In the 1970s, a man named Mark Gwinn, Jr designed the first Bushmaster Assault Rifle upon returning from the Vietnam war under the defunct firearm manufacturing company, the Gwinn Arms Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to capitalize on the rising trend of military assault rifles. Around this period, rifles slowly shifted from M14 to M16, which now feature aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, and small caliber, and the firearm industry wanted to hop into the trend.

However, Gwinn’s success did not last long. He was forced to sell his company to Quality Parts (reformed to Bushmaster Firearms International), who will continue manufacturing and innovating his iconic AR-15s until today.

Well, its ownership has been quite a spectacle, to be honest, primarily because of the notoriety caused by some of its rogue handlers, starting with the 2002 D.C. sniper attacks and the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

Only August last year, the company finally managed to stand back up and running again. They even revive their original brand name and some of its firearms lines, including the XM15-E2S series, 450 Bushmaster, Adaptive Combat Rifle (ACR), and BA50 brands.

Check out the five firearms series available for purchase below.

Bravo Zulu Series

Bravo Zulu is the first Bushmaster addition to its AR-platform options since its relaunch last year. It is available in seven configurations, each with the BFI free-float M-LOK handguard and a QD sling swivel mount, with MSRP ranging from $995 to $1,910.

Bravo Zulu Specs

  • Caliber: 5.56 NATO (.223 REM)
  • Weight: 6.21 lbs without magazine
  • Length: 33.5″ – 36.5″
  • Barrel: 16″ Salt Bath Nitride
  • Twist: 1:8, 1:24
  • Trigger: DM2S/BFSIII Trigger/450 Bushmaster
  • Magazine: 30 RD Thril Polymer-matrix
  • Grip: Thril Rugged Tactical Grip
Bushmaster Bravo Zulu
(Image source: Bushmaster)

M4 Patrolman’s Series

Bushmaster’s M4 Patrolman series boasts an updated version of A4 upper and M4 feed ramps, increasing the weapon’s durability and reliability. You can have yours for as low as $949.99.

M4 Patrolman’s Specs

  • Caliber: 5.56 NATO (.223 REM)
  • Weight: 6.7 lbs without magazine
  • Length: 32.5″ -36″
  • Barrel: 16″ Salt Bath Nitride
  • Twist: 1:7
  • Trigger: MILSPEC or BFSIII
  • Magazine: 30 RD Aluminum

The Flat Top, on the other hand, features an American-made flip-up rear sight that can be mounted with a red dot.