My wife sometimes expresses concern over the work and home projects I engage. Apparently, straying too far from a comfy chair is perilous passage, an outlook which places her squarely at odds with my cardiologist, a woman I believe to be no older than twelve years of age. Her advice is to run and walk and fill my days with the challenges of manual labor. I do not know if her professional advice is sound or if she is seeking an opportunity for open, broken heart surgery, but I do feel… invigorated and my wife sees me in a different light; Joe without a chair under his butt.
The general contractor who does spring maintenance work on our home is the youngster around here; early 50s. The very professional and proficient gentleman who just completed an appraisal of our home is in his early 70s, a Vietnam Era Air Force instructor pilot. The local guy who is going to do an excavating and grading project for us is in his mid 70s; is trustworthy, direct and fair in business dealings.
A driveway sealing service manifested itself in the form of a thirty something young man with a single diamond stud earring. He wandered about the driveway with us, never paying much attention to the driveway or offering specific service options, but asking probing questions and making testing comments that were intended to find our maximum budget tolerance. It was clearly not the $4,000 he envisioned for completing a $900 task.
No, I am not espousing the goodness of age or the evils of youth. There are rascals at both ends of that spectrum. In fact, some young people clearly represent our nation’s hope for the future. I am merely trying to articulate the sentiment that utility, not age, should be an important defining characteristic and getting older should not relegate people to a comfy chair. The same applies to… mature firearm designs and cartridges.
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Bushmaster Minimalist – SD 91056 |
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| Manufactured | Huntsville, AL |
| Cartridge | 223 Remington / 5.56 NATO |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 |
| Action | Semi-Auto Gas Operated |
| Buttstock | Mission First Tactical Minimalist |
| Handguard | AAC Square Drop |
| Receivers | Forged 7075 Aluminum |
| Receiver Finish | T6 Level 3 Anodized/Teflon |
| Barrel | 4150 Chrome Moly |
| Barrel Finish | Melonite (FNC) |
| Barrel Length | 16″ Lightweight |
| Twist | 1:8″ |
| Trigger Type | ALG Defense Advanced Combat |
| Trigger Pull | 5 Lbs.2 Oz. |
| Sights | Clean |
| Sight Mounting | Full Length Picatinny Rail |
| Weight – Actual | 6 Lbs 5 Oz |
| Overall length – Actual | 33 3/8” – 36 3/4″ |
| Stock LOP – Actual | 10 3/4″ – 14″ |
| MSRP | $1,169 |
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The AR 15 design of circa 1956 and its variants are more popular today than ever in their history of service. Refined and design and materials finessed, the current AR-15s are stronger, more reliable and more accurate than the original. The Bushmaster BFI XM15 Minimalist is an excellent example of where the evolutionary path has led; compact, lightweight and aesthetically pleasing in form, even without walnut and polished blued steel. Clearly the Minimalist is an exercise in the art of less is more.
A quick walk around…
The AAC SquareDrop handguard system is a good one. “SquareDrop” relates to the shape of the extrusions; square at the base rather than a radius, for ease of accessory attachment and compatible with all Keymod mounted accessories. The handguard is light weight, made from extruded 6061 aluminum, internally ribbed, and Type III hard anodized finished.
The SquareDrop’s mounts with a proprietary barrel nut which is free of typical radial tightening projections. Subsequently, it can be secured with desired torque, rather than the degree of applied torque dictated by a gas tube / barrel nut alignment. The aft end of the guard is notched to interlock with the rifle’s receiver, which prevents rotation, and it is secured tightly to the barrel nut flanges with a turnbuckle recessed into the bottom side.
Interesting forms evolve when function plays an ever larger role in design. The Battlelink Minimalist Stock weighs less than six ounces, offers six LOP position points of adjustment, features a rounded rubber butt pad, and provides a bottom side QD cup for sling mounting. For as minimal as it is, the BMS is sturdy with none of the rattling that often accompanies traditional collapsible stocks.
The pistol grip is a Mission First Engage model, textured over the finger swells and grooved at the backstrap for a positive grip of… the grip. The Picatinny rail runs across the A3 Flattop receiver and forward the full length of the 13.5″ handguard.
Upper and lower receivers are forged, Teflon coated, 7075 T6 hard anodized aluminum. The controls are where they would be expected on an AR15, the safety can be mounted left or right. The Advanced Combat Trigger is nickel-boron coated for a consistent trigger pull. The hammer and pins are nickel-Teflon coated. The Mission First Tactical 30 round polymer magazine has a four way anti tilt follower and stainless steel spring for reliable feed. No tools are required for disassembly and all surfaces are textured to be non-slip.
The 16″ barrel has a 1:8″ twist and a lightweight contour with a Melonite finish. The AAC 1/2″x28 thread, 51 circumferential tooth flash hider has fast-attach threads to accommodate compatible muzzle devices. My AAC silencers use a 90 tooth systems, so I just took five minutes and swapped for the 90 tooth version of the same model flash hider.
Live fire
For factory ammo checkout, a scope was mounted and six types of factory ammo that were close at hand were fired. The Bushmaster Minimalist SD chamber is cut to accommodate both 223 Remington and 5.56 NATO, so both types were utilized. There isn’t recoil of significance from these little 0.224″ rounds and the same applied even to this lightweight.
| Ammunition | Cartridge | Bullet Weight Grains |
Rated MV FPS Test BBL |
Actual MV FPS 16″ BBL |
3 Shot Group ” 100 Yds |
| Federal American Eagle | 223 Rem | 50 | 3350 | 3015 | 7/8 |
| Prvi Partizan | 223 Rem | 55 | 3248 | 3008 | 5/8 |
| PMC X-TAC | 5.56 NATO | 55 | 3270* | 3165 | 1 |
| PMC X-TAC | 5.56 NATO | 62 | 3100* | 3044 | 1 |
| Prvi Partizan | 223 Rem | 69 | 2855 | 2783 | 7/8 |
| Hornady | 223 Rem | 75 | 2790 | 2705 | 1 |
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* 20″ test barrel – all others 24″ test barrels |
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Accuracy was good for the combination of factory ammo and a lightweight barrel. In fact, accuracy was good for any rifle of this type. Reliability was 100% with no miss feeds or failures to fire or eject. The Bushmaster Minimalist SD is really light, even compared to other typical 16″ barrel carbines, but it feels balanced and steady in hold. It is an AR that would be difficult not to like.
Because of the swings in group size, I felt there was a more potential for consistently tight groups. Subsequently, handloads are being assembled, ammo will be tested and more groups will be shot for Part II.
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