Titan Defense TD-415 (HK416 clone) Gas piston upper preview (Pics inside)

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Titan Defense is putting the finishing touches on their sorta HK416-ish clone, the TD-415 gas piston upper. I got to shoot a prototype that was 6000 rounds deep without a cleaning

First, they wanted to make it clear they are a independently owned and financed company. They are not a subsidiary of any other company, Todd Baily or anyone else. This is NOT a Todd Baily product.

They only manufacture upper receivers and are licensing the technology to organizations that want to manufacture complete firearms. They are negotiating with several companies, each of which will have their own logo etched on the upper

Now on to the upper. Since I own an LWRC M6A1, I will use it as a point of reference.

I got to fire the 14.5" SS, HBAR model, The barrel had an M4 notch and PWS muzzle device. It was slightly nose heavy, but felt rock solid. No rattles or loose feeling tolerances. The barrel will accept any AR15 muzzle device

The piston was a beefy unit, interfacing a long, thick single piece oprod design. Unlike the LWRC, the handguard was easy to remove, and the piston assembly was much simpler to take down. There are also fewer parts in the TD-415 design. The TD415 is self regulating, venting excess gas when the weapon cycles. The piston head lacks gas rings, making it simpler and easier to manufacture compared to the HK416

In terms of HK 416 compatibility, it will accept a 416 piston rod, and BCG. It's a single piece carrier, and nickle plated as is the bolt. The firing pin has a return spring, like the 416. The carrier does not feature notch/tab on the rear of the carrier key. The ejector is AR15 compatible.

The bolt with be shot peened, MPI, magnafluxed, yadda yadda, which should make the chart junkies happy

Nearly everything steel in the upper was nitride treated, making the components have incredible durability and virtually impervious to corrosion.

I fired the upper on full auto and semi. The recoil has a hard push back, as opposed to an LWRC jolt, but it wasn't harsh, even on full-auto. The action was clean enough to eat off of, and there was no significant heat transfer to speak of. There were zero failures with PMAG's and USGI mags

Overall, I was impressed. It was a good looking gun due to the distinct HK416 profile. I might sell my M6A1 to fund a TD415 purchase once the 10.5" units are ready

On to the crappy cell phone pics