First Look: Black Rain Ordnance SPEC-15 Pistol

Matt Stagliano

“Bro, you need one of these. Don’t worry about all that government stamp stuff. This is an AR pistol. It’s kinda like an AR but smaller, and you don’t have to worry about ripping your Affliction t-shirt because you can’t even put it on your shoulder. Broski, this thing is like a double dose of pre-workout when you shoot it. I mean, c’mon bro, let it RAIN!”

I feel like I need to aggro shout-talk when holding anything from Black Rain Ordnance. Clearly targeting the more aggressively minded shmedium T-Shirt wearing crowd, BRO for years has been all about masculinity, hazmat symbols, and a lot of red and black marketing materials.

I was recently sent their SPEC-15 AR Pistol, the consumer priced yet higher quality build series from Black Rain. From what we can tell, the quality of BRO builds has been good, with very few anecdotal complaints. This is the first time I’ve have had one in my hands though, so I want to form our own opinion. When I told some true gunguy friends that I had the SPEC-15 pistol, the common response was, “I hear their stuff is pretty solid. I’m gonna have to shoot it though. I hope I don’t get ‘roid rage when I hold it.”

While there is limited in-depth information on the Black Rain website, it does say “The Black Rain Ordnance Spec series is a line of AR15 rifles and pistols built to meet bid requirements for law enforcement and military personnel and as an affordable option for civilian use.” So, a quality build at lower prices. That seems to be the holy grail for most gun manufacturers, and just like the cup of a carpenter, unattainable. While I doubt you will see the SPEC-15 pistol replacing duty rifles in an LEO role, the option is there.

But let’s talk sex appeal. The SPEC-15 pistol is certainly good looking right out of the box. I’ll hand it to BRO for their fit and finish. Lines are clean, the finish is flawless and for an AR pistol, what more do you want?

With the signature “Let It Rain” dustcover, and a large “Black Rain” logo on the handguard, I’m pretty sure you’re not going to mistake this for any other AR pistol in your safe. You certainly won’t miss their branding.

I threw an Aimpoint H1 on it and took it out to the 50m backyard range for a few test fires during lunch. The trigger feels a little heavy in comparison to the Geisseles I normally run, but it’s just a GI trigger and was solid as a factory option. Ran one magazine through the gun to get the feel for it, and are happy to report no malfunctions or jam-ups. That’s unsurprising given the good reputation of BRO, but I’ll continue to beat on it in the coming months and give you many more details about how this thing is put together.

Not a fan of the fact that a good portion of the Picatinny rail on the top of the handguard was replaced by a smooth concave finish, presumably for comfort and weight savings. This is the hallmark of the BRO Hybrid handguard though, an MLOK variant. I don’t want manufacturers to assume how I am going to accessorize the pistol, just let me have my way. That being said, this is still just a pistol and I’m not necessarily going to outfit it the way we would a fighting rifle (I’m trying to stay objective, bro!). The handguard is comfortable and with multiple QD mount points milled into it, attaching a sling should be relatively easy.

I’m going to utilize this as a winter truck pistol and see how she performs, but priced at $899 retail, the SPEC-15 is may certainly be a low priced good quality option for an out-of-the-box AR pistol. Now get back on the bench and give me another set, bro.

-Matt