Silencer Saturday #451: Return of the LVAW

Daniel Y
by Daniel Y

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturer of the new Victra 20-gauge shotgun suppressor. This week we have exciting news in the world of clones and silencers. The Sig Sauer LVAW is back. Kind of.


 

Silencer Saturday @ TFB:



“LVAW” is a phrase that elicits excitement from clone nerds, but is not as well known by the general public. The Low Visibility Assault Weapon is an integrally suppressed 300 Blackout MCX. It has a 6.75-inch barrel and folding stock, allowing low-visibility storage and carry.


The true history of the LVAW is hard to verify. Forum posts and rumors account for most of the accepted facts rather than primary sources. Those sources place the timeframe for the SOCOM contract in April 2015. The MCX was first introduced to the public at SHOT Show in January 2015. This report from Military Times discusses the “Black Mamba” on the range in April 2014, though the author was not allowed to see the internal workings. It feels weird to flash back to a time when the fact that what would become the MCX was an AR-18 derivative was unknown, but it highlights how mysterious the LVAW was.


The purported Black Mamba nickname also has some interesting connotations. The first compact assault rifle in 300 Blk was AAC’s Honey Badger. It was built on a true AR platform, and itself was part of a SOCOM contract. Black Mamba snakes are one of the natural predators of honey badgers, and the move to the piston-driven LVAW seemed like a predator of the older platform.


One of the most authoritative places for information on clone builds is clonerifles.com. They have a collection of pictures and a list of parts and accessories often seen on these guns. If this kind of gun interests you at all, you should go take a look. And while you are there, you should take a look at some of the other less-known clones like the SAM-R.


The LVAW is back, but with a twist. Sig’s new model is the LTAW, a portmanteau/acronym of LT for the LT platform the gun is now based on, and AW from the old LVAW days. TFBtv’s Kaya got to go hands-on with the new LTAW at the SIG Next event this week. You can (and should) watch his video here. This is also a good opportunity for a plug for the TFBtv Show Time channel, where you can catch full coverage of the various industry events our team attends. Luke also seemed very excited about the LTAW after shooting it.


True clone nerds will note some differences with the original. The most obvious is the ambidextrous lower. The modern LT series is the basis for that gun, and this is an upgrade that makes the gun more usable even if it is not true to the original. Another visible difference is the handguard design. It looks similar to the original, but also has LT design elements and an access point for the gas regulator. Are these differences enough to disqualify this as a clone? Where a true clone needs a prototype MCX lower that was never truly available commercially, not in my book.


Another element that is true to the original is the stock. Sig brought back the old-style skeletonized folding stock. The product description calls it the “KM” stock. This version has also been called the ‘Kate Moss’ stock.


Sig will have three versions of the LTAW when it releases (sometime in the next four months, according to the Sig reps in the video). Two are basic models: an SBR and a pistol. Even though braced pistols are on the outs thanks to free tax stamps, making the LTAW available in states where SBRs are illegal is a good move. These models do not include a silencer, but have a training dummy in place. The anticipated retail price on these models is $2700.

 

The full-kit version will retail for $3700. That one includes a Romeo-4T Pro red dot sight, as well as an SQX silencer. The Romeo-4T is on the list of “clone correct” optics. An accessory package from Arisaka is included as well. Moving to the Pro model matches the general vibe of this package: pretty true to the original, but with some added modernization. Alright, enough talking, here are some pictures of the various models:


So, what do you think? Is this close enough to a true LVAW to be called a clone? Or is this just an interesting suppressor host? Drop a comment below. We will see you back here next week.





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Daniel Y
Daniel Y

AKA @fromtheguncounter on Instagram. Gun nerd, reloader, attorney, and mediocre hunter.

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 2 comments
  • Brian Nef Brian Nef 11 hours ago

    So is Kaya doing interviews from Aston Martins because Sig's "experience center" caught on fire? That company is an absolute mess, when Ron Cohen finally gets canned by the board I might be interested in a Sig.

  • SIG should start selling the CSAW next. And of course double stack P210s.

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