http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The DeserTech MDR ("Micro Dynamic Rifle") has been in the works for several years now, after being initially announced at SHOT Show in 2014, if I recall correctly. While it was probably prematurely unveiled, the rifle as it stands today looks to be remarkably well designed. It is one thing to design a concept that sounds attractive (fully ambidextrous bullpup rifle convertible between 7.62x51mm and 5.56x45mm), but it is a whole other thing to actually develop a mechanical design that actually works. And it is yet more notable to make that system elegantly simple and to actually transition from handmade prototypes to successful production line manufacture. DesertTech appears to have cleared all those hurdles... At the heart of the rifle is a rotating bolt locking system and a short stroke gas system. These are both very well understood systems - DesertTech has chosen to use proven ideas here instead of getting "innovative". The most interesting mechanical element is undoubtedly the ejection system, which can be swapped to eject from either side of the rifle but can actually be used from either shoulder regardless because it ejects cases directly forward. The system uses a pair of arms that push an empty case (or live round) laterally off the side of the bolt face and into a holding clip. A lug on the side of the bolt engages those arms on its rearward stroke, and a matching lug on the opposite side pushes the case forward and out of the rifle on the bolt's forward stroke. While this system sounds complex, the parts appear to my eye to have gone through a lot of testing and revision, as they look pretty simple and sturdy - a refined implementation of an unorthodox idea. The controls are all ambidextrous, with non-reciprocating bolt handles, safety selector, and magazine release on both sides. A secondary magazine release is located on th