SPR 03: The Amend2 Special Purpose Rifle Series Goes Long
SPR 03 stretches our Special Purpose Rifle series out to a 20 inch barrel, built around LaRue Tactical's LT-15 20 inch upper, long enough to make the Athlon Ares ETR's magnification worth dialing all the way up. An Accu-Tac bipod rides up front, an Aziak tripod supports the bag from underneath, and a Luth-AR MBA-3 stock closes out the back end for a cheek weld you can repeat shot after shot.
The Build
Accu-Tac FD-4 Bipod
Up front: a bipod built to lock a prone position down and keep it there. The FD-4 uses Accu-Tac's dampened pan-and-tilt head so you can track a target without breaking your cheek weld, with quick-adjust legs that click into height in a single motion. CNC-machined aluminum construction, built to hold zero through a long string of fire.
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Inforce ARC 650 LR-M Modular WML
Same light we ran on SPR 01 and SPR 02: 1,400 lumens and 90,000 candela out to 600 meters from a 6061-T6 hard-anodized body. Runs 2 hours 45 minutes on a rechargeable 18650, or drops in two CR123As for a fast field swap. IPX8 waterproof, MIL-STD-810H rated, Scout-pattern mount for tool-free attachment.
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Aziak Frontcountry Tripod
Same support system we have run under SPR 01 and SPR 02: carbon-fiber legs that collapse to 22 inches and extend from 4 to 67 inches depending on which of two interchangeable center columns is mounted, rated to 35 lb on a 3/8-16 or 1/4-20 head. Three leg-angle settings and quarter-turn locks make it fast to set up and break down between positions.
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Athlon Ares ETR Gen 2 4.5-30x56
A first-focal-plane scope built around a 34mm tube and UHD glass for edge-to-edge clarity at distance, the same model we ran on SPR 01. The illuminated APRS12 reticle holds zero through Athlon's Precision Zero Stop, with 0.25 MOA clicks and locking turrets, pull to dial, push to lock, so settings do not walk under recoil. On a 20 inch barrel, the extra velocity out of the LaRue upper means the reticle earns its full magnification range instead of running out of usable elevation first.
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Reptilia AUS Mount (34mm)
Matched exactly to the Ares ETR Gen 2's 34mm tube for zero-shim contact and a rigid, repeatable return to zero. Machined from a single billet of 7075-T6 aluminum with a Picatinny interface and an anti-snag spring-loaded steel clamp. Made in the USA, lifetime warranty.
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LaRue Tactical LT-15 20"
The foundation of the build, and the reason SPR 03 stretches past the 18 inch barrels we ran on SPR 01 and SPR 02. LaRue's LT-15 pairs a 20 inch barrel with their tensioned barrel nut system, which clamps the barrel under spring tension instead of torquing it down rigid, letting the barrel float true and settle back to the same harmonic shot after shot. The extra 2 inches of barrel over our earlier builds means more velocity out of the muzzle, which is exactly what makes dialing the Ares ETR out to 30x worth doing.
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Amend2 Straight 20rd 5.56/.300 BLK Magazine
Same reasoning as SPR 01 and SPR 02: the straight 20-rounder's shorter profile keeps it from lifting your prone position off the deck or hanging up on a barricade edge the way a 30-round magazine can. Fiberglass-reinforced nylon construction, smooth side panels for snag-free reloads, drop-free design, made in the USA with a lifetime warranty.
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Amend2 Priapus Grip
A vertical grip angle instead of the standard A2-style rake, built to keep your wrist straighter behind the trigger when you are set up prone or off a bag. Ribbed front and rear texture holds up wet or gloved. Fiberglass-reinforced polymer, made in the USA, lifetime warranty.
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Luth-AR MBA-3 Stock
Closing out the back end: a stock built around length-of-pull and cheek-weld adjustment instead of treating both as an afterthought. The MBA-3's cheek piece raises independently of the length-of-pull adjustment, so you can dial in a repeatable weld to the Ares ETR's ocular lens without changing how far back the stock sits on your shoulder. QD sling cup built into the buttpad, compatible with mil-spec carbine buffer tubes.
Shop it →That's SPR 03. Four builds to go. Catch up on SPR 01 and SPR 02, or check out our breakdown of the 2026 NFA law changes and the SPARC match we shot over Labor Day weekend.
