Head Down Products sent us their PV13 rifle for review. Since we received the rifle, we have put 2000 rounds through it before, during and after filming the review. Head Down Products produces a large amount of their own parts – which in today’s market is a notable point in any review. Anyone can build a good AR15, but very few tend to create a great AR15.
Every time I pick up an AR15 I start thinking… this feels like the other 30 I have shot this year, I could have built this for less, this is over priced, they used a milspec trigger on a competition rifle, and many other things. The AR market is saturated and finding anything that stands out is almost impossible. This is the first rifle that we have had that didn’t fetch any of those reactions.
The components are light and rugged, they make their own rails, hand guard, bolt carrier groups, billet upper receiver, billet lower receiver, Head Down branded buttstock and even their own barrels. Taking all of this into consideration, you can’t really get this rifle anywhere else, it is almost a full custom rifle. Everything they make for their rifles is high quality metal and the fit and finish could not be any better. One of the things I do when I pick up a rifle (you can judge me all you want for it) is shake the crap out of it. Pick up any sub-$1000 AR15 and you will notice a lot of rattling and bumping. With the PV13 the only noise I get is batteries rattling in my EOTech 512 optic.
After putting a couple thousand rounds through it, I can tell you this rifle is every bit as reliable as anything else I have thrown lead with before. This gun also is accurate and light weight, which pretty much summarizes everything you would want out of a firearm.
The rail system and muzzle device are the two things I love the most about this gun. The rail system is simple, my hand wraps around it perfectly without needing an AFG for additional purchase space to hold the rail and not lose traction. The rail has some serious mill work and ingenuity put into it to keep it strong even when it is missing a lot of metal. The oversized holes through the top rail and going all the way around it keep it cool when you’re running it hard and keep it light.
The PVX Muzzle Device, as far as I can tell, is mainly a 50 cal style muzzle break. If you look at any of the numerous videos on this rifle (like the one we did) you will see that the barrel doesn’t move at all. One thing to note about any muzzle device similar to this one is that they are much more concussive than a flash hider but all in all they keep the barrel pointing in the same spot every shot.
Overall I love everything about the products that Head Down produces. Their billet upper and lower look as good, if not better, than some other big dogs in the billet receiver market. Their rifles are as fail safe as you can buy in the AR15 market, they are accurate, the engraving pops out, the ejection of the brass is consistent, the Geiselle trigger is crisp and the gun can fire fast. I could list things I love about this rifle all day but if you are looking for something that is truly different and has a manufacturer that pays attention where others don’t care, then you need to check out Head Down Products.
