored in the custom backpack from TNW. Included with the three-caliber package, it is also available separately for purchase at $120.

The TNW survival rifle also takes the format of an AR-15-style weapon. The buttstock and assembly, as well as the pistol grip, should be very familiar to you. The trigger is not standard AR issue, but is specific to their rifle. Both upper and lower receivers are aircraft-grade aluminum alloy that has been hardcoat anodized.

Controls have been primarily designed for right-handers, though not completely so. The operating handle is located on the right side. Easy to reach — though we would prefer to do that with the left hand — simply draw it to the rear and release to chamber a round. Empty magazines do not lock it to the rear; rather, the bolt handle must be rotated upward into a notch. Our sample arrived set up for right-side eject, but that can be changed by removing the bolt and swapping out the ejector. The manual safety is a push pin located above and just forward of the trigger. A child-safety lock has been designed that requires the use of an Allen key to tighten a screw just above the trigger and slightly to the rear. The magazine release is a pushbutton located on the left side of the magazine well.

Disassembly was easy — maybe a little too easy. Through pins are located near the front and the rear of the lower receiver. Removing them right to left allows the two parts of the receiver to be separated. We noticed the rear pin walking out on us during the shooting tests, so we would love to see that designed with a more secure capture. Remove the barrel simply by rotating the barrel shroud counterclockwise and lifting the barrel and shroud up from the receiver. This system makes storage and caliber changes a snap. There is a groove on the top of the barrel that mates with a stud in the receiver, allowing everything to be reassembled quickly and correctly. TNW also makes more substantial handguards for the ASR, but we wanted to keep everything minimalist and left our sample as delivered.

Group sizes averaged less than 3 inches at 50 yards for five-shot strings. Not exactly gilt-edged accuracy, but all four of our samples shot much more like a good lever-action 30-30 than a PRS rifle. Considering the anticipated use of the carbines, we thought that was sufficient. Controls were easy to manipulate, and recoil was a little snappy. Trust us, there is a very noticeable difference in the recoil impulses of a 9mm and a 10mm carbine. Not bad, just more. Feeding and function were perfect — as long as we weren’t using that ETS magazine. We realize that we were testing a sample size of two with the ETS Group mags, but we weren’t impressed and would recommend staying with the Glock or SGM Tactical mags. 

Our Team Said: We liked the switch-barrel capability and think this carbine could fill a variety of roles in an emergency.

We tested at American Shooting Centers (AmericanShootingCenters.com) in west Houston. We used a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph (Garmin.com, $600) to determine muzzle velocities. We shot the rifles using a Caldwell TackDriver Pro (Brownells 100-027-023, $49), further supported by a large rear bag, heavy from Tab Gear(TabGear.com, $34). We calculated averages from five-shot groups fired at 50 yards. 

Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT