Materials
The most interesting aspect of this gun is also what makes it super lightweight and cheap to manufacture. The upper and lower receiver are constructed with a hybrid polymer and metal mix. I love the idea of polymer firearms. The world of 3D printing opens so many possibilities, but in practice, there have been challenges. The ATI Omni Hybrid Maxx makes a polymer AR practical.
Polymer firearms are nothing new. Pistols and rifles have had parts, frames, and receivers made of polymer for decades. We know they work and can be reliable, but when ATI started building polymer AR-15 receivers, the technology was new.
Related: Budget Blaster – Unboxing the ATI Omni Hybrid in .300 Blackout
Over the years, ATI’s construction techniques have improved. You may have seen negative reviews in the past, but just know they may have been on problematic previous generations. This one I’m testing is the newest generation.
The first question one asks is, “Why polymer when the standard aluminum AR-15 works great?” I think the biggest considerations are weight and cost of manufacturing. Polymer is much more economical to produce, and it’s just lighter. This gun’s overall weight is 4.75 pounds. Kitted out like this, it’s about 5.5 pounds.
Construction
The next thing everyone wants to know is which parts are polymer and which are aluminum. Over the many different versions, ATI has changed its designs.
On this version, the polymer parts are: the upper receiver, lower receiver, pistol brace fire control unit including trigger and hammer, safety, takedown pins, magazine release, and A2 grip.
Aluminum parts are the handguard, bolt lock and release, forward assist, charging handle, castle nut, and dust cover. Serial number, barrel interface, buffer tube interface and takedown pin hole are aluminum and molded into the receiver. These are the points that see the most stress. At one time, these were all polymer, but field testing showed after a while those areas failed. Now they are made of metal.
Spring and roll pins are steel, as are the bolt and carrier, barrel, gas block, and flash hider.
Features
Starting at the front, the Omni Hybrid Maxx comes with a standard A2 flash hider. The barrel is 8.5 inches and has 1:8 twist for this .300 Blackout chambering. The barrel is made of 4150 CMV with a nitride finish. There is a carbine-length gas system with a low-profile gas block. There is no M4 feed ramp molded into the receiver.
The handguard is 7 inches, with two M-LOK slots at the ends all the way around, except for the top, which has a short Picatinny section. The forend is clamped on with no anti-rotation stop. I installed a scout-type weapon light to the front with an extended mount so I can activate it using a natural firing grip.
There aren’t any included sling attachment points, so I looped on a Lite MS1 Magpul sling with Blue Force Gear ULoops.
Note that the Pic rail on top of the upper receiver is also polymer, so be careful fastening on optics. Don’t use too much force. I installed a Leupold Mark 5HD 2-10 to shoot groups, then switched to a Holosun 507Comp for close shooting.
Related Review: Holosun 507Comp – The New Sheriff of Red Dots
AR Parts
The bolt and carrier look standard. I’m not sure of the exact specs, but the gas key is staked, which is a good sign.
There is a standard metal buffer tube and castle nut. There is no branding on the pistol brace, but it’s a fin type and works well. It is not quick adjustable but is length-of-pull adjustable with screws. It did shift on me during firing.
Takedown is just like any other AR, but you will need some kind of punch to remove the pins. Note the reinforced takedown pin holes and the reinforced roll pin holes. The pins have to be longer to work with built-up polymer. That’s why they are the anti-walk style.
Trigger
The polymer fire control unit was probably my biggest surprise, but it works great. I haven’t heard about many failures. The trigger feels mil-spec. It breaks at around 3.5 pounds. There is some creep, but there is a good snap and reset.
Finally, polymer molding allows for an integrated flared magazine well. I ran mostly the new Translucent EXD or Extreme Duty magazines from Mission First Tactical. These are super lightweight and come in some fun colors. They have been functioning great for me.
Shooting
On the range, I really could not tell the difference between the ATI Omni Hybrid Maxx and any other lightweight AR-15. It shoots the same, recoil impulse is virtually identical, and controls feel the same. It’s just less expensive.
Accuracy was acceptable from a budget 8.5-inch barrel. It is about what I expected, as this is not a precision rifle. I was able to get just under 3 MOA at 100 yards with range ammo. It’s not a tack driver, but you will be able to hit man-sized targets out to 200 yards.
I had few malfunctions using the Omni Hybrid Maxx pistol as it came. Because it is .300 Blackout, I wanted to see how it handled a suppressor. It did not like my Thunder Beast Ultra 7 and would not run properly with it installed. This doesn’t necessarily mean there is anything wrong, though. It not advertised as being suppressor ready.
I’m sure if I played with the buffer weight or added an adjustable gas block or carrier, I could solve the problem. I just wanted to let you know that you might need to tweak it for suppressor use. Possibly a low back pressure suppressor would work better.
Conclusion
For a general plinking gun, I would have no problems recommending The ATI Omni Hybrid Maxx. My caveat is that I don’t know about long-term durability or extreme uses, although it feels solid to me.
For the price, can you really ask for a lot more? This would be the perfect starter gun for someone who doesn’t want to sink a lot of money into their first AR. It would be also make a great backup gun to store for emergencies.
