SHOT Show 2022: Bushmasters Beastly BA 30

Bushmaster is back, ladies and gents! They promise to return to their former glory and to start that they've gone off the rails! Their latest firearm mixes their legendary AR platform with something a little less traditional. ARs are supposed to be semi-auto, right? Well, yeah, but this isn't an AR. It's the BA 30.

The BA 30 takes lots of cues from the AR 10 family, but it's not semi-automatic. Instead, it's a straight-pull bolt action. A straight-pull bolt action allows you to rapidly cycle the bolt. It only moves rearward and forward. This allows for a very rapid cycling action that takes the speed of a manual rifle to its limits.

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At the same time, the BA 30 uses AR 10 magazines, AR handguard, grips, and more. Since buffer tube isn't required, Bushmaster went with a precision-based stock over a traditional AR stock. This stock can be adjusted precisely for length and cheek weld height. The BA 30 comes in 308, but caliber conversions are easy, and the barrel can be replaced quickly and without much fuss.

At the Range

The BA 30 landed at range day and had quite the crowd gathered around. Writers, YouTubers, and tire kickers lined up for the chance to send 30 caliber pills down range. I patiently waited my turn but popped that mag of 308 in with glee.

The straight pull bolt ran smoothly. Ripping it to the rear and shoving it forward was so utterly satisfying. As you'd expect, the accuracy was amazing. I dinged the hostage popper over and over and kept it spinning. It might not be semi-automatic, but that doesn't mean you can work the gun with some real speed.

I could cycle the bolt and line up my next shot before the hostage swinger stopped moving. A straight-pull bolt only requires forward and rearward motion, so it's quick and easy to get follow-up shots off.

The recoil was surprisingly light, and my only complaint came from the stock. I needed to adjust it more from my larger frame, but sadly the guys at the booth were against that idea.

Splitting Hairs

The Bushmaster BA 30 is a fascinating rifle. It gives you the sporting and manual action of a bolt gun with the easy accessorization of an AR. We got ample room for optics, lights, bipods, and more. Plus plenty of options for magazines, handguards, and barrels. It might be the most customizable bot gun to hit the market. I think Bushmaster has a winner on their hands with the BA 30, and I really want some more range time with one.