Dirty Bird Patriot: A Game-Classic AR Pistol

Dirty Bird Industries, the family-owned company founded in 2015 by brothers Jay and Dustin Pitcher in a Bakersfield, California garage, is selling something a little different: the Patriot, a 7.5-inch 5.56 NATO AR-15 pistol inspired by a fictional firearm that became a gaming icon. 'If you know, you know' is the company's only hint.

The build is old-school where it counts: an A1-style upper with A2 forward assist, A1 grip, tubular handguard, pistol-length gas system with a Dirty Bird H3 buffer, and an Unrivaled A2 muzzle brake. The headline is the included 100-round drum magazine — and the Atrius Forced Reset Selector, a three-position selector whose third position provides a forced-reset function that Dirty Bird says maintains semiautomatic operation.

It's configured and sold as an AR pistol, finished in black, semi-automatic. (Note: we're reporting what Dirty Bird publishes about the FRS; federal regulators' treatment of forced-reset devices is its own ongoing story — watch this space.)

For a small, American, family-run maker — a few employees shipping AR components from both coasts — this is a loud way to get noticed, and exactly the kind of up-and-comer we like to cover.