KE Arms KP-15 CDR
KE Arms LLC · Carbine · In Production · 2023
Also known as: KP-15 Community Defense Rifle, CDR, Community Defense Rifle
Overview
The KE Arms KP-15 CDR (Community Defense Rifle) is a budget-oriented, lightweight semi-automatic 5.56x45mm NATO carbine introduced in 2023 as an economy-model evolution of the WWSD platform. At roughly 5.4 lb (about 2.45 kg) as configured, it is built on the KP-15 monolithic polymer lower receiver of injection-molded 30% glass-filled nylon, with an integral fixed stock, pistol grip and trigger guard. The upper carries a 16-inch lightweight 5.56 NATO nitride-coated barrel with a 1:7 twist, a mid-length gas system on a pinned gas block, an aluminum free-float M-LOK handguard, and a Young Manufacturing bolt carrier group. A KE Arms DMR trigger delivers a crisp pull, and ambidextrous controls allow operation from either side. The CDR strips the WWSD concept down to its essentials to deliver a reliable, affordable defensive rifle.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 2450 g (86.4 oz) |
| Weight (loaded) | 2880 g (101.6 oz) |
| Overall Length | 838 mm (32.99") |
| Barrel Length | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Action Type | Gas Operated Direct Impingement |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Stage |
| Trigger Pull | 20 N (4.5 lbf) |
| Magazine Capacity | 30 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 945 m/s (3100 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 1730 J (1276 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 500 m (547 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 3600 m (3937 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 178 mm (7.01") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Polymer |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Polymer |
| Finish | Nitride |
Calibers
- 5.56x45mm NATO · primary · 5.56x45mm NATO — also known as 5.56mm NATO, 5.56x45mm, .223 Remington, .223 Wylde
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety Selector, Ambidextrous Safety
- Features: Monolithic Polymer Lower, Integral Fixed Stock, Integral Pistol Grip, Ambidextrous Controls, Mid Length Gas System, Lightweight Barrel, Pinned Gas Block, M Lok Rail, Free Floating Handguard, Ke Arms Dmr Trigger, Young Manufacturing Bcg, Flared Mag Well, Rotating Bolt, Flat Top Receiver, Picatinny Rail, A2 Flash Hider
Variants
- KP-15 CDR 14.5" Pinned — Barrel Length
Production
Production years: 2023-present
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Designer: Russell Phagan
Notes
MSRP approximately $1,249.99 as a complete rifle. KE Arms also offers a 14.5-inch barreled CDR with a permanently pinned-and-welded muzzle device to reach 16 inches of barrel length for non-NFA legality. The CDR uses an aluminum M-LOK handguard rather than the WWSD's carbon-fiber unit to reduce cost.
Background
KE Arms is the spiritual successor to Cavalry Arms, the company that pioneered the CAV-15 monolithic polymer AR-15 lower receiver in the early 2000s. After Cavalry Arms closed in 2010, the CAV-15 intellectual property passed through Sinistral Shooting Technologies to KE Arms, which refined the concept into the injection-molded, 30% glass-filled nylon KP-15 receiver. The receiver molds the buffer tube, fixed A1-length buttstock, pistol grip and trigger guard into a single part, eliminating the wobble and parts count of a conventional two-piece AR lower. The platform became the foundation of the 'What Would Stoner Do' (WWSD) project, a collaboration between KE Arms' Russell Phagan, InRangeTV's Karl Kasarda and Forgotten Weapons' Ian McCollum, distributed through Brownells, that set out to build the lightest, most cost-effective fighting rifle possible in Eugene Stoner's minimalist spirit.