Battle Arms Development Workhorse
- Category
- Carbine
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.86 kg
- Introduced
- 2020
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse is a duty-grade AR-15 rifle built around BAD's forged Workhorse 7075-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum receiver set and a free-floating M-LOK handguard. The 16-inch model is chambered in .223 Wylde (compatible with both 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington), using a 4150 chrome-moly medium-profile barrel with a black nitride finish and a 1:7 twist. The rifle pairs a mid-length direct-impingement gas system with a polished nickel-Teflon single-stage match trigger, a BAD ambidextrous safety selector, and a BAD-RACK-15 ambidextrous charging handle. Furniture includes a B5 Systems Bravo stock and grip. Positioned as Battle Arms Development's no-frills, hard-use working rifle, the Workhorse delivers the company's premium component engineering at a more accessible price point than its lightweight flagship builds.
Battle Arms Development was founded on July 4, 2009 in Henderson, Nevada, initially making its name with the lightweight titanium and aluminum AR-15 components such as its ambidextrous safety selectors and the ultra-light BAD-556-LW rifle. The Workhorse line represents the company's pivot to a rugged, value-oriented complete rifle built for everyday hard use rather than minimum weight.
Offered as a 16-inch rifle, a 10.5-inch short barrel rifle (SBR), a 10.5-inch pistol, and a Patrol Carbine. The 16-inch rifle weighs roughly 6.3 lb (2.86 kg) and uses a mid-length gas system; the 10.5-inch SBR uses a carbine-length gas system with a 1:8 twist. Specifications here reflect the 16-inch .223 Wylde rifle. Ships with a Magpul PMAG 30-round magazine and a soft case.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Battle Arms Development, Inc.
- Category
- Carbine
- Country
- United States
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2020
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 406 mm
- Overall length
- 921 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.86 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated direct impingement
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Single stage
- Trigger pull
- 20.0 N
- Capacity
- 30
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum alloy
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Black anodized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 945 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 1785 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 3600 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Free floating handguard
M lok rail
Mid length gas system
Flat top receiver
Picatinny rail
Rotating bolt
Forward assist
Dust cover
Ambidextrous charging handle
Nickel teflon trigger- Enhanced receiver set
B5 stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 409 carbines | 2.86 kg | 3.00 kg | Lighter than about 70% |
| Overall lengthAmong 407 carbines | 921 mm | 895 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 423 carbines | 406 mm | 406 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 423 carbines | 30 | 21 | Holds more rounds than about 80% |
Answers
Questions about the Battle Arms Development Workhorse
How much does the Battle Arms Development Workhorse weigh?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse weighs 2.86 kg (6.30 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Battle Arms Development Workhorse?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse is chambered in .223 Wylde.
How many rounds does the Battle Arms Development Workhorse hold?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse holds 30 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Battle Arms Development Workhorse?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse is 921 mm (36.3 in) long overall, with a 406 mm (16.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Battle Arms Development Workhorse?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse is made by Battle Arms Development, Inc. (United States).
When was the Battle Arms Development Workhorse introduced?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse was introduced in 2020.
How does the Battle Arms Development Workhorse operate?
The Battle Arms Development Workhorse uses a gas operated direct impingement action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian Sport Shooters
- United States
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/battle-arms-workhorse' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "battle-arms-workhorse", "name": "Battle Arms Development Workhorse", "manufacturer": { "id": "battle-arms-development", "name": "Battle Arms Development, Inc.", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 2009, "website": "https://www.battlearmsdevelopment.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "updatedAt": "2026-05-26 23:17:02", "version": "aefb596289f8f60bf7c180f4133f9f42163722275313c19f8cce8ebc1e58eb44" }, "category": { "id": "carbine", "name": "Carbine", "description": "Shortened rifles for close-quarters use" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 2020, "barrel_length_mm": 406, "weight_empty_g": 2858, "action_type": "gas_operated_direct_impingement"}