IWI CARMEL
A Timeless Heritage, State-of-the-Art Tech
The new Carmel from Israel Weapon Industries is the company’s latest foray into the black rifle market.
It’s rugged, well-reasoned, and effective.
In the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, the prophet Jeremiah relates an extraordinary tale. During the reign of the pagan King Ahab and his despicable wife Jezebel, the prophet Elijah had an epic showdown atop Mount Carmel with the false prophets of the idolatrous god Baal. At the end of the day, the Almighty Himself poured down fire that utterly consumed Elijah’s stone altar. In the aftermath, Elijah killed 850 of Baal’s prophets and proved without doubt who the one true God was.
Mount Carmel is actually a modest mountain range overlooking the Jezreel Valley in Israel. I’ve been there, and it is pretty epic. It is one of those holy spots that anchor the Jewish people to their land. When Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) needed a name for their new state-of-the-art modern combat rifle that projected a sort of “Fire-from-Heaven” vibe, they chose Carmel.
The IWI Carmel has literally all the bells and whistles.
Technical Details
The IWI Carmel has been a long time coming. Incorporating weapons-grade steel, aircraft aluminum and indestructible polymer into its construction, the Carmel was designed from the ground up to be reliable, accurate and rugged. The Carmel is resistant to abuse and impervious to foul weather. This combat rifle is as good as humankind can make it.
No kidding. Gun manufacturers have been hitting around this for years now, but I think the Carmel has everything. The rifle is driven by a short-stroke gas piston-driven action. This operating system is arguably the most reliable and easily maintained in the world. The gas regulator is user-selectable between standard and suppressed operation. The free-floated barrel is cold hammer-forged and chrome-lined. The full-length hard-anodized monolithic aluminum 1913 Picatinny rail offers ample space for optics. The aluminum forearm is awash in M-LOK slots for accessories.
The controls are perfect. Stoner-inspired yet tastefully upgraded, the safety, magazine release, and bolt catch are all replicated on both sides of the gun. Additionally, the non-reciprocating forward-mounted charging handle is legit ambidextrous. Unlike lesser guns wherein you might have to disassemble the rifle to swap things out, in this case, you just retract the bolt, press the charging handle from one side to the other, and go. Literally, nothing is easier.
There are sling sockets on the back, and the Carmel comes with a rail-mounted sling mount for the front. The buttstock is more flexible than a Congressman’s morals. In addition to folding to the right side, the buttstock readily adjusts for the length of pull and height of the comb. The Carmel also comes with a genuine Magpul P-Mag with a window. Like everything else about the rifle, IWI just doesn’t cut corners.
The IWI Carmel is the optimized defensive rifle.
The Israelis know a thing or three about building combat weapons, and everything about the Carmel rifle is optimized for hard use in the real world. The controls fit the human form perfectly, and the gun shoots both straight and true. Run a magazine or two through the Carmel to take its measure, and the ergonomics imprint on you nicely. The charging handle up front is easier to access than that of your M4, and everything else feels right at home for anybody who has ever hefted an AR-15.
Ruminations
The competition for your hard-earned gun money is pretty fierce these days, and low-end AR-15 rifles have literally never been cheaper. However, that’s not the space the IWI Carmel occupies. The Carmel is the kind of iron that could take you downrange for real and bring you back again safely. Whether you are a cop on patrol or a security-minded citizen, the Carmel is combat-tough and just super cool. Rugged, accurate, svelte, and sexy in a utilitarian sort of way, the Carmel raises the bar on the modern sporting rifle.
For more on the IWI Carmel, visit https://iwi.us.
CLICK HERE to watch Will Dabbs, MD, send some shots downrange with the IWI Carmel.
*Safety Recall Notice* IWI US, Inc. (“IWI”) has determined that the Carmel Rifle has a safety issue with the firing pin blocker and is thereby subject to a Safety Warning and Recall Notice. IWI is issuing this mandatory recall to repair the safety issue in the specific Carmel rifles listed below. IWI will correct these recalled firearms at no cost to the customer, and this recall does not affect any other IWI products. For more information, read the full recall notice.
